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.177 and .22or .22 and .25 for small game? |
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Ashman 
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Joined: 11 Apr 2026 Location: Christchurch Status: Offline Posts: 27 |
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 Topic: .177 and .22or .22 and .25 for small game?Posted: 3 hours 19 minutes ago at 2:41pm |
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As above.
So I'm air gunning small game mostly, but, after a lifetime of shooting and now owning no rim, centrefire or shotguns for the first time since I was 11, it's back to air rifles I spend my spare time in the bush kayaking and fishing, often remotely and sometimes for up to 3 or 4 weeks at a time. I also only work part time and have Wednesday through Friday off each week. During that time I fish a lot, with fly, ultra light and sea fishing from land and from either of my two kayaks, though mostly from a 5.2m sit on touring/fishing platform. I do those longer trips kind of survival style, in that I take oats, lentils and rice plus herbs, spices and an emergency ration kit in case I get stranded somewhere through injury or weather related events, which has happened once or twice. The idea is that I have breakfast and carbs sorted, but I have to hustle for protein, soo that I've got a reason to get out and fish or hunt. I used to do that with centrefire, shotty or rimfire but I gave up my firearms licence when the new laws regarding those came in to effect and now it's air rifles only. I spend a fair bit of time in the McKenzie country, Central and Southland but also Marlborough and the Coast and there's plenty of small game in many of those places. In terms of small game I've just bought a .22 Gamo Swarm Magnum which I'm enjoying. I've had it 6 days and put roughly 200 rounds through it and it's starting to settle in. I've just been in touch with a member on here regarding trigger components and he has very kindly offered to send me them pro gratis, other than the postage fee, ( Thank you KiwiTR6) which is very much appreciated and given the rest of the rifle, with the after market optics I've added seems robust and capable and the grouping with the right pellets is starting to come together better, I'm now thinking of adding another calibre. If you had to choose any two of the above calibres, what would they be and why, please? More speed, less drop in the .177 but more punch in the .25? I spend a lot of time in remote places and some of those places have abundant small game. I do up to 4 weeks at a time living out of a touring/fishing kayak or with a pack on my back and I've previously used rimfire, centrefire and shotguns to procure protein, as I normally do those longer trips survival style where I carry oats, lentils, rice and beans plus herbs and spices, but I need to forage and gather protein to eat well and go to bed without my guts grizzling. I also have Wednesday through Friday off as a part time worker, though I carry a few luxuries food wise when I'm off on those weekly trips. So, the question is, will the .22 do all that or is there an advantage in .177 or .25 over the .22? If you could only own 2 calibres in air, which would they be and why?
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kruzaroad
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Joined: 03 Jul 2022 Location: Hastings 4 now Status: Offline Posts: 2851 |
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Posted: 2 hours 11 minutes ago at 3:49pm |
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Whats small game to you?
How accurate your set up is the biggest factor. Opossum, hare,turkey all viable targets for .22 My magnum at 26fpe dropped a young goat at 26m. That was around 20fpe at target. 102m on rabbit. Both one shot kills. So in that regard it was all down to shot placement. Wind is same as any gun. learn how your pellet drifts and compensate. Ive had some pretty good winds testing pellet flight, nothing has ever been to strong to need to take the whole windage up. Gusting, or swirling winds do create a problem if not read right. Thats more of an issue than a constent wind. 177 I don't like for hunting. Hole punchers. Require really accurate placement,not as lenient as .22. More wind effected but same as .22 with control. Fiddly size pellet to chamber in dark. .2w being slightly larger allows the pellet to be gripped easier but also gives a more distinct feeling in dark of of skirt end and face. Wieght would be thing that would have me wondering about .25 Also the advantage. If .22 takes down most small game, whats the advantage of .25? A heavier gun and less distance? Limited pellet supply. Two cals i would own, would .22 and then a 30cal in springer and that would only be used for large goats and id have a crack at small pig with it too. If your upgrades turn out well and the gun is accurate, you can place shots where you want them , can't see any point in going another cal or gun till youve been out there a bit with the air rifle and get some idea of what you need in an air rifle for your situation, then upgrade. What pellets are you using as a point of interest? |
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Ashman
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Joined: 11 Apr 2026 Location: Christchurch Status: Offline Posts: 27 |
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Posted: 47 minutes ago at 4:46pm |
Fair points on windage and accuracy. That's the same story for all the centre and rim fires I've owned, and there's been many of those. I'm getting more accurate and using Crown Magnums and Hornets. The grouping is getting better but I'll wait till I have 500 through it to determine which is the true preference. I've also got some Hades coming, which feature well in many of the videos I've watched. Small game is rabbits, hares, possums and some other pest species. I have access to a couple of spots where Canada Geese are a problem and I think the Hornets may be the go there, though I'll be sneaking close and looking for head shots on those big buggers anyway. For bigger game I'm going to a crossbow so goats are a no go for me with a pellet gun, irrespective of the power. Just my preference,, and I know there are folk that have done that, but they've only got to move their head half an inch and that's a very slow and painful death. It's also about making sure I don't have just the one option given how shaky things are in the world and, though I'm no prepper, I do want to be able to harvest food on an ongoing basis if it's needed so I'm also trying to build in fail safes. I've got 21 fishing rods and 18 reels plus enough tippet and fly tying material for about a decade. I may just end up buying another of what I've already got so I have a spare of everything. I'll find the pellets it likes and buy 5000 of them. I'm 66 so that should feed me till I don't need food any more.
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kruzaroad
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Joined: 03 Jul 2022 Location: Hastings 4 now Status: Offline Posts: 2851 |
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Posted: 23 minutes ago at 5:10pm |
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Yeah id hold off on buying another of same model till you see how it works for you. There are better quality guns than gamo for around the same price. Make sure its what you want before second perchase.
As for springs/ gas rams, seals they can all be brought separately. I have seals for noth my rifles brought online and spare.spring for the hw97. You know to keep away from the usual gun cleaners,greases as they cause dieseling? Better add a slingshot to your collection. |
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kruzaroad wrote: