what caliber would suit me best?
hey guys, i am from the uk and am asking you what calibre would be best for me.
i have an fac lisence and .177 ammo is alot cheaper than .22
i will be pureley hunting out to long ranges so i was thinking about a .177 for the flat trajectory but i’ve heard that it uses alot of air.
howmany shots could i expect shooting .177 at 22 ft/lbs and a .22 at 35 ft/lbs
Thanks dave
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If your looking to use the least amount of air possible you may aswell get a 24″ barrel. They use air much more effectively than the 12 and 18″ barrels. If you still want more shots, upgrade to a 800cc air cylinder.
The stealth valves are fittred with restrictors and made to shoot low power but they can be modded to push high powers fairly easily. I’ve seen 1K FPS and almost 40 FPE from the 12″ barrel and modded valve. the spring and hammer were uprated but they weren’t for FAC powers. Then there’s the custom valves to push real big powers 😈
long range seems to me to be around the 70 yard range
i’ve deciced on .22 because the air is used more eficiently and i will see more of a power increase from any mods
would 30 fpe be acceptable power for shooting at max of 70 yards without having too much hold over?
Dave
How ‘long range’ are we talking?
.177 will always have the flatter trajectory, but at range, the .22 will always carry more energy and wind will have less effect on it.
If your ‘long range’ is 50 yards, then .177 will suffice just fine. Shoot Kodiaks at 17-19fpe and you’ll be golden.
If you are talking about 70-100 yard shots, then you will have to go with .22 for energy retention and use a pellet that will buck the wind.
With my Talon, I’ve got it turned down a bit. Using a 18 inch .177 barrel, I get approximately 80 very consistent shots at 14fpe. If I swap to a 12 inch .22 barrel, I get a very consistent 60 shots at 18fpe, with the ability to get well over 100 shots by turning up the PW. An 18 or even 24 inch barrel would allow me greater velocity while using the same amount of air.
I think before we think about shot count though… we need a better idea of just what kind of range you are talking about.
Thanks for that, seems to me that for an acceptable power level in .177 for me uses too much air. That brings me to decide on a .22 shooting kodiaks at 800-900 fps
Dave
I have only cronied my gun once, and set it at about 925 fps
I shoot the match wadcutter miesterklugens 8.3 grains, I usually top off my tank after about 20-25 shots. I havent ever done a shot string..looks to me like a waste of air and lead..
no with the same fpe a .177 will always shoot flatter.
what he is saying though is that about 20fpe is max with a .177 because they are almost supersonic at that power level but a .22 can easily hit 55-60 fpe without becoming supersonic.
So what calibre would i see more of a power increase .177 or .22?
20 fpe would be accpetable in .177 and 30 fpe in .22
what would use more air?
dave
EDIT: machinist, what fpe are you hitting with .177 and for howmany shots?
I have never shot a .22 only my .177 but..Someone on here told me the .177 shot flatter..and I was also told that was why all the ft guys used the .177?? now I’m confused..lol..
Im still kind of un decided on the calibre. This is because I rekon that it will be alot of work for me trying to ring out 30-35 ft/lbs from a .22 but would be easier to get about 20 ft/lbs from a .177
am I wrong or will the bigger size of the .22 use the air more eficiently and will see a greater increase of ft/lbs from the modifications
DAVE
im planning on buying a second hand gun and am wondering what i would have to do to increase the power
im planning a spring preload spacer and maybe a heavier hammer. i’ve heard that the uk legal springs are weak so i might have to replace it with a stouter one
dave
Keep in mind Critter is shooting a .25. If he did nothing but swap in a .22 barrel the energy numbers would be a little lower.
And also I am shooting at 25-30 yds. If I was at 50+ the count would be lower because the small velocity losses are exacerbated with distance causing POI shift.
im planning on buying a second hand gun and am wondering what i would have to do to increase the power
im planning a spring preload spacer and maybe a heavier hammer. i’ve heard that the uk legal springs are weak so i might have to replace it with a stouter one
dave
Keep in mind Critter is shooting a .25. If he did nothing but swap in a .22 barrel the energy numbers would be a little lower.
wow that seems okay then.
im planning on buying a second hand gun and am wondering what i would have to do to increase the power
im planning a spring preload spacer and maybe a heavier hammer. i’ve heard that the uk legal springs are weak so i might have to replace it with a stouter one
dave
I have a 24inch .25 with a Talon Valve. I get 51fpe and 35 shots. If I tune it down, I can get 40 @ 42fpe…. Not stellar, but decent
haha okay, however i suppose that 30 shots should be adequate for a good hunt. i also plan on buying a 3litre 300bar tank that i could hold in a back pack for quick re-fills
dave
Dave
I dont know. Never had mine tuned down that low. 😆
Someone will chime in shortly.
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Ideally I would have a 24″ barrel but it comes with an 18 and dont really have enough cash to buy the 24″
That is good thet they are easily modified because I don’t really like the idea of stressing the valve to get big numbers.
What kind of restrictors are they? i think the valve spring is very strong and might have to be replaced or the spring retainer backed out. Are they just flow constrictors that will need to be bored out?
Dave