What have I learned after buying a new Daystate Revere in .177??

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uhfradarwill

uhfradarwill

Member
Dec 28, 2020
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MA, United States
I've learned it's a very nice rifle all the way around. Nice trigger, stock, fit, finish, and no-wind accuracy.

Some might say that in a wind situation it's the shooter job to correct so don't judge the rifle by it. I agree with that somewhat but an accurate rifle, IMHO; it shouldn't depend on GREAT input by the shooter; it should cut the wind and hit what the shooter intended.

Did I mention I came from a custom 25-06, 100 yard, same hole rifles?

Anyway this rifle shoots great in the dead calm, but what it hits after about 40 yards, IMHO just injures live targets.

I'm comparing this revere with my FX dreampup in 22.cal.

The Daystate build quality is IMHO better than the FX, but dammed if every time the FX won't out shoot the Daystate.



Ramble over. Don't buy a ~20 fpe .177 rifle if you want to kill pests. It fails to compare with a .22 in 30 fpe range.



Both are good rifles, but if my life depended on it, the FX in .22 would be my ONLY choice!!

Will
 
I do own several .22 guns but I shoot primarily .177 and have no issue with squirrel/rabbit sized game and "pests". After 40 yards it certainly does get more difficult, but I do not agree with the generalization that it "just injures live targets". The UK guys have been doing it with a limit of 12 ft/lbs for decades.
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I get your point bandg, but if the dudu hits the fan, our UK buddies are gonna be sh1t outta luck after a while with that cal and power!!

If I shoot a squirrel in the head at 40 plus yards with a .177, he will soon be dead! Same shot with a .22, dead instantly. Fact!!

Thanks for the input; love ya man!!

Will
 
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Pretty hard to get past mass times velocity . However it’s also pretty hard to dismiss shot placement. Since our shot placement can be assumed to be “ off” on occasion. (In my case often ) I have to agree that a 177 is not a good choice for me and the rest of you guys can prove or disprove what works for you 

I was shooting pigeons at my favorite permission yesterday. Shooting 22 slugs kockouts at about 900 FPS . Pigeons right at 70 yards. I hadn’t shot at them for months and I was able to get back inside an equipment shed. Some wind and it took me a considerable time to get “on”. There were about 20 or more when I started and I killed at least 12 I still had some fly offs but I will tell you that I’ve had huntsman rifles in 177 and I would not have been able to hit let alone kill pigeons at that distance. Your results might vary. And I’ve shot 25 and 30 cal at the same permission and I did no better. Just my experience for what it’s worth Shot placement the biggest determinant but energy on the target can’t be denied .
 
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I do own several .22 guns but I shoot primarily .177 and have no issue with squirrel/rabbit sized game and "pests". After 40 yards it certainly does get more difficult, but I do not agree with the generalization that it "just injures live targets". The UK guys have been doing it with a limit of 12 ft/lbs for decades.
Click to expand...

I get your point bandg, but if the dudu hits the fan, our UK buddies are gonna be sh1t outta luck after a while with that cal and power!!

If I shoot a squirrel in the head at 40 plus yards with a .177, he will soon be dead! Same shot with a .22, dead instantly. Fact!!

Thanks for the input; love ya man!!

Will
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Just a couple of observations. Your comment of the UK folks depending on 12 fpe air guns for a SHTF weapon is kind of lost on me. I can't imagine anyone depending on any air rifle as a defense weapon. Maybe you didn't mean it literally.

Secondly, if you have squirrels that are not killed instantly with a shot through the brain with a .177, well, you have some mighty tough squirrels. One thing that isn't discussed much, a head shot is not necessarily a mortal wound. A squirrel's brain is about half of the head, and there is a lot of room for a messy wounding shot. A while back, as an experiment, I began shooting squirrels as most folks would a deer, placing the shot through the shoulder, into the heart/lung area. Surprisingly, the critters usually died on the spot, without all the reflexive jumping around of a brain shot, A few would run 10 feet or so, and then die. Although low on energy compared to a .22 RF, I have found that air rifles are amazingly efficient in killing squirrels. My guess, they deliver more of their energy to the critter, whereas much more of the RF energy is expended downrange, after passing through the squirrel. 
 
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Well its good you know now not to shoot past 40 yards on pest. My .177 huntsman is my go to pcp when I go to the dairy farms but I mostly shoot at night in no wind. Even in this shooting condition I never shot more than 40 or 50 yards. This is a good thing because most of my kills are between 20 and 30 yards. During the day, my go to caliber is .25 and would never consider trying the .177. On my last pigeon hunt, I only brought the .177 (18 ft-lbs) and the .22 (42 ft-lbs) and was amazed at how good the .22 shot in the wind at longer distances.

I don't agree with you when you say to never shoot a .177 cal 20 ft-lbs pcp for pest. I shoot my huntsman in-doors so the lower power is perfect for not making holes in the roof. A .177 cal does have it's place
 
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I do own several .22 guns but I shoot primarily .177 and have no issue with squirrel/rabbit sized game and "pests". After 40 yards it certainly does get more difficult, but I do not agree with the generalization that it "just injures live targets". The UK guys have been doing it with a limit of 12 ft/lbs for decades.
Click to expand...

