Which caliber is better? - .177 or .22 (Read extra comments)

Question

I'm going to buy the Beeman RS3. That rifle comes in .22 caliber OR .177 caliber. I am going to be using it for plinking, target shooting and some varmint hunting. Which caliber is best all-round? (I need experienced answers.)

Answer 1

You are talking about a pellet gun I think the first answer may have thought you meant .22 long rifle vs .177 mach 2 or a necked down 22.  The .177 would be good for most plinking and maybe even some small game hunting.  But the .22 would be better for hunting.  It is a slightly heavier pellet and has more momentum when it hits.  It does cost a little more, but not much.

Answer 2

Target shooing get a .177, if you want to hunt your best getting a .25

Answer 3

22 caliber would be the one I would buy. 22's are alot cheaper to shoot.

Answer 4

When you say varmint hunting, exactly what kind of "varmints" do you have in mind?  Rabbit is just about the largest animal even a high powered 22 pellet gun is going to easily dispatch, and even then you need to keep distances to less than 30yds. with a 177, i would reduce that distance to less than 20yds to assure a clean kill. this is assuming both guns are capable 900+ fps.

both can easily kill birds and squirrels out to 25-30 yds, with the 22 possibly stretching that to 40yds. i wouldn't take a shot at over 40 with either gun on a rabbit size animal. there is too much chance of wounding the animal only to have it escape and die later.

for target shooting and plinking, the .177 is a better choice, due to cheaper ammo and flatter trajectory. not that the 22 isn't accurate. My Gamo in 22 cal will but 5 shots on a dime at 40ft.

if you will have one gun doing all three jobs, get the 22. you won't be disappointed.

Answer 5

A .22 cal. is slower, but m0re than makes up for it in stopping power. A .177 cal. is faster and is much flatter shooting. .177 id slightly more accurate also.

They are both great all around. But if you going to do more hunting than anything, use .22, if more plinkihg than anything, use .177.

(Doesn't the RS3 come in a combo with a .22 AND .177 barrels you can attach???)

EDIT-

Derek... i think you have it confused... .22 cal. pellets are like $0.50 more than .177.   .177 pellets are a little bit cheaper but not by alot.

Answer 6

well, if your just going to go through shells like nothing, i would use a .22 because they are very cheap, but if your looking for good accuracy i would go for a .177, the only thing is, is that basically, .22's r a lot cheaper, but less accurate, and .177 cost a lot more, but r very accurate.

Answer 7

In that particular AIR rifle I believe I would go with the .177 , and for the reasons already stated.

Advantages .177

Higher velocity, flatter trajectory**, inherently more accurate. pellets are less expensive. With proper shot placement(head) you can hunt small game out to around 50 yards.

Advantages .22

The larger(heavier) pellet will retain it's velocity better. You have a larger kill zone, when hunting small game with the .22.

IMO, with rifles such as the one you're talking about, the .177 has the advantage out to around 35 yards.

If most of your shooting will be within 35 yards, go with the .177 , if most of your shooting will be beyond 35 yards, then buy the .22.

Since you're talking about the same rifle, with the same powerplant the ME(muzzle energy) of the .177 & .22 are going to be very similar.

**Trajectory = Without knowing the .177 pellets you will be using and the fps I can't give you a trajectory. But, I did run one(airgun calculator) for a .177 - 900fps - 8.3gr RWS Superdome pellets - If sighted-in at 42 yards - The pellet would be 1/2in low at 8 yards - dead on at 14 - 1/2in high at 28 - then 1/2in low again at 48 - That's a pretty flat trajectory for a pellet rifle, and eliminates almost all hold over/under when small game hunting

Later: <added> You can hunt small game out to around 50 yards with a .177 if you are getting(MV) 900fps with 8.3gr pellets.

Example

Jim Chapman - Hunting with his favorite small game air rifle - Beeman C1 .177(850fps)

http://www.americanairgunhunter.com/webc...

He takes a jackrabbit at 44 yards with one shot to the head. No, this is not a "stunt" shot, it is, near the effective limits of his rifle/pellet combination.

574fps - 8.3gr RWS Superdome = 6.07fpe >at impact(44yards)

IMO, it takes around 6.0fpe at impact for a clean, humane kill on small game(rabbit, squirrel). This is slightly more(fpe) than that recommended by professional airgunners**.For me, I would rather error on the side of caution

I'm not making a WAG. I do use a lifetime of hunting experience combined with ballistics and the experience of other airgun hunters

http://www.network54.com/forum/79537

http://www.network54.com/forum/278708

http://www.americanairgunhunter.com

**Minimum recommended fpe - professional airgunners - assumes perfect shot.

English Sparrow - Mouse - 2.0fpe

Squirrel - Starling - Pigeon - 3.0fpe

Rat - Rabbit - 5.0fpe