Originally Posted by
buttloaves
Do you think these guns perform better in .22 or .177, i see more .22s than .177s
It depends how you define "perform". I have one of each and the only problems I've had have been of the user-error variety.
My guess - and this applies to all airguns (in the UK, sub-12ft.lb.) - is that a lot of first time shooters buy .22 because of the supposed "stopping power", as applied to hunting. I'd also guess that when the Phoenix first come out there were more .22's sold because this was the prevailing attitude at the time and so the legacy of .22 rifles in the s/h market today reflects buying patterns and attitudes of quite a few years ago.
However as more airgun shooters have turned to FT and HFT they have realised that we should be looking at the potential for accurate shot placement. The smaller calibre suffers less pellet drop over sub-12 ft.lbs, distances and is therefore more forgiving of the shooter's ranging errors. Both calibres of Phoenix are as accurate as each other at known distances.
If your criteria is shot count, you get more shots per fill from .22 than from .177. (and more from rifles than carbine-length guns)
If I was buying one of these with target shooting in mind I'd go for .177. If I was hunting rabbits or pigeons (which I do, actually) I'd still use .177. However if I was shooting rats (which I don't) I'd probably use .22
The rifles have the same internals so should "perform" equally well.
Last edited by KeithW; 26-07-2015 at 05:33 PM.
AA TX200, HFT 500, AS400 .22
Daystate Grand Prix & Mk3
Parker-Hale/PAX Phoenix Mk2: .22 & .177