Hunting with air rifle, which .177 or .22 ?
Discussion
I ask recently what to use when hunting small game, air rifle came back best bet, going to get one at the weekend, the gun comes with a option of .22 or .177.
I am think a smaller pellet ( .177 ) will cause more damage and therefore kill quicker ? is this correct ?
If not why not and what should I get ?
I am think a smaller pellet ( .177 ) will cause more damage and therefore kill quicker ? is this correct ?
If not why not and what should I get ?
MK4 Slowride said:
I'd got for .177 as iirc you get better range although the .22 has a harder punch.
I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Good enough to kill a rabbit? ( main thing I want it for ) and I don't want the little fecker suffering any more than necessary ).I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Edited by Tampon on Tuesday 10th June 11:21
I always used a .22 as it was a heavier hit but not quite so much range. What type of air rifle are you going for? I had a Theoben Rapid 7 which was awesome on rabbits and squirrels. Had a 7 shot magazine so if needed you could put in an extra shot or two in case the first one failed to kill.
Tampon said:
I ask recently what to use when hunting small game, air rifle came back best bet, going to get one at the weekend, the gun comes with a option of .22 or .177.
I am think a smaller pellet ( .177 ) will cause more damage and therefore kill quicker ? is this correct ?
If not why not and what should I get ?
.177 will zip along quicker but do less damage. Think golf ball vs cricket ball. It also has a flatter trajectory which makes things easier in terms of hitting the target but will be more affected by wind which will make things harder. Headshot a must.I am think a smaller pellet ( .177 ) will cause more damage and therefore kill quicker ? is this correct ?
If not why not and what should I get ?
.22 is a slower projectile but much better stopping power. Its less affected by wind but the pellet will 'loop' a bit more so you'll need to build some experience of how low/high to aim for a given distance to target. It has to be .22 I reckon.
Tampon said:
MK4 Slowride said:
I'd got for .177 as iirc you get better range although the .22 has a harder punch.
I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Good enough to kill a rabbit? ( main thing I want it for ) and I don't want the little fecker suffering any more than necessary ).I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Edited by Tampon on Tuesday 10th June 11:21
In my experience (back when I lived with the parents in Cheshire rather than London) a powerful .177 had a tendency to seemingly go straight through rabbits unless you had some hefty pellets. It wasn't always a clean kill.
I'd go for a legal-limit, without FAC (12 lb/ft), .22 and get some Bisley Hollw Points or similar. A telescopic sight is well worth it, but a gas-ram / CO2 powered rifle isn't; you spend more time filling it up than shooting. I had a Weihrauch; a good German make.
Now I want a warm summer's evening to go hunting, not an office
I'd go for a legal-limit, without FAC (12 lb/ft), .22 and get some Bisley Hollw Points or similar. A telescopic sight is well worth it, but a gas-ram / CO2 powered rifle isn't; you spend more time filling it up than shooting. I had a Weihrauch; a good German make.
Now I want a warm summer's evening to go hunting, not an office

Unless you are using an FAC air weapon both should have the same muzzle energy, 12 ft/lbs.
The difference comes with the different weight of the pellet. These give different ballistic characteristics. The .22 will be slower and therefore drop more, but will be less susceptible to windage. It will carry its energy over a greater range.
You should therefore consider at what range you will take most shots.
The difference comes with the different weight of the pellet. These give different ballistic characteristics. The .22 will be slower and therefore drop more, but will be less susceptible to windage. It will carry its energy over a greater range.
You should therefore consider at what range you will take most shots.
before you buy anything - may i suggest a trip to www.airgunbbs.com. (lots of very helpful advice)
also, if you have a local air rifle club, get on down, handle some weapons (most clubs are very friendly and helpful for newbies) and see what you like.
i'd pick a .177 (and i have
- non-FAC ) to get bunnies with. - the pellet drops less with range, so i don't need to compensate as much. and it has more than enough poke to cleanly dispatch rabbits with headshots.
also, if you have a local air rifle club, get on down, handle some weapons (most clubs are very friendly and helpful for newbies) and see what you like.
i'd pick a .177 (and i have

Edited by SpydieNut on Tuesday 10th June 11:33
MK4 Slowride said:
Tampon said:
MK4 Slowride said:
I'd got for .177 as iirc you get better range although the .22 has a harder punch.
I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Good enough to kill a rabbit? ( main thing I want it for ) and I don't want the little fecker suffering any more than necessary ).I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.
Edited by Tampon on Tuesday 10th June 11:21
If memory serves a powerful .22 should see you with an effective range of 40 - 50 yards. Range isn't everything though. Rabbits aren't that bright, they just spook easily. Stalking and waiting techniques earned me many more bunnies than the range of my air rifle.
Unless you're an excellent shot and can guarantee the head-shots, I'd consider a .22 to generally be a more humane option, although admittedly I've never tried a .177 with hollow points.
Unless you're an excellent shot and can guarantee the head-shots, I'd consider a .22 to generally be a more humane option, although admittedly I've never tried a .177 with hollow points.
Tampon said:
Fume Troll said:
Agreed, go for hollowpoints (but don't then plan on eating what you kill).
Cheers,
FT.
No eating, why, is the bunny destroyed ?Cheers,
FT.
Not to much of a problem, I would be taking most of them out at my rugby club, they keep digging up the pitches.
Where abouts are you?
I'll bring my pistols.
Edited by MK4 Slowride on Tuesday 10th June 11:42
I've got a .22 which charges off a dive cylinder - it'll puncture a wheel barrow, so literally knocks bunnies off their feet. I use the 'Powa-Pell' pointed pellet.
From my experience, finding a .22 with a magazine (bolt action) is best for hunting. I wouldn't want to wing something, so you can immediately fire again to kill your prey..
MK4 Slowride said:
Unless your going to be a head shot killer every time take a hunting knife to slit it's throat. Either that or a gun dog. You can buy darts for the .177 (10p each!) but they are only good for short range as they're not very well balanced and are blown off course in a slight wind.
I'd disagree with that. Breaking the necks by holding the feet and twisting/pulling the head is instantaneous and not messy.Would taking a dog be a good idea with rabbits and an airgun? I'd have thought that'd be more suited to birds and a shotgun. I've never tried it, but would expect rabbits to spook at dogs even more so than humans.
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