GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => PCP/CO2/HPA Air Gun Gates "The Darkside" => Topic started by: attk11 on March 30, 2021, 01:08:00 AM
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So I am trying to figure out if an Impact in .22 cal is a better choice. Matt Dubber released a video on Mar 17 and he made some good points why you would choose a .22 over a .25 with slugs. The video is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaeGVbasD7Q&t=280s&ab_channel=AirArmsHuntingSA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaeGVbasD7Q&t=280s&ab_channel=AirArmsHuntingSA)
At 4:45 he gives some numbers on a .22 pellet vs slug
.22 pellet 30 FPE and a .22 slug 85 FPE
.25 pellet 50 FPE and a .25 slug 95 FPE
In slug there is only 10 FPE difference.
At 6:16 he talks about how the magazine length and power output will limit the BC. These are the numbers he shows for that:
.22: 0.13 0.25: 0.11 0.30: 0.09
I'm wondering if the .22 wouldn’t be the better choice? Staying with .22 keeps pellets cost down for plinking, increases shot count, and if I want to reach out I can shoot slugs.
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Those are all good reasons for picking a .22 and why I only own .22, but, if your main use is hunting then a .25 with larger diameter ammo will cause more damage than a .22 especially if the shot placement is off. There are always trade offs in each caliber like you said with cost of ammo being the biggest one in my opinion. With an Impact, you are not relegated to just one caliber if you so choose to change down the road! That’s the beauty of FX PCP’s!
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You can always up the power but magazine length will limit the BC unless you do some major modifications. On average same length bullets of different caliber have roughly the same BC, however smaller caliber will need faster twist barrel to stabilize. .22/.224 has much wider selection of bullets so it is often preferred. If you want bigger and shoot further then .257 is the popular choice but you need 140+ fpe to do that properly. If big wound channels are needed then a modified hollowpoint bullet does excellent job, check the projectiles section for more info. I don't know what FX magazine length is but there are several .224 bullets at around 1/2" length and excellent BC that you can size for .218. They also tend to work in 16" or slightly faster twist.
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I would and have gone to the .22 caliber for mainly the reasons mentioned. I cast my own ammo using mainly NOE molds but have bought NSA ,VK and RWS slugs. I went down the .25 bullet route a while back and still have molds and the guns to shoot them but I find myself using the .22 more often. I don’t work on the BC calculations and rarely shoot out past 70 yards so the need for real heavy and high BC is not there. If I shoot a 23grain .22 bullet to 950 FPS it takes a lot less air with the rifles I own than to do a 41grain in .25 at the same velocity, I know air is free but I much prefer shooting than filling . Now for the Impact, it’s a great rifle and it sure has a lot of features for the tinkering type but I think there are better options out there for a slug shooter. I say this mainly because the settings are too easy to play with , make one adjustment and often enough the groups open up and it’s near impossible to return to the exact settings. I prefer a non regulated bottle gun with externally adjustable hammer strike for this purpose.
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Although I have my new Impact in 22cal shooting 23gr NSA's and am happy with the price and quantity of ammo, I'm not ready to give up my 25cal also shooting NSA's. Although there is only one FP of difference right now between the 25 and the 22, I can tell you that regardless of FP readings the 25 hits harder, much harder, and at a lower velocity. I'm not trying to push the 25 out as far as I intend to do with the 22, but would use it for hunting larger animals inside 75 yards. YMMV.