Caliber of choice or follow the crowd? .....

[Trucker3573]

My impression (could be way off) is 25 kind of sucks for slugs. Much finikier to get to shoot well. I’ve tried them very little myself to no avail. .22 seems to be where the slugs shine and they are the hype now. People seem to get good accuracy and cost isn’t ridiculous. I just shoots pellets and .25 is my favorite caliber. I can shoot 25.39 or 33.95 for around 7-8 cents a round I believe? That is a good range of hitting power at an economical cost. 30 cal is a bit of a pointless dead zone for me. The cost is nearly double of 25 and what can’t I ethically dispatch with a 33.95 but can with a 44.75? I get maybe shooting competition to buck the wind but for hunting purposes I just don’t see 30 fitting in for me. Personally I love 25. I have three of them and am thinking of selling my 22’s.

 

[Gamo1720]

I shoot only .25 and .20 because I’m a contrary sod and in the UK everyone shoots .177 and .22 Shoot whatever the hell you like fella.

<—- Pure rookie here. This seems like good advice @EncoreUneFois

 

[MysticalDragon]

I had dismissed the 177 because I wanted something more versatile and that would hit harder. Then I shot an HFT match limited to 20fpe. Guess what? After talking to the shooters there, I ordered two rifles in 177 and a 25 cal barrel for the ghost. HFT most prefer the flatter trajectories of the 177 as thats a constant. Yes wind can affect the lighter round more. However wind is a variable vs the rainbow trajectory of the 22 is constant. When they explained to me it made sense.

Got the 25 because its still cheaper to shoot than larger calibers, yet has a solid knockdown. This will then let me decide if I need (AKA want) a 30 cal or larger down the road.

Always determine what need/want you have, then match caliber and rifle to that. Shoot what you enjoy and what works for you. Afterall, thats what this hobby is about right?

 

[L.Leon]

Follow the crowd… at some point you’ll peel off and go your own way. I just thought of how I use my airguns “practically“ and went from there. .22 simply based on its versatility for me.

 

[HubenK1Sniper92]

My impression (could be way off) is 25 kind of sucks for slugs. Much finikier to get to shoot well. I’ve tried them very little myself to no avail. .22 seems to be where the slugs shine and they are the hype now. People seem to get good accuracy and cost isn’t ridiculous. I just shoots pellets and .25 is my favorite caliber. I can shoot 25.39 or 33.95 for around 7-8 cents a round I believe? That is a good range of hitting power at an economical cost. 30 cal is a bit of a pointless dead zone for me. The cost is nearly double of 25 and what can’t I ethically dispatch with a 33.95 but can with a 44.75? I get maybe shooting competition to buck the wind but for hunting purposes I just don’t see 30 fitting in for me. Personally I love 25. I have three of them and am thinking of selling my 22’s.

I love the 33.95’s

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

My impression (could be way off) is 25 kind of sucks for slugs. Much finikier to get to shoot well. I’ve tried them very little myself to no avail. .22 seems to be where the slugs shine and they are the hype now. People seem to get good accuracy and cost isn’t ridiculous. I just shoots pellets and .25 is my favorite caliber. I can shoot 25.39 or 33.95 for around 7-8 cents a round I believe? That is a good range of hitting power at an economical cost. 30 cal is a bit of a pointless dead zone for me. The cost is nearly double of 25 and what can’t I ethically dispatch with a 33.95 but can with a 44.75? I get maybe shooting competition to buck the wind but for hunting purposes I just don’t see 30 fitting in for me. Personally I love 25. I have three of them and am thinking of selling my 22’s.

This would depend on distance for me... under 75 id shoot 33.95 if concerned with value per trigger pull, the 33.95 and 44.75 are very close in energy but if I was to shoot at a coyote at 100 yards for a head shot I would not do it with the 33.95 if I had a .30 shooting the 44.75, I have shot both rounds at distance, the 33.95 does have a better BC but the extra 10 grains are worth their weight in gold when it comes to smacking power at 100 as well as ability to push off wind.


