.25 vs .22 mostly bird hunting.

[Imissalot]

Hey guys first post but I am not new to Airguns. I spent a lot of time and money in springers and had a lot of fun. It’s time for me to get to the pcp world. 
I shot my friends Daystate in .22 at pigeons this last week and made constant kills at 80 yards stretching once to 104 yards. It was a lot of fun. We shoot around a lot of metal buildings and cows. If you hit the target with the .22 a lot of times it traveled through but would not penetrate the metal behind it. 
My question is will a .25 ? I would like to extend my range for the really smart ones but not if it will go through the metal if I hit it. 
Anyone tried this ? 

 

[PumaCarl]

 A heavy .22 grain pellet can shoot through a 2x4, so yeah, try not to miss a lot Imissalot, .25 more so. Your screen name is hilarious! People who normally respond with, "Well [insert screen name here]" won't because it sounds like a confession which negates the advice. If you get a buddy to join the forum continue the theme with the screen name Iamabadshot! Too funny, thanks for the laugh. 

 

[Imissalot]

Haha thanks! I am a competition shooter, I shoot PRS, and ELR matches and have for years. But I love the airgun world. I miss a lot is a fun screen name, reminds me not to take myself too seriously! Thanks for the reply, I almost thing the .25 is too big, but for the long range side of it, I can’t get it off my mind! 

 

[Hynzie]

how about getting a 25 cal with a power adjuster that way when theres a clear back stop u can crank it up then as u learn the setting more options to u good luck hynzie ps BROCOCK sniper?

 

[Matt247365]

"Imissalot" I almost thing the .25 is too big, but for the long range side of it, I can’t get it off my mind! 

.25 is quite a jump from .22. You can really tear stuff up >> critters, your back-stop, etc

Tons of fun. Get ready to say "WOW" a lot. I mean like every time you pull the trigger LoL

My advice: get a .25 and let your friend with the .22 take the shots that are closer and/or might cause damage and you take the shots that have a clear view beyond the target

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Matt

 

[socaloldman]

+ Pumacarl... Love the name Imissalot too. Also! Hynzie's right a Brocock sniper...

 

[wolfie]

Hi Imissalot

Think easy answer and free is 
Use chairgun or Strelok . Chairgun will show .22 energy retained at different distances , then compare with .25 ..


I have made posts headed "I am a rotten shot" heh we could start a club?

safe shooting

 

[Buckshutr]

I moved back down to a .22 from a .25. The noise that .25 pellet makes hitting a bird scares the others away making it a 1 shot gun. With a .22 quite often get another shot or two. 

 

[PumaCarl]

Buckshutr makes an excellent point which I have never really heard discussed. A body shot on a chipmunk or even a starling can be surprisingly loud with just a 30fpe .22 so figure accordingly and if you are going after multiple targets take your time and only do headshots. They are relatively quieter and a miss doesn't scare off others.

 

[TonyT]

In my personal expereince the 25 would be excessive for dropping birds unless you are contemplating goose size birds at 100 + yards. I limit my bird hunting to Engliosh Sparrows and Starlings in and around the bird feeder.and a low powered (12 ft lb) Talon SS on CO2 does wonders at that distance.

 

[Imissalot]

Thanks guys! The .25 being louder makes perfect sense. I am sticking with the .22 for now. It will do everything I want right now I think. .25 will be next on the list. 

 

[spinj]

You do not need need anything bigger than a .22 for the purpose you’ve stated. What you need is perfect shot placement and knowing your holdover points.

 

[toku58]

I went with the .22 because I felt that it is an overlooked caliber. Now with the Smooth twist "X" barrels. You can go from sub 12 ftlb gun to a hard hitting slug killer with great BC. 

 

[Bob_O]

A .22 is more than adequate.....my Streamline 22 is great, especially with the power wheel for adjusting down to 20 and even 10 ft.lbs.

But I love my 25 caliber. Its all high power so there are shots I can't take due to metal backgrounds that can't be damaged. Unless I'm at the one farm where the farmer doesn't care.

If I could trade both the Wildcat and Streamline for one gun, it would be the Bobcat 25 MKII. Bigger caliber but with a low power setting if needed.

I love both my guns though, each has their role. I love my Wildcat 25 for shooting pigeons, woodchucks and skunks, and for the windier days. 

I love the Streamline 22 for it's versatility, higher shot count, and it is ultra quiet with DonnyFL suppressor on it.

There are so many choices though. It's hard to have one gun be everything you want or need.

 

[Bob_O]

Oh.....I've done plenty of shooting inside a barn with metal walls. Even a 50 yard shot with a 22 will go through a pigeon and make a hole in the metal.....I have video to prove it. ;-)

I've also shot pigeons with the 25 caliber that did not make a hole. Depends a lot on where you hit them. If you drill them in the meat/thick part of the body, chances are that will slow the pellet enough to not have a pass through of the background.

But hit them in the head, neck or crop, and youre likely to make a hole in the wall. There are no guarantees with any of this though.

Also be aware of deflections. The pellet can hit a bone and be redirected easily by 10 degrees, and if it carries enough velocity, it can still injure an animal, cause damage to a car, etc.

 

[Imissalot]

Thanks for that info. I am definitely going to buy the .22. My eyes are set on the Fx crown or the fx impact. My friend bought the Daystate for the three-year warranty Compared to FX one year. But I hope that won’t have to apply. It seems all the reviews I am reading the winning and most favorite our right now are those two rifles. 

 

[Bob_O]

An Impact or Crown will be great!!! Can't go wrong there!!

I would love to have a silver Impact.

 

[Imissalot]

Most of the shooting I would be doing is out the truck window. That has me leaning to the crown for overall support and making sure I can keep the barrel away from the mirrors. 
The impact interests me in that it is easier to move around in and out of the pickup. 
I do like that you can switch the barrel on the impact and make it a .25 or .30. 

 

[EliteAirgunr]

"Imissalot"Most of the shooting I would be doing is out the truck window. That has me leaning to the crown for overall support and making sure I can keep the barrel away from the mirrors. 
The impact interests me in that it is easier to move around in and out of the pickup. 
I do like that you can switch the barrel on the impact and make it a .25 or .30.

You can switch the caliber on the crown as well. You do know that the impact is shorter than the crown on average. Making it easier to maneuver while in the vehicle. I don't see where the crown would excel out of a vehicle over the impact.

 

[Crusher]

I bought the Wildcat in .177 for pesting. It shoots about 20 fpe. And trust me, it can take any bird. It will knock a squirrel right off the branch. Don't under estimate the power of .177 and a well placed shot. I've killed tons of squirrels with a heart shot or head shot. 
And to speak for its sound level, I was shooting my box full of rubber mulch backstop a few days ago. Sitting at my bench and shooting, I notice movement with the left eye (yes I shoot with it open). There was a squirrel coming down the fence to eat the seeds on the ground about 10 yards from me and about 15 yards from the target. He never heard the gun.

Give yourself a look at 177 if you haven't already decided on the 22. It is the quietest by far. Especially with a DonnyFl moderator.

Good luck on getting exactly what you want.

Crusher