Where do .22 and .177 come from? ...and Why?

[bighit]

Hi guys...

I've been debating a 'chicken and egg' question on the 'GENERAL' section:
http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....is-the-history

Feel free to shed any light on the origination of .22 as a starting point as per the original thread above.
That's the 'Chicken' part, but the 'egg' part below is for the assembled throng in 'COLLECTABLES'

Basically:

I know .22 was originally a rimfire caliber, and that 'Flobert' developed the first examples of rimfire by placing a ball into a percussion cap.
According to Wiki:
His cartridge consisted of a percussion cap with a bullet attached to the top and the idea was to improve the safety of indoor shooting. Usually derived in the 6 mm and 9 mm calibres

.22 is 5.6mm. The thread was to try and find out how/when the first .22 appeared....
...and when/how we ended up with .22 and .177 as the two main air gun calibres?

SO, my questions to the assembled gurus are:

1. who makes the first recognisable .22 pellet - and when?
2. who makes the first recognisable .177 pellet - and when?

NOTE: I believe the Sheridan/Crosman air rifle was the reason for the .20 after 1947. I'm presuming .25 is relatively new.

History
The .25 cal. pellet is as old as the .177 and .22. Perhaps, the .22 is a little older than the others, but you have to get into esoteric shapes, such as cat slugs (solid lead bullets with felt bottoms), before that even takes effect. So, for all intents and purposes, the .25 is just as old. But, it was only as popular as the other two in the early 1900s. After about 1914, .22 and .177 calibers took off, leaving the .25 cal. in the dust…until now.


https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2010...pellet-part-1/

plus this

LEN AND ARTHUR JEFFRIES CONTINUED TO PRODUCE AIR RIFLE PELLETS IN CALIBRES .177, .22 AND .25 FROM THEIR PREMISES IN WHITTALL STREET AND STEELHOUSE LANE, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF BIRMINGHAM UNTIL 1960, WHERE DUE TO THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY WERE FORCED TO RELOCATE TO A NEW FACTORY IN SUMMER LANE.
http://marksmanpellets.com/history/


another quote here

“In November 1900 the company obtained a number of air gun pellet making machines and the 1901 catalogue indicates these being made in sizes 1, 2 and 3, later to be defined as .177”, .22" and .25". The pellets made by the company were to be named the ‘Match’ weighing 10 grains and the ‘Witton’ weighing 8 grains. These were subsequently added to with the ‘Lion’, ‘Swift’ and ‘Mitre’ pellets."

https://forum.cartridgecollectors.or...istory/11867/4


slugs V pellets

A) At the beginning of the last century most, if not all, ammunition for air-powered firearms was in the form of cup-shaped lead slugs. These were made by a number of manufacturers in various sizes – No. 1 bore (.177in), No. 2 bore (.22in) and No. 3 bore (.25in). Slugs were marketed for use in smoothbore airguns, and pellets were introduced for rifled airguns. They were not fully interchangeable, but pellets dominated the market despite being twice as expensive as slugs.

The cheaper slugs were the most popular pellet until serious target shooting with air rifles
became popular in the early 1900s. When air rifles became more sophisticated, better precision-made pellets took over the market. The cheaper form of the waisted pellet has replaced the old slug and they seem to work fairly well in smoothbore barrels.

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/answers/...rsus-slugs-525


So you see , .25 is not a newish idea

I would think that there would be some one in the section that can give a better idea