Power in a Caliber VS. Power because Caliber

[Emu]

I have seen that many of us want more power in an specific Caliber.

I am. Of the idea that notwithstanding you can take when hunting big animals with 22 or 25 Cal with a good shot placement if you have enough power and an adequate projectile, it would always be better a. 30 Cal or a. 357 Cal.

If I go coyote hunting In will take, doubtless, one of my . 30 Cal rifles and not a. 25 Cal.

So the forced questions would be:

1.- why to Push for many more foot pounds energy on a smaller Caliber?

2.- Is there a gain, a real gain, in going obove 43-50 foot pounds on a. 25 Cal or 34-35 foot pounds on a. 22 Cal?

I really would appreciate to hear yoir point of view. Ther should be something in the equation that I am missing.

 

[Franklink]

Not much experience with .25 but can attest to a HUGE step up in BC and ability to place pellets where desired at long range when stepping up to 45-50fpe in .22, compared to 34-35fpe.

A 34ish fpe .22 is typically going to be shooting the 18.1grain JSB. The 18.1s are a great pellet, lots of them shot by lots of PCP shooters, but they have really poor long range wind resistance when compared to a 25.4grain Monster RD in .22. In this same example, the .22 MRD is a bit of an outlier because its BC increases with speed, at least up into the high 900s.

So, in your comparison we've got a 18.1grain .22 going 920fps for 34foot pounds, with a BC of around 0.034, or a 25.4grain .22 going 950ish for a BC of at least 0.05. That's a big difference and makes long range accuracy much easier.

In a hunting situation, the better BC of the scenario with the higher FPE .22 extends your effective range a bit, assuming you've still got enough retained fpe for desired quarry.

 

[airprsr]

For me the advantage to more power in a specific caliber is higher projectile speeds and being able to shoot slugs that are longer and thinner with a higher bc. This contributes to flatter trajectory and more forgiveness with range estimation, holdover etc. at long range. Ammo cost is also a factor.

 

[vettebullet]

@airprsr , spot on answer.
To sum it u for me and the long range hunting I do. I want biggest hollow point, with the hightest bc and largest caliber that the given gun platform can shoot speeds that provide flattest trejectory to 300 yards while the platorm gives most shots per fill and the platform is the lightest weight to control given muzzle flip/fpe levels, then I also factor in a platform for sounds moderation or that ability to shoot the most fpe quietly. For me this is modified condor .257 with 73 grain cast bullet at1040 fps. Or texan .257. The other factor to me that determines what power level/fpe/caliber/ platform I will choose is dependent on location of hunting, backyard, suburban area, farm, open forest, open desert.

 

[dgeesaman]

For me the advantage to more power in a specific caliber is higher projectile speeds and being able to shoot slugs that are longer and thinner with a higher bc. This contributes to flatter trajectory and more forgiveness with range estimation, holdover etc. at long range. Ammo cost is also a factor.

This is my answer too.

The variables change for a variety of reasons but whether it’s hunting, competition, or long range experimentation, more energy in a given caliber (*with all other things being equal) is desirable.

* Of course that’s not exactly how it works. There is air consumption, added kinetic energy in the action and barrel and recoil, noise level, speed of sound, shorter seal life, etc etc. But we constantly try to advance the state of the art where we can. If we didn’t, we’d all still be shooting Benjamins and FWB 124s.