What’s your opinion .25 verses .30 700mm Impact for Squirrel and rabbits.

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MountainGhost

MountainGhost

Member
Aug 10, 2019
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Russellville Arkansas, United States
I’m debating which way to go on this one. I also like to punch paper as well. Is there more versatility with one caliber over the other? Also what barrel length, I realize that length doesn’t effect accuracy ,but it does effect speed which does effect accuracy, what does everybody think.if you were to give advice on hunting rabbits, squirrel and target shooting to someone what would you recommend with the impact only thanks.
 
The 25 shooting Beasts should do just fine if you need that extra wallop. Matter of fact the Kings should be plenty good enough for squirrels and rabbits out to 100 yards. Do you know that UK folks shoot 12fpe 177s out to 60-65 yards to dispatch rabbits? HOWEVER... If you are simply just craving TOTAL UTTER BLOODY CARNAGE then go for that 30. Yo!
 
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I see UK videos where they effortlessly take squirrels and rabbits with 12fpe guns. If I was only shooting those two and paper I wouldn't go over .22cal,

(177/22 pros)

1.Insane mag capacity

2. Very very low air consumption

3. Flat trajectory

4. More ammo availability (price and variety).

5. RIDICULOUSLY QUIET



But if I only had a choice of the .25 and .30, I'd go with the 25, and light weight pellet/slugs and super low reg pressure.


 
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I've hunted my whole life with airguns and still never owned anything bigger than a .22 and usually hunt with a .177. If squirrels and rabbits are all you're after, no need at all for a .25 or .30 

Throw in shooting paper and a .25 or .30 makes no sense to me at all. That's wasting a lot of lead. 

If it were me id have a .22 and be done. Turn it up, turn it down, whatever. It should do anything you want. A badly placed shot is still a bad shot regardless of caliber. 






 
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I'd vote for 25 if you going to punch paper, 30 pellets are quite a bit more expensive. Also between the two 25 has a lot better ammo selection.



The great thing about 25 or 30 pellets for hunting is you can turn down your speed and get great kill shots while limit the pass through on small games in backyard/confined space. If your hunting area is wide open then you can pick just about anything really. although 22 slugs would be my pick for safe/wide open area due to the flat trajectory, less wind drift and more energy down range pass 70 yards on smaller games.
 
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I've hunted my whole life with airguns and still never owned anything bigger than a .22 and usually hunt with a .177. If squirrels and rabbits are all you're after, no need at all for a .25 or .30 

Throw in shooting paper and a .25 or .30 makes no sense to me at all. That's wasting a lot of lead. 

If it were me id have a .22 and be done. Turn it up, turn it down, whatever. It should do anything you want. A badly placed shot is still a bad shot regardless of caliber.
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I admit I'm a bad shot, getting better for sure but still not a marksman by any means. When I made a bad shot with my old 22 and hit the squirrel in the stomach or missed the vitals completely the squirrel ran off before I can have a follow up shot. Days later I found out it died in my neighbors yard, poor thing probably suffered for quite a while and I felt bad about it. Fast forward a few squirrels I missed again and hit the squirrel in the gut with .25 pellet this time, squirrel jumped but didn't move and gave me ample time to do a follow up shot. After close examination it's intestine was ripped out and dangling from the large exit hole so the 25 is far more forgiving when I make a bad shot and do enough damage to afford me a clean follow up shot.
 
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I've hunted my whole life with airguns and still never owned anything bigger than a .22 and usually hunt with a .177. If squirrels and rabbits are all you're after, no need at all for a .25 or .30 

Throw in shooting paper and a .25 or .30 makes no sense to me at all. That's wasting a lot of lead. 

If it were me id have a .22 and be done. Turn it up, turn it down, whatever. It should do anything you want. A badly placed shot is still a bad shot regardless of caliber.
Click to expand...



I admit I'm a bad shot, getting better for sure but still not a marksman by any means. When I made a bad shot with my old 22 and hit the squirrel in the stomach or missed the vitals completely the squirrel ran off before I can have a follow up shot. Days later I found out it died in my neighbors yard, poor thing probably suffered for quite a while and I felt bad about it. Fast forward a few squirrels I missed again and hit the squirrel in the gut with .25 pellet this time, squirrel jumped but didn't move and gave me ample time to do a follow up shot. After close examination it's intestine was ripped out and dangling from the large exit hole so the 25 is far more forgiving when I make a bad shot and do enough damage to afford me a clean follow up shot.
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I've blown them open with a .36 cal flintlock and still had them run off. The first shot is the only one that matters, and caliber size won't solve your problems. It will only mean a loopier trajectory and more money for pellets. 

