What format do you prefer for your small game gun: bolt, semi-auto, lever, pump, single shot ?

For me:
1. Bolt action
2. Single Shot

I like bolt or single shot. I tend.to take more time to make that 1st shot count. I would use a marlin 39 if I could find one i could afford. Never had the opportunity to use a pump. With shotguns same principle. I prefer single shots or doubles.

Rimfire: Browning BL22 lever
Shotgun: Mossberg 500 pump

My absolute favorite is my old Marlin M39A. It has a Williams aperture sight and small flat faced gold bead front. It's slim, light, accurate and handles perfectly.

How old are you since you’re using open sights?

59... I don't need glasses yet. Feel fortunate for that. I'm still able to kill them with my S&W K22 or Ruger MK III Hunter open sights handguns.

I grew up shooting rabbits and squirrels with my great grandfathers octagon barreled Rem mod 12. It had cool sights, probably something from Marbles, a rear tang mounted aperture sight and the front could flip from a bead to a bead in a ring. Loved hunting with that rifle. Now days I mostly hunt small game with a .32 muzzleloader.

savage 17 mach2

I use a single shotThompson Center Encore handgun with a 10" .410 barrel. I hunt cottontail with beagles and squirrels with my Black Mouth Cur with it.

I switch between several bolt, semi auto and lever action .22's and .22 mags. depending on what, where and how I'll be hunting. I like them all and can't really say I have a favorite.

My favorite small game rifle is my Marlin 1894 CL in 25-20 WCF. The bullet is bigger and heavier than a 22 so it really knocks those squirrels over well. Velocity is moderate so you don't get any meat damage. It has a fixed power Weaver K2.5.
My heavy barreled CZ 452 in 22 LR is my other favorite. It's incredibly accurate.

My bolt action is a Ruger 77/22 LR. The barrel is smooth, no open sights. It loves Remington Vipers &/or Yellow Jackets. With those rounds it will shoot very flat out to 85 yards.

The single shot is a Stevens Favorite, circa 1917. This gun literally looks fresh out of the box. It is a joy to behold for its age.

First would be my Remington 581 bolt followed by my Henry H001.

ruger 22/45 mod 3 with a bushnell red dot 50 yard head shots on tree rats

+1

Hunted swamp rabbits with beagles as a kid. This was my rabbit rig. My grip was more comfortable than the TC grip.

DF

I like this one for genl use. The pistol goes in my deer hunting pack for coons and squirrels. Same can fits both.

DF

When the shooting is hot and heavy (well populated gopher patch) I will go to my 10/22 with open sights. Extended range I like my savages, 17 HMR AND 22 mag.

CZ .17 HM2


CZ .22 Mag


10/22 (duh!)


Browning .22 Short


.22LR/.410


.22 Mag/20ga

Kimber Hunter 22LR

My auto loader kodiak 22 mag.

Favorite bolt gun, Cooper with Kahles 2-7 rimfire scope.

Hard to beat for quality and performance.

DF

Agree completely. Perfection.

My favorite lever gun. This one with a VX-2 3-9x40 with CDS set up for 38 gr. Federal Game Shok, 50 yd zero. This gun has a trigger stop and near match grade trigger. Fajan stock and my attempt at checkering as a youngster. Rosewood grip cap.

DF

And, then there's my 29" barreled .22LR CZ 2500 with Leupold Compact 3-9x33 A/O EFR with Timney trigger.

Long barrel is really quiet without can. Not as accurate as the Cooper, but close.

Ugly wood. Looks better painted.

DF

My favorites
1. 16 gauge Ithaca 37 deluxe ribbed with barrel threaded for choke tubes.
2. Old Win 69A with Lupy 1.5x5
3. Cz 452 American with Lupy 3x9

22LR in a Mossberg 151M - B
1953 birthday gift from Mom and Dad.
The small game has been about everything from barn flies on the barn door to whitetail buck. Along with other game has been grasshoppers in the field, frogs, starlings, pigeons, partridges, squirrels, chipmunks, snowshoe rabbits, fox, tame rabbits, raccoons, fisher, cats, cows (beefers), bats, woodchucks, bees (in the nest), chickens, snakes, weasel, crows, chicken hawke, owl, barn swallows, trout, muskrats, beaver, a goat. Probably other species that I don't remember. My parents were not aware of everything this farm boy shot. For about two years I was shooting about a brick per month. Most of the above were before I turned 16.

