Do I prefer .20? What can I buy on a budget?

[Bayman]

Something interesting about the .20 silver streak and my basement range: on 4 pumps with baracudas it will flip the steel at 50ish feet. 

That's about 6 fpe at the muzzle.  My .177 R7 and my Crosman 100 (on 6 pumps) also make 6 fpe at the muzzle, but have no hope of flipping the steel.

That's a big difference for me in the basement range.  In .177, I need about 10 fpe at the muzzle to flip the steel.  I did not expect the .20 to carry energy that much better at such a short distance.

This also has me thinking the R7in .20 might do the same if in that caliber it can get 6 fpe at the muzzle.

unless its a pre saftey R7 it can easily make 8fpe in 177, 20 or 22

[splitbeing]

I am shooting FTTs in the R7.  Could be the spring has weakened (the ES is tight) or maybe the FTT pellets produce less energy.  I can't remember what the 7.25 terminators were giving me.

[Bayman]

I am shooting FTTs in the R7.  Could be the spring has weakened (the ES is tight) or maybe the FTT pellets produce less energy.  I can't remember what the 7.25 terminators were giving me.

FTT are terrible inefficient in those guns you'll gain a foot pound going to 7.33 JSB 

[splitbeing]

Any H&N pellets you'd recommend for the R7 or do all suffer the same inefficiency?

If memory serves, the terminators and FTT Greens produce more muzzle energy, but both lose it alot faster than the FTTs.  Might run some tests, putting a chronograph by the target and seeing what the energy is there.

[splitbeing]

I reached out to Krale about an HW50 in .20.  They responded saying they do not carry the rifle typically in that caliber and it would have to be special ordered.  I am waiting to hear what that might cost or entail.

I already have an r7 in .177.  Wondering if anyone has dabbled in an r7 .20 conversion.  As I write this, however, I immediately think of how well my r7 shoots and have a reluctance to mess with a good thing.  Been feeling that way about my 14 fpe k98 lately too.  I know its low efficiency for that design, but it shoots very well and at the right speed for that pellet.  Took a while to get it there and a lot of different tune approaches as well as a fix or two.  It's a long stroke, but it's also heavy enough to stay pretty stable through it.  Does well enough for me in the casual matches!