High End PcP .22 vs .25

[uhfradarwill]

Ok so I own a FX Dreamline Bullpup in .22 and a Huben K1 in .25.

The FX will outshoot the Huben everyday in accuracy from 25 to 140 yards; wind or no wind!!

After shooting these two guns, I'm amazed on just how hard the .25 cal hits vs the .22 given the same velocity; ~900 fps.

If hunting/pesting is your game, why would anyone choose the .22 over the .25?

I know the .22 shoots flatter but it's like a mosquito biting you vs a horse fly with the .25.

Somebody please show me the correct path as I'm about to sell the more accurate .22!!

Will

 

[MP44]

Squirrel Hunting .22 vs .25 Comparison

https://youtu.be/DImiWYmrGsk

 

[L.Leon]

There is no one correct path, if you feel more confident/comfortable with the .25 go with that. A 30 ft. lb. .22 is more than capable for small game sub 100 yards. The Brits small game hunt and pest with 12 ft. lb. PCPs. Given a capable gun and caliber, the shooter is the biggest part of the equation. I rather have a lighter caliber that I can hit what I aim at than a heavier caliber that just hits harder. Accuracy is everything otherwise why bother?

 

[darylm]

The superior FPE of the .25 isn’t much of an advantage if it’s not accurate.

 

[ChRiSiS]

Will, I would say that its not all about power. After all, if that was the case then no one would use anything except .30cal, or even .35.

I would also say that I easily get 56 FPE using 34 grain .22 pellets from my FX Crown MK2 and my Impact M3 (700mm barrels in both). My Huben K1 in .22 easily hits 60+ FPE as well, so the .22 can get up into .25 territory.

At the end of the day, for small game I think that too much power is probably more of an issue (over penetration and collateral damage being the problem) than too little - at least as between the .22 and .25. On the other hand, if I were trying to kill larger game (Coyote, Racoons, etc.) I would probably go for the .25

Chris

 

[elh0102]

I've never owned a .25, but I've killed a ton of squirrels with both a .22 and .177. I see no practical difference in the two, and I expect I'd feel the same if adding the .25, dead is dead. The rifle you prefer is, IMO, more important than the caliber. 

 

[baassman]

I can share my experiences although maybe not high end, but nevertheless it will give you my choice. We have an Iguana problem in South Florida. I grew up here. Never saw a one as a kid.. Fast forward 61 years.. So this is my thing. Between Jan and April Ive killed over a hundred just between my house and my two neighbors. Now I average 5-10 a week. I dont go on Iguana "hunts". I shoot them in our back yards before they can dig holes and lay more eggs. I use a Prod mostly. 22 cal. Head shots behind the eyes and lights out no matter if its a JSB diablo, Hades, Predators..doesnt matter. In fact, a .177 bb to the brain of an Iguana and its over. Now, my plan was to have better opportunity for a kill on those less than perfect shots by going with a .25 so I purchased an NP-03 in .25 from New England Airguns. Get it sighted in, moderator added and it shoots wonderful using JSB Hades 26gr..First outing with it and pop..less than perfect shot. Guess what? Yup, no difference. Just a bigger hole and they run away..not before another 1 or 2 "less than perfect shots"(probably to die but again. Im trying to be as humane as possible). My Prod is tuned to shoot in the low 700's and I use 16gr JSB's. The Kral's power is turned down to be in the high 600's using 26gr Hades. Roughly 10 fpe difference. But heres the kicker. Most shots go out the other side anyways. So, I really havent accomplished much in the long run. Accuracy will win this contest any day of the week. My next move will be a "high end" in .22 and practice, practice.

 

[Blackpaw]

To add on to what @l.leon says, I think that people use power to make up for accuracy. Like he said the British youtubers are using sub-12 ft/lbs 177/22 out to 50 yards popping pigeons with good shot placement. They rely on accuracy not power to make the kill.

The only thing the power does is give you more room for error, it doesn't make you a better shot, hunter or pester and might say the opposite. I am huge fan of the 25 cal, and feel it is a great mid range all arounder with the right gun. Yet accuracy and precision always trumps power, IMHO.

By the way in the last video I saw, Ed has gone back the 22 as his go to caliber.

 

[Ranchibi]

Accuracy @ 140yds with a FX .22 over a Huben .25….you have an excellent .22 FX Dreamline! Most folks chase accuracy then power, you have both with your FX! I’m sure both shoot slugs very well and that levels the playing field somewhat between .22 & .25 calibers and .22 has so many more ammo choices and cheaper to shoot.

