Revisiting the question of caliber….

I take a quick look at my past comments on the best small game caliber, and where I stand as of 2023. Also tell you about an upcoming hunt!

I’ve been rethinking my position on what constitutes the best all-around small game caliber for airgun hunting, specifically using a PCP with now restriction on power. A few years ago, I wrote an article for the UK based Air Gunner magazine and said it was the .25 for me, because compared to a .22 it was better at longer range, provided better terminal performance, and went on to mention I think the too “much gun” argument doesn’t make too much sense to me.

This month I’m moving my regular column from Air Guner to the sister magazine Airgun World, which is arguably the best known and longest running airgun magazine in the world. And my inaugural issue will be taking a look at this caliber issue again. I won’t go into all the details, but in the end, I had the .25 and .30 running neck to neck. It comes down to your hunting needs, I think at longer range I have a preference for .25, but if I’m sharing duty time with predator hunting, I have a preference for the .30. Overall, for most airgun hunters focusing on small game, I still think the .25 edges out the .30 if you could only have one gun…… though I find that difficult to understand…. one gun, really??

I’m heading out on a hunting trip in a couple weeks, travelling down to Texas to do a javalina/predator/rabbit hunt on my friend Trent’s ranch. Also meeting up with my long-time hunting buddy Chacho and his dad, one of the best camp chefs I’ve ever met. I remember shooting a feral Spanish goat early one afternoon, and by dinner it was grilled, shredded, and turned into one of the best stews I’ve had, replete with the absolute best homemade salsa I’ve had.

A very exciting aspect of this hunt is that I will have the Western Rattler .357 with me, and it will be my first opportunity to use this semi-auto on a hunt and can’t wait! For at least part of the hunt, I’ll mount my ATN IR or Thermal scopes on it for some nighttime predator hunting, but also will go bigger on javalina if I can coax 215 fpe out of it. Will also do some rabbit hunting and with it and will have video up on my channel soon afterwards.

As 2023 gets underway, I am looking forward to getting back in the field. I had a run in with Covid that pretty much wiped out my hunting season last year, but I’m healthy, happy, and getting ready to make up for it this year! Hope you all come along for the ride!