.177 vs .22

[Phil Russell]

No, not the 'which is best for whatever' debate but just an observation from looking at one shop's selection of s/h guns for sale. I was surprised to see that out of about 200 guns for sale only about 30 were in .177. I omitted all BB and .177 only firing gun models.
Now I knew that .22 was more popular than .177 but expected the figures to be closer than that. Although of course, this is only a sample from one shop and it might be severely skewed.
But if it is about correct, I wonder why? Is .22 really that favoured over .177? Could it be that .177 guns tend to be kept by the owners and not traded in as .22 might be?

Interesting .... does this mean .177 has a rarity value?

Cheers, Phil

[tinbum]

Most airgun users are male with man sized fingers and use airguns over traditional airgun ranges, so .22 is the obvious choice.

[knightrider]

I thought it would have been the other way round with more .177 for sale than .22

[Muskett]

Just both trade and poor traditional legacy by the public have .22's still on the racks in quantity.
The .177 sell and so the .22's sit on the shelves longer???

.22 great for the farmyard or to whack plinking. Those who shoot a lot only have a .22 for specialised reasons, as the .177 wins for target and pest precision at ranges beyond the farmyard.

You would think with what is known that there would be at least equal or more .177 bought and traded. Maybe they are, just don't hang about as long as .22's??

[rhyslightnin]

Most airgun users are male with man sized fingers and use airguns over traditional airgun ranges, so .22 is the obvious choice.

Having slightly afeminate hands, I opted for .20... It was the best compromise for me as the girls .177 size was definitely too small.

[MikeHW45]

I'm surprised .20 isn't actually a lot more popular. If there was the pellet and rifle choice out there it's definitely a calibre I would consider more!!

[TonyL]

I think there are so many factors at play here and really tough to know what's going on.

Maybe a lot of it has to do with different shops' market and clientele? If you have a shop that is regularly frequented by FT / HFT / paper shooters, maybe there will be more emphasis on the .177? Whereas some of the more traditional gun shops, especially one-man bands and where much of their market is directed at shotgun and live round stuff are more "rooted in the past" and push the .22 as the "hunting calibre"?

Or maybe, as mentioned above, the .177s race off the shelves quicker?

It would be most enlightening to learn what the sales ratio between .177 and .22 is for the new gun market. But, then again, would it be demand led or would a certain calibre have sold better, driven by the importers bringing more of a certain calibre in?

The enlightened shooter will often know exactly what he wants, whereas some more casual shooters may be just tempted to have what is in stock on the day rather than the shop order the other calibre in, necessitating a wait?

I use and like both calibres and, sometimes, I wanted a specific gun in a certain calibre. But on some purchases I've taken what's there on the day, especially if we're talking second hand.

When I introduced a newcomer recently and advised him to get a HW99, he asked which calibre he should get. I said he'd asked the confounding perpetual question that has done the rounds for so long and that I'd be happy with either. I said that if the shop had only one calibre in, then just go with that and be happy. If they had both in, just flip a coin and be just as happy! He had no specific use in mind, mainly casual target shooting / plinking after he had cleared a few rats from his garden.

[rhyslightnin]

I'm surprised .20 isn't actually a lot more popular. If there was the pellet and rifle choice out there it's definitely a calibre I would consider more!!

What more choices do you need... A daystate or wheirach.., h&n or jsb??
Simples!

[les allam]

Tony's mention of certain Rfd's old fashion views regarding .22 for hunting and .177 for target can still hold true.I visited a gun shop a few years back and the chap working there said they mostly stocked .22 air guns for the hunter's and .177 had to be orderd in.
It was a shot gun oriented shop.
I am not to bothered regarding calibre,I enjoy and shoot them all.
Les..

[RobF]

What's the price of 500 .22 pellets?

What's the price of 500 .177 pellets?

Any clue as to why some shops perpetuate the myth that .22 is better?

[TonyL]

What's the price of 500 .22 pellets?

What's the price of 500 .177 pellets?

Any clue as to why some shops perpetuate the myth that .22 is better?

I wouldn't know if the higher price equates to more margin, Rob; maybe?

But my guess would be that shops who promote the larger calibre more are stuck in the past?

However, one of the very real advantages with the .22, in addition to the ease of handling observations pointed out above, is that with the better efficiency, springers generally exhibit a more gentle firing cycle, somewhat mitigating the flatter trajectory advantages of the .177, as Jon Budd has often pointed out. But then, how do the scores at a HFT shoot compare? But then it's more down to the shooter......round and round we go again......: Shot count with a PCP maybe not so much of an issue anyway, you just have to fill a little more often......

[Neil54]

The shop I use, used to have a stall on a cattle market and they sold mostly .22, now they have shop near the city and the shooting clubs they sell mostly .177.

[knighty]

you need to be a good shot to use .177 the .22 is more forgiving, more poor shooters out there than good ones.
just my opinion

[bighit]

I wouldn't know if the higher price equates to more margin, Rob; maybe?

But my guess would be that shops who promote the larger calibre more are stuck in the past?

However, one of the very real advantages with the .22, in addition to the ease of handling observations pointed out above, is that with the better efficiency, springers generally exhibit a more gentle firing cycle, somewhat mitigating the flatter trajectory advantages of the .177, as Jon Budd has often pointed out. But then, how do the scores at a HFT shoot compare? But then it's more down to the shooter......round and round we go again......: Shot count with a PCP maybe not so much of an issue anyway, you just have to fill a little more often......

Easier to thread the smaller pellet through the opening ?

narrower thread is easier to thread through the eye of a needle than thicker thread . That's the explanation I was told many years ago

[harvey_s]

What's the price of 500 .22 pellets?

What's the price of 500 .177 pellets?

Any clue as to why some shops perpetuate the myth that .22 is better?

Worst argument ever.... given that that .22 pellets are 100% heavier, but .177 pellets only net a 30% saving at the top end.
Budget brands only net a 15% saving.

The .177's are going to have the better margin by far...