N/A High shot count .177s?

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Basher

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Jun 15, 2022
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Lafayette, Indiana, USA
I have .25 stuff covered well, and I think I have .22 down well enough at the moment (that can always change though, lol). But I’m considering a .177 PCP purely to have something with a high shot count per fill (200+). I realize shot count varies based on the tune, so if it helps I’d be happy with a tun that puts me anywhere from 12fpe up to 16fpe or so. The ability to tune higher would be nice in case things change, but I have lower fpe covered with a few Weihrauch springers. For the sake of this discussion and to keep things simple, let’s keep the tune to the 12-16fpe range.

I’m familiar with and enjoy BRK/Brocock, EdGun, and Taipan, and I’ve read a lot of good things about RTI, AGT, and several others. Those who’ve owned or shot these enough to know, how was the shot count per fill in this tune range? I’m strongly considering an RTI Prophet Performance, but I’m always open to other quality options as long as they net me a higher shot count. Doesn’t matter if it’s a single shot or repeater, if you’ve enjoyed a .177 that let you shoot a 250ct tin (or more) without needing to top up, I wanna hear about it! :)
 
I have a Red Wolf with a Heliboard that has 12 settings from under 10 FPE up to about 30 FPE. At the high end it shoots 12.5 grain NSA slugs at 1000 FPS to 100 yards beautifully. On the low end it shoots 7.87 JSB pellets in the garage at 750 FPS. My guess is that it gets well over 400 shots at 12 FPE. I shot it all winter in the garage without a refill at 10 FPE. I opened a second 500 pellet tin.
 
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I've seen that some PCPs have a higher shot-count in .22 than in .177.

I suspect that it's some combination of volume and pressure; surface area of the skirt and drag; as well as how much power you are going for. Don't know, it may be as simple as it is more difficult to blow through a small pipe than a larger one (try it yourself).

Anyway, you might want to try down-tuning one of your .22 PCPs to see if you can get an acceptable shot-count.

That or this is a great excuse to buy another airgun! 😁

Cheers!
 
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Vana2 said:
I've seen that some PCPs have a higher shot-count in .22 than in .177.

I suspect that it's some combination of volume and pressure; surface area of the skirt and drag; as well as how much power you are going for. Don't know, it may be as simple as it is more difficult to blow through a small pipe than a larger one (try it yourself).

Anyway, you might want to try down-tuning one of your .22 PCPs to see if you can get an acceptable shot-count.

That or this is a great excuse to buy another airgun! 😁

Cheers!
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Truth be told, I only have one .22 PCP right now, a Benjamin Cayden. I wouldn’t be opposed to another .22 rather than a .177, as I have a healthy stockpile of .22 pellets from 14gr-18gr. But I also have a very healthy supply of H&N Finale Match 8.18gr wadcutters in .177 to go through as well, so a high shot count .177 good for ~40y and in would be well fed for many, many years.

I do understand where you’re coming from regarding air efficiency due to greater surface area on larger calibers, but typically I don’t see shot counts in the hundreds being mentioned. I’ve seen a few .22s in the low 100s which isn’t awful, but if I can double or triple that, it would be amazing!

Decisions, decisions… :)
 
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Basher said:
Truth be told, I only have one .22 PCP right now, a Benjamin Cayden. I wouldn’t be opposed to another .22 rather than a .177, as I have a healthy stockpile of .22 pellets from 14gr-18gr. But I also have a very healthy supply of H&N Finale Match 8.18gr wadcutters in .177 to go through as well, so a high shot count .177 good for ~40y and in would be well fed for many, many years.

I do understand where you’re coming from regarding air efficiency due to greater surface area on larger calibers, but typically I don’t see shot counts in the hundreds being mentioned. I’ve seen a few .22s in the low 100s which isn’t awful, but if I can double or triple that, it would be amazing!

Decisions, decisions… :)
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Hey Basher, you might want to visit some of the British airgun sites.

I've seen a couple of (normally) high-power PCPs that were setup (some parts changed - hammer and spring) to conform with their sub-12fpe requirements and were getting very high shot-counts.

Could give you an idea of what's possible and what's involved.
 
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daddypaddy said:
benjamin akela in .177 has a relatively high shot count when tuned and it has accuracy as well. for under $300 at airgun revisions, it’s hard to beat.
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A Kratos with and FX bottle swap would be even moar :cool:

ETA: Sorry brain fart, the Kratos is a 22Cal only. But I was tempted to buy an Akela and Kratos and swap parts last time they were in stock at AR. Still might do that and sell the left overs for cheap leaving me with a nice 177 Kratos.
 
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daddypaddy said:
benjamin akela in .177 has a relatively high shot count when tuned and it has accuracy as well. for under $300 at airgun revisions, it’s hard to beat.
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I had an Akela in .177 and liked its performance overall, but it didn’t fit me great. If I can snag a refurb from AR next time they have them, I might consider altering the stock to fit me better. That would certainly be one of the least expensive ways to go!
 
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Vana2 said:
Hey Basher, you might want to visit some of the British airgun sites.

I've seen a couple of (normally) high-power PCPs that were setup (some parts changed - hammer and spring) to conform with their sub-12fpe requirements and were getting very high shot-counts.

Could give you an idea of what's possible and what's involved.
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I do need to join and troll more UK airgun forums, yes. My only real issue with a strictly 12fpe .22 is the trajectory. 12fpe is 12fpe, but as I’m sure you’re aware, how you get there makes a world of difference. A .177 will have a flatter trajectory than a .22 when tuned that low, but I guess I’m not limited to 12fpe so I could fiddle with the tune until I found an fpe/shot count/trajectory combo that I was happy with. It’s definitely something to consider!
 
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I have a prophet 2 performance with the .177 barrel on it currently. I tuned it down to shoot 8.4’s at around 780 fps for a pesting job I had. It is insanely accurate at this level and I have taken many birds at 50 yards with it. As far as shot count goes, I never did a shot string with it because I didn’t want to waist the ammo, but I can guarantee you that it will give you the shot count you’re looking for.
 
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MongooseV8 said:
A Kratos with and FX bottle swap would be even moar :cool:

ETA: Sorry brain fart, the Kratos is a 22Cal only. But I was tempted to buy an Akela and Kratos and swap parts last time they were in stock at AR. Still might do that and sell the left overs for cheap leaving me with a nice 177 Kratos.
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a 177 kratos sounds awesome!
i’ve mainly been shooting .22 until i got the akela. .177 is actually really good as a caliber. i was a little skeptical of the 177 because i only remember it from childhood as pumpers or co2, but now i see it in a new light.
 
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Basher said:
I had an Akela in .177 and liked its performance overall, but it didn’t fit me great. If I can snag a refurb from AR next time they have them, I might consider altering the stock to fit me better. That would certainly be one of the least expensive ways to go!
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it take a while to get adjusted to but i feel like all bulpups have that “awkwardness” to them when shouldering them the first few times.
 
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daddypaddy said:
it take a while to get adjusted to but i feel like all bulpups have that “awkwardness” to them when shouldering them the first few times.
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Sure, but my Taipan and EdGun R3 feel just fine lol. The reach to the trigger is too long, the finger grooves aren’t spaced right, and it just didn’t feel as good as the higher end bullpups I have. It can be fixed/tailored to suit me, I just have to be willing to make permanent, irreversible modifications to it…
 
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