FX Fist PCP....FX DRS....What Caliber Should I Get????

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mrbowler1

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Jun 3, 2021
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Texas, United States
Hi,
I have been a springer .177 guy for years, but am considering my first PCP...an FX DRS Classic. This is in a new power range from what I am used to with 14 ft/pound springers. I am unsure of what caliber to get: .177, .22, or .25 for this gun. I have used the Chairgun app and compared the trajectory and wind drift for all three calibers at the velocities that FX claims for each caliber and the trajectories and wind drift data seems nearly identical for all three calibers (which I find to be very surprising).

What are your thoughts on choice of caliber? In a 50 foot/pound vs a 14 foot/pound rifle things are not the same I feel which makes me almost completely rule out .177. But then with a PCP there are other variables such as shot capacity and magazine size. And then there is always the variable about cost of pellets.

I would use the gun mostly for plinking in the yard, and some hunting. I might consider shooting some field target or other matches just for fun. I kind of feel that the .25 offers the best for hunting if the trajectory is similar to the other calibers since the larger pellet will have more lethality I would think. But on the other hand it means more expensive ammo and lower shot capacity.

I am kind of thinking that .22 may be the sweet spot and best compromise at this power level. What do you think? Also note that it appears that the .177 and .22 are a 500mm barrel while the .25 is a 600mm barrel. I am not sure if the .25 can shoot slugs or just pelltets.

Being new to the realm of PCPs the variables create a new situation that is different from my past choices with springers and i need to think this though and make an informed decision.

thanks for your help!!!

matt
 
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Welcome to PCP world! I'd say the best to start with would be .22 caliber. Cheap ammo, wide choice of pellets, excellent for target shooting. And you can shoot slugs in .22 as well, of course. I have a few same rifles in both calibers, and I noticed that I tend to use .22 more often if I just want to do some bench shooting. I really think .22 is a very versatile caliber all around. Though I must confess that I have plenty of 25, 30, and higher caliber rifles too ;), but they came into my hands after I learned some basics using .22.
 
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mrbowler1 said:
Hi,
I have been a springer .177 guy for years, but am considering my first PCP...an FX DRS Classic. This is in a new power range from what I am used to with 14 ft/pound springers. I am unsure of what caliber to get: .177, .22, or .25 for this gun. I have used the Chairgun app and compared the trajectory and wind drift for all three calibers at the velocities that FX claims for each caliber and the trajectories and wind drift data seems nearly identical for all three calibers (which I find to be very surprising).

What are your thoughts on choice of caliber? In a 50 foot/pound vs a 14 foot/pound rifle things are not the same I feel which makes me almost completely rule out .177. But then with a PCP there are other variables such as shot capacity and magazine size. And then there is always the variable about cost of pellets.

I would use the gun mostly for plinking in the yard, and some hunting. I might consider shooting some field target or other matches just for fun. I kind of feel that the .25 offers the best for hunting if the trajectory is similar to the other calibers since the larger pellet will have more lethality I would think. But on the other hand it means more expensive ammo and lower shot capacity.

I am kind of thinking that .22 may be the sweet spot and best compromise at this power level. What do you think? Also note that it appears that the .177 and .22 are a 500mm barrel while the .25 is a 600mm barrel. I am not sure if the .25 can shoot slugs or just pelltets.

Being new to the realm of PCPs the variables create a new situation that is different from my past choices with springers and i need to think this though and make an informed decision.

thanks for your help!!!

matt
Click to expand...
.177 is best choice unless you’re killing things then .25 but bigger pellets equals more cost and noise
 
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Did .177 and .22 springers for many years. Broke into PCP last year. Started there with .22 and then moved up to .25. I love .25 because it's less affected by wind. With regard to cost of pellets, I find the cost is the same. I will say that .25 has less choices in ammo but that doesn't bother me since I only buy JTS Dead Center pellets. I just ordered a Daystate Redwolf and got that in .25. I enjoy long range shooting on a regular so my needs are different than yours. You are buying a really nice gun so the caliber shouldn't matter too much. I believe that gun in .22 is tuned to shoot 18.1gn and in .25, 29.3gn.
 
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The DRS is an attractive entry into the market. It’s streamline form factor.
I’ve owned two FX in my life, a great Royale 400 unregulated and a Maverick that went back to FX for warranty in less than a month. I went from a Cricket 2 to the Maverick and I was thoroughly unimpressed by the trigger. They require some work to get performing well.
I have to admit I had rose colored glasses on when I was purchasing the Mav.
Read reviews on forums of people who bought them, read the good and the bad.

For a rifle in that price range I will always suggest a Daystate Huntsman or BRK XR as a first PCP. A 22 cal Huntsman is a perfect rifle for your use case.
 
