Thinking about a 177

[curan]

I still like the .177, as I can shoot that in the club 10m precision comp as well.........

......and I think the pellets are cheaper and more available ....... (not sure, haven't ever bought .20, but I know my 2 local dealers don't have any .20 cal)........

..... donning flameproof suit and flak jacket .......

[stinkitup]

I'm sure my ftt's are older they are field and target trophy or something maybe the qc changed. Cleaned lewis out when i had a chance .

Grmkc i went past centreway on Wed was in Melbourne for work and dropped in at the inlaws at keilor east for dinner.

I wonder if they would take a 12mth laybuy lol.

The r9 will have to do me for now.

Hickeacked this thread good and proper .

No flame suit needed curan..177 are still easier to get and being lighter should be flatter. I stocked up when the oportunity was there in barracudas jsbs and ftts so i will be happy if i shoot them all .

[grmkc]

And you came all this way just to NOT go home with the Winerack.

The quality appeared to change with last year's shipment. The one before that was punching clover leaves group. The last lot were hopeless. They were dropping out of the breech at a 1 in 8 rate and the same ratio for pellets that were too tight. Not good enough for match 5.55mm FTT. Make the ones from Lewis last mate.

Agree with Ryan. No flame suit needed Curan. 177 and 22 have a much better availability and selection.

Doh. I was at Centreway on Wednesday morning transfering my HW66. Let us know the next time you're down and we can do the coffee thing. Meet at the shop and wander across to the multiple cafes in that shopping centre.

[stinkitup]

And you came all this way just to NOT go home with the Winerack.

The quality appeared to change with last year's shipment. The one before that was punching clover leaves group. The last lot were hopeless. They were dropping out of the breech at a 1 in 8 rate and the same ratio for pellets that were too tight. Not good enough for match 5.55mm FTT. Make the ones from Lewis last mate.

Agree with Ryan. No flame suit needed Curan. 177 and 22 have a much better availability and selection.

Doh. I was at Centreway on Wednesday morning transfering my HW66. Let us know the next time you're down and we can do the coffee thing. Meet at the shop and wander across to the multiple cafes in that shopping centre.

Will do!

[Druid66]

I agree - get the .177 - a good journey should start at the beginning not the end.

The main thing is ones emphases should always be on accuracy over everything else - and only by trying different pellets will you discover which one works best in your rifle.

Just be advised that is all; there has always been question about the adequate smack-down of a .177 particularly when it`s set at Sub-12FPE power levels and you`re pushing it down-range - And personally I think it`s far better to find this out on a metal rabbit not a real one.

[JWD]

I could be missing something but there seems to be a few comments about smack down power of various calibres. Wondering if people are confusing muzzle energy with pellet speed. Won't a 12ft lb .177 have exactly the same smackdown power as a 12 FT lb .20 .22 (or .50). The difference will be the speed and corresponding loopiness of the trajectory. A 12ft lb .177 will have a much flatter trajectory and require less hold over at different ranges whereas a 12ft lb .50cal (if such a thing exists) would have a trajectory like a trench mortar. There's also usually an upper limit for pellet velocity before it becomes unstable and affects accuracy. This is where the heavier pellets come into their own as they can have more power for the same velocity.

[nate]

I could be missing something but there seems to be a few comments about smack down power of various calibres. Wondering if people are confusing muzzle energy with pellet speed. Won't a 12ft lb .177 have exactly the same smackdown power as a 12 FT lb .20 .22 (or .50).

Same exit power (12fpe) - but i guess it comes down to the pellet BC.

Look at:
http://www.hn-sport.de/fileadmin/user_u ... 4_5_EN.pdf
vs
http://www.hn-sport.de/fileadmin/user_u ... 5_5_EN.pdf

Look at field target - 12fpe
at 50yards, its 4fpe vs 5fpe - which is 20% extra - quite a bit!!!

So 22cal FTW...

[Druid66]

Yes BC is the key for down-range impact but more importantly finding right BALANCE OF POWER is paramount - especially if you only own one air rifle - Other important aspects must also be considered including: What you will be using the rifle for (Field Target or Hunting or maybe both!?) - How much noise are you willing to tolerate (The faster you go the bigger the bang) - In the case of a HPA platform how many shots would like to a charge and in the case of a Self-Contained unit (Springer or Gas Ram) how much pre-coil can you confidently control?!

Please understand my own personal recommendations mainly come from my own personal experiences in the field too and NOT from what the pellet manufacturers boffin-heads show us on paper - and having shot with Sub-12FPE ARs for most of my life I can only say that when shooting at longer ranges (40yds+) using .177 middle-weight pellets I have found that the limit of it`s capability has been found lacking on more than one occasion

I`m not even saying that .177 is a bad choice of calibre either - I`m certainly aware that it compliments the shooter by way of flatter trajectory - I just know that the only times I`ve ever been let down by a long range shot (around 50yds) with a 12FPE gun and I was damn sure that my shot was good it was when using .177.

More info here: http://www.airgundepot.com/air-rifle-ca ... ction.html

"The hard core airgunners swear by this caliber" and I wonder why they say that?!