I will disagree with the poster above who states the .177 has a limited range compared to the .22. I have taken countless squirrels with both .177 and .22. A .177 at 12 or 13 ft-lbs (830+ fps with CPLs) will cleanly take squirrels out past 40 yards. It's all about shot placement. I've never had a critter complain that the hole in it's head is too small. I used to have a .25 Beeman Crow Magnum. I had lots of wounded critters run off with that gun because I had too much faith in the power and caliber, and I was sloppy about shot placement. Moving to .177 forced me to take more careful shots and the faster pellet gives a a bit flatter trajectory at longer ranges which makes the longer shots easier to place. (Less hold-over) Also, a well designed .177 domed pellet will carry it's energy down range just as well or better than a .22 pellet.
.22 will work great also, but in my opinion, .177 will do everything .22 will. Shot placement is what matters most. And if you ever want to dabble in field target, .177 has an advantage due to flatter trajectory and the smaller pellet has a better chance of fitting in the kill zone. I don't shoot birds much, but a friend of mine who does lots of farm pest control was just telling me how the .177 seems to work much better on birds probably since it penetrates the feathers better. A benefit of .22, though, is that the bigger frontal area puts a heavier smack on plinking targets like cans and apples.
In either caliber, a 34 is a 40+ yard squirrel gun all day, every day.
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Dan (in NY)
Thanks for the response. I asked the other poster a question about the MV of the 34 .22 cal. I was concerned with the power for hunting because of the lower velocity. I know that it's considerably less than the advertised 800fps. Have you hunted with one or know someone who has?
I am waiting for a order of other pellets so these are the only results I have at the moment. This is with a Factory spring.
Hobby 11.9
731
736
729
733
737
736
734
727
712
726
737 hi
712 lo
730 avg
25 sprd
7 sd
14.08ft-lb
Silver Sting 15.74
670
664
664
664
668
666
664
660
670
662
670 hi
660 lo
665 avg
10 sprd
3 sd
15.46ft-lb
Silver Bear 12.65
748
749
745
739
757
758
736
743
742
746
758 hi
736 lo
746 avg
22 sprd
7 sd
15.64ft-lb
I bought my son a RWS34/.22 and he has shot snowshoe hares and porcupines with one shot .Porkies need to be headshot but gravity takes over after.The .177 requires pinpiont accuracy but I've killed game up to skunk size with headshots..................Harold
I've done lots of hunting with a BSA Lightning XL in .22 which is very comparable to RWS34 power. I killed many, many, red squirrels with that gun. I shot it like it was a .177, though, placing my shots carefully, making no exception for the larger caliber. It wasn't a good squirrel gun because it was .22, it was a good squirrel gun because it was accurate.
My current go to hunting rifle is an R9 shooting 840fps with a 7.9grain pellet last I checked (hopefully it'll be a little higher next time I check- just put a new seal in it.) It is surprising how much mileage one can get out of so "little" power. I routinely get complete pass-throughs on head shots, even at such "low" velocity. I usually try to avoid body shots since it beats up the meat, but a .177 punching through both lungs and/or the heart takes a small critter quick. I used to like the idea of a bigger caliber, but now I'm of the opinion that it just adds complexity by requiring more distance compensation.
It's really all personal preference. .22s are great. I have one. They are cool. Considering most of my hunting shots end up in the 15 to 30 yard range, the extra pellet drop isn't a big issue. They might even make a louder "Pop!" on impact. But in my opinion, for small game, .177 kills 'em just as dead and has better potential for accurately placing longer shots (40+ yards.) And like I said before, the smaller caliber is a better choice if you think you might try field target in the future. You really can't go wrong with wither choice.
Whatever you get, I'm sure you'll enjoy it,
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Dan (in NY)