.25 cal vs .30 cal ??????

I imagine it all comes down to what you are using it for, I just pop rodents here and there so .25 works great for me.

Power wise some over lap, take a Sumatra .25 shooting the 44 grain eungin, compared to the fx boss shooting a 30 cal pellet weighing the same. I've read about a new cricket .30 cal in the 90 fpe range and shooting 950 fps. RAW, FX Boss, Flex, and Hatsen have all demonstrated excellent accuracy. I think I hit a pretty good combo with a 58 fpe .25 shooting the 33.95's. I look at the extra 10 grain pellet weight with double the pellet cost, and reduced shot count. I'm content with the .25 for now.

I really enjoy both, but if I had to settle on one, it would be a .25 shooting jsb heavies around 900fps.

Both are nice. But the .30 is the new .25. Anxiously awaiting for the development of more .30 pellets.

Just bought a Boss and rebarreled to .25 cal. Shooting the 33.95grn Kings with authority (920fps) 
So .25cal it is for me. The high bc of the king heavies makes it an exellent long range shooter.
Never fired a single pellet with the .30 barrel

I know quiet is subjective to each person and where they shoot . But for me the 30 caliber is over the threshold of what I can get away with where I live . Shot count is Much less ,and there is just a point where you are pushing such a large volume of air that it is just gonna make more noise . Plus the noise of pellet impact is greater . I had a Hatsan 30 and it shot fine but I sold it to my shooting buddy after less than a tin of pellets .
I think that a 25 will do Most ( but not all ) that a 30 can do . Plus much larger selection of ammo . If you are shooting coyote size game and noise isn't such a big deal then the 30 would be the way to go for sure . When I'm hunting with a 25 I tend to think of it power wise as a 22 short ...The 30 was more like a hot long rifle 22 if that helps

I struggled with this decision when buying my RAW. I ultimately went with the .25 As others have mentioned the JSB heavy 33.95 gr are in the .30 weight range and have proven to be the most accurate for many including my HM1000x .25 They are as or slightly more accurate than the regular Kings especially at longer ranges. (Less wind deflection) I think it is the best balance of power and air usage. Here is a thread I started about this when I was trying to decide. Got lots of good advice from folks here: http://airgunnation.dev/topic/raw-hm-1000x-25-or-30-for-100-yards-and-beyond/

 .25 will do ya. I do own a .30 and enjoy it but a .25 has many advantages as mentioned above. It is also easier to shoot a .25 as all that air being released on the .30 does effect the shot cycle greatly and if fired off into the air ( say at a squirrel angle) the .30 needs a couple hundred yards more of safety zone. Naturally having one of each would be the way to go. Should I even purchase another new airgun it would be a 12fpe .177 , but it does depend on what you want to do.

John

I have an FX Royale 400 .22, a Matador .25 and recently sold my .30cal bobcat. After shipping, I regretted getting rid of my .30 and have since ordered another one. The .22 is great for pesting and squirrel hunting (headshots needed). The .25 is just an all around good caliber, but in south Louisiana where ferrel hogs are a problem, I prefer the .30. Some may disagree, but something about being able to down a hog or take a devastating heart/lung shot on a squirrel/rabbit makes my mouth water for the .30. I realize shot count suffers, but when hunting how many opportunities do you typically have to shoot 20 or 30 rounds? Our squirrel limit is 8 and when I shoot a hog that's in a group the others typically scatter. 

I just got a fx boss and i have to say by ear, it is actually quieter than my old hatsan at44 qe long in .25. New predator polymags in .30 have also come out. I like the .30 due to the retained energy out to 200-250 yards. It retains enough energy to body shot birds at that range. Chairgun says it is around 30 ft lbs of energy at that range which i could never get with my old .25 wildcat. One thing to note is that my wilfcat was super quiet compared to my boss. Shooting with my boss is borderline backyard friendly. This is especially true if you are shooting at or near water. The pellets sound like they are exploding when impacting the water. This was only something where i could experience it at close range with the wildcat. Just go with your gut feeling with all the knowledge we gave you here on the forum and i guarantee you will have made the right choice. Also .30 cal eats alot of air . Very hard to keep up with my handpump.

