What's Better .177 Or .22

[pickles123 1]

Hello I'm new to this and waiting to buy a air rifle but wounding wether to butt a .22 or 177 I want it for birds rats rabbit etc and not sure witch one would be best atb

[DTS01 23]

This will become a very long winded thread full of arguement as there are die hard fans of each calibre

 

each calibre has its pros and cons

 

im a .177 fan myself and theres nothing in your list that wont be taken cleanly with a .177 or that would be taken more cleanly with a .22 for that matter

 

best thing would perhaps be to try each calibre out and make your own decision as there will be a million different peoples opinions which will confuse your decision

[whistler1 26]

I think google search as well as THL search function could help you make your decision hear.My self,i do a lot of of close hunting

and pest control 15-25yrds,so prefer the knock down power of the .22

[andyf 144]

Well, the 177 or the 22?

If I only had one airgun and I intended to hunt live quarry the .22 would be my choice.

However I have amongst several other FAC centrefire rifles a .22 Rimfire for vermin, so my only airgun

is HW100 in 177, its faster and flatter shooting than a 22, and for farmyard vermin it is just superb, at 25

to 50 yards it shoots like a laser.

I'm not so sure about Rabbits (I've never shot one with the HW to be honest), but Rats and all birds are

dead with a capital D.

AndyF

[DTS01 23]

My .177 drops rabbits just as well as any .22

 

It's all about shot placement. Shoot them behind the eye and it's the deadest rabbit you'll ever see

[danco1987 27]

Both do the job. Close range ratting go for 22. Rabbits during the day out to 40 yards, 177 works well with its flat trajectory. I prefer a heavier 177. However with a laser rangefinder for assistance, a 22 is just as effective. Get practising first at different ranges to see how the trajectory behaves in either calibre you choose and make sure you can hit a 5p Target everything.

 

At night, which is the time most rabbiting is done this time of year - 177 is superior for rabbits out to 40 yards because its more difficult to judge range at night so the flatter trajectory is important. One way to help with range estimation at night is to draw a rabbit sized target on a piece of card and look at it from 40 yards. See how many mildots width its head is across at your chosen mag. Then when youre out shooting at night and focus on a rabbit, if its head is too small compared to the given mildots, its further away then your max distance (40yards).what you want is it to be the same or even better, to be oversized so your definitely within range.

 

Hope this helps

Edited February 20, 2014 by danco1987

[charlie caller 3,654]

.177 in none fac mate, faster, flatter, and kills more cleanly in my experience of 30 odd years using air rifles.

[mark williams 7,550]

I agree with the .177 cal for hunting over 30 yds out to 50 yds because of the much flatter trajectory giving imo greater accuracy at longer ranges.

I use at the moment a .22 springer out to 30 yds and a HW 100 kt .177 out to 50 yds max`.

With air rifles we must remember the golden rule "shot placement" and headshots are totally lethal in all airgun calibres but in my humble opinion easier to attain with a top quality pcp in .177 cal.

Regularly shoot 5p size targets a 35 yds as often as you possibly can.I have a large garden and am lucky in that it is 40yds in length at the back, so I practice , practice, practice.

 

 

atb

Edited February 20, 2014 by mark williams

[Coypu Hunter 486]

.357 magnum out to 25 metres. Does the job every time

[mark williams 7,550]

Ha! ha ! ha !

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I have the 2 main hunting calibres (.177 and .22), they have both killed plenty of vermin.

 

.177 tends to be faster and flatter flying, however the use of heavyweight pellets does get the speed down and a more pronounced trajectory curve.

 

.22 generally hits like a brick.

 

There are three wonderful programs called Hawke BRC, Hawke Chairgun and Strelok. all 3 will need you to know what power your gun is making. All 3 will work out a ballistic trajectory (ie flight path) for your gun and scope combination, as long as you know what reticle you are using. Using these programs you will be able to use a rifle and scope more effectively at varying ranges!

 

I still think .22 is more forgiving in a side wind though!

[4sight 31]

I'm not going to get into 'which is better', at the end of the day they both have their plus and minus points.

The best advice I was given was to find and join a local air rifle club. Learn how to shoot properly, accurately and humanely before going out to hunt Gods critters.

Dave

[pianoman 3,587]

Hello I'm new to this and waiting to buy a air rifle but wounding wether to butt a .22 or 177 I want it for birds rats rabbit etc and not sure witch one would be best atb

Both! Seriously. It is a question of how well you can shoot with a particular calibre, or both of them. A clean hit in the head will kill your quarry no problem. I shoot and hunt with both calibres. I prefer .22 for rabbits, squirrels and rats. .177 for pigeons and corvids.

 

I agree with Dave's advice particularly here. You MUST learn to become a proficient shot with an air rifle that's up to the job and try to respect the wildlife with a clean, humane shot to the head. NO body shots or wounding the animal to bring it down and finish it off with a second or more shots. That's for twats who cannot shoot properly and bring the sport into bad repute :nono:

Edited February 26, 2014 by pianoman

[villaman 9,983]

Pianoman is absolutely spot on ,take his advice on board and you will not go far wrong

[Buster321c 1,010]

I like marmite and cheese ..

 

 

But some dont ....