.177, .22, or .25 ?

Watching

That’s a tuff call being all three have their place but in my case my .177, .22 sit in my safe and I use my .25 for small game and steel targets and I go up from there in calibers, .177 and .22 for birds and squirrels works but with my disability and numb hands and fingers being part of it it’s hard for me to handle the smaller pellets and that’s another reason I lean towards the .25.

Even 22 pellets feel small after handling 25 caliber for a while. I can't imagine how small 177 must feel.

I would say a 22 would be perfect for pest birds and most small animals. The 25 sure does pack a huge punch though, especially if you can up the velocity. My WC is shooting the 25.4gr JSB pellets at 953fps........53 ft.lbs is nice when you don't make a perfect shot. I've hit 4 woodchucks in the cheek/jaw area that dropped just the same as when hit in the brain.

Tough choice........I like having one of each.

From what I've read and people that I've talked to in my area it seems like .25 cal is the most popular all around choice. I wonder if general preference varies by region.

I like the efficiency of a .22 caliber. .25 caliber pellets are more expensive, but it is the air consumption of .25 caliber that turns me off the most. More shots between fills equates to more shooting for me. .22 cal is also perfect for taking out small game. I'll only consider a .177 if I need a field target gun or have a low powered springer since the trajectory of the pellet will be flatter. In a PCP, the trajectory of a .22 and .25 is just as flat as a .177 because the pellet is being pushed at the same speeds.

.177 is all thats needed in an airgun at airgun ranges, say 70 yards max and 50 in general.

Lowest cost. Safest I started with big-bore and it took me 10 years to get a tiny bore, ther's no going back. If you need a PB use one, if an airgun suits your purpose 177 rocks.

It's a placement. ( tiny pellets are harder to handle but we have so many clip feed rigs now it's not an issue, I can load a mag even tho I cant see a pellet).



John

DHart,

This is somewhat a condensed view of some previous posts, plus two cents more.

If your goal is mostly target shooting, explore what your local range permits. Some ranges do not have target/traps which hold up to the smack from a .25 caliber PCP air rifle, and as such, they do not allow them to be used.

If your goal is pesting/hunting, ask yourself what is the largest critter you will be shooting. Then, check with your hunting regulations. Some states require a larger caliber to hunt Coyote, Raccoon, Skunk, Bobcat, etc.

If you are wanting to shoot at longer distances (for example, 100 yards), then look at what calibers dominated the last Extreme Bench rest competition in Arizona. There were only 3 calibers which saw much use. They were .25, .30, and .308 caliber.

Addertooth

 I love my 177. Cheap to shoot. They dont tear up my targets to badly and they wont destroy my trap or my silhouttes. I get plenty of shots on my gun (of course having a compressor real takes that out of the equation). I can always find a variety of pellets locally if I run out. 22 cal are also pretty available but 25 cal locally is available only in the Benjamin HP from Cabelas. The 177 will take down all of my pesting needs and i can shoot the black walnuts in my yard 3 or 4 times with the 177 (22 and 25 is a 1 shot only deal lol) There is just something about those small pellets that makes me happy. Of course I drive a 4 cylinder car and only have a 330 cc atv so Im always looking at smaller is better. 

You mentioned hunting prairie dogs. I would recommend using .25 and above. Most shots on prairie dogs are long shots.

I regret buying a .25

Its just too powerful and i have yet to find a place to shoot it.

I think you will find people on both ends of the spectrum. If I were to purchase a .177, I would have nothing but regrets.

I don't think there is any particular advantage to a air rifle that shoots as hard as a 22 rim fire. Unless you just happen to like that it does. So what I'm saying is for the "average" guy it's a 177 or 22. I've got air rifles and 22 rim fires and center fire rifles and while there are cross overs you'll have to convince me that a big bore air rifle is the way to go. Some folks just like to do it differently and that's fine but for a new shooter or the "average" guy I think a high quality air rifle in 177 or 22 is the way to go. If it's mostly targets then no question 177. Targets and small game or pests definitely 22 

The advantage is noise......I can silence the crap out of my air rifles but can't get a silencer for a 22LR or any other firearm for that matter.

Kaan,

If you got a full power 25 like mine and thats your only gun, then I understand. But there are guns out there with adjustable power, even in 25 caliber.

Oh but you can. I haven't gotten in to it but they available and starting to show up. Fellow shot a suppressed 22 rim fire rifle at the local silhouette shoot a couple weeks ago. I watched a YouTube of them shooting 223 suppressed at prairie dogs. Don't know much about it but Anschutz is selling rifles with threaded barrels for suppressors.

Firearm suppressors are not legal everywhere.

I used .22 right now. When it comes to pigeon, a .22 is not ideal. They are tough and more fly off and die than I feel good with. Even a .25 is not perfect either. You still have fly offs and plus less shots per fill. So, high capacity .30 is what I recommend, but there are not many of those out there, and they are expensive. 

Therefore, maybe these new .22 Nelson Slugs with hollow points are the ticket in the future. Super expansive hollow points in .22 can do the damage of a .30, but have a higher shot count and even less wind drift than a .30 also.

I believe that will be the next route in airgun technology. Correct?

A silenced .177 is needed for in town back yard pesting, or rat shooting at night. In the US without power restictions, there are not many reasons for a .177 or lower power guns. More power usually means a better hunting experience. A 30fpe in .22 is better than 20fpe in .22, a 20fpe in .177 is usually better than 12fpe....and so on.

As long as shot count and noise don't become a factor, more power is almost always better, in my opinion.

I have all three calibers and this has been my results. I killed a lot of woodchucks with my .177 Maruaders with head shots with over 18 didn't move after impact. I have killed several good sized critters raccoon and woodchucks with the .25. I think this discussion for me anyway is what can your gun do. If I am shooting a variable power platform like the Redwolf I can do anything my .25 FX Compact can do and more. I can shoot heavy 25gr .22 pellets as fast or faster if I want, then my FX without having to change the reg setting. Just change power levels. I can get a lot more shots out of the Redwolf than the compact as well. That said the Compact is much easier to carry and maneuver in the field. With any PCP it comes down to shot placement. I can kill a deer with a properly placed .177, not my first choice but inside 40 yards I'm eating backstraps without a doubt. I lean towards the .22 only due to ability to have a wide selection of pellet weights to kill whatever I'm going after. That said my buddy with his FX WCII cant do what I can do as easily with the Redwolf, so he is stuck with an 18.1gr tack driver. I'm not a fiddle with it guy, I buy a PCP to shoot and hunt with. Take it out every weekend and pest or hunt with. I'm sure all the tinker guys will chime in and that's ok, for me I dont have the time. I have two .25s, three 22s and two .177s. I'm actually thinking of picking up another .177 for my next PCP and it will probably be a Daystate.