Hunter Field Target in .22

[MartyMcFly]

I am curious to know if anyone is shooting American HFT with .22 and what your experience has been. Do you feel that .177 has a material advantage to .22 at the distances, power and kill zones used in HFT?

This information will be very helpful in justifying another purchase.

-Marty

 

[Sqwirl57]

I've shot it with my .22 97K (730fps with FTTs) and have done well. The laser beam that is a 10gr JSB would have the advantage I feel.

Last week I shot my .22 D56 and did not do well at all for a variety of reasons, none being the fault of my caliber choice. That being said, I still had a great time and learned several lessons that day.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I've shot it with my .22 97K (730fps with FTTs) and have done well. The laser beam that is a 10gr JSB would have the advantage I feel.

Last week I shot my .22 D56 and did not do well at all for a variety of reasons, none being the fault of my caliber choice. That being said, I still had a great time and learned several lessons that day.

Do you mean the 10.3gr JSB Heavies in .177?

-Marty

 

[Sqwirl57]

Do you mean the 10.3gr JSB Heavies in .177?

-Marty

Yessir a 10.3gr JSB @ 800fps would be pretty flat out to 55yds and the smaller caliber is less likely to split the edge of the KZ. That being said, a 14.66gr pellet at 730fps is still pretty darn flat shooting and bucks the wind nicely.

 

[Nico5999]

Generally, .177 is the way to go. For all disciplines in FT.

If you are talking American Hunter Field Target (which is very different from what the Brits generally call HFT), the vast majority of shooters who do well shoot the 10.3gr JSB/FX/AA pellets. Some guys shoot the 13.4gr JSBs.

Since you are limited to 20FPE in the American discipline, you can push those 10.3s to about 920 which gives a VERY flat trajectory. This helps with longer shots where ranging error is more likely to be an issue.

I shot Open (also limited to 20 FPE) with a .22 AA S400 very briefly. You are definitely at a disadvantage shooting the .22. You can only push most pellets to ~750 or less before hitting the 20fpe limit. Trajectory becomes an issue here.

If you want to shoot .22, go for it. But there are a number of reasons why most folks shoot .177 for FT.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Generally, .177 is the way to go. For all disciplines in FT.

If you are talking American Hunter Field Target (which is very different from what the Brits generally call HFT), the vast majority of shooters who do well shoot the 10.3gr JSB/FX/AA pellets. Some guys shoot the 13.4gr JSBs.

Since you are limited to 20FPE in the American discipline, you can push those 10.3s to about 920 which gives a VERY flat trajectory. This helps with longer shots where ranging error is more likely to be an issue.

I shot Open (also limited to 20 FPE) with a .22 AA S400 very briefly. You are definitely at a disadvantage shooting the .22. You can only push most pellets to ~750 or less before hitting the 20fpe limit. Trajectory becomes an issue here.

If you want to shoot .22, go for it. But there are a number of reasons why most folks shoot .177 for FT.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m running the 10.3s at 910 right now and like the trajectory but wondered how many people actually try to compete using .22. My guess is that holdover shouldn’t be a material issue if paired with practice and a good dope sheet, so do splits really happen noticeably more often with .22s?

Sometimes reality doesn’t line up with accepted wisdom… seems like an interesting problem.

-Marty

 

[SqrlHntr]

I shot a p-rod in .22 with GTO’s in FT for a while. At the time it was the only gun/pellet combo i had to shoot <20 fpe. Tuning down for a heavier pellet was not a setup for success. GTO’s worked well enough right at 19fpe i kept shooting it for a year. Only problem i had was on really small kz’s there is almost no room for error. The light and harder pellet was not kind on splits either. Besides that, the .22 gto was pretty much the same traj as a .177 so for regular FT it was very shootable. Little more wind drift too. Cool plus is being shiny and bigger makes the pellet in flight really visible.

 

[Podna]

Marty:

It is not just “conventional wisdom” dictating the fact that the vast majority of
field target shooters choose .177. Download ChairGun and or StrelokPro and do some tragectory research.