Usually a .22 bolt gun but next squirrel season I'd like to get my Henry H001 .22 lever gun out. Been having a lot of fun with it and it hasn't been hunting yet.

i have a Ruger 77-22 S.S. with that weird black plastic stock,that makes it look like a toy rifle. but i like to use this rifle it doesn`t rust easy and i have 3 rotary 10-shot clips for it so it loads and unloads very easy.the other reason is i don`t want to wreck my Marlin 39A`s those are just used with tender lovin care.

My Marlin Mountie is hands down my favorite.

AWC suppressed 10/22.

Damn Mackay. Is that a booner jack? Sucker is huge

My favorite shown first with vermin and in its latest form.

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And now.

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Not much here on the Winchester 9422. I have never owned or even handled a Marlin 39.

How do the two compare?

9422 much smoother, and less trouble... I have shot 39's all my life, still have two.. They are great, the 94 is awesome..

rimfire for small game its my 77/22. shotgun would be my 870LW 20 gauge.

I’ve been craving a savage 24 in .22/410

CZ 452 22LR with a 3x9 Weaver rimfire. Or a Browning Auto5 12 gauge.

The 9422 is a great rifle,I still got tears over selling mine years ago.

I just am finishing up my small game 10/22 project. It’s a 10/22 sporter deluxe with the 22” stainless barrel, BX trigger group, and a Leupold 4X rimfire scope. I’ll post some pics when I get it finished up.

1. H&R single shot 20 ga.
2. Old Savage single shot .22 (crazy accurate)
3. Henry .22 carbine

Kimber .22LR Hunter with a Burris 3x9x40 rimfire scope. Classy and accurate.

Rifles are usually a 10/22 or 77/22 both with Leupold scopes. Shotguns are whatever i drag out that day Winchester model 12s in 12 or 16 or older Wingmaster 870s in 20, 16 or 12

rifle is 77/22. shotgun is 870LW 20 gauge

Winchester 1300 Walnut in 20 gauge.


Dan

I dunno. Usually the one closest to the front of the locker? Bolt, SS, lever, semi auto.....

I've shown this one before, but my favorite woods walking, small game gun is a family heirloom. Marlin '94 25-20 shooting cast 89 gr plain based NOE 260283 at just under 1300 fps using 9.2 gr 4198. Williams 5D rear, fiber optic front sights aid these old eyes in hitting what I'm aiming at.

squirrels are a bit harder to hit so I usually end up with the Rem 582 I bought as a teenager 42 years ago. It still carries a Herters 4x rimfire scope, 1" dia. and still outshoots me.

Win.62 pump marbles tang sight for small game. Browning 53 in 32-20 for Woodchuck to Turkey.

The northern part of the Sagebrush Sea grows 'em Big!






These are with a 5" .44 Magnum:

I hear they taste terrible, is this true?

Any cooking method that makes them taste better?

Great rifle! Super cool picture!!


X-VERMINATOR

For tree squirrels, the 17HM2 in a bolt gun from Anschutz, Marlin, Remington, or Savage.

http://s410.photobucket.com/user/ea..._20161004_184329748_zpscbwbscnt.jpg.html

http://s410.photobucket.com/user/ea..._20161016_093824020_zpsk2a3bzxw.jpg.html

Marlin 39A lever gun for me...






Though I do have a few small bore bolt centerfires I am fond of.

Sorry fellers, but i guess i'm going to have to be THAT guy...
I prefer my 12 gauge

This is a current .22 that I'm using this squirrel season. It's a Ruger American Rimfire, with a Nikon P3 EFR on board.