Have an Air Force Condor SS with a .30 cal TJ barrel and other power mods. Quite powerful and surprisingly quiet with the baffles bored just a few thousandths oversize. One of the issues no one has mentioned is cost. Thirty-cal pellets currently run about 11 cents a piece; just bought a lot of .22 LR for 6 cents; a brick of sub-sonics for 10 cents a round. I took a Ruger 10/22, installed a Volquartsen target trigger, a Gemtech Mist 10-22 integrally suppressed barrel and dropped it into a stunning beautiful laminated thumbhole target stock. Topped with a Hawke 4-12 vintage, the whole rig weighs just a bit more than 6 lbs, has 95-110 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and is borderline backyard quiet with subsonic ammo. The whole project, including the $200 transfer stamp, cost less than a base Cricket (and obviously much less than a Vulcan, Boss, Impact, etc.).

There is a better argument for the .25 in terms of cost (a powerful .22 like my 60 ft-lb Marauder is an even stronger argument as I doubt .22 LR will ever match the cost to shoot and you can take small game and medium size varmints quite capably).

I think this question is easier to answer when limited to a specific air rifle or there are too many other factors. 

You give me a choice between a .25 Cricket and a .30 Hatsan carnivore, I'll choose the Cricket every time regardless of what it's to be used for. If you ask me to choose between a 25 and 30 cal Bobcat then there is more to talk about. 

Some 30 cal air guns are relatively low powered and some .25 cal guns are more powerful. I use 51g cast hollow points in my Career 707 at over 90fpe on full power. That's more power and heavier pellets than many (or most) .30 cal air guns. My largest 25 cal pellets are 58g... The Career is also louder than most .30 air guns so the rules don't always apply. 

You have to consider what else is in your collection too. If you only intend to own one air gun, a .25 cal is the way to go for almost everyone. If you intend to buy a few air guns, there are reasons to add a .30 to the collection but not many.

If I needed more power than I could get from a .25 cal I would probably want a 9mm (or larger). There is clear water between a 9mm and a 25cal. Not so much with a .30. Plus you start to loose the benefits of an air gun at 30 cal like cheap ammo and the ability to practice in the back yard without accidentally killing neighbors. 

It's funny this conversation NEVER changes, whether its .177 vs .22, .22 vs .25, or.25 vs .30 cal. I was watching the same video and reading the same arguments i did about two years ago when i got my .177 and a year and half ago when i got my .22, and Tom Doggy dog almost had me looking again after watching his bobcat .22 when i'm about to pull the trigger on a .25. If is a matter of power i've seen people take down a Ram and a coyote with a .22 (shot placement is KING) and at the end of the day ALL air gunners whom hunt should make this there number one rule whether using a .177 or a 30 cal aim small miss small and if you can't hit an inch at that distance you shouldn't take it. We sometimes use the excuse that we have more power so its ok for that bad shot, and its really not ok (it was a bad shot). My personal feelings on that matter, then there is the flatter trajectory but at these FPS it's pretty much a non conversation starter, so it boils down to the selection of pellet, the cost of the pellets, the loudness of the gun, and lastly to you need the wiggle room that the power gives you or not? For me, at this point of my air gunning life .25 is the biggest cal of airgun i want, cause i've been killing prey for the last year and half with a .22 with no issues, but i have room in the man cave for another gun so its time.

Until i see the price of the 30 cal pellets go down then i would stick with the 25 cal....to me after the 25 cal. pellet comes PB in the form of 22 lr and then my neighbor turns into a complete female lol

"rwsmike"Until i see the price of the 30 cal pellets go down then i would stick with the 25 cal....to me after the 25 cal. pellet comes PB in the form of 22 lr and then my neighbor turns into a complete female lol

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Agree for the most part. I don't have a .30 yet. Would like a Flex though. I have a suppressed .22lr that's super sweet. With sub sonic ammo it's very quiet. Down fall is, it needs cleaning often. Love the cleanliness of airguns. Love the power, accuracy and the look of the Flex. Just need the funds, lol. 

