PCP Choosing 22 or 25 cal for high power and long distance

[Murfdurf82]

What made you choose between these two calibers and why? With the rifle I'm buying the snowpeak max 1 it's just for fun and shooting on the weekends. What' would you choose, with the selection of slugs nowadays?...edit I am not going to 30 cal...so I'm just curious of others thoughts

 

[Danman]

What made you choose between these two calibers and why? With the rifle I'm buying the snowpeak max 1 it's just for fun and shooting on the weekends. What' would you choose, with the selection of slugs nowadays?...edit I am not going to 30 cal...so I'm just curious of others thoughts

Hey, check out my thread: Heavy .22 vs .25.
Tons of good info in there on this topic
.25 cal beats (light) .22 pellets anyday but if you have power (45fpe+) id go .22 and shoot Mrds and/or med/ heavy slugs. Way more selection of Ammo and great B.C. numbers along with em.

 

[Murfdurf82]

Hey, check out my thread: Heavy .22 vs .25.
Tons of good info in there on this topic
.25 cal beats (light) .22 pellets anyday but if you have power (45fpe+) id go .22 and shoot Mrds and/or med/ heavy slugs. Way more selection of Ammo and great B.C. numbers along with em.

I'll check that out at lunch...what does mrds stand for?

 

[dunz]

I opted for the .25 cal, mostly because I’ve always had a bit of a bias against the .22."

 

[hameditor]

I'll check that out at lunch...what does mrds stand for?

Mrds is usually an abbreviation for JSB Monster ReDesigned pellets.

 

[Murfdurf82]

Mrds is usually an abbreviation for JSB Monster ReDesigned pellets.

I told Wes by the end of my work day...about 230 or 3 pm I'll make a decision. I do enjoy both calibers.

 

[Pumacarl]

I agree with both @Danman and @dunz! Heavy .22 slugs have the advantage (for a lot of reasons) if you are just having fun and have a powerful airgun. I have also always loved the .25 and I have a bias towards it. If you are going to be also using it for hunting, then I would go with the .25. Never a straight answer around here, lol!

 

[Murfdurf82]

Mrds is usually an abbreviation for JSB Monster ReDesigned p

I agree with both @Danman and @dunz! Heavy .22 slugs have the advantage (for a lot of reasons) if you are just having fun and have a powerful airgun. I have also always loved the .25 and I have a bias towards it. If you are going to be also using it for hunting, then I would go with the .25. Never a straight answer around here, lol!

That's how I feel, the price difference for pellets isn't so bad to deter me either. I feel like I'm leaning towards .25. I have a 22 liberty I'm modifying with a hi performance valve and hopefully a plenum for slugs so maybe I'll lean 25 cal on the max 1. Decisions....

 

[Pumacarl]

That's how I feel, the price difference for pellets isn't so bad to deter me either. I feel like I'm leaning towards .25. I have a 22 liberty I'm modifying with a hi performance valve and hopefully a plenum for slugs so maybe I'll lean 25 cal on the max 1. Decisions....

If you need something else to think about, with your choices, find out the twist rate of the barrels. If the twists are not at least (1 in 17.7") then go with the .25 for sure. Heavy 34gr .25 pellets shoot great out to 155y, for me, with a 1 in 20" twist mrod.

 

[Danman]

That's how I feel, the price difference for pellets isn't so bad to deter me either. I feel like I'm leaning towards .25. I have a 22 liberty I'm modifying with a hi performance valve and hopefully a plenum for slugs so maybe I'll lean 25 cal on the max 1. Decisions....

Yip that's how I felt about ammo prices too.... 200Mrds (more or less the best .22 pellet for long range shooting) for $20 and 300-350 .25 pellets in a tin for $30 (cdn prices) so .25 for the win there. If shooting inside 60Y then I prefer lower power and 18.13gr @ 500/tin. They kinda suck in wind though lol.

 

[pan60]

.22 for me

 

[Chief55]

For me with my Airforce pellet guns I like .25 just because it is easier for me to handle the larger pellets and they hit with more energy, and I believe that they buck the wind better. My guns like to shoot in the high to mid 900s. If I had a low powered gun, shooting less than 900FPS I would prefer .22 to shoot a little flatter. With my slug barrel I chose .22 because of the twist rate it likes 28.5-40 grain slugs as well as 32.4 grain Seneca pellets shooting 950-1050 accurately. I believe the twist rate of the .25 slug barrel for my gun would have only liked 50-60 grain slugs which is 30 caliber territory. Bullet weight, speed and twist rate matters for high-power long-distance shooting.

 

[Solo1]

For me its 34.9 in 25 for eft in the ghost and 25 or 30 for 100 yd bench though i do shoot 22 to those distances but 25 i find to be a bit more dependable

 

[PapaT]

My heart says 22, because it is the caliber of my heart. I also think 22 would do well in max 1, but the 25 will give you more power and a bit better resistance to the wind.

 

[duchunter007]

@Murfdurf82,
My choice is .25, as it will give you more options: you can shoot close range and stretch it out to 150+ yards with Pellets. Have a look at the Brocock Sniper XR in .25, it's a great gun!

Brocock Sniper XR .25: Airguns of Arizona | Premier Airgun Store

 

[Grunt64]

If the platform is the same, the .25 is the easier and more reliable choice for high power and long‑distance.

The .22 can be excellent, but only when you’re pushing 45–60 FPE and running Monsters or medium/heavy slugs. That takes more tuning and depends heavily on twist rate.

The .25 doesn’t need any of that. Bigger bore = higher FPE ceiling with the same valve, heavier pellets = better BC, and it simply drifts less in the wind. Even standard 33–34 grain pellets stay stable well past 100 yards.

If the barrel twist on the .22 isn’t at least in the fast range (around 1:17–1:18), it won’t stabilize the heavier ammo that makes .22 competitive at distance. In that case, the .25 is the clear pick.

 

[Murfdurf82]

I finalized it. The 25 cal.

 

[Pumacarl]

I finalized it. The 25 cal.

That makes sense since you are already modifying a Liberty .22. Plus you'll have less to do to a .25 to get it to shoot great. Good luck!

 

[duchunter007]

I finalized it. The 25 cal.

You will be happy with the .25!!

 

[Murfdurf82]

So I received the Max 1 Friday evening. It's been cold. I aired up to 260 bar and let it sit. It was down to 230 bar today. I figured the poppet may need seating, so I aired back up to 260-270 bar. I ran outside swiftly and did a quick chrono of factory settings. It's 10 degrees here so I made it fast and brought the rifle back in. shot 3 pellets/slugs on the chrono. 38 gr H & N slug (4) fps 912-909, 33 gr apolo slug (4) fps 959-952, 10 shots of H & N 30.86 pellet fps 986-974. It's just what I have for heavy 25 cal pellets and slugs at the moment. I'd like to figure out how to adjust the regulator and hammer spring. The regulator is 210-220 bar and I haven't had much experience with this rifle and how to adjust. No manual from snowpeak website.