Okay, what in the world is going on...

[SagaciousKJB]

Okay so I've got a Kodiak with the interchangable .177/.22 barrels.  After a month of using the .177 and taking several starlings out with it, I decided to try the .22 and have missed just about every shot I've taken.

It makes absoutely no sense...  The .22 pellets grouped better than the .177 ones did at the same zero distance, I've considered trajectory change and I SWEAR that I can see pellets smack the tree that is my backstop/starling perch right where my cross-hairs are under, and even see little gleaming bits of lead stuck in the wood to confirm this...

But any time I try shooting a starling, it doesn't connect.  I mean not even feathers flying off on a bad shot, it just seems to completely miss and then they kind of fall down and to one direction and out of my view.  I've wondered by chance maybe I'm just shooting them so cold they just drop but it doesn't seem like that at all.  Meanwhile the .177 at the same distance, every time I'd watch feathers fly out and the bird drop straight down like a rock.  There's tons of thickets and brush at the base of this tree so I hardly ever confirm my kills, they just drop into the bush and are there for the neighborhood cats to find.

Seriously though I bought a tin of 175 of these .22 caliber pellets, and I have less than 10 left and have no nailed a single starling with them.  Just the worst string of luck ever or what?

[Motorhead]

Are you RE-ZEROING your POI on scope with the barrel swap ? ... or assuming it remains the same   

[Privateer]

I've swapped the barrels several time and even taking it off and putting it back on means I need to re-zero.

[Rico14]

Have you tried other pellets? Could be the barrel doesn't like the pellets you're using.

[Privateer]

Zero range? I zero at 35 yards and no way the .177 and .22 will hit the same spot without a re-zero.

[Bullit]

I've swapped the barrels several time and even taking it off and putting it back on means I need to re-zero.

Yep.

[SagaciousKJB]

Nope, made sure to zero it in when I swapped barrels--it was way off.  But I actually got a better group with the .22 barrel the same day than I ever did with the .177 so I don't think it's the gun for any reason.

The only thing is that... I seem to not be able to handle the recoil as well?  Is it possible that's different for the .22 pellets than the .177, so all the training handling the recoil with the .177 I have to re-learn for the .22?

[Bullit]

Well Sure.  Even though you're using the same powerplant...the resultants will be different.  You're essentially making it a "new" rifle by changing the pellet/power combo. 
I'm sure you'll find it's new sweetspot to hold it with the new barrel.

[avator]

I put the .22 barrel on mine the day I got it and have never looked back. I bet I couldn't even tell you where my .177 barrel is right now. As a matter of fact, I took the muzzle brake off of it and used it on a 1322 carbine build.

[Redleg]

As a Kodiak owner, I once located a post (whereabouts unknown) on this topic.  The writer said he had dealt with this issue by using a separate scope for each barrel.  Since they were both zeroed differently, it nearly cured the problem - the author claimed that this system allow him to re-zero in as little as 2-3 shots!

I regret that I do not like my Kodiak enough to purchase another scope beyond the one that is on it to replicate this technique - I am still considering whether I will even keep the Kodiak! 

[hogie]

S/KJB ------ the recoil shouldn't be that different. clean the barrel. might be some gunk in there?

[HYspd]

uphill shooting, different expected drop rates as gravity has more time to slow the .22 it drop more than you think it will...more than the difference when flat shooting...

the recoil versus balance point when pointed upward is probably a lot different too.....need to try it on papar at your average shot height and distance and see...


i can't hit anything in a tree with my titan .22 more than 12 yards away

[Privateer]

You can bend barrels to get a close zero also. It will never be a quick swap and shoot solution though.
It's never worked for me anyway.

[Paul68]

First, if you aren't confirming kills, you're just making your job harder.

That said, your trajectory has changed significantly with the 22 pellets. It has gone from being fairly flat, to greatly curved. At 50 yards, I have watched my drop go from 1 inch to 4 inches using rifles producing similar power between 177 and 22 cal. Of course, pellet weight is a big factor, ie, heavier results in more drop. Basically, you are now shooting a much more curved trajectory, so figuring out POI at different ranges is even more critical. It's often the case that a heavier pellet will impact higher closer to the target than a lighter one, while at long ranges it will impact lower.

What I would do is set up targets at 10, 25, 35, and 50 yards, and then figure out just what is going on, and then figure my hold over accordingly. Since you say the 22 seems more accurate, this is imo likely what you are experiencing.

[SagaciousKJB]

First, if you aren't confirming kills, you're just making your job harder.

That said, your trajectory has changed significantly with the 22 pellets. It has gone from being fairly flat, to greatly curved. At 50 yards, I have watched my drop go from 1 inch to 4 inches using rifles producing similar power between 177 and 22 cal. Of course, pellet weight is a big factor, ie, heavier results in more drop. Basically, you are now shooting a much more curved trajectory, so figuring out POI at different ranges is even more critical. It's often the case that a heavier pellet will impact higher closer to the target than a lighter one, while at long ranges it will impact lower.

What I would do is set up targets at 10, 25, 35, and 50 yards, and then figure out just what is going on, and then figure my hold over accordingly. Since you say the 22 seems more accurate, this is imo likely what you are experiencing.

That might make sense, but I jotted in the best figures I could in ChairGun and thought I had the trajectory pretty well mapped out.  But I guess between having to estimate my velocity by sound, and then using the pellet database for the BC it could be off from what ChairGun is saying it should be.

Think I'll do what you're saying and just go out and map out the trajectory myself.  I have to say though that I kidn of prefer the flat trajectory with the .177

[HYspd]

have you checked out the angle option in chair gun?...

I according to it I'm on my rocker (what else is new?)


for giggles, I setup JSB 16gr at 750 with a zero at 20 yards.....then I set the angle to +40 degrees....