About to try the 177 caliber for the first time, besides when I was a kid with the bb guns. What's the biggest animal I can take out? All things considered of course
. 177 what can it do?
- Thread starter SimpleGuy
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I am shooting JSB KO slugs at 1020 FPS and getting around 31 FPE, so plenty of power in the .177 caliber 
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Squirrel is easy kill , it is always shot placement and willingness to pass on a non well placed shot. I have shot coons at close range brain shot (11.6 FPE ) about 10 yards, and side of head brain shot not between the eye shot . But not recommending it ( coon was in my shed and not leaving)
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Jackrabbit is the biggest critter I've taken with a .177, and and they get pretty big around here. I'd guesstimate them around 8-10pounds. They're big enough to destroy car bumpers when people hit em on the highway. Anyway, head shot and it's just as dead as if you hit it with anything else in the same place.
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My .177 tuned @ 10 fpe at the muzzle has taken lots of ground squirrels. I have taken them cleanly with head shots out to 40 yds. I get pass thru head shots at 35 yds fairly often and the ground squirrels in MT can get pretty big and are tough. I wouldnt hesitate on taking a yellow bellied marmot aka rock chuck at 25 yds with a head shot with any .177 @ 10 fpe or over. If it was 20 fpe or above the distance would increase from 25 yds according to fpe.
I read allot of stories about tree squirrels needing more than a .177 and even some that claim you need a .25 for clean kills. Most of those stories boil down to bad shot placement. A tree squirrel is easy to kill with a head shot and a .177 @ 10 fpe. The .177 can cleanly kill a coon if the correct shot placement is used and of course distance based on the fpe of the .177 or any caliber for that matter.
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Squirrels are tough! I have blow one's whole torso apart with a 40cal pistol using hollow points sucker still ran off with intestines hanging out
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Interesting point to the OP, pellets only go for head shots. Slug power more options.I am shooting JSB KO slugs at 1020 FPS and getting around 31 FPE, so plenty of power in the .177 caliber
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Thats how any animal would react with a bad shot. If the bullet didnt damage an organ or artery that would cause the animal to bleed to death or stop its ability to breath the shot is not immediately fatal. It doesnt matter how big the projectile is if it doesnt cause the animal to bleed out or stop its ability to breath a bad hit is not immediately fatal. That story is a perfect example of people thinking you just need to hit an animal with a bullet and its going to die and then having one run off from a bad hit then blaming it on being a .177 or any caliber.
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It's pretty grim history but in the Civil War there are accounts of soldiers being shot through with artillery and remaining alert and ambulatory. Rare but it did happen.
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.177 Beeman Falcon RS shooting 10.3 grain JSBs 980 FPS. That ain't no house-cat!
Probably not the best choice for Elmer Fudd, though.
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Lol how is half your torso gone a bad shot? Sometimes I really think you guys just like to argue here!
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