22 or 20

[25Antony]

22 or 20 what is the difference in performance

[FattMann]

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

[angrybear]

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.

[25Antony]

Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me

[Russ6357]

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.

[haloutdoors]

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.

But better than both in situations you didn't mention.

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.

[GrahamAD]

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.

[PCPShooter]

22 or 20 what is the difference in performance

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

[fitzcarraldo]

...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.

[haloutdoors]

...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.

Only three calibers.

Those days are long gone for me.

243,223,.17hmr,22lr, 2x FAC air .22 &.25, sub12 .177, .20, .22.
And yes many hours needed spending with them to learn their aim points and I have to say I loved every minute of it.
I'm looking forward to getting a .20 on FAC to set up as a dedicated NV rifle.

ATB. Hal.

[rhyslightnin]

I recon the "beware the man with one gun" statement has got a real swing, so why not buy a gun where there are readily available barrels you can chop in or out until you find your preference of caliber. A hw90/98/95/80/85 is a great place to start I recon.
This way you can keep exactly the rifle you know with the scope you know and really see the difference that the caliber makes, without huge cost or any real loss in skill when swapping....,

I'd also like to add that falcon acc+ in .22 are 13.43grns.. only 2grns heavier than 11.4grn ftt's. That isn't a huge difference by all accounts......

Learn your caliber its all that matters really.

[haloutdoors]

I'd also like to add that falcon acc+ in .22 are 13.43grns.. only 2grns heavier than 11.4grn ftt's. That isn't a huge difference by all accounts......

Learn your caliber its all that matters really.[/QUOTE]

And that my friend is the whole sub12 caliber discussion wrapped up in two short sentences.

ATB. Hal.

[PCPShooter]

I recon the "beware the man with one gun" statement has got a real swing, so why not buy a gun where there are readily available barrels you can chop in or out until you find your preference of caliber. A hw90/98/95/80/85 is a great place to start I recon.
This way you can keep exactly the rifle you know with the scope you know and really see the difference that the caliber makes, without huge cost or any real loss in skill when swapping....,

I'd also like to add that falcon acc+ in .22 are 13.43grns.. only 2grns heavier than 11.4grn ftt's. That isn't a huge difference by all accounts......

Learn your caliber its all that matters really.

Big difference on the receiving end from my experience .in favour of 20 cal

[Waisted]

The biggest advantage of the .20 cal is it's limited pellet choice, all are well made and of good quality. With the .20 cal available there is only 3 grains difference in weight , therefore making it easier to set your gun to the higher power levels 12 ft/ lbs. without breaking the law.

[neil9629]

Allow me to quote my old grandpappy who in teaching me the shooting ways
used to say.......




















......."son, anything less than .22 is for girls"