.177 vs. .22 for hunting

[Marc]

Out of the same gun (ex. RWS 34, HW50S, etc.) which caliber would you prefer for hunting?

[Geoff]

It's a toss-up

177 flatter trajectory, pleney for birds and small animals
22 slightly more mass for slightly larger animals like racoons and possums

For a pure hunting rifle I'd lean towards 22
For a plinker that I might hunt with from time to time I'd lean towards 177

I have both and have been going back and forth on which one I will take on my first hunting trip.  At this time the 177 is in the lead.  The 22cal I have needs (in my opinion) more FPS to flatten out the trajectory a little more for it to be the one.   

My 177 has more FPE than the 22 at the muzzle, though the 177 loses the energy faster than the 22 and after X yards the 22 has more fpe left according to the program chairgun.

There are several threads on 177 vs 22 .. might want to do a quick search to see what was said in those.

[robert w]

hunting it would be 22 as a 177 is more of a target round from my experience . 177 works fine on birds but way too weak for bunnies and tree rats . a 22 will give clean humane kills on game shot at a reasonable range 25-35 yards . I don't advise a 177 for that reason.

[Ahab]

.22

[wilsonj1018]

in the two guns you have listed I would choose .177 simply because at those power levels the penetration of a 22 is simply pitiful. my general rule of caliber selection for given power level: 0-18 fpe=.177 19-30 for .22. anything under 18 fpe in .22 the trajectory really not worthy IMHO. and what I am saying about penetration is a 22 pellet needs roughly twice the fpe to penetrate as deep as the .177. this is due to the increase in surface area. and im speaking from experience and not talking out of my ^&* ive tried the 15ish fpe .22 cal thing, it was disappointing to say the least. bump the fpe to 20 its a whole different ball game lol so if I were you I would stick to .177.
Josh

[Motorhead]

Out west here where most of the AG type hunting is more open .... it comes down more to reaching out generally into modest to LONG ranges.
If quarry is small ( Birds, Rats, smaller Squirrels, Bunnies ) prefer the .177 PCP inside of 50 yards for the Flatter shooting deeper penetration.
Big Squirrels, Jacks, Coons and such sizes in heavy cover or at distance 35-80 yards the .22PCP hands down the better hunter IMO.

Will say tho shooting a 30#+ power .22 PCP in close quarters is really overkill and a tad less safe simply due to smaller critters in close pellets SHOOT RIGHT THREW THEM !!

[Frank in Fairfield]

.22

DITTO

[David.Soliman]

I prefer .22 cause you simply don't know what you might run across.

[NickB79]

While my hunting experience has been limited to only a dozen ground squirrels and 3 rabbits in the garden, I can say that a .22-cal pellet at 700 fps puts them down with authority.  I made a 40-yd headshot on a rabbit this summer, and it was a through-and-through of the skull.  I also made a chest shot at 30 yd a week later, and the rabbit ran less than 10 ft and fell over dead.

Since none of my shots have gone beyond 40 yards, I've never had a problem with trajectory; 700 fps gives a flat enough trajectory that I can zero at 15 yards, be less than 1" high at 30 yd, back on at 40 yd, and an inch low at 50 yards.  I guess if you want to stretch things out to 60-70 yd, the .177 will have a flatter trajectory, but then you have to contend with more effect from the wind.

[jlieu]

in the two guns you have listed I would choose .177 simply because at those power levels the penetration of a 22 is simply pitiful. my general rule of caliber selection for given power level: 0-18 fpe=.177 19-30 for .22. anything under 18 fpe in .22 the trajectory really not worthy IMHO. and what I am saying about penetration is a 22 pellet needs roughly twice the fpe to penetrate as deep as the .177. this is due to the increase in surface area. and im speaking from experience and not talking out of my ^&* ive tried the 15ish fpe .22 cal thing, it was disappointing to say the least. bump the fpe to 20 its a whole different ball game lol so if I were you I would stick to .177.
Josh

Interesting topic.  General consensus is .22, though in support of wilsonj's point, I did come across a point someone else had made. 

Being a 15 ft/lb rifle (the 34), it would seem to make sense to go with .177 given it's power.  This has to do with matching pellet weight to power of the rifle because he argued that sporting air rifles performed best (combination of accuracy and trajectory) when you keep the muzzle velocity between 850 fps and 950 fps.  Too slow and the trajectory suffers, too fast and the accuracy does.

Therefore, for air rifles under 20ft-lbs, he suggested a .177 and rifles over 20ft-lbs, a .22.

Not my words, but figured was applicable enough for the topic. 

[RedFeather]

Either or.  Consider that a lot of game fell to premagnum springers in .177.  And UK shooters seem to do well with 12 foot pound guns.  You just need to learn the limitations of the gun you are shooting.  A good shot with a .177 is better than  a poorly  placed 22 or any pellet that steps out fast but ends up spent.  The 34 in 22 is no slouch.  Just have to keep the range practical.

