Why 177

[Chukar60]

This is a question for folks who love the 177 and those who have recently ventured into the land of the 17.
What is it that attracts or holds you to this caliber?
I have never owned one and probably never will, but never say never.
I am just curious as to what draws folks to a caliber I know nothing about.
If you are not a fan, please refrain from disparaging remarks and commentary. I am trying to learn something and I already know why I like my 22 slug shooter and my 25 cal guns.

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

I would love to have a .17 cal that shoots the 16gr pellets at 1000 fps,.....one mean Hog killer there.

 

[Franklink]

Pros include how much longer a tank of air can last you, which is related to shot counts, but also they're usually cheaper than the bigger calibers. Quieter and safer. The challenge of doing more with less, which is sorta why I got into airguns in the first place.

With only a few exceptions, most field target competitors use the .177. When limited to 20fpe, the .177 is flatter than a .20 or a .22. It's also mathematically easier to squeeze a .177 sized projectile through a tiny kill zone than a larger one.

I really enjoy my .177 airguns.

 

[stevencal64]

I can only speak for myself. I've stuck with 177. cal because I've always told myself that my needs will never justify moving to a larger caliber. I'm not a hunter. I shoot in an urban environment with limited space at targets only. So I just didn't see the need to move up.

But I finally did move up to 22. caliber and ever since I did I've been kicking myself in the ass for not doing it sooner. First, the larger size of the 22. make it so much easier for me to both pick and load into my mags. Anyone who has issues seeing and handling small objects knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Second, the 22. I find are in a different world as far as accuracy is concerned. And the sheer amount of variations and weights of the 22. pellet is jaw-dropping. Not to mention it opens up the world of slugs as well.

But I'm sure you guys already know this stuff . As far as I'm concerned, I'll never go back to 177. on any future purchase. Moving to 22. cal was the best decision I've made regarding this hobby.

 

[MikeVV]

This is a question for folks who love the 177 and those who have recently ventured into the land of the 17.
What is it that attracts or holds you to this caliber?
I have never owned one and probably never will, but never say never.
I am just curious as to what draws folks to a caliber I know nothing about.
If you are not a fan, please refrain from disparaging remarks and commentary. I am trying to learn something and I already know why I like my 22 slug shooter and my 25 cal guns.

A 177 (the 25 also !) is a pretty large calibur !
Don't you mean ".177" ? MUCH smaller in diameter.
See how details matter ?

Mike

 

[2L8]

Tonight I Just "Legoed" my MKII into a .17 500mm Compact w/ the new Superior liner (have .22, .25 and .30 in all lengths as well). @ 30.75" (78cm) it looks Awesome. Since there are many available pellet and slug weights, more than I could possibility need to serve my passions, I will start with the mid-higher weights @ 13.43 and move up or down, depending on what my liner likes ( I have an extra liner in case this one is so-so).
.17 is not as forgiving as, say, .22/.25 out to 200yd, but in the proper hands, just as deadly (accurate), as many here can attest.
Qualities I appreciate are:

• Inexpensive
• Air friendly (shot count)
• Backyard friendly (super quiet)
• Supports the smaller lighter compact platform
• Accurate

Patrick

 

[landshark]

For me the reason i added a .177 was mainly for FT, the limit is 20fpe and at that amount the .177 has a much flatter trajectory out to 60 yards the limit on FT, they also, as stated earlier have a higher shot count and tend to be quieter than larger caliber for backyard plinking. On the other hand I love my .22 high power with some 60fpe for everything else

 

[Peashooter]

I am locked to .177 due to my benevolent masters. ( end irony )

.177 are fine if you are not going to shoot very far or hunt anything larger.
in .177 you get 400 to 250 pellets / slugs to a tin / box, with the price being the same just the amount change.
For example when i shoot on a good day, i can easy dispatch 800 shots or 2 tins / boxes of slugs / pellets
At the top of the range i got 20 grain slugs, which if they work well at the speed ( over 1000 FPS ) you will get 50 FPE of power, which with proper shot placement will still take down something big
The downside is 20 grain, well only 250 of those in a box for the same price as 13 grains where you get 400.
The 16 grains are 350 in a box / tin.
So as 13 grains do me just fine, that is what i shoot ( slugs ) and i have a good old time shooting 75 - 100 M.
Though i must say on the high wind days, well you do still see some drift, and in that case i will shoot shorter distance to not as much have it be a luck of the draw.

I shoot at 2- 3 " splatter targets, and generally have no problem keeping every shot on those papers, when things really come together hitting a ping pong ball sized target in almost every shot are no problem.

 

[SorenDrost]

Living in Denmark, I am limited to shooting .177 caliber without an expensive hunting license

Plenty of power for my use - I can get close to 40 FPE with heavy pellets or slugs and shoot tight groups at 110 yards

 

[addison]

I went to .177 because im a challenge freak and find every other Caliber to be easy and allows me to be lazy with shot placement to a extent. My .177 is a laser and can thread a pellet through tight areas. Not to say other calibers cant do the same. I really challenge myself with my .177 while hunting. I love the stalk so why not challenge myself a difficult weapon.

