Would you like

[Peashooter]

To be able to proberly shoot .177 / 4.5 mm slugs in the heavy weights ?

That be buying a new rifle with a barrel more tailored for such a job, or get such a upgrade barrel to a rifle you already have.

I am tryimng to gauge the fanbase to see if doing the work would be worth the effort for barrel makers.
so please chime in en mass.

 

[Peashooter]

As it is now i do not understand who buy 20gr slugs, or that is i understand that a little, but i do not know anyone that actually have success shooting 16 - 20 or heavier still slugs in the .177 / 4.5 mm caliber.
I personally think it is valid and would make the .177 / 4.5 mm caliber even more interesting, and not least for the people like myself that can hardly get anything bigger.

But even if i was a American, i am pretty sure i would still have and shoot .177 / 4.5 mm rifles, even if i could have any of the above calibers too.
Just getting 400 shots in a tin for the 13 gr is interesting for me, CUZ factoring in the same spending power well i would not be able to afford the same shot count in larger calibers.

I have 20 gr Zan - NSA and H&N but i have never been able to shoot them well, 16 gr is a little better but at the same distance far from as good as i can get 13 gr to fly.
So i would " kill " to be able to shoot heavier slugs.

 

[Hold_Over]

Interesting how the poll doesn't include an option for those of us who like .177 in a non slug configuration.

 

[Vana2]

As a kid I shot a .177 low velosity (~350 fps) break barrel pellet gun and considered it to be a close range (<10 yard) plinking rifle. Truthfully, my slngshot was a lot more powerful and better suited to hunting rabbits and squirrels.

I had a couple of more powerful .177 caliber break barrels including a FWB 124 but non would transfer energy the way the old .22 caliber Crosman 101 I got from my father would.

Fast forward to PCPs and I have a couple (HW100 & Dominator 1250) in .177 but ran into pellet stability and energy transfer issues. I plan to try heavier pellets and slugs.

Think that the .177 caliber is perfect for my 10 meter target guns and great for my break barrel plinking guns. I shoot .177 out to 30ish yards, sometimes out to 50 if I'm feeling adventurous.

No restrictions on power here (Canada) so .22 is my caliber of choice for general airgunning - plinking, pesting and a bit of small game hunting.

FWIW, That kinda summarizes my perspective/experience with the .177 caliber.

Cheers!

 

[Frozenspyder]

If FX would make a .177 liner with an appropriate twist rate for slugs, I'd buy one. I like my .177 but it just can't compete with the bigger calibers at longer ranges. Being able to shoot slugs might make make it a little closer. It still wouldn't keep up with the big calibers, but it would make the .177 a little more versatile.

 

[FelixS]

Have you not viewed Viking Airgunner on Youtube? He has put in a lot of work with the .177 caliber.

 

[Peashooter]

I think the not slug shooting crowd have plenty of barrel options in .177 / 4.5 mm, my focus is those that would like to shoot heavier slugs in that caliber, which have 0 options.

Yes Peter / viking airgunner and i live in the same town, use to get my 300 BAR bottle filled by him, he have some luck with 16 grain slugs but for sure not with 20 grain from any of the 3 brands Zan / NSA / H&N

I think the same go for Soren Drost that often shoot another brand from me and peter / VA

I have also put in a lot of work on .177 / 4.5 mm about 4 years or so this far, and i have no idea how many 10.000s of slugs, but i can very easy shoot 1000 in a outing to the range.

The only one i have seen shoot 20 gr well in .177 / 4.5 mm is that South African guy that is on team H&N, and it was so much better compared to my experience that i think either he have a very special barrel or was filming him shooting .22 / 5.5 mm and then just saying it was 20 gr .177 / 4.5 mm.
I can absolutely NOT get any weight H&N slug to fly well out of my maverick, and i think in that brand of slugs alone i have at least shot 800 in each weight class, and tuned for hours on end.

The SA guy used his Impact i, shoot a maverick and Peter too shoot a Impact


I shoot 13 gr very well at 86 M with my maverick + heavy barrel, but i will soon have a 130 M long range, and i dont think i can do groups like that out there, but probably could if i was able to get 16 or 20 gr to work.
At 130 M i would at the very least want to keep my shots on a 2" target none the less.

 

[bfloyd1095]

Mike over at Thomas Air has been working with slugs and from the last results I have seen he has made Huge strides ....

Those are specialized, purpose built, guns doing Exactly what they are built to do.

As for a mass produced, dedicated .177 "heavy" slug barrel, I honestly think "the juice is not worth the squeeze"
Reason for the above statement IMO
1) US market has too many larger caliber, proven options and we are allowed to power them, for now anyway.
2) the countries that are primarily shooting the .177 caliber are limited in FPE, so it's a double edged sword

In the end the "red headed stepchild" .177 loses out and I would Not put my money into what it would cost to manufacture a good, quality, dedicated .177 slug barrel... seems like a srious loss /risk to me and If the marlket was there I would have though the "big dog's" in our hobby would already have something available...
Just my feeble old mind's thoughts

 

[Peashooter]

2) the countries that are primarily shooting the .177 caliber are limited in FPE, so it's a double edged sword

Yeah. Demark are a .177 country ( if you have no licence but are 18 YO ) but at least FAC, but i am also sure that will change the next time some punk kids shoot at PPL in the street with a .177 / 4.5 mm rifle, like in 2012 that lost us the " be 18 and get any caliber PCP you like ) good old days.

I was sort of hoping FX would lead the way as with their way of making barrels, whipping up a few prototypes got to be faster and cheaper than more traditional ways of making a rifling.

I have also heard rumours of FX going to do that, but that's IWA 2024 old INFO and i have heard no news since then.

I also realize in 20 grain .177 / 4.5 mm you do not get those 400 shots in a tin like 13 grain, so yeah i would not be shooting the heavy stuff all the time, but it would be nice to have the option to do it, not least since the ammo are already there.

I am wondering what made just about all ammo brands make .177 / 4.5 mm 20 gr slugs, when so few rifles can shoot them well.

20 gr at speed, okay probably a little more speed than would be needed, well almost 50 food pounds of smacking power, that's a lot more than my 2012 .22 FX Cyclone.