[White Eagle]

It is an interesting topic.  I have hunted with both, and both will do the job.  I lean towards the .22 for two reasons:  more mass on target for shock and knock-down, and a larger wound (entrance, channel, and exit).  Shot placement is a little more critical with the .177.  You can argue either way, with valid points made for both.  Intended hunting range, where trajectory is a factor, must also be considered.  I do all of my hunting pretty much within 35 yards, so trajectory doesn't play much of a role with my .22.

[Motorhead]

in the two guns you have listed I would choose .177 simply because at those power levels the penetration of a 22 is simply pitiful. my general rule of caliber selection for given power level: 0-18 fpe=.177 19-30 for .22. anything under 18 fpe in .22 the trajectory really not worthy IMHO. and what I am saying about penetration is a 22 pellet needs roughly twice the fpe to penetrate as deep as the .177. this is due to the increase in surface area. and im speaking from experience and not talking out of my ^&* ive tried the 15ish fpe .22 cal thing, it was disappointing to say the least. bump the fpe to 20 its a whole different ball game lol so if I were you I would stick to .177.
Josh

Interesting topic.  General consensus is .22, though in support of wilsonj's point, I did come across a point someone else had made. 

Being a 15 ft/lb rifle (the 34), it would seem to make sense to go with .177 given it's power.  This has to do with matching pellet weight to power of the rifle because he argued that sporting air rifles performed best (combination of accuracy and trajectory) when you keep the muzzle velocity between 850 fps and 950 fps.  Too slow and the trajectory suffers, too fast and the accuracy does.

Therefore, for air rifles under 20ft-lbs, he suggested a .177 and rifles over 20ft-lbs, a .22.

Not my words, but figured was applicable enough for the topic. 

Well .... in .177 cal getting at 20# power requires 10.5 grain pellets to be flung @ 925 fps, 13.4's @ 820 fps and 16's @ 750 fps
This is no easy task being the small bore on a .177 is LESS EFFICIENT than the larger calibers and getting a rifle to push that hard on such a small pill takes some major power.  If a spring / ram gun some serious JOLT is going to happen. If a PCP got a real air hog !

If your just an average too poor shot in general  a .22 cal has a better chance of anchoring game with off the mark shot than a .177.

If on the other hand your a very good to great shot and enjoy hitting where you aim ... a faster and flatter shooting .177 can kill just as effectively on smaller game.

This subject and it's debates have gone on year after year and will continue the same.


So absolutely if wanting above 20# power you really have little choice but step up into a larger caliber 

[LAalex]

My Crosman Optimus lobs 18.1 gr. JSB's @ around 620 FPS.  Out to about 30, 35 yards trajectory is no problem and it absolutely busts the snot out of squirrels at these ranges.  I've shot squirrels with .177 and it will kill them but the .22 seems to consistently give one shot kills.  .22 is my choice but .177 can be good to--as said, know your and your gun's limitations.

Scotty

[fortyshooter]

the big bullet..22 !

[robert w]

not all shooters are the best shot [no pun intended] and I say use a 22 . I belive in humane shots to kill. sure some of us can get great 1 shot kills in 177 but for hunting purposes its 22 .

[Sqrl Klr]

I would personally prefer .22 since they leave a larger wound channel hence kill more quickly in well placed shots and otherwise, plus they hold their trajectory better with sufficient power behind them due to their increased mass where your groups at longer ranges will be smaller in windy conditions. I have seen .22 pass through shots before in mid sized nutters at 15fpe out to 30yds when shot in the rig cage right behind the arms without using pointed pellets but domes slightly lubed with oil so 15fpe is enough for pass through shots unless shooting very large nutters. 

[cnjl3]

.177 for feathers & .22 for fur is what Niko told me. He wouldn't lie to me, right?

[wilsonj1018]

maybe im the only one that headshots "creatures" at 50+ yds? hence why I wont bother with .22 unless its flying at over 20 fpe? maybe Im shooting to far? or maybe you guys don't shoot far enough? and 15 fpe 22 pass through the chest area on a squirrel? what range point blank? most of my 25fpe don't pass through on body shots? ive had 17fpe .177 not pass through? granted most .177 do. my squirrel must be tougher than most, hence why I go for headshots mostly.............never lose the prey they cant think to run lol. oh well ive ranted enough. to OP make your own decision, we are all going to have diff opinions, experiences, preferences. heck buy one in each caliber and decide for yourself.
Josh

[Sqrl Klr]

Range was stated in the post Josh. Likely depends on pellet shape in addition to critter size. Guess it doesn't hurt to lube the pellets either.