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22 or 20 what is the difference in performance
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Well the .20 has some of the benifits of the .177, faster, flater tracetery and has its a bit hevier the shock effect of the .22. i use all calibres myself from .177 up to .25, the .20 I have are a Sheridan Silver Streak pump up and a Bsa Fireberd pcp rebarelled with a walther .20 barell. I dont hunt but the .20 H&N F&TT hit the target with plenty of power. Which is best, well thats an old. old arguement and I am not going to get involveded in
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Welcome,
In short order this question will turn in to a bun fight because all "which cal questions" always do.
The best way is to download "Hawke Chairgun" it's a free ballistic program that shows the trajectory on an easy to understand graph, you just select a pellet, set your velocity &/or energy and it shows you.
Basically you get trajectory mid way between .177 & .22 but with an impact energy much closer to that of a .22.
Because UK rifles are limited to 12ftlb energy there is always some form of compromise to be made in the performance, what .20 gives is the best compromise across the board, be it velocity, trajectory, retained energy, ballistic coefficient, impact area etc.
Think of it this way, if it was an F1 driver it would win the word championship by being 2nd or 3rd every time but without winning a race because it never comes last.
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Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me
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Currently I use .25 <= 20 yards (much better than any other cal) and .177 for walk about and for 20+ yards...
.20 is not as good as either in the situations described.
I think and therefore...... I refuse to steal someone else's quote to try to sound more erudite or profound than I actually am.
Likes to go Commando
But better than both in situations you didn't mention.Originally Posted by Russ6357
OP. At sub12 levels either will be fine as would a 177.
The smaller pellets fly flatter for longer before you have to start compensating for drop yet they are more likely to be effected by wind and the bigger pellets drop sooner but it takes more wind to move then off course.
If this is to be your only rifle I would suggest a .20 as it has the best trajectory for clout ratio, specially with lighter pellets. In truth I would recommend this caliber anyway as I am a huge fan of it at sub 12 levels and FAC.
I have had and used all four calibers and IMO .25 at sub12 is a waste of time unless you require a specialist short range rifle for rats or ferrel pigeons. Other than that I wouldn't bother. They really come into their own at FAC levels of 40-60ftlbs.
At the end of the day a 177 pellet is more than capable of dispatching a rabbit at all sensible air rifle ranges, but due to the smaller shock transmitted to the skull the shot placement is slightly more crucial.
.22 is fine at sub12 but for me I use it as another short range rifle for use round the farm buildings on rats. My sub12 .20 has dealt with many hundreds of pigeons, rats and Corvids with ease at every range from 10-45yds as will both the other calibers but pound for pound I think at 11.4ftlb the .20 punches well above its weight. In fact JT from airgun world did a test on all these calibers and found the .20 to have the highest shock transmit ion bar the .25 due to the extra speed it had at the target over the 22.
As you may have guessed for a sub12 do it all rifle .20 is the caliber for me but it is one of those questions that can rage on for weeks, as everyone's opinion IS right FOR THEM.
In short mate the choice is yours enjoy what ever caliber you get and don't let anyone tell you you're wrong.
HTH. Hal.
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I would agree with Hal but add that in an unrestricted world where the same power plant would be providing the energy the 20Cal would come out tops over 1.77 and 2.2 just for the impact power (ft-lbs./sq. in).
But when you are restricted by 12ft-lbs this not so significant all will have approximately the same initial energy and if you check the sale catalogues from the likes of Webley you will see the 20Cal and 22 are quoted as having the same initial velocity. So it all comes down to the energy loss, susceptibility to cross winds, distance you wish to shoot over and choice of power plant (shot count mainly on PCP).
One thing I have noticed with 20Cal since there are really only 6'ish pellets to choose from in the UK unless you willing to back order, they all been very similar performers unlike 177 or 22 where the choice becomes much more muddied with the good, the bad and the total rubbish.
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Sorry, that's Utter rubbish!
