The humble but forgotten .177cal 4.5mm
Moderator Edit: A few of us touched on this subject a little in several other non related threads but I think this topic deserves its very own ponder page..
I have watched the trend over the last few years in the states of people leaning toward the .25 cal for everything from coyotes to sparrows to even back yard plinking and watched the quarter bore grow in popularity considerably.. I have often watched guys who only plink in their urban back yards and pop the odd starling etc use the .25cal and add 6 feet of suppressor extensions etc just so they don’t bother their cranky tree hugging neighbours..
I think to myself… “why not just get the .177?”
I have a countryside property loaded with critters and no close neighbours to worry about upsetting and yet I’ll still reach for my .177s 99% of the time, whether it be for pest removal or just plinking fun.
The only advantage I see in slinging a 1/4 inch of lead around it for getting a little more energy on pests or targets past 100 yards. Even then “my” .25cal is normally bypassed for my .22 cals.
The JSB 10.34gr, 13.43gr and 16.20gr .177 pellets can be very effective to about 120yards on small game if you have the power plant to push them to the 950-1050fps mark in some cases even better than a .22cal..
I have taken many starlings out to that range with the 10.34gr JSB pellets and the 10.5gr Crosman Premiers and they retain plenty of killing power.
Dont under estimate this sweet little cal.. and dont believe the “.177s are no good in the wind” rumour untill you have tried the heaver pellets at higher speeds.. Things have changed a lot in the world of airguns in a very short time and with companies evolving with higher power, faster twist rates, and heavier pellets, the possibilities are still expanding.
I will copy and shift some of the scattered discussion to this thread for all to catch up on..
Your thoughts my power hungry brothers? Regards, Wingman
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All of my little bullpups are touting 8-32s set at 32x. I am itching to put a 10-50 on one now. 😯 I have gotten so practiced over the years with finding little things in the FOV quickly that it is a non-issue at high mag. I turn them down at night.
What’s next ? You grow a big Dick, become a handsome Finn and live your life on the fast lane ??
Just asking … 😉
Secoda, you look like ur taking a poopie in that picture !!
This thread has me wanting to put a big scope back on the little compact and give it another chance !!! Weather clears out here in a day or two and i will do just that !!
My wife says that isn’t’ happening no matter how much coaching she does. 😯
What’s next ? You grow a big Dick, become a handsome Finn and live your life on the fast lane ??
Just asking … 😉
Aahha! You have the same choice of Pellets and power. Are you stalking me ?? 😉
What’s next ? You grow a big Dick, become a handsome Finn and live your life on the fast lane ??
Just asking … 😉
+1
JSB Heavy 10.34gr at 910ish.
What pellets and power were you using? I shot my .177 Scorpion at the seaside with regular jsbs at 800 fps and the wind really ruined things. One 1/2″ group when wind calmed down but other than that it was horizontal spread up to an inch or even more.
Yesterday i was out shooting the .177 Compact again and it’s silly accurate to at least those 50 m i usually shoot it at. I’ll try it at 80 m one of these days. That little shit never seizes to amaze me, nevertheless.
Now that was a good read, I like the debate between the 177, 20, 22, and now the 25, As a 70s and 80s 90s springer shooter the 177 was king and I read everything I could get from the master of all air guns Robert Beeman,
The PCP just changed everything that I KNOW OF AIR Gunning , Or maybe I was under a rock as I did not start reading on PCP guns until a few years ago…
Mike
Its cool with the heavy pellets. Out camping this week with no airguns at all in the RV. 🙁 I shot three raccoons before I left with the R3 30.
Did some shooting with my Compact .177 yesterday and despite semi-heavy winds ( shown as spreading sidewise ) that little bugger did quite well at 50 meters/ 55 yards.
The upper one is 10 shots and has a C/C approx 15 mm and the lower target is 5 shots. I managed to pull a shot on both targets as seen in those same pics and without that operator error the 10 -shotter woulda coulda shoulda been in max 12 mm region.
The .177 rules !
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2.
