22LR vs 22 Airgun

FISMA

Has anyone any practice shooting a 22 airgun outside?

I am wondering as to the ballistics and performance a quality 22 airgun would have in comparison to a 22LR.

I have a Diana RWS. Granted, she's no match target rifle like ye're shooting, however, she groups nice at 25ya.

The manufacturer claims 1100 fps max for 0.177 and 900fps in .22. Some of the 22LR's I have shot are also close to supersonic, so I am wondering how they would compare..

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly interested in how she would do at 50, 75, and maybe 100ya.

Slan

Sparks

The Field Target guys would use targets from 8m to 50m outside FISMA, but we don't see much field target in the republic (again, due to the licencing laws). I've tried shooting my air pistol outdoors - at 10m, no worries, at 25m it'll hit what you aim at but the pellet is travelling backwards by that point. Any further and I doubt it'd be accurate. I did try the air rifle outside once at 50m and it can hit the aiming mark of a 50m ISSF rifle target, but... let's be kind and say it doesn't give you single-hole groups anymore That's at 580fps (measured by chronograph), so the Diana might make a better job of it at range...

Goosie

FISMA wrote: »

Has anyone any practice shooting a 22 airgun outside?

I am wondering as to the ballistics and performance a quality 22 airgun would have in comparison to a 22LR.

I have a Diana RWS. Granted, she's no match target rifle like ye're shooting, however, she groups nice at 25ya.

The manufacturer claims 1100 fps max for 0.177 and 900fps in .22. Some of the 22LR's I have shot are also close to supersonic, so I am wondering how they would compare..

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly interested in how she would do at 50, 75, and maybe 100ya.

Slan

Hi Fisma,
I'm no target shooter and dont own a target air rifle but do shoot a lot with my Air Arms .22 pcp, outdoors, mainly vermin.
I have taken rats, rabbits, magpies, greycrows with it. Longest shot to date is an 80yd greycrow.
It is by far the most accurate 22 I have owned but range estimation is vital in a hunting situation due to the drops.

Shooting of a bipod prone it will do .25" to .5", basically one hole 5 shot groups @ 50 yds. At 100 .75 to 1" under good conditions.

I have it zeroed @ 40yds. At 50yds its .5 mil, 1" low and at 100 it hits about 4.5 mils low, approx 15".

A fill of air (200bar) will give me about 30 shots starting about 900fps, climbing up to 940 and then dropping back to about 900.

I have it almost 2yrs now and have put close on 3,000 pellets through it.....Loadsa trigger time, great fun and cheap to run.

FISMA

Thanks for the info lads...

Sparks wrote: »

That's at 580fps (measured by chronograph), so the Diana might make a better job of it at range...

The numbers I quoted 1100 and 900fps were from the manufacturer. I have no idea if she pull that off. I think the chrono is the way to go.

Sparks wrote: »

but... let's be kind and say it doesn't give you single-hole groups anymore

Point taken:o.

Single hole groups would be ideal. Hearing a plinking sound is what I am after!

Goosie wrote: »

Hi Fisma,
I'm no target shooter and dont own a target air rifle but do shoot a lot with my Air Arms .22 pcp, outdoors, mainly vermin.
I have taken rats, rabbits, magpies, greycrows with it. Longest shot to date is an 80yd greycrow.

Thanks for all the info Goosie. I think the above about covers it.

15" at 100 ya sounds about right. Even when zeroed at 50ya, I still cannot believe the drop a 22LR has at 100ya.

Thanks again for the help lads.

Slan.

Sparks

FISMA wrote: »

The numbers I quoted 1100 and 900fps were from the manufacturer. I have no idea if she pull that off. I think the chrono is the way to go.

True, but I wouldn't be shocked if they were on the money there. My air rifle is limited to 7.5J don't forget, the diana's would be limited to around twice that.

Point taken:o.
Single hole groups would be ideal. Hearing a plinking sound is what I am after!

You really do want to google Field Target Air Rifle so...

FISMA

Sparks wrote: »

My air rifle is limited to 7.5J don't forget, the diana's would be limited to around twice that.

Why the limit Sparks? Is this competition rules? Please don't tell me there's a legal limit for the air rifle licensing.

It wasn't me!

FISMA wrote: »

Why the limit Sparks? Is this competition rules? Please don't tell me there's a legal limit for the air rifle licensing.

No, but the rest of Europe tends to operate a 7.5J limit for muzzle energy for the purpose of keeping airguns unlicensed, so any of the German rifles you'll see being used in competition have a stamp on them to indicate that they're regulated to less than this. It's to keep airguns completely unrestricted, rather than by the rules of the competition. There's no need for more anyway.

tac foley

In UK, home of many upper-level air rifle manufacturers, the limits are as follows -

Air/gas-powered rifle - up to 12 ft lbs m/e with the pellets tested.

Air/gas-powered pistol - up to 6 ft lbs m/e with the pellets tested.

As you might surmise, the use of different pellets can give performance levels OVER 12 ft lbs, in which case you are breaking the law and liable to a mighty fine or even imprisonment for being in possession of an illegal arm with a licence.

Anything above these figure of 12 and 6 ft lbs m/e on mainland UK requires a firearms licence just like a cartridge firearm does.

In Northern Ireland ALL air/gas-powered guns - rifle and pistol regardless of their power, require a firearms certificate, just as though they were a .338LM hunting rifle.

tac

bazza888

i always wanted a pcp airrifle or a breakbarrel,but with the pcp as you shoot and the air starts to get low will your point of impact be changing with each shot or is it regulated some way to stop that?

Sparks

bazza888 wrote: »

i always wanted a pcp airrifle or a breakbarrel,but with the pcp as you shoot and the air starts to get low will your point of impact be changing with each shot or is it regulated some way to stop that?

Any of the target PCP rifles will have a regulator to stop that.

bazza888

more the hunting type pcp i mean sparks,would they be regulated?

Sparks

The higher-end ones are bazza, but it's definitely an optional feature on hunting airguns rather than the standard kit it would be on target airguns.

bazza888

so on the hunting guns your point of impact will change alot depending on how full the air resevoir is or not?thats not great so

Goosie

bazza888 wrote: »

so on the hunting guns your point of impact will change alot depending on how full the air resevoir is or not?thats not great so

POI will change allright but not really a lot. At say 75yds, which is probably above the max range for a hunting gun youre looking @ +/- .5" incremental over 30 shots.........wind would have a far greater effect.
Ive done a fair bit of chronying and am getting approx a 40fps spread over 30 shots
Ive also chronied some WMR and HMR ammo and the spread has been up to 100fps first to second shot, though they do seem to settle down a bit on subsequent shots.

wolfsshadow

a mate of mine has a uk .22 12ft lbs hunting pcp air rifle ( i have a springer) it is regulated, most have been for some time, i've seen him shoot rabbits at 60 yrds allowing for 6" drop, thats about as far as he would shoot rabbits any further and he's not sure the pellet would kill them, most manufacturers use really light pellets to give the fastest pellet velocity to impress customers but anything aster than 850 to 900 starts getting unstable usually goosie is getting good performance out of his but air arms are a very good rifle, pellets aren't the right shape for supersonic speeds (1030 ft per sec i think) so the closer to this speed the more unstable they become, some pellets suit a particular rifle better than others,