Threemorewishes
CGN Regular
- Location
- Ottawa Ontario Canada
Bull's-Eye - Go for the .22, especially if you ever plan to hunt anything with it.
.177 for squirrels??
- Thread starter awesomeame
- Start date
If it's the 350 magnum, you're after, the .22's velocity stays under the speed of sound so accuracy may be a little better. Also, you don't get that "crack" you hear with the .177 breaking the speed of sound. Finally, the .22 has a far higher impact and really smacks whatever it hits.
177 pellet gun
I myself have had shot alot of stuff with a pellet gun over the years . years ago that is. my advice is use a 22 with cb caps or carry a shovel with you or a bat . really I have my fathers old slavia 620 and I shot a crow and had to beat it to death with the bat and a tree rat had to have a shovel used to finnish it off . that was in my younger days . it;s your choice unluss you don;t mind seeing things suffer . and I did;nt get off on it that;s why I use a 22 or I don;t shoot anything that I can;t dispatch with one shot . you might get away with it with a restricted 177 at say 1000 fps alot more power but as for something under 500fps it;s going to die slow . your choice
I myself have had shot alot of stuff with a pellet gun over the years . years ago that is. my advice is use a 22 with cb caps or carry a shovel with you or a bat . really I have my fathers old slavia 620 and I shot a crow and had to beat it to death with the bat and a tree rat had to have a shovel used to finnish it off . that was in my younger days . it;s your choice unluss you don;t mind seeing things suffer . and I did;nt get off on it that;s why I use a 22 or I don;t shoot anything that I can;t dispatch with one shot . you might get away with it with a restricted 177 at say 1000 fps alot more power but as for something under 500fps it;s going to die slow . your choice
177 under 500 FPS are for shooting target and old model boats. If your going to hunt, get the .22 in a magnum air rifle. I have a farmer friend who uses a .177 high power but on occasion it zips right through pigeons in the barn. When whacked with the .22 though the birds drop like a stone..........and the cats love it!
pellets
Ok, well, i have a crosman 2289 which also claims to do 495 FPS but when i chronied it it was more around 395fps.
so i made some adjustments to the piston and now it truly is about 495fps. which i find pretty good even for Grey Sq. as far as ammo goes, i would highly recommend the JSB predator polymer tipped.
these pellets are extremely accurate, they are a bit heavier than most pellets but that means they transfer more energy.
for the air guns that shoot faster that 500fps these pellets preform even better since the tip brakes up and they mushroom very nicely.
last i saw D&L had some in stock.
Ok, well, i have a crosman 2289 which also claims to do 495 FPS but when i chronied it it was more around 395fps.
so i made some adjustments to the piston and now it truly is about 495fps. which i find pretty good even for Grey Sq. as far as ammo goes, i would highly recommend the JSB predator polymer tipped.
these pellets are extremely accurate, they are a bit heavier than most pellets but that means they transfer more energy.
for the air guns that shoot faster that 500fps these pellets preform even better since the tip brakes up and they mushroom very nicely.
last i saw D&L had some in stock.
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When I started with airguns in the 70s, In the pre Beeman days. Air Rifle Headquarters was the hunting place out of the states and said 450 fps minimum with a .177. At the time 700fps was blistering. 500 fps was the number for rabbits, of the american variety. Guns in the 700+ range (and more likely the .22 models) are probably the baseline for the UK 12 foor pound rule in that at the time they didn't touch it.
I remember this picture, I stewed over it when I was a kid, and couldn't get a decent gun. The version I saw was in their catalog:
http://airgunner.org/?p=51
More power is better as long as it can be accurately shot.
I remember this picture, I stewed over it when I was a kid, and couldn't get a decent gun. The version I saw was in their catalog:
http://airgunner.org/?p=51
More power is better as long as it can be accurately shot.
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
That 20 is a nice gun, try lots of pellets( german beeman/HN RWS, crossman, JSB) in the 7 to 8 grain range , the most accurate in your Diana is what you use. Practice a bunch @ 10 to 20 meters, when you can hit a dime size each time , at what range, thats your max, then go get 'em , head shot. you may want to revisit the max , as you hone your skills.
