Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game air rifle vs. squirrel

It seems that the only time I can find squirrels in the woods is when I'm carrying the deer rifle. However, they rule my yard here in the city limits. Even though the cop next door has moved, I'm still not sure the pop of my 22 will go unnoticed. What type of velocity is needed from a pellet gun to effectively and humanely dispatch squirrel-sized animals? Will the same air rifle be too much for popping the hindquarters of the neighborhood mutt trying to violate my chocolate lab?

Thanks for any input. . .

What has worked great for me is a Sheridan CO2 a regular Sheridan pump, a Beeman R1 .177, what has not worked was a Beeman 600 match rifle with flat (match) pellets. Beeman also use to sell a felt "cleaning" pellet that would sting a dog pretty good without a cruel chunk-o-lead in the can.

NC35Rem;

I'm a BIG fan of the little CCI and Remington .22 Short CBs. As quiet as an air rifle out of a good singleshot .22, and much more effective (killed 4 groundhogs just last summer with them; all between 35 and 50 yards).

Wouldn't recommend shooting a dog with them, though, unless you want to kill it.

BTW - where in Carolina?

Wanting to kill it, and realizing that I shouldn't are two distinct "emotions". . .

With the exception of about five years in the "mountains" of NC, I've always been from the Sandhills. Hamlet, Rockingham, and now Laurinburg. . .

Did I read on another post that you're about to be a Carolinian?

Howdy!

I'm here in Asheville.

I'd recommend getting some bb caps for your 22lr.

ONE shot and the neighbors go "hmm was that a shot?" and no more is thought about it.

TWO shots, and you may have trouble.

Yep, exactly on the CB loads.

And, yep, coming to Carolina. Greensboro area. ASAP (as in as soon as I find a freakin' job...)

My experience with the CB long loads is that in my Remington pump rifle, they were quiter than my Gamo .177 air rifle. Accuracy was very good within reasonable range.

However...

The bullet in the CB loads is far heavier and will carry considerably farther than a .177 pellet.

The felt cleaning pellets are still available, but I haven't tested yet to see how effective they would be on the hindquarters of a dog.

I have killed crows at 25 yards or so with the .177 pellets and the CB long .22s.

All of this may be irrelevant, if you want to stay out of trouble. What do your local ordinances say about shooting in city limits?

Almost forgot..I have thumped a few squirrels with a slingshot, shooting a reclaimed buckshot ball, found at the local range after the police did a qualify shoot. The backstop had POUNDS of buckshot at the base of the dirt backstop. Not as exciting as a new R1 but very sporting...not for use in the city, however. A piece of 1/2 inch long piece of carrot (a vegtable eaten by non-hunters) sling-shoted in the rump will wise up a dog too, and it is bio-degradeable.

An RWS 48 in .22, loaded with serious pellets from Beeman for example, will do the business on backyard squirrels. It will be way too much for discouraging dogs though.

I had a CB round lodge in the barrel. Had I not been pointing the rifle at the ground I'd have never seen it.
I'm careful with them now.
I have to admit they are as quiet as an air rifle.

CCI short CBs in a Ithaca 49 saddlegun worked good for me when I lived in town,even had neighbors see me & they thought it was a pellet gun.

The cb shorts out of a long bbl are very silent. The next best thing to NO sound is the Colibri 22s They are no powder just primer powered and are great for close range silent pest control. I buy them by the brick..--Jim--

Some tips for "in-town" hunting. First, get yourself some CB longs for long rifles, or shorts for short chambered guns. They both have the same charge, the brass length is the only difference. Second, while silencers are illegal in the US, a "non-attached" baffle is perfectly okay. I make a frame about a foot in front of my shooting table, which I set back a few feet from an open window. This will result in absolutely NO sound of the shot being transmitted in recognizable form to the outdoors. In fact, I can shoot from the room next to where the wife is taking a nap, and not even disturb her.

This is a great solution for dealing with lawn lions, porch panthers, and cheek cheetahs. Just make sure your terminal effects are either concealed, or can be explained away by something else, like the animal expiring on a road, or in a yard with a dog in it.

P.S., not like I have any experience doing this.

Silencers are not illegal.

Silencers can be bought, possessed, and used by any person willing to apply for, receive, and pay for the ATF permit (about $200, IIRC).

The non-attached baffle, however, is a smashing idea. It'd be good for cabin-outfitting, too, where you might want to zap a couple of pesky squirrels, but not spook the deer nearby (get those later... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ).

Another vote for the CB's. They're quiet and effective. The velocity is about 700 fps, which can be easily exceeded by the more expensive pellet guns - some of them produce velocities in excess of 1000 fps, close on the heels of regular 22 loads.

To answer your original question, I would think that 500 fps or so would be a reasonable minimum for squirrels if you kept the range to 20 yards or less. Otherwise, I'd rather have 700 fps as a minimum.

New guy here, have many years experience with air rifles as a competition shooter, hunter, and gunsmith. if you step up to a higher quality air rifle they will be quieter. Also keep the velocity below 800-850 in .177 and below 700 in .22 and they will be much quieter. Your RWS and Gamo units tend to be louder unless tuned. "Sound moderators" on air rifles are legal as long as they cannot be adapted to firearms. I have .22 CB caps and a well tuned R-1 in .22 with a Vortec moderator and the R-1 is definetly quieter and will reach out at longer distances with greater accuracy. By the way the velocity estimates in your post are right on the money Thanks for letting me put in my two cents worth.

KenR

I probably shot 5,000 or more pellets out of my R1 in .177 in a Charlotte NC backyard with uptight neighbors on all sides. My deck was hidden from view by our house and garage, and trees on the other side. many many starlings died from that deck and my cats learned to retreave and feast. A cheap daisy pump up was louder.

I agree...CB loads. Sub Sonic round, and not even as loud as a hefty CO2 pellet gun. You can actually see the projectile in flight. They will shoot thru and thru a squirrel...wouldn't recommend for dogs.