Somewhere in the middle of all those guns I have a daily favorite. They are not sighted in for MOA but for MOR (Minute Of Rabbit)...

Yoy hunted Rabbits with .44 mag. How was that like ?

cz 452 22lr for squirrels or a 10/22. 20ga wingmaster for rabbits. our squirrel season has been open for a month. i think i'd rather hunt squirrels with a 22 more than anything except elk. been retired for a long time, so i squirrel hunt most mornings for 2-3 hours, until it starts to heat up.

Rifle: Marlin bolt action .22Mag
Shotgun: Stevens side by side 16ga

My Annie's and S&W K22's and S&W Mod. 41's.

Win 9422 and 9422M for "walk about" guns.

The Marlin 39A & M gets shot a lot also.

Of course, the S&W Mod 63 is always with me.

Kimber Hunter 22 is my favorite. Squirrel season starting in a few days here in Alabama.

Same here. It is the gun I learned to hunt with as a child. My father gave it to my brother, and the Browning A5 came to me.
The savage 24 or my Glenfield model 60 .22lr would be my small game choice.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...14100861/glenfield-model-60#Post14100861

Had two or three of those myself. It was kind of like a rite of passage in my neck of the woods. The only gun stores were Sears & Western Auto.

Very popular guns, they made more than 12 million of them. Mine is the higher capacity version. I still have the original Glenfield scope, but replaced it due to no longer being able to see much through it, except in bright light.

been really enjoying my win 320. 2-7 leupold rimfire on it. More accurate than my cz 455. Get compliments on it every time I take it out.

I haven't used it for hunting yet, but I did just get a blow dart gun that I want to try out this fall

That was a sleeper that few people even knew about. Great rifle.

My favorite is my new model T Bolt in .22 LR

Part of the beauty of small game hunting is the ability to do it with pretty much whatever you have handy. Rimfire, shottie, air rifle, CF, rock lock, whatever. The seasons are so long, you can use them all in turn. :-)

I really like my 22s.
I have several. Some with scopes and some without.
I like the iron sights under clear skies but when it's cloudy I use one with a scope.

A Westley-Richards Martini in originally .310. Now my own "wildkitten cartridge" best described as an 8mm/.32-20. 125 gr wheelweight semi flatpoint mold with 3.5 gr of Red Dot or Bullseye for 970 fps. Home built California sights with a 150 yd folding leaf. This Cadet, I have reason to believe, by external pitting was stored on the floor of the English Channel for many years before it found it's way to me. But, the bore is more than acceptable, possibly because of the beeswax lube used back in the day. Pressed back into service during the great rimfire panic a few years ago, I found it far exceeding the .22 in performance past 100 yard mark, generally stopping any jackrabbit charge, and once or twice saving my life when charged by a tender young
grouse.

Shotgun. Ithaca/SKB 100 20g. 26” imp/mod
Rifle Marlin 1894CL 218 Bee

Having 18 rimfires to choose from they all get taken for a walk every squirrel season. Favorite is whatever floats my boat that day.

Swift

Swift, are there that many squirrels in Pa..??? Last I hunted there may 4 years ago, never saw one..

Where I go there are !

Swift

22 Lr and 22 WMR, looking to add a nice wood and blued browning T bolt to my collection soon.

For squirrels, I like my little CZ Bobwhite in .410...



...or my Marlin 39 shooting Remington Subsonics.

Love the M39 pic... nice job on that.

I use this Ruger 77/17 M2 around the house & fields.....Lilja barrel

The 17 M2 cartridge is just plain amazing....fast...quiet and deadly

All this talk of Marlin 39's....that would be my second choice........

Here's one of mine in pic 2

Pretty sporty shooting with a 642..

For squirrels with a 22 its my winchester 52 sporter with leupold 3x9 efr, it will now be my tikka 16" t1x with a can and leupold 6.5x20 efr, with a shotgun winchester 42 pigeon grade or parker vh grade double in 410, in bad weather remington 870 in 410

My favorite squirrel rig is a Kimber Hunter .22 bolt action rifle with a Burris 3x9 rimfire scope.