Hitting a 3 inch spinner at 100 with my 44.75 at a mere 75 fpe and 855 fps will spin my 3 inch spinner many , many more times than the 33.95 at a much higher 950 fps at 68 fpe.

 

[Trucker3573]

This would depend on distance for me... under 75 id shoot 33.95 if concerned with value per trigger pull, the 33.95 and 44.75 are very close in energy but if I was to shoot at a coyote at 100 yards for a head shot I would not do it with the 33.95 if I had a .30 shooting the 44.75, I have shot both rounds at distance, the 33.95 does have a better BC but the extra 10 grains are worth their weight in gold when it comes to smacking power at 100 as well as ability to push off wind.


Hitting a 3 inch spinner at 100 with my 44.75 at a mere 75 fpe and 855 fps will spin my 3 inch spinner many , many more times than the 33.95 at a much higher 950 fps at 68 fpe.

Yes I agree and I think that is probably the narrow hunting window 30 falls into. I have a vulcan 3 30 and it shoots great. I just don’t shoot it much as I’m usually plinking and the extra cost doesn’t make sense. I have a 35 big bore that I can use for deer in my state so I don’t see shooting the 30 a lot in the future. I think I might just part ways with the agt and maybe trade the 44.75 I have for 33.95. Will see still thinking on it.

 

[cosmic]

Cast for the .30

 

[JimD]

I have one 177, two 22 caliber, and two 25 caliber PCPs. I shoot the 177 and one of the 22s more than the others but it isn't because I don't like the 25s. One of the 25s is an Avenger and it is terribly long. The other 25 is the least accurate of my bullpups. Waiting on a replacement barrel. They are all fun.

I've shot 20 squirrels with the two 25s and 20 with the two 22s. I've only shot 7 with the one 177. But so far I am impressed with the 177. It is a P35 tuned to shoot 10.6 grain pellets about 900 fps. Accurate and all 7 squirrels were stopped quickly. Not quite as quickly as the higher power 22 or the 25s but it was like two steps difference. The 177 is also a little quieter.

I don't currently see a need for a 30. My higher power 22 killed a small raccoon for me. With a head shot even the 177 might have taken care of it. The 25s would have easily (with a well placed pellet). For small game, I like a 25 but even a fairly high power 177 works. Certainly do not need a 30 to kill a squirrel. I like the higher pellet variety in 177 and 22 but there are a lot for 25s too. They are all good.

 

[delooper]

I think the general argument goes something like this.

I've been pesting all my life with .22 cal, and it works just fine for 99.9% of what I need. So I found myself heavily invested in .22 cal -- lots of ammo, a few guns, etc. When I decided to experiment with a larger calibre PCP, I went for .30 cal, because .25 is just a bit too close and .35 was getting just a bit too pricey.

I imagine a lot of people get roped into things, somewhat like that.

I do have some .26 cal guns, but they're powderburning 6.5cm.

 

[Vana2]

Backyard range only 128 yards. Bugger me with a hedgehog tied to a rolling pin with a Queen Mother’s 90th birthday tea towel. I have 30m and consider myself blessed.

*** Bugger me with a hedgehog tied to a rolling pin with a Queen Mother’s 90th birthday tea towel. ***

Almost choked on my tea when I read that - very descriptive, what a visual first thing in the morning! ...Oh, and my sympathies to the hedgehog

More seriously, wasn't bragging. More stating that the "relatively" limited distance on my range is suited for my preferred .22 caliber airguns and I don't need/want the 150, 250, 350 yard distances used by the .25 and .30 caliber shooters.

Coming from a small game (rabbits and squirrels) hunting background I'm interested to see how far away I can consistently hit a 1 inch spinner. IMHO, groups larger than 1 inch show that the distance is beyond the practical effective range and making a good hit in the kill-zone is a matter of luck, not skill. I figure that with current technology and the airguns I have, 100 is doable and think that 125/128 yards would be the maximum possible. Talking theoretical here as I've a lot of practice to do before I'd attempt a shot at that distance on live game.