It is often very difficult to determine the difference in a 50 and 55 yard target. Lighter and faster means flatter every time.

Yes, you can do ok with a .22 but you are giving up points almost guaranteed.

Just sayin.

Art “Podna” Womack
Team Wolfpack

 

[MartyMcFly]

Marty:

It is not just “conventional wisdom” dictating the fact that the vast majority of
field target shooters choose .177. Download ChairGun and or StrelokPro and do some tragectory research.

It is often very difficult to determine the difference in a 50 and 55 yard target. Lighter and faster means flatter every time.

Yes, you can do ok with a .22 but you are giving up points almost guaranteed.

Just sayin.

Art “Podna” Womack
Team Wolfpack

Good point about no man’s land in 50-55 yds, especially at 16x.

-Marty

 

[AirNGasman]

Sounds as if you already realize this, but perhaps need a reminder. FT is plenty challenging enough without purposely handicapping yourself.

To expound, here's a quote from the chapter titled Field Target Insights taken from Airgun Chronicles- Thirty Years Of Airgun Testing And Competition on the subject-

"As for caliber, .177 offers several advantages. A 3/8” kill-zone allows only 1/10” margin-of-error in any direction with a .177, a .0875” margin-of-error with a .20 caliber, and just .078” margin-of-error with a .22. At 15 yards, these figures translate into a 1.4 minute-of-angle shot with a .177, a 1.24 MOA shot with a .20 caliber, and a 1.1 MOA shot with a .22. Though the advantage of .177 is less pronounced with larger kill-zones, the advantage is measurable and tangible on any target at any distance. All field target shooters lose points to edge hits that the shooter believes (wishes) should have dropped the target. Such zeroes with a .22 would have been points on the score-card with a .177."

.

Miniscule margin of error- A 3/8” kill zone presents a difficult target barely twice the diameter of a .177 pellet, no matter how ‘inspiring’ the field target might be!

"Another advantage of .177 caliber is flatness of trajectory; that advantage more pronounced the lower the power-limit. Given the 20 foot-pound limit of most rifle FT classes, a heavy-for-caliber 10.3 grain .177 pellet can be driven to a flat-shooting 935 feet-per-second; whereas even a medium weight .22 pellet of 14.3 grains must not exceed 800 FPS. Of course .20 caliber falls somewhere between. One needn’t be a rocket-scientist to recognize the clear trajectory advantages of .177 caliber, merely a ballistician."

 

[Franklink]

Let me add (since I haven't seen it mentioned yet) that many ft shooters have moved to the .177/13.4gr JSB in the past couple of years, as seen in match reports. I've asked a few that shoot the 13.4s about them and they feel that that pellet has better wind resistance. Of course they're limited to roughly 800fps to be ft legal.

And the point was well made from the above comments about 10.3 @ 930ish being flatter.

Pick yer poison, lol. Just be familiar with its trajectory and behavior in the wind.

 

[SDstephan]

Let me add (since I haven't seen it mentioned yet) that many ft shooters have moved to the .177/13.4gr JSB in the past couple of years, as seen in match reports. I've asked a few that shoot the 13.4s about them and they feel that that pellet has better wind resistance. Of course they're limited to roughly 800fps to be ft legal.

I've found that the 13.4gr is the only pellet that worked in my Delta Wolf and still be legal. For my USFT the 13.4gr was recommended by Tim - who am I to dispute his wisdom. That said I may try the 10.34gr after the season has ended for my own edification.

 

[Centercut]

Sounds as if you already realize this, but perhaps need a reminder. FT is plenty challenging enough without purposely handicapping yourself.

To expound, here's a quote from the chapter titled Field Target Insights taken from Airgun Chronicles- Thirty Years Of Airgun Testing And Competition on the subject-

"As for caliber, .177 offers several advantages. A 3/8” kill-zone allows only 1/10” margin-of-error in any direction with a .177, a .0875” margin-of-error with a .20 caliber, and just .078” margin-of-error with a .22. At 15 yards, these figures translate into a 1.4 minute-of-angle shot with a .177, a 1.24 MOA shot with a .20 caliber, and a 1.1 MOA shot with a .22. Though the advantage of .177 is less pronounced with larger kill-zones, the advantage is measurable and tangible on any target at any distance. All field target shooters lose points to edge hits that the shooter believes (wishes) should have dropped the target. Such zeroes with a .22 would have been points on the score-card with a .177."