The trend in airguns is chasing more power, more energy, etc. But folks seem to forget that a .22LR lays down around 100FPE and a squirrel hit in the side will still run off without a good heart/lung shot.

Wait for the right shot, or don't shoot at all. It's not about being a world class shot, it's about waiting for the shot you can make. If a .25 or .30 is what you want, then by all means get it. I would if it's what I wanted. But don't be led to believe that it will solve any problems while hunting squirrels. They are a ball of muscle wrapped in buffalo hide. 

Enjoy your gun with whatever you choose. I don't believe any of them would be the wrong choice. Have fun above all.
 
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The trend in airguns is chasing more power, more energy, etc. But folks seem to forget that a .22LR lays down around 100FPE and a squirrel hit in the side will still run off without a good heart/lung shot.

Wait for the right shot, or don't shoot at all. It's not about being a world class shot, it's about waiting for the shot you can make. If a .25 or .30 is what you want, then by all means get it. I would if it's what I wanted. But don't be led to believe that it will solve any problems while hunting squirrels. They are a ball of muscle wrapped in buffalo hide.
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Again I admit I'm not the best shot and no one is perfect, nothing wrong having a little more room for error as we humans are good at errors. Fortunately I only had one really bad shot with the 25 so far and that one time the squirrel didn't/couldn't move after the initial jump. I also had a head shot went slightly low, just under the eye and exited it's rib cage, somehow it jumped and didn't die right away. Again it didn't move after the initial jump, with 22 I'm sure the results wouldn't been the same. Both times I thought I had the right shot but either pulled the trigger or just simply moved.



If it makes any difference I shoot .25 Hades at 650FPS and the pellet seems to tumble after impact, exit wound is usually quite large or no exit. If shot at say 920 FPS like how it came from the factory then I bet the pellet will blow right through and create much smaller exit wound. At the same FPE I think the .25 is far more effective, in-fact I think .25 pellets are more effective on small games at slower speed than higher speed/power.
 
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I’m going to say if a little extra money for pellets is okay and you don’t have to worry about nosy neighbors and over penetration, go with the .30, just because it would be more entertaining on squirrels. 🎳 +🐿=😂
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I was going to say the same thing, more entertainment, makes better slow motion videos, why not the .35 Impact? Don't stop there, Texan TX2 .457... (Don't forget the video footage)
 
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I agree with the general consensus you should go for a .25 or even a .22 for squirrels and rabbits. By the way, squirrels are tougher than rabbits in my experience. Keep in mind two things. 1. It is easier to shoot a PCP accurately vs. a spring gun as it is much less hold sensitive. 2. A .22 or .25 will be much cheaper to practice with and that will help you become a better shot.

I'm not a fan of head shots. There is a much smaller kill zone and I injured too many squirrels with jaw and sinus shots before I moved on to chest shots. They may run a bit, but so do deer when shot in the chest, and I've never (knock on wood) lost a squirrel with a chest shot yet. I aim at the shoulder. A little forward and high it snips the neck. Backwards is a solid heart/lung shot. On close range shots, where the head is the only thing presented, I aim behind the ear....base of the skull. Same concept...back it snips the neck...forward it is a brain shot.

Expanding pellets in a .22 can outperform non-expanding pellets like domes or Hades in .25. The best of the bunch are Predator Polymags. They tear a serious sized hole and past 15 yards they often don't even exit.

P.S. I've got a .30 and it wallops groundhogs good. I've taken a few birds and squirrels with it just because it was convenient and there is ridiculous pass through. Also the smaller calibers are quieter therefore more backyard friendly.
 
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Your going to shoot more than you think and most of that will be at paper. A 22 cal pcp will be more than enough to take squirrel and is over kill for rabbit. The 25 would do better on squirrel but not much. Shooting cost, air usage and shot count will favor the 22 cal.. For your intentions i would not consider a 30 cal. Truth be told the 177 would do all you say just fine. I often hunt squirrel with that in a springer. Good luck have fun with whatever you get.


 
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