.177-.20-or .22

[Anschutz]

If you know your limits the 177 will be great for what you are describing. You already have some 22s so with the cheaper cost of 177s that would do great for paper punching. I used to use my Anschutz for squirrels and rabbits out to 20 yards or so. Took off the target sights (sometimes) and put a scope on it. I always used match wadcutter pellets for shooting squirrels mostly raiding my grandmother's birdfeeders. At the slow speed of the Anschutz, you need to be precise with location so it was always a headshot for me. You'd think pointed pellets but they weren't as accurate and that flat head really makes the pellet expand when it hits home. Now I have a Benjamin Gas Piston gun in .22 cal and it may not be as accurate but the pellet is almost twice as heavy and is a little more forgiving.
-Anschutz

[grizzlyadams]

i tend to use a .22 the most. i have a few .177 for plinking and targets. For predator hunting , i use several .25 caliber pcp guns, mostly from air force. I do all of my small game and predator hunting with airguns. This year NY has a proposal on the books for big game as well, and i have several big bore airguns suitable for deer

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Just got my first .22 pellet gun and side by side I prefer it to the .177 for plinking. The heavier pellets give a more satisfying twack when the hit steel cans and the pellets are easier to handle. Crosman Premiers are the same price at Walmart.

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I started out with a Crosman when I was 8, it was .177, had a smooth bore and for me was useless. When I was 10, I bought a Sheridan Blue Streak and "oh my God, my life changed." At the end of the first summer that I had that rifle, my father made me dig a hole deep enough to bury the pile of dead black birds (1 foot deep and 3 feet in diameter) I had shot because of the stink. I kept my shots to no more than 30 yards and that 5mm pellet did all that I wanted and it gave me about 11 lbs of ME. Many years later I bought a "springer" a FWB 124. While it was a pleasure to shoot it lacked the killing power of a .20cal. The FWB died on me while I was stationed in California and Beeman replaced it with, at my request a then newly released R-1. It only was out in .177 and for the next 15 years it pulled it's weight from starlings to pigeons to jackrabbits with the longest recorded shot on a ground squirrel cleanly taken at 68 yards and a crow at 72 yards. I took jackrabbits in the desert at out to 52 yards cleanly with that rifle in .177. After my EAS I returned to my city dwelling and found that while I could take various game (pigeons and ferrel cats) out to 30 yards the neighbors weren't happy with finding dead birds in their roses. I bought a .22 caliber barrel for the R-1, tuned it up with a stronger spring and have had it on the rifle since '97.

I own a farm now and the R-1, in .22 cal, has taken dozens of coons, opposums, crows and a few skunks. I get about 840 fps with a 14.3gr Crosman pellet. Now my hunting air rifle is an Evanix .25 cal with about 47-48 lbs of energy. I have taken two ferrel cats, at my neighbors request and three muskrats with it to date with it and I have to say it is the hammer of Thor. One shot through the skull at thirty yards and the cats were DOA within 2 to 3 seconds. I shot the muskrats at 63 yards, in their heads and they did the dead mans float in my pond. Yutes are my next target.

The .22 with enough velocity is a top notch stopper. The .177 cal can be a good hunting cal but you have to place the shot carefully and frankly the .22 goes into the animal larger than the .177 will ever expand to. My R-1 (after it had been tuned) gives me 18 lbs of ME in .177 cal. In .22 it gives me about 23 lbs of ME. And the .25 just crushes them with 47 to 48 lbs of ME. Caliber choice should depend on use, the rifles accuracy and the shooters ability.

[trebor44]

I have both a pistol and rifle in .177. The pistol has been used extensively for pest control from feathers to fur, small to medium size. Both are springers and shots are less than 30 yards. Disposal head shots are at 'touching' range (live traps). I think for hunting I would prefer a .22 or larger, depending on the species and range. The neat thing about the pistol is that it will take both pellets (accurate) and BB,s. I load two BB,s at a time to 'discourage' some un-welcomed feathers at my feeders. Doesn't harm them but does keep them away.

[jh45gun]

177 works fine with today's powerful rifles and for those that say bullet placement is everything that goes for what ever you shoot. Today we have a lot more pellet choices too and easy ways to get them. Much info today I think is much repeated info from the times we didn't have as powerful of choices or pellet choices. My Nitro Venom shoots 10.5 and13+ grain pellets just fine. Those 13 + grain ones are approaching 22 cal weight.

[PerpetualStudent]

if you've got a stable of .22's and are looking to add a paper puncher in a different caliber, I think the .177 is what you want.

If the .20 can do either (I have no experience with it) that's great but not what you need. You have the .22s, add a .177 and you have your paper puncher. Feeding 2 calibers so you can have one jack of all trades and a pest control makes less sense to me than feeding 2 calibers and having a dedicated paper puncher and a dedicated pest control tool. If you were only having 1 air gun I'd look longer at the .20 but in your shoes I'd just have 2 calibers optimized for their purposes.

[Mad Jack]

I've stoned 100's of cotton tail rabbits with my Beeman .177 vintage early 80's rifle. It was a break action spring piston type. I found that rifle to be way more efficient killing rabbits than either .22lr or shotgun of any gauge. Squirrels dropped instantly too for the most part. They may get 10 - 20 feet away before dropping. I used both pointed and flat nosed quality pellets. Range was typical rabbit distances. Damn that rifle loaded my freezer with quail too.

I am tinkering with getting a air rifle again. So much has changed. I am also debating what caliber to get and was leaning .22 but that old Beeman .177 was DEADLY.

[victorfox]

As firearms have strong regulation in Brazil and ammo is also very expensive, I found myself shooting more airgins than firearms. I have both the .177 and the .22. While the small .177 have killed a lot of pests I usually grab the bigger.22 for such work. .177 is also cheaper to shoot (about 2x the pellets for same price). Have no experience with a .20, they don't exist here but we have an uncommon beast. A 6mm (.236) break open. It goes about 1000fps lots of power not much accuracy. this is because law restriction to airguns bigger than 6mm. I'd love to add a .25 Hatsan to my armory but it won't be possible. Love both calibers but I was already happy when I had only the .177.