I'll probably catch heat for asking but why is .177 preferred over .22 for match/Olympic shooting?
A couple of searches didn't answer my question so I figured someone out there knows.
T
.177 vs .22
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The history I heard was that at one time European countries created laws stipulating the largest caliber for an airgun would be what is now (4.5mm or 0.117 inches) hence the modern airgun grew up around this regulation.
Where did this come from? Several hundred years ago there were large caliber airguns. Supposedly they were replacing the crossbow as the preferred means of offing your rivals, easier to carry, no smoke when fired, (thus pointing directly to where the shot came from) and still very quiet. To limit the damage that could be done with an air gun the countries limited the caliber.
That version of history may be somewhat romantic.
Earlier air rifles (1700s early 1800s) of larger (say 50 caliber) were somewhat fragile, difficult to manufacture and required an enormous amount of effort to pump up to working pressure. Smaller calibers required less pumping and the fragile, difficult to manufacture air tanks could be smaller. For some reason the relatively small 4.5mm became the default caliber.
Pick your favorite version of the history. Then the event grew up around rules that used equipment that was available.
'Dude
Where did this come from? Several hundred years ago there were large caliber airguns. Supposedly they were replacing the crossbow as the preferred means of offing your rivals, easier to carry, no smoke when fired, (thus pointing directly to where the shot came from) and still very quiet. To limit the damage that could be done with an air gun the countries limited the caliber.
That version of history may be somewhat romantic.
Earlier air rifles (1700s early 1800s) of larger (say 50 caliber) were somewhat fragile, difficult to manufacture and required an enormous amount of effort to pump up to working pressure. Smaller calibers required less pumping and the fragile, difficult to manufacture air tanks could be smaller. For some reason the relatively small 4.5mm became the default caliber.
Pick your favorite version of the history. Then the event grew up around rules that used equipment that was available.
'Dude