High End PcP .22 vs .25

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When a pellet strikes a target (squirrel, bird, groundhog, etc.) and exits the target, most of the fpe exits with it. It makes little difference how much fpe your rifle produces if the target is shot straight through. A headshot with any caliber is going to kill the varmint dead as a wedge. Look at the various clay and ballistic jell test that show penetration distance. I have never seen penetration less than 2 inches. How wide is your average varmints head? For me it comes down to economics and availability of ammo. I shoot .177 and .22. They get the job done. The Britts are killing squirrels, rabbits, crows, magpies, pigeons, rats, etc. with sub 12fpe weapons. If you like .25, go for it but it is no better at killing anything than .22 or .177. As has been said many times above, accuracy is the key to dispatching varmints.
 
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Thanks for all the replies people, much appreciated and has given me some food for thought.

Let me show you the differences between these two rifles' at 140 yards. I think this yardage shows just how well your gun is shooting.

I'm working on the Huben K1 group now.



FX Dreampup, not the bottle version:

20210925_160315.1632601570.jpg


Here is the K1 Group. I guess they are pretty even but the FX wins this shootout!!

20210925_173822.1632606430.jpg



 
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Tune the K1 up over 1000fps with the 25.39, I want to see the dents they make then ;-).

As 6600 alluded to above, there is not a lot in it, one shot out off 16 takes it to 5" otherwise the K1 is on par, throw in a heavy wind! and the roles may well be reversed.

I was not allowed a K1 , so WANT may colour my thinking.

Also, I should say, I have gone the .22 route myself, but that is due to the fact the gun I have chosen will not have the oomph to shift .25 (like a K1 would)


 
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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

Click to expand...

Flatter projector? are you talking slugs? 
As im not aware of any pellet in .22 that has a better bc than the .25 king heavy. I use .062 for ballistics calculation at 890fps. Packs a punch…very accurate. 
 
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I don't even consider penetration for small game. Its more about the back stop issue. Over penetration can cause damage to property. Animals die from tissue damage or concussion. A 25 can cause more tissue damage or get more penetration depending on power levels. Like I said you can tune it down to super low levels and go for head shots and have zero penetration and still kill efficiently. Everything has a plus and minus. With today's airguns I can hardly say accuracy is an issue. I kill the crap out of small game with every caliber mentioned above. Most guns are accurate. The idea that 25 is less accurate than 177 or 22 seems like a problem I've never had. Honestly if you don't want to tune the 25 down to avoid over penetration then I see no need to use it.....for squirrels and such. If you would like to use it on the occasional possum or raccoon there's a big difference. I suggest watching a ton of pesting videos and making a choice. Just because the Brits use 12 fpe doesn't mean it's the best.....it does prove that accuracy trump's fpe or energy "dumped" into the target etc. I can tell you first hand that if there is any chance that you would use it for larger game the bigger is better approach starts to make more sense. If your asking a purely generic question on what is better for rabbit or squirrels I would say .22 however like I said before if you really want low penetration and instant death the heavy 25 cal thrown like a rock does work really well. Around houses and expensive equipment it's hard to beat a 12 fpe 177. I hope this helps. Accuracy does matter most but it's not like 25 can't be accurate. That seems like a problem for springers or possibly pcps from before my time. Even a hatsan flash is pretty darn accurate in 25 just my 2 cents
 
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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

Click to expand...



Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if I recall correctly,.22 shooting flatter only matters on one side of the pond. In England, their air guns are only allowed to go to 12 foot pounds of energy. A .25 will have to be shot at a lower velocity to get to 12 fp so because of the lower speed the pellet will drop faster giving it a loopier trajectory thus making the .22 shoot "flatter".

If both your .22 and .25 are shooting the same velocity, they should have the same trajectory, excluding some small differences like BC, etc. 
 
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You can kill a lot with the 22. But if you have a high power 25 that can shoot 26 grain or higher slugs over 925 fps it will be a lot more devastating on game than most 22s. But not all 22s are the same. Some high powered 22s are nearly or more powerful as a 25... 



It's about having a gun which is capable of producing varying energy levels through tuning. 



Look at the platform of airgun first. What power settings can you achieve with either caliber?
 
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I'd like to add my 2 cents to what Cliff and Sasquatch just mentioned.

I have an FX 500 (.25 cal) that shoots the 25.39 grain Jsb's at around 890 to 900 fps

I also have a .22 Cal Huben that shoots the 25.39 grain redesign Jsb's at 910 to 920 fps

In this particular case my .22 Huben is a couple foot pounds stronger than my .25 cal FX . Maybe if I was shooting beyond 100 yds I could tell a difference in trajectory, but for the most part they are the same inside 50 yds where I do most of my shooting.

Also have a .25 cal Kalibrgun shooting the 33.95 grain Jsb at 910 fps with pretty much the same trajectory.

One is just as flat as the other in my case.

Good to see you on here Cliff

Peace and ballistic coefficient grease

Fuss
 
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Accuracy wins hands down 22 cal has same weight pellets up to 34 gr in weight which would be better bc than 25 cal 34 gr right now it is easier to get 22 cal pellets then it is to get 25 cal pellets Huben guns I don't know a lot about just recently I've heard about them . Fx on the other hand has been around for awhile now I'd feel better with more accurate gun and the one that is easier to get pellets for 22 cal has a much wider range than the 25 I have a couple 22 cal guns and three 25 cal guns I am a big fan of 25 cal too but I also don't mind 22 cal especially since I can get the pellets for them right now my 25 cal and 22 cal guns are both really accurate I would stick with accuracy and pellet availability just my opinion though
 
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I prefer the 22 in my suburban settings as it's quieter. I also get more shots per fill and seem to be in no shortage of 22 pellets.

I use it for squirrels and rabbits and the added benefit is aiming for and hitting rabbits in or within a 1/4 inch of the eyes and dropping them on the spot. I don't think in these circumstances a 25 could drop them faster. I am shooting heavy Redesigns at 950 fps though.
 
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I've been hunting small game (squirrels & rabbits) for 10yrs and own quite a collection of .22's. Most of them with 18gr JSB. I did try out a couple. 25's (Brocok Commander & Edgun Matador). Not much difference other than .25's has a slight recoil and required more air. In the end it's all about placement shots. Either caliber, if you didn't have the right placement shot, your prey isn't going to drop. In the end, I sold my .25's and kept all the .22's. I did upgrade some guns to slugs. 
 
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