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Going Back To .22


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Looks like we are winding back to the (endless) .22 versus .177 debate but, there are good reasons to add to the debates.   With me, it's been a case of .22 then gone to .177 and back to .22 . Both

It is a good topic mate I agree, I too grew up in the .22 is king era, and have had my fair share some good, some very good, (bsf b55 Bavaria) some not so good, but then reading Airgun world, and bein

Oooooooowwwwwwaaaaa. The 177 lovers are gonna bend you over now Simon

lol opened a can of worms there HB good post , most 177 shooters swear by the 177 then again most 22 users swear by .22 . lets say i started with 177 every shot had to be a head shot for a swift clean kill ,same with .22 but i did take heart/lung shots too with more impact power ,i went to .22 again but like i say each has its devotees

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Always been a .177 man myself ever since buying a .177 mercury, and then a .177 hw80 in the 80s, but and it is a big BUT, I really really fancy a SFS imp and they wont do a .177 at present, so might just add a .22 to the list :hmm:

WHAT....................WHAT

 

 

 

 

IM SEEING THINGS

 

 

 

 

CC GOING TO 22

 

 

 

NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

 

must be dreaming

 

 

 

 

atvbmac :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:

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Ive grown up with 22... a 22 air rifle being the dogs bollox years ago. When getting more into the sport and as the groups tighten up over the years, I went for 177 rifles which helped in comps etc.

 

If Im going on a rabbitin sesh and perhaps want to actually bag a few, I'd probably take my 177 HW100. If I was going to just get out and take a shot at any game I may come across, Id take the 22, either the 7 or the 97. Theres a certain joy in using a 22 when you've been shooting 177. Especially with a springer. In the summer months I like to think the 97 will get out more than the others.

 

Good topic.

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It is a good topic mate I agree, I too grew up in the .22 is king era, and have had my fair share some good, some very good, (bsf b55 Bavaria) some not so good, but then reading Airgun world, and being persuaded by a mate who always shot .177, I tried the calibre swap, and loved it, probably helped in no small measure by buying the Hw80 when they first came out, and to be honest, compared with my mates .22 meteors, Airsporters, Vulcans, etc it was light years ahead, not only in terms of build quality but killing power as well, again probably due to pushing out genuine full power, and now all these years later I still maintain, in my experience at least, that .177 seems to deliver more instant kills, others of course will have different opinions, and that is what makes airguns so interesting still, as the lad mentioned earlier, said to me not long ago, its great to see, even though you have large and small powder burning rifles, you have still kept your interest in air rifles,and I still get a different kind of pleasure, standing alone in the woods waiting for a pigeon, squirrel, bunny, to put in an appearance, with an air rifle, than I do with the shotgun, or .22 rf, it is just as exciting dropping a squirrel with a headshot 35 yards away up a tree, as dropping a fox at 300 with the .243, there is something about airguns that makes grown men all misty eyed :yes: anyway despite al that, I think I have decided to have an imp at some point this year, so we will see how going back to .22 (partly) does for me :thumbs:

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Looks like we are winding back to the (endless) .22 versus .177 debate but, there are good reasons to add to the debates.

 

With me, it's been a case of .22 then gone to .177 and back to .22 . Both calibres have their goodies over eachother but, as far as my experience goes, .22 is the best for sheer shock impact and knock-down power. It's a real hefty blunt instrument whereas, .177 is smaller, highly penatrative and lacks the destructive punch of .22. With .177 you must hit the brain every shot to humanely kill a rabbit. Not something that can always be guarenteed to happen. Even with the best of marksmen.

 

I've seen too many bad instances and experiences of rabbits being wounded seriously and getting away to die a slow death in the undergrowth or down warrens with .177. I've hit them square into the head and inflicted head wounds which have been bloody awful agony for the poor creatures, where a .22 round being bigger, would have finished them instantly!

So, now, I use only my .22 rifles for rabbits, rats and squirrels.

 

But .177 is a killer for ferral pigeons, woodies and corvids.

 

Others may disagree but, with the best of intentions for humane kills with every shot, .177 calibre is not as reliable for a humane kill as .22 seems to be.

 

Just my view. Not a gospel rule.

 

Simon

 

Edited to add.

 

I suppose it's what we prefer by experience. But, personally, I've had some blinding great shots with my .177 rifles that have killed rabbits outright and, at some decent long ranges. But, I return to my other experiences where the animals have not been so lucky and had eyes blown out, brain damage causing them to wander in circles or others to go screaming away into scrub and out of reach of a humane second shot.

 

That can all still happen with .22. But in my experience, it happens less with the bigger round..

Edited by pianoman
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Looks like we are winding back to the (endless) .22 versus .177 debate but, there are good reasons to add to the debates.

 

With me, it's been a case of .22 then gone to .177 and back to .22 . Both calibres have their goodies over eachother but, as far as my experience goes, .22 is the best for sheer shock impact and knock-down power. It's a real hefty blunt instrument whereas, .177 is smaller, highly penatrative and lacks the destructive punch of .22. With .177 you must hit the brain every shot to humanely kill a rabbit. Not something that can always be guarenteed to happen. Even with the best of marksmen.

 

I've seen too many bad instances and experiences of rabbits being wounded seriously and getting away to die a slow death in the undergrowth or down warrens with .177. I've hit them square into the head and inflicted head wounds which have been bloody awful agony for the poor creatures, where a .22 round being bigger, would have finished them instantly!

So, now, I use only my .22 rifles for rabbits, rats and squirrels.

 

But .177 is a killer for ferral pigeons, woodies and corvids.

 

Others may disagree but, with the best of intentions for humane kills with every shot, .177 calibre is not as reliable for a humane kill as .22 seems to be.

 

Just my view. Not a gospel rule.

 

Simon

 

Edited to add.

 

I suppose it's what we prefer by experience. But, personally, I've had some blinding great shots with my .177 rifles that have killed rabbits outright and, at some decent long ranges. But, I return to my other experiences where the animals have not been so lucky and had eyes blown out, brain damage causing them to wander in circles or others to go screaming away into scrub and out of reach of a humane second shot.

 

That can all still happen with .22. But in my experience, it happens less with the bigger round..

well put i agree

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Others may disagree but, with the best of intentions for humane kills with every shot, .177 calibre is not as reliable for a humane kill as .22 seems to be.

 

Just my view. Not a gospel rule.

well put i agree

 

Oooooooowwwwwwaaaaa. The 177 lovers are gonna bend you over now Simon :yes::D

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Looks like we are winding back to the (endless) .22 versus .177 debate but, there are good reasons to add to the debates.

 

With me, it's been a case of .22 then gone to .177 and back to .22 . Both calibres have their goodies over eachother but, as far as my experience goes, .22 is the best for sheer shock impact and knock-down power. It's a real hefty blunt instrument whereas, .177 is smaller, highly penatrative and lacks the destructive punch of .22. With .177 you must hit the brain every shot to humanely kill a rabbit. Not something that can always be guarenteed to happen. Even with the best of marksmen.

 

I've seen too many bad instances and experiences of rabbits being wounded seriously and getting away to die a slow death in the undergrowth or down warrens with .177. I've hit them square into the head and inflicted head wounds which have been bloody awful agony for the poor creatures, where a .22 round being bigger, would have finished them instantly!

So, now, I use only my .22 rifles for rabbits, rats and squirrels.

 

But .177 is a killer for ferral pigeons, woodies and corvids.

 

Others may disagree but, with the best of intentions for humane kills with every shot, .177 calibre is not as reliable for a humane kill as .22 seems to be.

 

Just my view. Not a gospel rule.

 

Simon

 

Edited to add.

 

I suppose it's what we prefer by experience. But, personally, I've had some blinding great shots with my .177 rifles that have killed rabbits outright and, at some decent long ranges. But, I return to my other experiences where the animals have not been so lucky and had eyes blown out, brain damage causing them to wander in circles or others to go screaming away into scrub and out of reach of a humane second shot.

 

That can all still happen with .22. But in my experience, it happens less with the bigger round..

It's not a calibre debate p man,I used to use .22 and went to .177 a couple of years back and am considering going back to .22 and though I'd ask how many others have done the same
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I'm a .177 man with my faithful 200 .177, problem I find is I shoot a lot of pheasants and with headshots I get a hell of a lot of flyers, in that sense I mean pheasants flying not realising they have been shot and then falling out the sky...which is bad if your on a short boundry,

 

this is the reason why I have now opted at looking at getting the power tuned up, and going with the heavier exact pellets, but with the trajectory of the .177 (I hold my fac with my s200 before you start worrying)

 

I have used both calibers, and they are both devastating, I don't think its down to which is better,

 

its down to how arsed people can be with going out and learning the distances and the hold over, at the end of the day a .22 is in no way worse or better than a .177 its the trajectory which people like.

 

stopping power vs trajectory is something that will be going on for years.

 

higher powers .22 tops it off but unfortunately I cant change.

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