Oh & it's .177/.22 not 1.77/2.2
It is only at sub 12ftlb that .20 has such an advantage purely because it is the fixed common denominator of the power level that necessitates the compromise of light & fast .177 or slow & heavy .22
When there is no power limit .22, .25, or even larger can come in to there own because the smaller lighter pellets cannot cope with the increased power as they all reach trans-sonic speeds (1100fps) at which point the shape of a diabolo pellet becomes unstable in flight, (speeds around 950fps are about the ideal max) & the larger/heavier pellets can whack up the power until they too reach this figure.
Webley quote that velocity because they make a stupidly heavy .20 pellet, (OK probably designed for the US market/FAC power) at sub 12 the only pellets to even bother with are the light weights,
if you go heavier than JSB's 13.5gn you lose most of the advantage of the cal, if you go up to webley/Crossman 14.5 gn you are in .22 weight and have lost all of it.
Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do
You speak perfect sense (sometimesSorry, that's Utter rubbish!
Oh & it's .177/.22 not 1.77/2.2
It is only at sub 12ftlb that .20 has such an advantage purely because it is the fixed common denominator of the power level that necessitates the compromise of light & fast .177 or slow & heavy .22
When there is no power limit .22, .25, or even larger can come in to there own because the smaller lighter pellets cannot cope with the increased power as they all reach trans-sonic speeds (1100fps) at which point the shape of a diabolo pellet becomes unstable in flight, (speeds around 950fps are about the ideal max) & the larger/heavier pellets can whack up the power until they too reach this figure.
Webley quote that velocity because they make a stupidly heavy .20 pellet, (OK probably designed for the US market/FAC power) at sub 12 the only pellets to even bother with are the light weights,
if you go heavier than JSB's 13.5gn you lose most of the advantage of the cal, if you go up to webley/Crossman 14.5 gn you are in .22 weight and have lost all of it.)
Kindest regards
Barrel
IF I WALKED ON WATER PEOPLE WOULD SAY I COULD NOT SWIM !
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Sorry, that's Utter rubbish!
Oh & it's .177/.22 not 1.77/2.2
It is only at sub 12ftlb that .20 has such an advantage purely because it is the fixed common denominator of the power level that necessitates the compromise of light & fast .177 or slow & heavy .22
When there is no power limit .22, .25, or even larger can come in to there own because the smaller lighter pellets cannot cope with the increased power as they all reach trans-sonic speeds (1100fps) at which point the shape of a diabolo pellet becomes unstable in flight, (speeds around 950fps are about the ideal max) & the larger/heavier pellets can whack up the power until they too reach this figure.
Webley quote that velocity because they make a stupidly heavy .20 pellet, (OK probably designed for the US market/FAC power) at sub 12 the only pellets to even bother with are the light weights,
if you go heavier than JSB's 13.5gn you lose most of the advantage of the cal, if you go up to webley/Crossman 14.5 gn you are in .22 weight and have lost all of it.
And..... the world runs out to buy tin pellets which will do 970fps..... I think not!
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i have a Venomac Phantom in .20 its stunningly accurate with ft trophys, and thats the point it ain't the calibre that's so crucial its more important to be able to hit what your aiming at.
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Going by todays prices of lead the economic answer is aimed at .177.I still have all calibre's though like most enthusiasts.
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If you have FAC air then there is seldom any point in having pellets that fly faster,
as I stated above as they go towards trans-sonic velocity the air flow (and sonic pressure wave) starts to cause flight instability
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Not many people who've shot a modern hw barrel 20 cal, or 20 pcp, have anything bad to say about it ....
IMO as an 'all round' hunting cal at uk level, 20 is top choice. Goes flatter than 22, you can here by the wallop it retains more energy. I do like 177 pcps using heavier pellets like jsb / H& N Barracuda
I like 22, mainly for plinking, or for rats , squirrels at close range (garden feeder) and for fun target shooting.
Get one of each, at least
Pushing it...
...because it takes quite some time to predict/calculate distance, wind speed and hold over/under to place any pellet in the spot you want it to go. And that includes familiarity with trigger release. if you have three different rifles shooting three different calibres then the process will take three times longer if you wish to be proficient and competent to take standing, kneeling and prone position shooting when out in the field.
As for my preference? 0.20 all the way.
Easily led
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