I get your point bandg, but if the dudu hits the fan, our UK buddies are gonna be sh1t outta luck after a while with that cal and power!!

If I shoot a squirrel in the head at 40 plus yards with a .177, he will soon be dead! Same shot with a .22, dead instantly. Fact!!

Thanks for the input; love ya man!!

Will
Click to expand...

Just a couple of observations. Your comment of the UK folks depending on 12 fpe air guns for a SHTF weapon is kind of lost on me. I can't imagine anyone depending on any air rifle as a defense weapon. Maybe you didn't mean it literally.

Secondly, if you have squirrels that are not killed instantly with a shot through the brain with a .177, well, you have some mighty tough squirrels. One thing that isn't discussed much, a head shot is not necessarily a mortal wound. A squirrel's brain is about half of the head, and there is a lot of room for a messy wounding shot. A while back, as an experiment, I began shooting squirrels as most folks would a deer, placing the shot through the shoulder, into the heart/lung area. Surprisingly, the critters usually died on the spot, without all the reflexive jumping around of a brain shot, A few would run 10 feet or so, and then die. Although low on energy compared to a .22 RF, I have found that air rifles are amazingly efficient in killing squirrels. My guess, they deliver more of their energy to the critter, whereas much more of the RF energy is expended downrange, after passing through the squirrel.
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All I have is a .177 Benjamin Fortitude Gen2 and I agree that on smaller pests, tree rats, rats and chipmunks, a precise heart shot is a clean, DRT, bloodless kill. For the most part, I have stopped trying for the perfect head shot in most cases because it is harder to do with precision and almost always leads to a death dance and more blood because the heart keeps beating. For me, heart shots on said targets have proved to be better DRT, no movement, no blood kills than head shots. 

However accuracy/precision is the key, plus a good working knowledge of the anatomy of the target/pest. No matter what angle the pest/target presents to me, I am aiming for the heart.
 
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I should have mentioned, I have a Revere in .22, and it's a great rifle. But I do an equal amount of squirrel killing with a .177 HW100, and I see no significant difference.
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Same here, less the Revere part. I have a few .22 rifles and often use an M10, Gladius, or Condor in that caliber for squirrels but the .177 HW100 and LGU have taken lots of them and generally more quietly and a bit safer. As to the heart shots, I've seen head shots be a little off and not be a quick kill but I've seen the same with a good body shot. I still shoot for the head when possible.
 
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I should have mentioned, I have a Revere in .22, and it's a great rifle. But I do an equal amount of squirrel killing with a .177 HW100, and I see no significant difference.
Click to expand...

Same here, less the Revere part. I have a few .22 rifles and often use an M10, Gladius, or Condor in that caliber for squirrels but the .177 HW100 and LGU have taken lots of them and generally more quietly and a bit safer. As to the heart shots, I've seen head shots be a little off and not be a quick kill but I've seen the same with a good body shot. I still shoot for the head when possible.
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With larger calibers than .177, I might agree. However, with .177 and low power ( ~12fpe) I have found that head shots are more likely to result in less than clean, DRT kills.

I am almost always shooting from a rest. All improvised, but still a rest. Also, I am shooting in my backyard where I know my distances and have the luxury of being able to use a rest for nearly ALL of my shots.

Larger calibers do allow more fudge room, but I believe too many people rely on a larger caliber to take care of their lack of accuracy/precision. While I am not the best shot, I work very hard on accuracy/precision so I can make the shots I do while pesting. That is also why most of my shots are taken with a 4.5-27 power scope set to 27 power, even at distances as close as ~13 yards if lighting conditions allow. That allows me to choose a particular spot on the body (or head) and not simply aim at the body or head in general.

Aim small, miss small.

This is what works for me and I have documented it as best I can on AGN with posts about my chipper kills. 

I used to be a head shot pester, but after a lot of trial and error, I have found the precise heart shot to be the most effective on the 3 smaller pests mentioned above.

P.S. The head/heart shot being the ultimate DRT kill shot when everything aligns perfectly.


 
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...

That's how humanity was created, the gods threw a blob of crap at a giant cosmic fan.
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Didn't see the OPs question about philosophy. 🖖

Apologies to the OP.

I like the 177 and a 12 or 15 ft pound rifle. Usually at 12 ft lb Springer in 177 will get the job done just fine on gray squirrels out to about 50 yards if you can keep all your shots on a quarter.

To get a 22 to shoot as flat as the above mentioned 177 it needs to be an 18 or 22 foot pound rifle. In a Springer that starts to become problematic with respect to accuracy. So there's a trade-off there between bigger game and higher accuracy.

But if you really want a fine squirrel gun that can also be used on things up to groundhog size out to about 70 or so yards. The 25 shooting 30 or 40 foot pounds will generally do that job just fine.

Your mileage will no doubt vary.
 
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