 

[ThomasT]

Hello @Chukar60

For me it goes back a long time ago when I was shooting competitive 22LR and the .17HMR was introduced. I purchased one right away and fell in love with how it shot and the skill needed. When I got back into PCP air guns I only purchased .177 because of the same reasons, the challenge and required skill.

ThomasT

 

[davelarson]

I agree with Soren and peashooter.
I can shoot tight groups at 100 yards with my .177 RedWolf, and on high power it hits very hard.
With 400 shots per tin using JSB 13.43 knockout slugs you can get supreme accuracy and lots of power and twice as many shots for the same price.
And the 10.03 grain slugs come 500 per tin!
But best of all to me is the absence of recoil. I can shoot my .177 RedWolf at 100 yards and watch the impacts from the scope as they happen.
To me slugs have made the .177 into a quiet beast that can slice through the wind incredibly well and deliver a powerful blow.
Downside is the tiny projectile’s are definitely harder to handle and load.

 

[Peashooter]

Indeed the little shots, even if its just 1 mm smaller then the 5.5 mm ( .22 ) i am used to, then in the end you get the hand of it.
Though i must also say that at least using my single shot tray, which i almost exclusive use now, well i might some times have put in a slug backwards.
But i am prepared cuz i have a dual port transfer port installed and a slug backwards going over that you will feel when chambering it.

Come summer, and not least if can get the 16 and 20 grains to fly better out of my new heavy liner, well i am open for trying my skills at 150 - 200 M range, that is if i can find that much room somewhere CUZ at my M8 place i think 130 M is about as far as we can go there.

Hell i would give 13 grain a go there too, if people can do a mile with a 30-06 then i can do this too.

It is kind of in the 60ties when Ford took the sledgehammer to the Euro boys at Le Mans.
This is just the other way around, taking a small 5oz hammer, and still build the house just as good and faster than the guy with the nail gun.

 

[SorenDrost]

Come summer, and not least if can get the 16 and 20 grains to fly better out of my new heavy liner, well i am open for trying my skills at 150 - 200 M range, that is if i can find that much room somewhere CUZ at my M8 place i think 130 M is about as far as we can go there.

Hell i would give 13 grain a go there too, if people can do a mile with a 30-06 then i can do this too.

You are most welcome to come join me at my private range, where 150 - 200 M is an option

 

[SteveV]

You have told on yourself, as .177 has been around for A LONG TIME!

 

[elh0102]

The only .177 I currently own is a HW100, and I've tuned it down to around 11.5 fpe, shooting the 10.3 g at a little over 700 fps. At this lower power level, the small carbine has a great shot count at 80+ on reg. For me, it is the perfect yard gun, as it is virtually silent, but still has dependable squirrel-killing power at the distances to which I'm limited in the yard, around 35 yards. The pellet tins are smaller and less expensive, the pellet choices are enormous. If you don't need longer range killing power, it's hard to find much wrong with the .177. And my experiment with the HW100 at the lower power level has been a real eye opener for me. These European rifles were designed on the sub-12 fpe power platform, and that's where they excel. Unfortunately, most of us here in the US are so demanding of everything being bigger, faster, and more powerful, we miss out on a very rewarding segment of the hobby.

 

[rcarlisle]

All of my guns so far are .177. I don't need anything larger for my type of shooting (mostly target shooting and some small game hunting and pesting out 50 yards or so). No problem taking out small to medium critters when I need to. I do have neighbors and the .177 is a nod of respect to them, as it is quiet and carries an appropriate amount of energy without being over the top. I have also built up significant investment in .177 guns and ammo, so my momentum tends toward .177.
If, one day, I feel .177 won't cut it for what I want to do, I'll get a larger caliber gun. Do I want a .25 caliber gun? Of course! I just don't think I need one (yet).

 

[UCChris]

1) Super quiet when tuned to 12-18 fpe

2) More shots per fill

3) Shooting a .177 at 50 yards in the wind is fantastic practice on wind calls

4) Nostalgia. There's something about pesting with a budget .177 that reminds me of how airgunning used to be just 10 years ago. Now it's nothing but $3k slug shooters on YouTube.

5) In my state, anything over .177 caliber is considered a firearm. While I can and do own firearms, having my air rifles not classified as firearms opens up more shooting opportunities and fewer restrictions.

 

[dgeesaman]

This is a question for folks who love the 177 and those who have recently ventured into the land of the 17.
What is it that attracts or holds you to this caliber?
I have never owned one and probably never will, but never say never.
I am just curious as to what draws folks to a caliber I know nothing about.
If you are not a fan, please refrain from disparaging remarks and commentary. I am trying to learn something and I already know why I like my 22 slug shooter and my 25 cal guns.

If you don’t need tons of power or range it’s the most laser like option.

Also, field target is dominated by .177 because the pellets have just a bit more margin to slip through the faceplate

David

 

[Sqwirl57]

The better question is "why NOT .177?"

Its a great caliber for hunting and target shooting at reasonable ranges and ammo is cheap and plentiful. Need more range or is it a particularly windy day? Go up in caliber. On a normal calm-ish day though, even a 10.5ftlb .177 piston gun does great out to 60yds and still works fine for hunting small game out to 40yds.