"Ginuwine1969"It's funny this conversation NEVER changes, whether its .177 vs .22, .22 vs .25, or.25 vs .30 cal. I was watching the same video and reading the same arguments i did about two years ago when i got my .177 and a year and half ago when i got my .22, and Tom Doggy dog almost had me looking again after watching his bobcat .22 when i'm about to pull the trigger on a .25. If is a matter of power i've seen people take down a Ram and a coyote with a .22 (shot placement is KING) and at the end of the day ALL air gunners whom hunt should make this there number one rule whether using a .177 or a 30 cal aim small miss small and if you can't hit an inch at that distance you shouldn't take it. We sometimes use the excuse that we have more power so its ok for that bad shot, and its really not ok (it was a bad shot). My personal feelings on that matter, then there is the flatter trajectory but at these FPS it's pretty much a non conversation starter, so it boils down to the selection of pellet, the cost of the pellets, the loudness of the gun, and lastly to you need the wiggle room that the power gives you or not? For me, at this point of my air gunning life .25 is the biggest cal of airgun i want, cause i've been killing prey for the last year and half with a .22 with no issues, but i have room in the man cave for another gun so its time.

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I agree with all of that but it is worth remembering that animals don't stand still so your accuracy is not the only factor in play. A squirrel moving at the last second can easily turn a well placed head shot into a body shot. I find my 25 air rifles to be more forgiving than my 22 cal rifles. I never have squirrels run away injured and they die quickly with the right pellet. That being said my 22 cal rifle didn't fit some of the larger pellets. There are plenty of examples of pellets that are heavier than some in the next caliber up and that could make a bigger hole. 

Zebra, you are correct there is alway the chance of the intended target moving at the last minute. I shoot 18.1 or 15.89 grain JSB's depending on which rifle i'm talking about at the time, not once have i had a pellet not go clean thru my target (rabbits, ground squirrels, and pigeons). I know energy transfer has become a big thing in the last 2 years but back in the day .177 for feather and .22 for fur was the standard, and the boys across the pond have to deal with 12 FPE and they have been getting it done even longer than the U.S. Now that we are sending bigger chunks of lead down field at higher velocities people are leaning toward bigger is better. To this I must agree as well depending on your prey, anything the size of a raccoon or possum and small can be take with a .22 putting out 25 FPE at the muzzle. I would consider that responsible hunting, as long as the precepts are followed (aim small, miss small, and know your prey's kill zones).

"Ginuwine1969"Zebra, you are correct there is alway the chance of the intended target moving at the last minute. I shoot 18.1 or 15.89 grain JSB's depending on which rifle i'm talking about at the time, not once have i had a pellet not go clean thru my target (rabbits, ground squirrels, and pigeons). I know energy transfer has become a big thing in the last 2 years but back in the day .177 for feather and .22 for fur was the standard, and the boys across the pond have to deal with 12 FPE and they have been getting it done even longer than the U.S. Now that we are sending bigger chunks of lead down field at higher velocities people are leaning toward bigger is better. To this I must agree as well depending on your prey, anything the size of a raccoon or possum and small can be take with a .22 putting out 25 FPE at the muzzle. I would consider that responsible hunting, as long as the precepts are followed (aim small, miss small, and know your prey's kill zones).

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It's funny how we think of certain calibers as new. Someone is selling a 150 year old 30 caliber air gun on one of the classifieds recently. I think what we're seeing is a come-back and a renewed interest in big bores.

I grew up in the UK and hunting of any kind is less popular over there. The only people I ever knew who hunted were the upper class and they either used powder burners or dogs. I don't know when the 12 ft lb law started but I know you can still buy more powerful air rifles if you have a firearms license. 12 ft lb is only the limit for no license. 

I think the pellet design can make as bigger difference as the weight sometimes. I have noticed that certain pellets are more lethal than others. In my .25 Cricket H&N Baracuda hunter extremes make huge holes in squirrels and they die quickly even with body shots. With the JSB pellets I have tried, it has to be a perfect head shot or they run away. I think the design of the H&N extremes really causes a lot of expansion. The pellet weights aren't that different. I guess with a larger caliber you don't need to rely on expansion to make a large hole and this helps because you don't always hit a hard surface in your prey.

With identical except pellet design, if you don't have to think about noise, cost, accuracy or shot count, bigger is better. I have to agree. Plus, larger caliber a make you feel more manly. 

The 34 gr. JSB's really did make the .25 caliber a viable alternative to the .30. Less than half the price for pellets and the BC for the JSB 34 gr is higher than the JSB 44 and 51 gr pellets. I don't hunt, so FPE is not an issue. Just long range accuracy. Sold my Boss and got a Royale 500. Can't wait to see what it will shoot like,.