Wanted .25 vs .30 cal (Hunting) comparison

Dave, I have both calibers. One is a cricket .25 and a FX bobcat .30 cal, when shooting past 100 yds. Both have major arches but with the BC it retains a lot more energy then the cricket. But my accuracy with my cricket is just outstanding. So it just really depends on what you plan on shooting, that's what it really comes down too. Small game, I see no problem taking birds out to 150yds with my .25 and with my .30 the same but much bigger quarry. That's really all. All is just very subjective, with what you think a humane kill is and such. Hope this little bit of info helps yeah. Best Steve 

What Steve said...also the biggest advantage to .30 cal, becomes apparent, in a gusting wind environment. When it comes to putting the smack down on your target, especially @ 70 yards and beyond, the wind is the biggest bitch. To quantify this thought, my experience has proven that lateral variation in POI to be triple that of vertical variation, even when guessing yardages by eye. This is solely because of doping the wind incorrectly. The .30 is substantially more forgiving in this respect. Apples to apples or gun for gun, this is the only accuracy related advantage I see. Knock down, there's really no question here...just look at pellet to pellet and you have your answer. Versatility, well IMO, .30 is moving into a specialized realm with that of big bores, with sacrifices such as air consumption, ammo cost, backyard friendly, muzzle report. Steve's on the right track...own both. With your budget, your only about 500 bucks away from the best of both worlds.

Yup no problem at all. And hopefully some of the others will get on and offer there knowledgable input. Best Steve
Ps also you can tune your .25 cal to your specifications too. 2 cents

Wait for the FX Impact and get both for about $2200. Base gun for $1900 and the additional barrel for $300 (as rumor puts it now). I have the .25 Cricket and I love the power and the fact that it is the most accurate gun I have. But I've just got to play with a .30, so I have Rainstorm in .30 on order now ( I don't have your budget)

Moses in PA

I think its all perspective: When everyone was having this discussion .177 vs .22 it was always about more power on target and bucking the wind. Then came the .22 vs the .25 the reasons were exactly the same power and wind, now .25 vs .30 and you will hear the same thing power and wind. The future discussion will look the same again (my perdiction) .30 vs .357 (a.k.a 9mm). So question how far are you looking to shoot? what is you're intend target/how much power is needed? Then I would add learn to adjust for the wind with practice (because we all miss) and what ever caliber you get, practice and hone you're skills so that you can stay within an inch of whatever you are shooting at. Ted said in a video .25 cal for house sparrows and starling.......over kill maybe, but most accuracy gun he owned at the moment. I feel confident shooting the prey i hunt with a .22 out to 112 -115 yards will that range increase if i get a .25? I just don't know. Good luck with whatever you choose.

My gen2 Marauder 25 is sighted I. At 140 yards to dissuade geese from crapping on the dock. All it takes is one pellet hitting the metal dock for the geese to leave. I can hit a 2 in diameter post ca one third of the time that distance from shooting sticks. On the bench that Marauder will group eight shots within two inches and never more than three inches.

One has to remeber that with airguns using pellets the trajectory above ca 75 yards is akin to lobbing artillery shells irrespective of caliber. In my very limited experience, range estimation will contribute more to vertical dispersion than the wind will to horizontal dispersion unless you are in real gusty conditions.

In addition to the Marauder I have two more 25's, an Airwolf and a Cricket. They will produce somewhat smaller groups at 100 yards, have higher shot count, as well as other features. The Marauder in 25 provides real value in terms of performance per $.

Wicked Air Rifles is also coming out with the flex, which will be in .177, .22, .25 and .30. I don't know anything about it, but it may be worth looking at being an American company.

As pointed out earlier, the same discussion happens as the hobby gets use to bigger calibers. If this were me I would skip the.30 cal completely and consider .357 as the next real step. You will find a better projectile selection available and this caliber real does get it done.
Red

I really enjoy shooting the .30, and of all things equal (pellet shape, pellet brand, velocity, and distance) for performance comparison, Ive found the .30 maintains some better accuracy out to great distances. Obviously that also has to do with retaining energy of the larger weight pellets. Depending on your quarry, might be more forgiving on shot placement as well. I usually go for my .25, as Ive just got more use in the caliber and the .30 is newest in the collection, intended for some larger quarry yet to be attempted. However, recently decided to attempt on small game I have been using .25. I really liked the performance, again, maybe a bit forgiving. I will definitely choose the .30 longer distances, but maybe its just my limitation as a marksman. I went from .25 to .45 but wantwd something in between, closer on the .25 versus .45. I wanted to stretch it out a bit, but still be a pellet shooter, so .30 seemed like a good choice. If youve got the power and magazine that accpets larger weight pellets, a .25 will be extremely versitile, so long as the accuracy is there.

Dave, I have some rifles in Cal. 25 (FX, 2 Evanix, Falcon) and 2 rifles in Cal .30 (FX Indy and Evanix Rainstorm II)..... This is my hobbie and I try to use them all weekends..... I have hunted with them all.... What I can tell you is that: 1) the .25 is a more daily usable Cal.; and 2) that the .30 is, in my oppinion, the best hunting caliber for medium size animals (but absolutely inadecuate for birds shooting in trees because you would be sending a dangerous pellet to a very long distance without knowing where and what it will hit)...... I really like Cal. .30, is real hunting machine!

There are no .30 air rifles that are "backyard friendly" even with a high quality LDC. You can't use them anywhere you couldn't use a 9mm. The only advantage to a .30 is the higher shot count. 

It is worth noting that not all .25 air rifles are created equal and it is not always a given that a .30 will generate more energy. The few mass produced .30 pellets that are available are in the 40-50g range. I use 51g pellets in my .25 Career 707 and I can get close to 100fpe which is more than a .30 Bobcat is putting out. If the .25 and .30 pellet are the same weight, the smaller surface area probably gives the .25 pellet the wind advantage. In general, small bores group better than big bore air rifles at 50 and 75 yards.

I buy hunting pellets from Mr Hollow Point and they also sell 55g and 58g .25 pellets. I remember seeing an 80g .25 and wondering which .25 air rifle it would fit in. 51g is the longest I can fit in my 707 but I think some of the single shots allow longer ones.

if noise control is important, you don't want anything over 50fpe. 70-80fpe guns boom even with a full shroud or LDC. 

I was torn between a .25 Cricket or using the same money to buy a .25 and 9mm Jkhan bullpup. I went with the .25 Cricket in the end because I mainly shoot at home. The 9mm Jkhan bullpups are awesome though. 

Given that none of the big bores are quiet, I would prefer to go bigger and more powerful. Why buy a .30 when a 9mm or .50 bullpup would make a much bigger hole. Companies like Extreme will make you a custom .357, 45 or even a .72 for $1500. People actually hunt bear and buffalo with those...







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My 30 cal BT65 has a carbon fiber shroud and LDC and it's very backyard friendly. It's regulated at 79 FPE so it's putting out some power.

The best way to come to your decision on which caliber and which rifle to pick is this. What do you intend to hunt out to 100 yards? I have .22, .25, .30, and .45 caliber air rifles so far with a .35 on the way. Each has a specific use in mind. For close range work where I don't have the distance to spare I use the .22 with the best hollow point grouping pellets I can find. I use predator polymags for the .25 marauder when I go out to hunt small to medium game like squirrels, rabbits, and the occasional raccoon. The .30 I intend to use at night on the tougher small and medium sized game like raccoons, opossum, or coyotes. Reason I opt for the .30 in that situation is at night I'd rather have the extra FPE as a safety margin in case of a bad shot. The .35 is going to be my tinker project, and my .45 will be my deer gun once the regulations for my state make it legal.

If $2500 is your budget you could pick up a .30 cal Hatsan and get it tuned up like Bwaltons for under that price. In the end you may actually save money and still have a quiet gun. Another option is the FX Boss. Its another fine .30 that is fairly quiet, and can reach to the distance you want with less work than the Hatsan. Also the Boss has a higher shot count.

"Robonline"If this were me I would skip the.30 cal completely and consider .357 as the next real step.

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Another reason to consider .357 might be your local hunting regulations. For example, Arizona allows the take of large game with PCPs, but they have to be .35 or larger.

I have a hatsan bt65 SB qe 25 cal only shot three time just to sight in scope for sale my name is ahmonde I live Jackson ms my number is 601-431-4392 I have every thing that come with gun when purchased and extra 9 shot magazine extra rifle sling 8 tins of jsb 25.39 gr diblo exact kings and air venturi g6 4500 psi hand pump never been put together and scuba tank adaptor and the gun does not leak at all 850+ shipping my number 601-431-4392 or [email protected]

"blackdiesel"My 30 cal BT65 has a carbon fiber shroud and LDC and it's very backyard friendly. It's regulated at 79 FPE so it's putting out some power.

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My next purchase.