hi all can anyone explain the benefits of a 20cal or why even have it if you can get a 22cal.
Weihrauch
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https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=107260.0
You might find your answer in the above linked thread.
You might find your answer in the above linked thread.
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.20 cal shares some of the qualities of both .177 and .22 since it falls nearly in the middle of the two. Robert Beeman was a supporter of .20, and is, perhaps, why Weihrauch is one
of the few manufacturers offering rifles in that caliber. The Beeman P-1 is also available in .20.
This may be on help/interest to you. Scroll down to the question: "So, what airguns do you recommend now, Dr. Beeman?"
https://www.beemans.net/field%20use.htm
of the few manufacturers offering rifles in that caliber. The Beeman P-1 is also available in .20.
This may be on help/interest to you. Scroll down to the question: "So, what airguns do you recommend now, Dr. Beeman?"
https://www.beemans.net/field%20use.htm
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there's very little difference in the 20 and 22 (when it comes to the HW90) at least that's my experience...
where the difference lies is in longer ranges...heavier 22 caliber pellets carry farther and better.
where the difference lies is in longer ranges...heavier 22 caliber pellets carry farther and better.
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I think it may have been marketing hype from Dr. Beeman. Folks that like the .20 say it flies flatter than a .22 and has more retained energy than a .177. I say it doesn't fly as flat as a .177 and it doesn't have the retained energy of a .22. so it's a compromise between the two.
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A couple decades ago I used a Beeman R9 with a .177, .20 and .22 cal barrel and found no advantages for the .20 or .22 cal over the .177 cal, however the .20 & .22 cal did have a definite disadvantage due to the loopy trajectory that made guessing the proper holdover past my 30 yard zero distance too critical for my abilities. I shot the R9 with the .20 barrel for one season, swapped it out for a chopped and choked .22 cal R1 barrel which was used for about 6 months. After the experiment I sold both the .20 and .22 cal barrels reverting back to .177 cal never to look back.
Anywhoo.......with my R9/HW95 power level springers the .20 & .22 cal was a disadvantage for squirrel hunting when I lived in west Virginia!
Anywhoo.......with my R9/HW95 power level springers the .20 & .22 cal was a disadvantage for squirrel hunting when I lived in west Virginia!
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I'm in agreement, at least at R9/HW95 power levels. Ole doc Beeman used to claim that the .20 was "the best of both worlds" when shot from the large,heavy and awkward R1 (compared to the R9/HW95), however after using all three calibers I found that the .20 cal was the "WORST of both worlds" with my mid power springers.
Matter of fact, I preferred the .22 barrel to the .20 barrel even though I preferred the .177.
Matter of fact, I preferred the .22 barrel to the .20 barrel even though I preferred the .177.
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I love the .20 cal. I may be one of those who bought into the good Doctor's pitch but I find that I have fewer bent skirts in .20, less pellet variation batch to batch, and generally good ballistics. The difference is small but I find the .20 much easier to handle than the .177 too.
Different strokes, but remember, DualMagMike just won back to back state championships with a .20 R9 springer! This may say more about the shooter than the caliber but it shows it CAN be done.
Another odd thing I have noticed is that among folks who have many guns, both springers and PCP's a common story is that their most accurate rifle is a .20.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
Different strokes, but remember, DualMagMike just won back to back state championships with a .20 R9 springer! This may say more about the shooter than the caliber but it shows it CAN be done.
Another odd thing I have noticed is that among folks who have many guns, both springers and PCP's a common story is that their most accurate rifle is a .20.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
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I don't own a .20, so I can't speak from experience. But it seems, if you are engaged in a power limited game, such as FT, then a .20 might give you a bit better performance in the wind, compared to the .177, with little if any change in trajectory.
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Consider that any benefit gained from slightly better resistance to wind drift (if any) is the fact that the field target game involves putting a pellet through a killzone (as small as 3/8" diameter for the closer targets) set at varied unmarked distances from 10 yards to 55 yards. One of the main issues is determining the distance to the target by "scope focus", then either "clicking on" or using holdover to accommodate the trajectory of the pellet flight. As such, even at the max allowed field target power level of 20fpe (American field target) the .20 pellet would have a loopier trajectory than the .177 cal which makes the exact range estimation more critical.