Where I lived previously, NO shooting (airguns, bows or even slingshots) was permitted at all. Now I consider myself very fortunate to have retired to live on 10 acres in rural Ontario, Canada where I can shoot anything, even centerfire rifles if i feel like it. I do have the option to extend my shooting range but it's good as is.

Cheers!

 

[oledawg]

I have one airgun in .22. I currently only shoot benchrest and the .22 lets me compete at 25, 50, 75 & 100.

 

[beerthief]

I had dismissed the 177 because I wanted something more versatile and that would hit harder. Then I shot an HFT match limited to 20fpe. Guess what? After talking to the shooters there, I ordered two rifles in 177 and a 25 cal barrel for the ghost. HFT most prefer the flatter trajectories of the 177 as thats a constant. Yes wind can affect the lighter round more. However wind is a variable vs the rainbow trajectory of the 22 is constant. When they explained to me it made sense.

Got the 25 because its still cheaper to shoot than others, yet has a solid knockdown. This will then let me decide if I need (AKA want) a 30 cal or larger down the road.

Always determine what need/want you have, then match caliber and rifle to that. Shoot what you enjoy and what works for you. Afterall, thats what this hobby is about right?

how do you figure .25 is cheaper to shoot ? pellets are 3x the cost ?

 

[MysticalDragon]

how do you figure .25 is cheaper to shoot ? pellets are 3x the cost ?

Taken in context, of what i was discussing at the time, ie 30 cal and larger, cheaper to shoot than what they are with still having decent takedown power until I decide if I need something larger.

Always good to read an entire post and the context of what's written and cherry picking one phrase.

 

[beerthief]

Taken in context, of what i was discussing at the time, ie 30 cal and larger, cheaper to shoot than what they are with still having decent takedown power until I decide if I need something larger.

Always good to read an entire post and the context of what's written and cherry picking one phrase.

just re read it and reading from the start this phrase follows the .177 and .22 with no mention til later of .30 cal so i took it that way , my mistake , sorry i goofed .

 

[JimD]

For me at least, maximum range is as much a trajectory thing as an accuracy thing. I zero at 30 yards for most of my guns so 20-40 yard shots are within about a quarter inch. But longer range shots need significant hold over or dialing. For that you need to know the range accurately. Being off a few yards would mean a miss on small game. I have a range finder but using it, looking up the hold over and then taking the shot takes more time than is often available. Some new electronic scopes can apparently take care of this but they haven't dropped to my price range yet.

 

[Chukar60]

I have two 25’s and one 22.
One 25 is a slug shooter and it is a great performer that is absolute murder on ground squirrels. The other 25 is a compact and it shoots pellets and nothing but.
I hunt with my guns and am not a paper target or bench shooter unless I am trying to arrive at an optimum tune for hunting.
The 25 standard pellet, 25.49 or 26 compared to an 18 gr pellet in 22 is no comparison for put down power at 850-900 fps. I could save some money on pellets going with the 22, but I owe it to the critters I shoot to use what I am comfortable with for humane dispatches.
I know there are ton of folks here who shoot 22 pellets and do quite well dispatching critters with them, but I like the extra little oomph the 25 provides.
If I did not hunt? I would be shooting a 22 rather than a 25 most of the time.

 

[archerhmr]

I had Impacts in both 22 and 25. In the end, I now only have 22’s. 2 Impacts and 1 Panthera. I only shoot the 31.2 NSA or 20.2 NSA. I Really like shooting ground squirrels. While not normal. I have made kills out to 275 yards. Most shots are 150 yards or less. In the end, I only wanted one caliber. I chose the 22. I never noticed a difference with slugs on the squirrels between the 22 or 25.
I would say, who cares, shoot what you like. Be safe and have fun!

 

[MysticalDragon]

just re read it and reading from the start this phrase follows the .177 and .22 with no mention til later of .30 cal so i took it that way , my mistake , sorry i goofed .

Its all good. I edited it to clear it up for later. With the new paragraph i was moving into a new thought vs continuing on with the 177/22 discussion.

 

[beerthief]

Its all good. I edited it to clear it up for later. With the new paragraph i was moving into a new thought vs continuing on with the 177/22 discussion.

do it all the time