Is a 22 cal. springer more difficult to shoot accurately than .177 cal?

[Tomcat]

I'm talking similar power levels and similar quality rifles.

My reason for asking this is I have a little more difficult time getting small one hole groups with my TX200 in 22 cal than I do with other rifles in .177 cal. I don't have the same model to compare, and I know there are many factors involved in good accuracy.  I am shooting from a rest, and have tried numerous ways of resting and holding the rifle.  It may well be the nut behind the butt plate .

I think the TX is fully capable of putting pellets in the same exact hole at 10 yds, because I have done 5 shot groups with very tight groups.  I just seem to have to work harder to accomplish it than with a HW97 in .177 cal or my HW50s in .177.

I'm not trying to start a discussion on which is the better rifle, I'm just wondering what your experiences have been regardless of the brand or rifle between 22 cal and .177.

Do you find one caliber slightly less accurate than the other?

[Motorhead]

All things OTHER than caliber being equal ... generally YES a .22 will be a tad harder.
This IMO due to greater pellet mass being accelerated creating a greater 'Bump' upon firing along with the fact that a heavier pellet is in the barrel longer than a smaller bore light pellet. So motion of the rifles shot cycle is slightly more by the time pellet exits muzzle.

[PIPERMAN]

A friend of  mine had the same problem with his .22 tx200 hc.
Problem solved after getting to 14 fpe and start using jsb exact 14.3 grain,
she shoots one pellet on the other now.
 

[Mulby]

I used to have multiple duplicate rifles of same model in both calibers. Now I only have a few of the .22 guns. The rest were sold and replaced by 177 or the 177 models kept. To coin a phrase; the 177 is more sergical. Just my experience.

[Booger]

All things OTHER than caliber being equal ... generally YES a .22 will be a tad harder.
This IMO due to greater pellet mass being accelerated creating a greater 'Bump' upon firing along with the fact that a heavier pellet is in the barrel longer than a smaller bore light pellet. So motion of the rifles shot cycle is slightly more by the time pellet exits muzzle.

+1 I agree totally. I might add that in the HW series I think the .177 barrels are a bit better.

[nced]

I'm talking similar power levels and similar quality rifles.

My reason for asking this is I have a little more difficult time getting small one hole groups with my TX200 in 22 cal than I do with other rifles in .177 cal. I don't have the same model to compare, and I know there are many factors involved in good accuracy.  I am shooting from a rest, and have tried numerous ways of resting and holding the rifle.  It may well be the nut behind the butt plate .

I think the TX is fully capable of putting pellets in the same exact hole at 10 yds, because I have done 5 shot groups with very tight groups.  I just seem to have to work harder to accomplish it than with a HW97 in .177 cal or my HW50s in .177.

I'm not trying to start a discussion on which is the better rifle, I'm just wondering what your experiences have been regardless of the brand or rifle between 22 cal and .177.

Do you find one caliber slightly less accurate than the other?

'pends on the distance with a springer! For example, past the zero distance a slower .22 pellet drops much more rapidly with each yard than the faster .177. While the .22 cal may be just as accurate (perhaps even more), the loopier .22 trajectory makes it harder to accurately judge the holdover, therefore more difficult to place the pellet accurately.

Over a decade ago I went from a .177 cal barrel on my R9 to a .20 barrel, then from a .20 cal barrel to a .22 cal barrel, and then back to .177 cal never to look back!

As a side note.....neither my .177 R9 or HW77k shot well from a bench rest unless I placed my hand under the stock forearm and made sure the butt of the stock didn't tough the bench top. I do have to say that the extra weight of the "77k" relative to the R9 did make it a BIT easier to shoot accurately. Perhaps the weight of the other guns you're comparing to your TX has something to do with "shooting from a rest".

[grauhanen]

I've had .22 caliber springers but sold them.  I always found  the .177 to lend itself more to accuracy than the .22 caliber.

[Tomcat]

All things OTHER than caliber being equal ... generally YES a .22 will be a tad harder.
This IMO due to greater pellet mass being accelerated creating a greater 'Bump' upon firing along with the fact that a heavier pellet is in the barrel longer than a smaller bore light pellet. So motion of the rifles shot cycle is slightly more by the time pellet exits muzzle.

Thanks Scott.  Your explanation sounds reasonable.  I had not thought of the pellet weight affecting accuracy in that way.

[Tomcat]

A friend of  mine had the same problem with his .22 tx200 hc.
Problem solved after getting to 14 fpe and start using jsb exact 14.3 grain,
she shoots one pellet on the other now.

Thanks Piperman.  Off the top of my head, I don't know what FPE mine is shooting.  It should be slightly higher, I think.  It is the stock spring and seal configuration.  I did replace the spring guide to eliminate some twang.

I am shooting the JSB exacts you mention, as well as the 15.89gr.  My rifle seems to shoot fairly well with RWS super domes also.

Edit:  Correction, the JSB pellets I have are 13.43 gr and the 15.89gr.  Had my numbers wrong on the lighter pellet.

[Sfttailrdr46]

Another few considerations is how clean is the barrel and has the rifle ever been taken apart de burred and lubed and is it still breaking in . How long have you had the rifle

[Tomcat]

Thanks Mulby, I find your observations interesting and thank you for sharing them. 

