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? 

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.