Even for the PCP shooters which can shoot at 20fpe if desired most tune to less power and ALMOST all use .177 cal. Also, many PCP FT shooters use heavy .177 cal pellets which have a very high ballistic coefficient.
Anywhoo, if the .20 cal would be of benefit vs .177 cal for FT competition more shooters would use it.
Even for the PCP shooters which can shoot at 20fpe if desired most tune to less power and ALMOST all use .177 cal. Also, many PCP FT shooters use heavy .177 cal pellets which have a very high ballistic coefficient.
Anywhoo, if the .20 cal would be of benefit vs .177 cal for FT competition more shooters would use it.
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"can anyone explain the benefits of a 20cal or why even have it if you can get a 22cal."
In that scenario, the benefit of .20 cal is higher velocity. In scenarios including .177 in the equation, the benefit of .20 cal is indecisive types unable decide whether they prefer higher velocity or higher energy can compromise both.
In that scenario, the benefit of .20 cal is higher velocity. In scenarios including .177 in the equation, the benefit of .20 cal is indecisive types unable decide whether they prefer higher velocity or higher energy can compromise both.
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Here are the numbers for energy retention, wind drift and drop at the same 15 ft-lb muzzle energy. I have to admit the benefit of the .20 JSB over the .22 JSB is rather minor. When the comparison was between the CP .20 and CP .22, both at 14.3 grains, I believe the difference in ballistic coefficient was greater, and the performance improvement of the .20 more noticeable. Perhaps close to the difference between .20 JSB and .22 H&N FTT.
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At 910-915 fps, the BC for the .20/15.89 is around 0.048. So roughly 30fpe. A realistic BC for a 30fpe .22 is down around 0.036 and best candidate to get that would be a .22/18.13.
At similar fpe, the JSB 18.13 (and any lower weight) has an abysmally low BC when compared to the .20/15.89. And even cranking up that JSB 18.13, it'll never get to a BC as high as that of the .20/15.89.
I feel like a broken record, but the .20/15.89 is one of the top five highest BC pellets produced by JSB. It even has a higher BC than the typical .30/45gr go-to of many long range pellet competition shooters.
At similar fpe, the JSB 18.13 (and any lower weight) has an abysmally low BC when compared to the .20/15.89. And even cranking up that JSB 18.13, it'll never get to a BC as high as that of the .20/15.89.
I feel like a broken record, but the .20/15.89 is one of the top five highest BC pellets produced by JSB. It even has a higher BC than the typical .30/45gr go-to of many long range pellet competition shooters.
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Some explanation is in order. HAM does not list a BC for .20 caliber, at least they didn't last time I looked. All BC values except for the JSB .20 were copied from the HAM tables, which are based on the GA drag model. I measured the JSB .20 BC myself using a Daystate having an average muzzle velocity of 835 fps, and came up with a G1 BC of 0.0385. This was then converted to a GA BC of 0.036 to allow comparison to the rest of the values in the table. Conversion is possible because the two drag models have essentially the same shape in the region of airgun velocities, one is just a bit offset from the other.
At the time, Motorhead was reporting BC values as high as 0.042 for the JSB 13.73. I assume that was a G1 value. I went with my G1 value of 0.0385 for the table to be conservative, and also because I could back that up with my own data.
In any case, the argument for .20 caliber revolves around BC, and if new testing supports a higher BC than what I measured, it only strengthens the case.
As an aside, it is not as easy to measure BC as some might think. A head wind or tail wind will affect the results, and so will pellet stability. If the rifle being used does not fully stabilize the pellet over the distance in which velocity is being measured, apparent BC will suffer.
At the time, Motorhead was reporting BC values as high as 0.042 for the JSB 13.73. I assume that was a G1 value. I went with my G1 value of 0.0385 for the table to be conservative, and also because I could back that up with my own data.
In any case, the argument for .20 caliber revolves around BC, and if new testing supports a higher BC than what I measured, it only strengthens the case.
As an aside, it is not as easy to measure BC as some might think. A head wind or tail wind will affect the results, and so will pellet stability. If the rifle being used does not fully stabilize the pellet over the distance in which velocity is being measured, apparent BC will suffer.
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