.22 rimmy or .177 FAC??

[drinksloe]

It's the sort of question u could ask 10 different folk and get 10 compleltely different answers and different reasons.

 

Really all depends on wot ur shooting and where and likely ranges, 22lr is very cheap and adaptable but not as good at other at range or if hard ground conditons.

If u do a lot of tree shooting for squirrels/crows u'd need to stick to an air for safety

 

Also can cut 22lr barrels right down short so great for sticking out of van windows or handling/carrying in thick cover etc. Can be a pain getting longer barrelled guns in/out van windows sometimes

[mendiplogs]

Im looking at the Theoben Rapid for a FAC John as they seem to be the best. Iv got an Air Arms Tx200 in .177 which is handy for more public areas. Im leaning towards a .22 rimmy i think..

 

Hi PETE there a great air rifle them Rapids thanks Jon

[Justjames1961]

Hi, as others have mentioned a lot depends on where your using it. Stony ground is a right pain for .22 using subsonics, you will get ricochets, and they can go in any direction.

However with a good moderator on they're virtually silent, and very efficient on the bunnies out to 75/80 yards. Range estimation gets more important beyond that.

If you're needing a bit more range, Hmr is the way to go. Very flat shooting, so more forgiving on getting the distance exact. However quite noisy especially at night.

A .22 Fac air rifle can be very effective up to similar distances to a .22 rimfire without the ricochets.

9 times out of 10 the Hmr is my go to rifle of choice.

Have all 3 and have been shooting for 40+ years.

[Chopperbob]

Also can cut 22lr barrels right down short so great for sticking out of van windows or handling/carrying in thick cover etc. Can be a pain getting longer barrelled guns in/out van windows sometimes

 

Have also cut the hmr barrel down too.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Chopperbob
Spelling

[Beecham 4000-Four]

Had my .22lr back in 2003 at 14years old, it was the only rifle I had until I was 20 and never wished for any more, it's a great caliber and I really enjoy using it. I was always taught great gun safety with my dad from a young age and I'm lucky that I have always had many farms to shoot on with suitable terrain for safe rifle shooting, and with a lot of shooting over the years I've not had that many ricochets with the .22. There's more options of ammunition for the .22 from hv right down to bulleted caps which make it more versatile.

I have a .17hmr which I like also but has a different purpose, it has a good moderator which really minimises noise, but as with all rounds that break the sound barrier the crack noise can not be eliminated all together.

I'm a big fan of .177 air rifles but for a fac airgun I'd consider .20 or .22.

[Alycidon]

Have used all sorts of things over the years.

 

At 12ft lbs then 177 is fine but once you get into FAC terratory a 20 cal firing heavy pellets is the way to go, a Rapid in 20 FAC is a hell of a tool and will happily despach pigeons and rabbits out to about 80 yards given low wind and a good shot who knows the trajectory or who ranges, wind finds and dials.

 

A far better all round tool is a powder rifle. 17HMR is at present being let down by some very poor quality ammo, if this gets sorted then it is preferred to 22LR by FEOs as the chances of richocett are less. Good for small vermin out to 150 yards, maybe 180 in good conditions. But it is NOT a fox round unless you can get a short range head shot.

 

A 17 Hornady Hornet is a far better tool than 17HMR, has far more grunt (3500 fps as opposed to about 2400 fps), I use a 17Ackley Hornet as my trap round rifle early in teh year. Really good on crows etc out to 200 yards plus but again not really a fox round. I have lost several well hit foxes with it. If foxes are on the menu then a 204/222/223 would be far better.

 

A

Edited January 1, 2016 by Alycidon

[eldon]

I would suggest a 22 rf is needed by all people who have a use for one. I bought mine 20 years ago and its done me well. Subs and Lasers do all I need and as long as the range is kept sensible then it will perform ok.

 

I did at one time have a hmr slot but after trying one against my 308 the wind drift was atrocious. It is all well and good people quoting 150 yards but any wind and its nigh on useless.

 

For better advice from here, why don't you expand on what you will be using it for and the area concerned as rats in a garden is altogether different to pigeons in a barn?

[spandit]

Apply for all 3 at the same time. Also go coterminous & get a .410

[Stereo]

Been looking at this as well. I have good backdrops and quarry will be bunnies for food and magpies / crows for vermin control (steal all my eggs). Also the odd fox if they cause me aggro. But I'm happy to live and let live if possible. Dad had .22LR when I was a kid and it was a brilliant little gun. BSA I think. But I've got roads around the farm so worry about bullets bouncing around. That said, the crack of an HMR is likely to upset neighbours too. So was considering an FAC air rifle but advised not to on airgun forums. I've got an AA S200 .22 which is OK but I find it a little short on range and not too accurate out at 40 yards compared to an LR. It runs at 11fps I think but can go up to 24. If you were to go for FAC air, what sort of power are you looking for to take crows at 50/60 yards and which caliber is best? What is the ultimate FAC air rifle I guess is the question.

[drinksloe]

Have u tried lighter/different pellets? or getting a mil dot scope? (to help for holdover) for ur existing a decent pcp airgun should still be fairly capable at 40m. Possibly pracice a bit more at longer ranges so u learn the drop or if usually shooting at longer ranges alter ur scope zero for 35m and get a set of sticks if shooting standing/freehand

 

I looked into the FAC air route last time i renewed but ended up thinking to much hassle/money for wot they are, are do i really need one. Still got the slot

 

From wot i've been told ur realy looking for a 20 or 22 most generally run around the 25-30 ft lbs, the problem u have is the ammount of air u use per shot, so shot count can drop drastically.

Possibly it might be cheaper for u to sell ur sub 12 ft air gun and buy 1 already FAC rated, i was told once fac rated u can not un register them to sub 12 ft, so tend to get them cheaper as smaller market

Plus the boy in the gunshop said u can still get richocets even with an airgun, generally the slower heavier more solid bullets are more likely to bounce than a fast frangible bullet. U get CCI segmental 22lr which are designed to break up so lower any bounce

 

With a 22lr u can pick a work horse up for 50 quid all scoped and mod'd, and with a massive range of bullets, got ur basic HV and subs foxes rabbits and u also get various other bullets that have different uses, from sparrow shot meant to be able to shoot rats with it inside sheds to low power rounds that are meant to be around the 40ftlb mark

Always meant ot get some of these different runds and see wot there like but never got round to it