The gun will be quiet , and allow you to practice lots.
On the smack 'em hard , I use mid range spring piston, and magnum also, lets say 700 to 860 fps , 22 cal .
Now I figure , and I have killed Rabbit with a 22 rimfire, LR high Vel. , that when hit with a pellet from those spring guns, its far more impact , by the reaction of the critters , some go 2 feet in the air.and drop dead
I think its the cross section of the bullet versus that of the pellet.
Anyway hope that helps ya
Oh , clean the barrel real good, if you don't have a rod, take fishing line, 3 feet maybe, whatever lenght ya need, torch the end , smack it against a hard smooth surface to form a stop for the patch , which you can slide on, and run thru, start small, till you get correct resistance when pulled thru.
Otis , or MP-5 Oil on the patch
The gun will be quiet , and allow you to practice lots.
On the smack 'em hard , I use mid range spring piston, and magnum also, lets say 700 to 860 fps , 22 cal .
Now I figure , and I have killed Rabbit with a 22 rimfire, LR high Vel. , that when hit with a pellet from those spring guns, its far more impact , by the reaction of the critters , some go 2 feet in the air.and drop dead
I think its the cross section of the bullet versus that of the pellet.
Anyway hope that helps ya
Oh , clean the barrel real good, if you don't have a rod, take fishing line, 3 feet maybe, whatever lenght ya need, torch the end , smack it against a hard smooth surface to form a stop for the patch , which you can slide on, and run thru, start small, till you get correct resistance when pulled thru.
Otis , or MP-5 Oil on the patch
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canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
the .177 is good enough for squirrels at closer range. stick to .22 or bigger for larger game or longer shots.
my best shot so far was with my old crosman 150 co2 pistol on a crow about 40-45 yards away up in a tree. nice loud smack and he fell like a stone
my best shot so far was with my old crosman 150 co2 pistol on a crow about 40-45 yards away up in a tree. nice loud smack and he fell like a stone
My friend used my Slavia 630 (rated @ 495fps) to propell and .177 pellet thru a rabbits skull at over 30ft, into its brain causing immediate death, and out the other side of its skull. I did not witness this but have no reason to not believe him. He's also killed a lot of squirrels with it.
With the same gun I killed a pigeon at well over 50 yards with a fluky shot one day. Mind you it was a head shot.
Also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVX0y2Pcj_s
Pellet guns are more effective than most people will admit and can be a lot of fun in places where shooting real guns isn't appropriate. Due to the lower ammo weight and velocity, we just need to take more careful shots is all.
With the same gun I killed a pigeon at well over 50 yards with a fluky shot one day. Mind you it was a head shot.
Also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVX0y2Pcj_s
Pellet guns are more effective than most people will admit and can be a lot of fun in places where shooting real guns isn't appropriate. Due to the lower ammo weight and velocity, we just need to take more careful shots is all.
My experience with airguns include target competitions and hunting. I only have .177 caliber airguns, but have both a 495ft/s and a 750ft/s gun. I'm confident the 750ft/s will take down any squirrel (including black/grey), rabbit, crow, or pigeon up to 20 yards.
With the 495ft/s, shot placement becomes very important. Had a pesky black European squirrel digging up the place. Even a shot behind the front arm would not take him out. Just knocked him back before he ran off. I had him cornered and wounded between some ceiling pipes. He wasn't running off, so I popped him 3 times in the chest area from 3 feet away. He just squealed everytime. It was the most awful sound. I finally got him face to face at about 25 paces. He looked up and I let the shot go just under the chin. That dropped him on the spot. With crows, an upper chest or neck shot will do very nicely. They don't even get into the air. Silences that grotesque cawing and replaces it with a beautiful gurgle.
Now, a .22 rifle with CBs... that's the way to go! More silent than the 750ft/s, same velocity, and way more mass (28gr bullet vs 7.7gr pellet).
I tested the Predator pellets against flat match pellets and was not impressed. I fired 4 pellets of each type into each quadrant on 2 phone books at 5 feet using the 750ft/s gun. Not only did the Predators not penetrate deeper, they didn't expand at all. The lead around the plastic just pressed rearwards.
With the 495ft/s, shot placement becomes very important. Had a pesky black European squirrel digging up the place. Even a shot behind the front arm would not take him out. Just knocked him back before he ran off. I had him cornered and wounded between some ceiling pipes. He wasn't running off, so I popped him 3 times in the chest area from 3 feet away. He just squealed everytime. It was the most awful sound. I finally got him face to face at about 25 paces. He looked up and I let the shot go just under the chin. That dropped him on the spot. With crows, an upper chest or neck shot will do very nicely. They don't even get into the air. Silences that grotesque cawing and replaces it with a beautiful gurgle.
Now, a .22 rifle with CBs... that's the way to go! More silent than the 750ft/s, same velocity, and way more mass (28gr bullet vs 7.7gr pellet).
I tested the Predator pellets against flat match pellets and was not impressed. I fired 4 pellets of each type into each quadrant on 2 phone books at 5 feet using the 750ft/s gun. Not only did the Predators not penetrate deeper, they didn't expand at all. The lead around the plastic just pressed rearwards.
Anyone tried a .25 cal at 495? I could see penetration being a problem even though it could be carrying anywhere up to 4 times the energy with super heavy pellets. But more energy would be nice to have.
It's fun to shoot phone books but that is the kind of thing that may have zero comparison to the field. Resistant materials "always" penetrate better with smaller pellets or arrows from the same power plant, but the performance on game may be another mater.
It's fun to shoot phone books but that is the kind of thing that may have zero comparison to the field. Resistant materials "always" penetrate better with smaller pellets or arrows from the same power plant, but the performance on game may be another mater.
Smaller pellets? Arrows?
I was comparing same size pellets, .177 caliber, of different shape. If the Predators don't open in resistant material, when will it open?I've only seen a friend's .25 cal air rifle. Pellets of that caliber are not as common, so he sold it off.
My experience with airguns include target competitions and hunting. I only have .177 caliber airguns, but have both a 495ft/s and a 750ft/s gun. I'm confident the 750ft/s will take down any squirrel (including black/grey), rabbit, crow, or pigeon up to 20 yards.
With the 495ft/s, shot placement becomes very important. Had a pesky black European squirrel digging up the place. Even a shot behind the front arm would not take him out. Just knocked him back before he ran off. I had him cornered and wounded between some ceiling pipes. He wasn't running off, so I popped him 3 times in the chest area from 3 feet away. He just squealed everytime. It was the most awful sound. I finally got him face to face at about 25 paces. He looked up and I let the shot go just under the chin. That dropped him on the spot. With crows, an upper chest or neck shot will do very nicely. They don't even get into the air. Silences that grotesque cawing and replaces it with a beautiful gurgle.
Now, a .22 rifle with CBs... that's the way to go! More silent than the 750ft/s, same velocity, and way more mass (28gr bullet vs 7.7gr pellet).
I tested the Predator pellets against flat match pellets and was not impressed. I fired 4 pellets of each type into each quadrant on 2 phone books at 5 feet using the 750ft/s gun. Not only did the Predators not penetrate deeper, they didn't expand at all. The lead around the plastic just pressed rearwards.
495fps with a mushroom/pointed .177 will be fine against grouse, rabbit, squirrels and rats. Just make sure you know your rifle. Before my firearm days, it was all I used.
canadaman30
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Far from the City
I spend many days tree rat hunting. I probly had 10 or so air guns some pumps mostly springers all of which were 177cal 495ft/s . For every 20 squirrel we'd shoot we hardly recover half of them. Most of the time after the first shot they'd take off. Very seldom would we'd make 1 shot kills. Then I finally got a RWS 34. Night and day differance. For every 20 squirrels I shoot (head or chest) 1 or 2 might need a second shot all the rest fall stone dead. All shots are 15-40 yards or so. Birds at 50 plus yards are no problem as long as I do my part.
Predators out of my HW80K/.22 at a supposed 800fps make a pencil sized hole right through both sides of pigeons and grouse even at 30 yards!My son killed a large adult porcupine with a single shot to the head with a RWS 34 /.22 Here in AB they are considered pests and this one was destroying apple trees.As a kid we used to load pellets in backwards and they really expand.The old English made Bulldog brand.............................Harold
