What's Better .177 Or .22

[barrywhite 282]

its not caliber its what speed is best and the pellet with the best ballistic coefficient .14 grain 177 has better BC than a 14 grain 22 or ..a 177 with the same BC as a 22 the 177 will move faster .why if 22 is the same accuracy as 177 and with mythical stopping power is used at closer ranges than 177 .at 12 ft lbs 177 is my vote

[GSkye 94]

www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/203932-buying-your-first-air-rifle/

[Max Yells-James 34]

Hi mate, i haven't read the previous comments apart from Pianomans one which is spot on! but what i was going to say is it also depends on what distances you want to shoot to, if you want to shoot more than 50 yards (Which as a person new to it all i doubt you will) i would go for a .177 as its more forgiving when using holdover and under. Whereas if you just want to shoot between 10-40 yards then a .22 is best in my opinion because there's more knock down power and as your not shooting far the holdover isn't that bad if the gun is sighted as 25 yards. I use a .22, even for shots further than 50 yards but I've been shooting for years now and i know how to handle lots of holdover for far shots just like i'm sure you will in time. Hope this helps

Edited February 27, 2014 by Max Yells-James

[yellowdog 12]

The .177 has a trajectory advantage of 5 yds over the .22 (this is an advantage in competitive field target shooting in ranging a shot) it makes no real matter in the field at appropriate hunting ranges.

I have hunted with .177, .20 and .22 air rifles for over thirty years and I only have .22 in my cabinet today, on rats and ferals (the main use I have for 12ft lb airguns) I believe it to be significantly superior preventing over penetration and creating less runners than .177. that said with perfect placement every time there is no real difference, in the real world (especially taking quick shots at rats) quarry can move at the wrong moment though and .22 has more frontal area and shocking capacity to fix more of those placement errors that will occur no matter how good a shot you think you might be.

 

[RemyBolt 420]

Personally, I am a massive fan of a .22 when out ratting, but if I'm going for rabbits, I'm more of a .177 guy.

 

Is there any real difference? Everyone will give their opinions and experiences. All of which are valid as they apply to that individual's circumstances.

 

If you're looking for something to buy, check what you're going to be doing with it, and what you'll be shooting. Better still, get yourself out with some friends and use their stuff first.

 

I prefer a pistol-grip, so my .22 is a Ratcatcher (I'm off ratting tomorrow with it) which I highly recommend for rats and pigeons. Getting the sight straight is a load of effort though! But for rabbits, I like (there are hugely varied views of this company, but since a buy-out a little while ago, they've been amazing...I think) Gamo. Brilliant starter guns, and still a load of fun if you've been popping rabbits for a while. I'd start off with a Whisper X or a Delta (both very affordable options). Even the Varmint Stalker, which is a personal love, if wonderful fun to go plinking with and still very affordable.

[mjr88 50]

Pianoman is absolutely spot on ,take his advice on board and you will not go far wrong

 

As above

[RussBoy 77]

I was always lead to believe the .22 was the more powerful of it and the 177? May have picked up wrong lol. What would yous suggest for pigeon an rook shooting and also bunnies say anything from 10 to 50 yards and why?

[Lewis Ste 245]

I like marmite and cheese ..

 

 

But some dont ....

Not really a fan of marmite, more of a ham and cheese man myself...

[barrywhite 282]

I was always lead to believe the .22 was the more powerful of it and the 177? May have picked up wrong lol. What would yous suggest for pigeon an rook shooting and also bunnies say anything from 10 to 50 yards and why?

in the bad old days with webley mark 3 , bsa airsporters and bsa meteors ect being the only guns available .With only v sights and the power out put of the guns being 10 ft lbs in 22 and 9 ft lbs in 177 .the v sights limiting your range to ...not that far ...your best caliber is going to be 22 BUT with modern pcps getting 177 s up to the same power as 22 s 12 ft lbs ,with excellent pellets available . a 177 will stop a rabbit at 50 yards with ease ,the speed of the 177 pellet makes life ease for the shooter not the rabbit.

[mark williams 7,549]

When I am shooting from a hide into trees, especially spindley trees this time of year I always use .177. I find the much flatter trajectory allows me to thread a shot through the thin dense branches and take head shots.

Whatever calibre - shot in the head means DEAD.Shot placement is everything.

If I`m shooting in the open with no cover in front of the quarry out to 50 yds maximum (in daylight) either calibre, but at night .177, as this calibre is forgiving. Judging distance and trajectory in .22, at night ,is hard.

Just my humble opinion mate.

 

atb.

Edited March 4, 2014 by mark williams

[salop sniper 32]

Currently my thought is I have 1x .177 and 1 x .22.

To get the best results I have done a lot of pellet testing, then I wash, weigh and lube so I get the best results.

Then with a range finder and know aim points it's not to bad! Laser the target, check aim point, take aim and bang!

 

ATB

 

Matt

[secretagentmole 1,701]

When I am shooting from a hide into trees, especially spindley trees this time of year I always use .177. I find the much flatter trajectory allows me to thread a shot through the thin dense branches and take head shots.

Whatever calibre - shot in the head means DEAD.Shot placement is everything.

If I`m shooting in the open with no cover in front of the quarry out to 50 yds maximum (in daylight) either calibre, but at night .177, as this calibre is forgiving. Judging distance and trajectory in .22, at night ,is hard.

Just my humble opinion mate.

 

atb.

I know what you mean, was out roost shooting last night with the Super 10 BBC in .177!

[sparkyjon 1]

I agreeing with the majority of what's already been said , I've got a stealth in .22 that I'll use for night vision ratting, and at to he moment a storm for field and hide day work , but I'm hoping to change the storm for a multi shot soon but it will be a .177. Some say a .20 is the best of both worlds I've never tried it but wouldn't turn my nose up to it.

[Nathan1991 25]

Hi there,

 

The basic principle is as follows,

 

.177 = straighter trajectory (path of pellet from bore) but less impact due to less mass

.22 = more curved trajectory but increased stopping power

 

I personally prefer .22 but many shooters use .177 due to the reason mentioned, for vermin such as rabbits and corvids .22 will be more than sufficient. It is more important to mach the right pellet to your chosen gun, trial and error but you will know when you get it right

 

Hope this helps [BANNED TEXT]

 

Nathan