I like most people started with the .177 and I have probably the highest shot count through the .177. I put a lot of bunnies in the pot with a .177 over the years and I never thought about it. The main reason I moved away from the 17 is because of pigeons and squirrels. I found that pigeons are not hard to kill if the shot is properly located but shooting the bird with a .25 is a no brainer. A pigeon’s “toughness” doesn’t come from the skin or feathers, instead the pigeon’s ability to survive a .22 or .177 comes from the fact that the animal’s vital organs are disproportionately small when compared to it’s body size. I no longer needed wait for the target to “present” a clean shot. If I touched the pigeon in the body it folded like a cheap suit. I think the .25 is really a neat caliber and the power is intoxicating for a shooter focused on pest control. Where I agree with you is in urban areas and a backyard where the shooter is hiding from Mrs. Kravitz. For the backyard I find 15 to 20 foot pounds is perfect, most of my shots are inside 50 yards and I will only take perfect shots that can be safe and provide a clean kill. The .25 power is too much in a suburban neighborhood, shooting it in tight quarters makes me nervous. My true love is not the 17, it’s the .20 but that might be better saved for another topic.
“Is that Donny shooting a .25 in his backyard?”
i have a 177. all be it a cheap walmart 880 daisy. its still a 177. have modded it to the point its pushing 9.3 r10 match pellets at 660fps and im able to take down starlings in trees and in wind at 50+ yards. ive taken tree rats at 90 yards with it with rws superdomes (the rifles favorite food oddly enough) and its chuking (chucking for a multipump) at 700fps on lubed superdomes. and still i manage to get by with it.
i have purchased a 22 cal p12, this will be my hunter and will probably be my everything rifle unless i have some bird feeder protection to do within 25 yards, because 910fps in a 22 with 18.1gr pellets at 25Y is just insane overkill when my slow 177 will do more then enough with wadcutters to lay the smackdown on starlings and whatnot that raid the feeders.
never underestimate a skilled shooter with a 177 that knows ranges and the rifle he/she is using because its still deadly to anything you aim at within reason
Moderator Edit: I have copy and shifted some of the scattered discussion to this thread for all to catch up on..
A few of us touched on this subject a little in several other non related threads but I think this topic deserves its very own ponder page..
I have watched the trend over the last few years in the states of people leaning toward the .25 cal for everything from coyotes to sparrows to even back yard plinking and watched the quarter bore grow in popularity considerably.. I have often watched guys who only plink in their urban back yards and pop the odd starling etc use the .25cal and add 6 feet of suppressor extensions etc just so they don’t bother their cranky tree hugging neighbours..
I think to myself… “why not just get the .177?”
I have a countryside property loaded with critters and no close neighbours to worry about upsetting and yet I’ll still reach for my .177s 99% of the time, whether it be for pest removal or just plinking fun.
The only advantage I see in slinging a 1/4 inch of lead around it for getting a little more energy on pests or targets past 100 yards. Even then “my” .25cal is normally bypassed for my .22 cals.
The JSB 10.34gr, 13.43gr and 16.20gr .177 pellets can be very effective to about 120yards on small game if you have the power plant to push them to the 950-1050fps mark in some cases even better than a .22cal..
I have taken many starlings out to that range with the 10.34gr JSB pellets and the 10.5gr Crosman Premiers and they retain plenty of killing power.
Dont under estimate this sweet little cal.. and dont believe the “.177s are no good in the wind” rumour untill you have tried the heaver pellets at higher speeds.. Things have changed a lot in the world of airguns in a very short time and with companies evolving with higher power, faster twist rates, and heavier pellets, the possibilities are still expanding.
Your thoughts my power hungry brothers? Regards, Wingman
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Buy the Sightron already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :butkick:
Get the one with the illuminated reticle. Trust me, get it, don’t skimp, if you don’t like it i’ll buy it from you (get the 1/4″ clicks though or I don’t want it).
177 is a great caliber even though finding the right pellet can be a arduous task. If you don’t know the hold off for wind at various yardages you’ll get hosed pretty bad if you are going for a kill shot in the wind. 10mph at 90º is a big deal for 177.