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I'm only going to address the hunting aspect. It's .25 all the way!! It drifts much less in the wind and hits with way more authority. The difference is a kill vs a instant kill. When I hit a starling with a .22 I get a lot of them trying to fly as they are falling and sometimes a hop or 2 when they hit the ground before expiring. With a .25 it's "pop" and they fall dead as door nail. I won't ever buy another rifle smaller than .25 since I primarily hunt.

Also I set right next to my son with his .25 and see 1st hand how much less wind drift he gets. He is shooting 34 gr at 880 FPS. I'm shooting 18.1 at 880. He drifts less than 1/2 as much at 50 yards. It's quite dramatic to see.
 
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22Cal all day! Its the best balance of power and performance and cost and shot count etc. Run JSB 18.13g for your tune and just throw in some Nielsen 17.5g slugs when you want to reach further or do some bigger pesting like racoons or skunks. And a Hades will be faster for those 50yd squirrels.

25Cal is great too, but you really want the long barrel and big plenum to get all the speed needed. Kinda makes a DRS more of a bench only sitution imo.
 
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Frankly, for your uses it doesn't make much difference. I would choose .22 based on pellet choices and availability. One thought regarding your potential field target use. Your will be limited to 20 fpe, so most folks use .177 as you can get more velocity while staying within the power limit, which yields flatter trajectory. I'm not an FX guy, and I don't know if this rifle is tunable down to 20 fpe.
 
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I've been shooting a .25 caliber Impact, MKII and now a M3.
It shoots a 40gr H&N heavy slug 980fps which has 85+ ftlbs at the muzzle @150 bars.

I also has a .25 DRS that shoots the same 40gr slug 975fps. @ 150 bars.

I recently purchased my first 22 caliber rifle, a DRS classic in .22 caliber. It shoots a 34gr H&N Heavy 990fps which only has 74 ftlbs at the muzzle, but I have to have the regulator set to 170 bars.

It is very noticeable how much less energy is delivered on target, whether a steel spinner or a varmint of some sort.

I know a 22 will shoot a 40 grain slug, but it requires a lot more regulator pressure 175 to 180 bars to get the same velocity as a .25 caliber.

My opinion is .25 caliber all day everyday !
 
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I also suggest you look hard at the Daystate Huntsman Revere but I guess it is about $500 more than a synthetic stock DRS. But it is more of a high end gun than the DRS which looks more like a starter FX (but that is not really a bad thing at all).

I would get the 22 (in either but especially the DRS, I may buy a 177 in the Revere because I could use another 177 and it's air storage is smaller). I have three 22s, a Prod, a P35-22 and a Caiman X in 22. The Prod is about 18 fpe and the other two are about 32-33 fpe. I also have a P35-177 and two 25 calibers another P35 and an Avenger. I've taken >25 squirrels with the 22s, mostly the Prod (it was my first PCP). But I've taken 10 or more with the P35-22. I've taken 19 or 20 with the 25s, mostly with the P35-25 when it was tuned to 32 fpe. I see a little difference between how fast squirrels fall when hit by the 177 or Prod and the more powerful guns but I do not see a difference between the P35-22 and the 25s. All the higher powered guns drop squirrels immediately with any hit to the vitals. They may take a step or two with the under 20 fpe guns. I did have two that ran a little when hit in the front of the chest but they were with the P35-25. The pellet stopped under the skin in the rear after traveling the length of the squirrel. I expect the same would happen with the 22 but the pellet might have exited. Now that the P35-25 is tuned up to about 45 fpe it would probably exit too. I think all my 10 hits with the P35-22 have exited and only 3 of 17 failed to exit with the P35-25 tuned to the same power as the 22. Two were the full length shots and one other one was a shouder to shoulder shot that also stopped under the skin on the off side. That squirrel dropped immediately.

I also killed a small racoon with the P35-22 and an armadillo. Both were around 8 lbs. Both took more than one shot but would probably have died from the first shot. I would use the 25 next time for either larger animals but I think the 22 is fine for squirrels or bunnies (or birds). So unless you plan to take >5 lbs animals I think the DRS in 22 would have plenty of power. An as long as it is tuned for a fairly heavy domed pellet at >30 fpe you can take larger animals with a well placed shot. The pellets are cheaper, there is more pellet variety, and you will get more shots per fill than with a 25 (assuming the 25 is tuned for higher power), and the noise will tend to be less.

I do not target shoot a lot with my 25s but I have not noticed a lot less pellet drift at the 35 yard or less ranges I shoot at most of the time. But I have noticed my 177 drifts more than my 22s. It is tuned to about 18 fpe (i.e. shoots H&N Baracuda FTs at about 900 fps). I suspect at longer ranges the better ballistic coefficient of the 25 caliber pellets would make their drift noticably less.
 
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mrbowler1 said:
Hi,
I have been a springer .177 guy for years, but am considering my first PCP...an FX DRS Classic. This is in a new power range from what I am used to with 14 ft/pound springers. I am unsure of what caliber to get: .177, .22, or .25 for this gun. I have used the Chairgun app and compared the trajectory and wind drift for all three calibers at the velocities that FX claims for each caliber and the trajectories and wind drift data seems nearly identical for all three calibers (which I find to be very surprising).

What are your thoughts on choice of caliber? In a 50 foot/pound vs a 14 foot/pound rifle things are not the same I feel which makes me almost completely rule out .177. But then with a PCP there are other variables such as shot capacity and magazine size. And then there is always the variable about cost of pellets.

I would use the gun mostly for plinking in the yard, and some hunting. I might consider shooting some field target or other matches just for fun. I kind of feel that the .25 offers the best for hunting if the trajectory is similar to the other calibers since the larger pellet will have more lethality I would think. But on the other hand it means more expensive ammo and lower shot capacity.

I am kind of thinking that .22 may be the sweet spot and best compromise at this power level. What do you think? Also note that it appears that the .177 and .22 are a 500mm barrel while the .25 is a 600mm barrel. I am not sure if the .25 can shoot slugs or just pelltets.

Being new to the realm of PCPs the variables create a new situation that is different from my past choices with springers and i need to think this though and make an informed decision.

thanks for your help!!!

matt
Click to expand...
I have become a "there after, go I" victim of chasing technology, in the FX pop offerings. I have arrived at a piont where I too many of an every thing and have decided to "thin the collection". If you have any questions please ask. Better to save y9ourself money by my expenses
 
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cavedweller said:
.177 is best choice unless you’re killing things then .25 but bigger pellets equals more cost and noise
Click to expand...
I consider .177 only for springers, but guilty as charged, I own two .177 PCPs (bought for my wife but shoot myself) as well. But that’s only my personal preference, lots of folks are happy with .177 PCPs ;).
 
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I have had all the calibers in pump up and PCP rifles . No springers. I have always been a pest shooter from birds and squirrels up to Groundhogs. For what I do the .25 is my choice for hunting squirrel to groundhog size starting with the .25 grn. Pellets and heavier. A noticeable difference in hitting power and killing efficiency Over the .22 . However here in PA we are regulated to .22 to legally hunt small game on State Game lands . You can use .25 and up legally for Groundhog and simliar size Animals up to cototes. Now that there are 25 and 28 grn. Pellets in .22 you get same foot pound performance out of the latest PCP rifles that are capable of velocities in the +900 fps. To get that performance in the DRS .22 classic 500mm you would need to tune the reg up so high your shot count would be very low compared to other guns that have more air storage (bottle guns) and maybe need a larger plentum. Good shot count is the nice thing about PCP guns . I chose the DRS in .22 600mm barrel hoping to shoot the heavy pellets in the 900‘s . It will do it but I’m disappointed in the shot count compared to that I get in my my Dreamline classic 500mm that I have tuned shooting 15 grain Hades at 930 fps. Reg at 110bar. I also like the shorter 500mm barrel length. So I tuned my DRS .22 600mm to 145bar and am currently shooting the 15 grn Hades at 1030fps at incredible accuracy out to 50 yards And I get around 3 magazines . The Hades are my favorite pellet in my FX guns, best accuracy and they perform better than a dome pellet for hunting . And at 1030 fps they are devistating on game. the heavy 25 and 28 grn pellets are shooting in the mid 800 fps. I also get great accuracy with Predator pellets which is another great hunting pellet but i dont use it on the larger animals for lack of penetration. If you have done your homework you have read that this new Block and valve on the DRS some people are having an issue of loosing pressure some how over night and requires a few shots to get it up to normal consistent velocity. It hasn’t been a problem with me as it hasn’t changed the point of impact out to 40 yards enough for my pesting / hunting . You can just dry fire the rifle a couple of shots before entering the field too . I’m hoping this problem works it’s self out over time or a fix comes out later but it isn’t a big issue with me unlike some others who are really upset about it. My Dreamline GRS 500mm is always spot on first shot and with the Hades unbeatable in accuracy. I can’t say I like either one more than the other Right now . Later when or if FX gets the carbon fiber shroud out to market and when or if a midsized plentum is available I hope to tune the DRS back up to shoot the heavier Hades pellets and find a light slug that it likes and it will be my primary hunting rifle , off my property at least. The DRS is a great first PCP in my opinion for pesting and back yard plinking. A little light in weight for me for serious target but a heavy moderator helps.
 
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