Since then I’ve tested airguns from Winchester, GAMO, Crosman, Benjamin, Sig Sauer, Ruger, Walther, Springfield… and now I’m sponsored by UMAREX. I learned a lot along the way. Like what types of airguns and pellets are most accurate. And how various guns must be held for best accuracy.
In the hopes of preventing you from becoming disillusioned by the wrong airgun and giving up like I nearly did, I’m going to write a nine-part series of airgun articles that should speed up your learning curve and help you become an effective airgunner quickly. Believe me, you don’t want to struggle through the way I did.
The first big decision is which caliber should you buy? I started squirrel hunting with .177s. The next year I tried .22s and noticed it took 40% fewer shots for me to tumble a squirrel out of the tree. My .177’s have been collecting dust ever since. I’m sure some of you might argue that a .177 will penetrate deeper, since there’s less surface area, thus less friction. Sounds plausible. But after hunting with both and seeing the difference, I can assure you the .22 is deadlier. The .177s are fine for targets, practice shooting, and tiny pests like starlings and some ground squirrels, but go with a 22-caliber for small game hunting.
Source
Why Hunters Regress Back To Airguns — Ron Spomer Outdoors is written by Tom Claycomb for www.ronspomeroutdoors.com