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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The average ballistic coefficient on a .177 JSB 10.34 gr pellet is higher than a .25 Predator Polymag 26 grain so it is effected less by wind and drag at a given velocity (say 900 FPS). The .177 JSB has the same average BC as a .22 JSB 15.89 gr pellet. It kind of defies the typical perception of .177s with 7-8 gr pellets going around 600 FPS that get blown around. Penetration comparisons may surprise many as well.
A .177 JSB 7.9 gr BC is about .021 and a JSB 10.34 is about .031. That’s a huge jump (47%).
I never could get Polymags to perform well in all barrels I tried so far EXCEPT Lothar Wather barrels. They out perform JSB Kings out to 50 yards @ 900 fps and after which JSBs @ 920 fps takes the prize.
In the ST barrels PolyMags are the worst I can’t get them to fly straight at any speed except slow. That’s not good for the Polymags, it’s not enough speed to penetrate to the heart.
~ GKU
That sound about right with the poly mags for my 25 as well. That is without wind. I have not tested them in windy conditions. I’m a bit disappointed with 25 cal on windy days. I’m sure its even worse with predators.
eelect I agree. The .25 lets me be lazy. The two things I like about the 25 are no manner where you hit the pigeon it’s folded and my cricket .25 likes predator pellets. The 26 grain predator pellets stay in the bird and it looks like they are shot with a .22 LR. The problem with the predator pellets is they shoot 2MRAD lower than the kings and they are only good out to 60 yards. I can deal with a little more holdover but I cannot get them to consistently fly past 60 yards. They become very unpredictable. Anyone else notice this with the predator .25
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Here is 12 FPE on a ground hog at 25 yards.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1405632942/Prod+takes+ground+hog+pic+%28graphic%29