View attachment 290232.

Miniscule margin of error- A 3/8” kill zone presents a difficult target barely twice the diameter of a .177 pellet, no matter how ‘inspiring’ the field target might be!

"Another advantage of .177 caliber is flatness of trajectory; that advantage more pronounced the lower the power-limit. Given the 20 foot-pound limit of most rifle FT classes, a heavy-for-caliber 10.3 grain .177 pellet can be driven to a flat-shooting 935 feet-per-second; whereas even a medium weight .22 pellet of 14.3 grains must not exceed 800 FPS. Of course .20 caliber falls somewhere between. One needn’t be a rocket-scientist to recognize the clear trajectory advantages of .177 caliber, merely a ballistician."

Very interesting post Ron, makes total sense. And obviously this same logic can be applied to the differences between .22 and .30 caliber in Extreme FT. Thanks!

 

[whitefox545]

From my experience with the movement of many of the better shooters to the 13.4's ,it was more due to the inconstancy and poor shooting quality's of the 10.34's as of the last few years than the wind drift challenge using the lighter pellets. I would much prefer the lighter ones but in my mind accuracy trumps speed every time. If you get a good shooting batch of 10.34's or your gun is not pellet fussy your one lucky guy OR GAL. !! J.L.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I've found that the 13.4gr is the only pellet that worked in my Delta Wolf and still be legal. For my USFT the 13.4gr was recommended by Tim - who am I to dispute his wisdom. That said I may try the 10.34gr after the season has ended for my own edification.

Is it the regular Monster or the Redesigned? I’ve tried both in my Wolverine but haven’t come to a conclusion if there is a difference between the two, aside from higher fps from the regulars.

-Marty

 

[extradrygin2001]

I shoot 13.4 grain JSB .177 out of a PCP at 800 fps. Makes right at 19 ft/lbs. I have not shot HFT yet but at 60 yards the pellet doesn’t seem to fall or drift much.

 

[extradrygin2001]

I shoot 13.4 grain JSB .177 out of a PCP at 800 fps. Makes right at 19 ft/lbs. I have not shot HFT yet but at 60 yards the pellet doesn’t seem to fall or drift much.

You need the original for 800fps the redesign requires too much velocity and you will be above the 20 ft/lbs limit.

 

[Airgunoregon]

I've got the slow twist LW poly in my USFT and it shoots the 10.34 JSB at 19.5fpe the best in the wind, while having the flattest trajectory.

You might as well shoot 12fpe 8.4 grain... Same trajectory if you choose to shoot 22 cal or .20 cal 13.4 grain... .177 cal 13.4 works for some, but not worth it in my rig.

Unless you want the extra challenge for some reason.. or that's the only equipment you have to start competing with... then Why???

 

[Franklink]

I've got the slow twist LW poly in my USFT and it shoots the 10.34 JSB at 19.5fpe the best in the wind, while having the flattest trajectory.

You might as well shoot 12fpe 8.4 grain... Same trajectory if you choose to shoot 22 cal or .20 cal 13.4 grain... .177 cal 13.4 works for some, but not worth it in my rig.

Unless you want the extra challenge for some reason.. or that's the only equipment you have to start competing with... then Why???

Similar here.
My best wind performer is the 10.34s from slow twist poly, average around 915fps.

I've shot the .20/13.73 in matches and they're very accurate but not as good in the wind as the .177/10.34s.

I've also shot the .22/13.43s and the .22/14.3s in matches and they're yet another level below the .20/13.73s in wind performance.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I’m convinced, you’ve put an arrow through the heart of that idea. No excuse for getting a .22 for HFT.

-Marty