Is 22 caliber a handicap?

[QVTom]

I'm in the planning stage of building a PCP for FT.  My number one question is which caliber.  17 or 22?  It seems that if the goal is to be just below 19 fpe there are many 22 caliber pellets that may be appropriate and in 17 caliber the heavier choices are much thinner.  My simple analysis concludes  BC favors the 22 and kill zone favors the 17. I'd love some pros and cons for each caliber.

Tom

[amb5500c]

Most folks favor the 177 because there's considerably more space to fit the pellet into the small target holes than the 22 pellets. Other than that, IMO it shouldn't matter.
Richard

[Scotchmo]

There have been a few that shoot .22 and do well. Since we are normally limited to 20fpe max, they usually shoot the 13.43gr AA or JSB at 800fps. However, the heavy .177 are better for field target for a number of reasons. The 10.5gr CPH .177 at 880-900fps has a flatter trajectory, which is very important for the far targets at unknown ranges. If you can range the target within +/- 1 yard every time, then you may not need the flatter trajectory. The smaller diameter of the .177 is also an advantage on the close, difficult shots. It is common to encounter 3/8" and 1/2" targets. Believe it or not, CASA regularly uses 1/4" hit zones on a couple of lanes. Imagine trying to shoot a .22 pellet through a .25 hole.

Some say that the .22, even with 13.43gr@800fps bucks the wind better. I have not actually tried a .22 for field target. You may want to do more research.

When I setup a rifle specifically for field target, it is always a 177.

[Motorhead]

Personally am experimenting with the JSB Monster .177 pellets that also weigh 13.4 grains.
Velocity needed to be dropped to @ 810 fps from my typical 10.3 grain pellet of 910 fps.

Ballistics fall between that of a Light .22 and Heavy .177 .... accuracy however of the 13.4 in .177 is stellar 

Given a choice for FT / HFT use, agree on .177 caliber for this job 

[QVTom]

I understand about threading a .22 thru a .25 hole but the ballistics are less clear, especially since I have almost no experience with 17 cal.  The ballistics info is very helpful.

Motorhead, you re the first person to put a after discussing JSB monsters!  I' never had any luck with them in 22.

Next, are there alternatives to LW for barrels and is there a particular twist for the heavy 17 pellets?

Thanks,
Tom 

[Motorhead]

I understand about threading a .22 thru a .25 hole but the ballistics are less clear, especially since I have almost no experience with 17 cal.  The ballistics info is very helpful.

Motorhead, you re the first person to put a after discussing JSB monsters!  I' never had any luck with them in 22.

Next, are there alternatives to LW for barrels and is there a particular twist for the heavy 17 pellets?

Thanks,
Tom 

Tom,
Now that I have 2 nearly identical .177 regulated M-rods set up for HFT, one having a LW barrel, other a massaged factory barrel.
Been real interesting shooting them side by side and noting what one likes over the other.

While I had shot some .177 Monsters over a year ago having decent but not stellar results, shelved the pellets for another day or rifle.
Recently revisited the monsters shooting them in both rifles at appropriate FT velocities. 

Year or so later the factory barrel being well seasoned now Really REALLY likes the Monsters.
With accuracy this stellar going to stick with them this HFT season and get some real world feedback.



10 Monsters threw the same hole at 32 yards is tough in not taking very seriously 

[Tpatner412]

Tom

In my experience thus far in FT (shooting open class with a 17 FPE Steyr), the trajectory is flat enough that I am using about 3/4 of a full turn on my elevation from 10 to 55 yards with a 25 yard zero.  As long as I break the shot clean, most larger kill zones go down even if my ranging is not dead perfect.  Within a yard or two, I will be okay.  And the heavy pellets don't really need too much hold off for the wind in a slight breeze.  I think the most I've ever held off was about 2" in a 10-15 mph wind.  Those may not be California winds though!  I hear it can get pretty rough out there! 

Barrel selection is really not a huge deal, as long as you have a good barrel that you know shoots a specific pellet (or pellets if you're real lucky) you will be fine.  Weihrauch, BSA, LW, Anshcutz, Steyr, FWB, etc.  All make good barrels, but there's no reason why any old barrel wouldn't be fine just as long as you know it's a shooter.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to get a nice thick barrel too.  I think my Steyr barrels are both around .63" diameter so they are pretty rigid and when free floated you will rarely see any temp shift. 

I think the others have already told you why a .22 doesn't make much sense for FT.  I have shot a 30 FPE .22 on FT courses before and could never scope above 75%.  If my range finding and clicks were not spot on, things went south quickly.  Good targets that wont go down on splits will also kill you with a .22.  Many times I would see half my pellet hit a kill zone on splits with Gamo targets, and since that is still 8-9 grains, the targets went down.  But up against a good quality target, you'll be left shaking your head.    Just imagine at 20 FPE with a .22 though, the trajectory would be ROUGH!!!! 

Good luck with your build and keep us updated on your progress.

Tyler

[QVTom]

Good info Tyler, I hadn't considered that "splits" might not trip a target.  I've never been a 17 caliber fan but it's time to leave the comfort zone and try something new.