Booger, Thank you for your input as well.  Unfortunately, I do not have a HW branded rifle in 22 cal.  In the back of my mind I was wondering if one would be any better shooting than my TX in 22 cal.

nced,  Thanks for your comments.  I have been shooting only at 10 yds since the cold weather has me pretty much house bound .  I have tried several ways of holding the rifle, and realize each gun is different.  It just seems I don't have to work as hard to get tight groups with the .177 rifles.  My HW97 is about the same weight as the TX, but is easier to shoot, IMO.  My lighter rifles in .177 (HW30s and HW50s) are also more consistant, although less FPE output.

[Tomcat]

Grauhanen, Thanks for the comment.  I am happy to hear you also found the .177 cal a little more accurate.  At least I am pretty certain my TX is performing as well as it should.  Sometimes when everything is right, I can get very good groups and other times, not so much.

[Tomcat]

Another few considerations is how clean is the barrel and has the rifle ever been taken apart de burred and lubed and is it still breaking in . How long have you had the rifle

Hello Don,

I just cleaned the barrel with Goo Gone.  I bought the rifle barely used a year or so ago and broke it down for a polish and lube using Mccarri lubes and  I installed a new spring guide.  I have shot a few hundred pellets through it since the lube tune.  Cleaning the barrel did seem to help somewhat.  I don't think the gun is shooting terribly, but is just a little more fussey with hold and pellet types. 

I think everyone has  provided excellent feedback and ideas answering my questions, and I feel better knowing the conclusions of others confirm what I was seeing in my own rifles. 

Again, not taking anything away from the TX, but it does seem to be more challenging in 22 cal.

One more time, thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Tom

[Booger]

Another few considerations is how clean is the barrel and has the rifle ever been taken apart de burred and lubed and is it still breaking in . How long have you had the rifle

Hello Don,

I just cleaned the barrel with Goo Gone.  I bought the rifle barely used a year or so ago and broke it down for a polish and lube using Mccarri lubes and  I installed a new spring guide.  I have shot a few hundred pellets through it since the lube tune.  Cleaning the barrel did seem to help somewhat.  I don't think the gun is shooting terribly, but is just a little more fussey with hold and pellet types. 

I think everyone has  provided excellent feedback and ideas answering my questions, and I feel better knowing the conclusions of others confirm what I was seeing in my own rifles. 

Again, not taking anything away from the TX, but it does seem to be more challenging in 22 cal.

One more time, thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Tom

When I clean my rifles I use a crown saver. I have also found some pellets like to be lubed. Here is a link on what I like to use (I should note I like goo gone too):

http://www.mac1airgunshop.com/krytech-kit-w-crown-saver-p/krytechkit.htm

[Tomcat]

Another few considerations is how clean is the barrel and has the rifle ever been taken apart de burred and lubed and is it still breaking in . How long have you had the rifle

Hello Don,

I just cleaned the barrel with Goo Gone.  I bought the rifle barely used a year or so ago and broke it down for a polish and lube using Mccarri lubes and  I installed a new spring guide.  I have shot a few hundred pellets through it since the lube tune.  Cleaning the barrel did seem to help somewhat.  I don't think the gun is shooting terribly, but is just a little more fussey with hold and pellet types. 

I think everyone has  provided excellent feedback and ideas answering my questions, and I feel better knowing the conclusions of others confirm what I was seeing in my own rifles. 

Again, not taking anything away from the TX, but it does seem to be more challenging in 22 cal.

One more time, thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Tom

When I clean my rifles I use a crown saver. I have also found some pellets like to be lubed. Here is a link on what I like to use (I should note I like goo gone too):

http://www.mac1airgunshop.com/krytech-kit-w-crown-saver-p/krytechkit.htm

Thanks Jesse.  I will look into these products.

[Sfttailrdr46]

  One other question did you smooth and polish the spring ends when you lubed the rifle because this makes a difference also and a small dab of moly or ultimox will significantly reduce torque when you fire the rifle

[wimpanzee]

Having shot a .22 and .177 R9, I find it substantially easier to maintain groups with the .177 for all the reasons Scott mentioned.

[PIPERMAN]

Depends on the gun...
Hw 80 & 90 and Diana 54 are easier to shoot accurate in .22 than .177
My opinion and only

[nced]

Depends on the gun...
Hw 80 & 90 and Diana 54 are easier to shoot accurate in .22 than .177
My opinion and only

I have no first hand experience shooting either gun you mentioned, however I would have to agree on principle simply because it wouldn't seem to be a good thing to squish all that receiver swept volume through a relatively small hole pushing a .177 cal pellet with such a stiff coil spring! Seems to me that the fatter cals would be better suited to those honkin large/heavy piston guns!

[Booger]

Depends on the gun...
Hw 80 & 90 and Diana 54 are easier to shoot accurate in .22 than .177
My opinion and only

I have no first hand experience shooting either gun you mentioned, however I would have to agree on principle simply because it wouldn't seem to be a good thing to squish all that receiver swept volume through a relatively small hole pushing a .177 cal pellet with such a stiff coil spring! Seems to me that the fatter cals would be better suited to those honkin large/heavy piston guns!

My R1/HW80 .177 only shoots 875FPS and has very good accuracy. Then again she will visit the spa when my FWB returns home.