 

[Raden1942]

With small game I can see no need for a 25 cal if you don't want to. However you can do something neat with 25 cal. If you tune it down to like 400 fps with the heaviest pellet your gun can shoot accurately then it simply hits like a hammer. The wsgun leshey YouTube channel has tons of videos of this effect. One hit to the skull and the pellet bounces off the squirrels head. However all the power dumps into the animal and it's very humane. If you have a flier or bad shot the normally over penetrating 25 will bounce more than ricochet. I generally say don't use a 25 around the neighborhood dispatching squirrels or iguana and use a 177 instead but done this way it's much safer. You really should check out his channel. I know this sounds counter intuitive but I swear to you it works well. I've shot a few squirrel that way and the headshots were always instant death. I ended up turning the power back up because of the raccoon problem I have but it's a very effective way to hunt especially if you have known distances in your backyard and have your drops all figured out. Also one other plus is the slower moving and bigger pellet shows up alot better on video especially if you paint the inside of the skirt white or neon colors. I use a 25 because I sometimes have to kill bigger animals. If all you shoot is small game it's hard to beat the 22. Good luck to you.

 

[Blackpaw]

For some reason I can’t find an older post, but it involved penetration versus energy comparing a .177 and 25 cal at 16 FPE. Essentially the 177 penetrated deeper at the 16 FPE range. The guns were my (former) Leshiy 2 177 and my Taipan 25 (cranked WAY down). Both guns used JSB (equivalent per caliber weighted pellets).

I figured both calibers against a metal cookie sheet / pan and the 177 made a deeper hole. If we flip the coin and go from HP to LP, then there are advantages of a 25 in over smaller calibers if youdon’t want penetration. The cross sectional dispersion of a larger caliber is greater so it makes it less likely it will do a pass through on a backstop, aka roof / wall / feed box. However, at the same time shooting a 25 cal pellet at around 16fpe is like lobbing rocks trajectory wise compared to a .177, so you really have to know your hold over.

 

[biohazardman]

Accuracy rules, as far as I am concerned, and I would always take the more accurate gun over the least accurate. As long as it would still do the job reasonably well. A well placed shot is always best for dispatching pests humanely.

Were it me, I would keep both of them as they both have their individual traits that make them best suited for specific jobs. Also .22 pellets are much easier to procure than .25s are at this point in time..

 

[CampFussell]

Hunting pesting, I would go with the Huben, just for the fast follow up shot alone, not to mention it's easy to shoulder and shoot free hand. Mine is a .22 and shoots the 25 grain redesign at around 920 fps for 47 fpe which is just a little stronger than my .25 cal FX500 shooting 25 grain at just under 900 fps.

5 shots at 46 yds....good enough to hunt with in my book

 

[RBD2]

Accuracy is king I will say I have a 117 , 22, 25 I like 25 not sure why but I feel I shoot a little better with .25 I use .25 in a 12 ft edgun leshiy and I like the trajectory out to 40 yards. 

 

[allan_wind]

Accuracy is everything.

.22 usually make less noise than .25 both firing cycle and at impact. That might give you a 2nd or 3rd shot at a target.

Cost of ammunition ($0.04 for JSB .22 18 grains, vs 0.06 for JSB .25 25.39 grain; i.e. ~70% more).

You also use more air hence using more time on refilling guns and tanks.

For me it's often desirable to minimize energy while achieving a reliable kill. This comes into play both for a miss, but also for penetration where a slow .25 might be better than a fast .22.

You only need 4-5 fpe at target for rabbits and squirrels. 

 

[huntr]

Accuracy IS king, but hunting in the woods, on wild game, that moves unpredictably... power from an accurate gun makes a difference.

 

[Guest]

.25 all the way,.... .30 even better

 

[harrymoreland]

"outshoot" what are we taking about, if it's only a few 1/16s here and there then,for hunting/pesting I would keep the Huben for it's self indexing value alone.



Yes I know a few 1/16s can make all the difference, but it's all relative.

Good luck.

 

[PumaCarl]

Everyone is making good sense in this thread about accuracy first and the effect of power and penetration in relation to caliber and so forth but I will mention a different consideration. Between the two guns mentioned there are many fans here, and I am sure there are good reasons for that, as listed. The point I give a lot more consideration to these days is long term ownership, maintenance, parts availability, company stability, and aftermarket suppliers and support. I don't sell anything that I make a decision to purchase in the first place. If you are a buy and try kind of guy (or a collector) then these points won't really matter to you. If not, they should. Having spent time trying to find someone to work on, or get parts for my guns, I have come to totally re-think airguns that I once wanted to get. Small boutique shops building awesome guns are great until the owner closes shop, and that is true no matter what county it's in. If I were trying to make a decision, as you are, I would be thinking about total ownership not the caliber. Both guns are capable, one gun is capable of becoming anything but still a sidelever, the other is what it is, but a semi. FX is at the size now that they are a safe bet for being around for a while, what does anyone know of Huben? Seriously, I'd like to know, maybe they are awesome but there's no company face to put to them. I remember, on this forum and GTA, that a lot of people thought they were a Czech company for quite a while. .22 vs. .25? not a big deal between high-end guns.

TL,DR: If you only care about the here and now, and live in the moment, your choice is as easy as which gun you really prefer to shoot, keep that one!

 

[Corvid_hunter]

I've shot a bunch of magpies over the last couple of years with .22cal 25gr JSBs at approx 900fps and .25cal 25gr JSBs at approx 900fps. Same energy, but I would say the .25cal is better due to having more surface contact area on impact.