Marlin .22 mag bolt action with Leupold 3x9. Everything I point this $129 dollar (many years ago) death ray at ends up getting killed. Browning Sweet 16 for the other days.

Any small caliber firearm that will get the job done properly.

My favorite, mentioned earlier but no picture; Kimber Hunter 22, Burris mounts, Leupold VX1 2-7x33mm scope.

very early Model 24 that my grandfather owned and he died in 1968....

it was his favorite squirrel and rabbit gun.. as his favorite two game animals, were squirrel and rabbits..

410 on the bottom and 22 LR on top....when he passed an I inherited it, the 22 barrel was shot out...

when I squirrel hunted with it back in MN, .410 shells were like $4.00 for a box of 25...

use to cook up squirrel in a casserole of it and wild rice...spice it up with Worcestershire Sauce...
that sure was some good eatin...

that old 410 was quite the small game getter... in 25 yds putting out a pattern about the size of a garbage can lid...

the 22 on top... you couldn't hit a barn at 25 yds with it...love the gun, and more so since it had belonged to my grandfather.

Addendum... after looking it on on Wiki, I guess what I have from my grandfather is one made by Stevens..which would have been made between 1938 and 1950.. supposedly he bought the gun before WW2, according to family members.. I also inherited an earlier Model 36 in 30/30 from him that was supposed to be pre WW 2 also...

I have the single shot version of it-the Win model 310. It is certainly an accurate rifle (CCI standard velocity 22 LR). Nice size, and great build quality. I have a Bushnell Banner straight 1" tube 4 x scope on it.

Crossman 2100. Does a number on the backyard rabbits, doves, quail, grackles, pigeons, and ground squirrels.

For squirrel I use a current production Browning T Bolt left hand model.
For rabbits my favorite is an Ithaca 37 20 gauge pump/

A Marlin Model 39D Dad bought me (Santa) when I was 13, and a close second is an heirloom Springfield 16 gauge single shot shotgun that used to belong to my Great Uncle Roscoe McDuffy. It was made in 1912 and he helped feed his family with it during the Great Depression. Dad used it in the 1940s when he was in college near their farm.

Marlin bolt action, detachable magazine Model 780 .22LR or XT-22M .22WMR, depending upon how I'm feeling that day and what I plan on shooting at!

The input here has been great. Not hard to get a man talking about their favorite small game guns.

Out of curiosity, before I have even studied on it, can a Ruger 77/22 be switched to a 17 caliber something with just a simple change of barrel?

Green Mountain used to sell drop-in barrels for the 77/22 and 96/22 in 17HMR and 17HM2. Shortly after the 17HMR and 17HM2 were introduced people started to rework 96/17 barrels from GM for their 10/22 Magnums and 10/22s. I bought four or five of them and reworked a couple for 10/22s and a couple for Savage 93s and Mark IIs. I think that GM may have stopped making these barrels because so many people were modifying them for 10/22s and they didn't want to deal with the potential for product liability suits.

The only small game I hunt is ruffed grouse and that is a browning citori 725 12 gauge.

Now my 22's get used for model 39 or cz 452, but it tends to be the rem 512 single shot or the westernfield ss shot. These tend to be in the pickup when I go to the farm so thats whey they get more vermin.My nice 22's tend to be plinkers or range guns.

my 10 ga double .

For squirrels, a CZ 452 .22 with Lewey VX2 2-7x33. For everything else, a Beretta AL-2 20 ga.

Savage 24 22lr/410, win 69a, benjamin pump .22. Closest thing we have for small gam here are mongoose and feral chickens.

I killed a lot of squirrels as a kid with a Benjamin Pump 22 air rifle. It was a lot of fun.

I may have a new "favorite" soon. It's one I have been working on for 8 years now, and I finally have it built but have not started the finish work on wood or metal work yet.
It's a 28 caliber flintlock. I really hope it shoots well. I will use about 10 grains of 3F Black powder and a .272" ball. Zeroed at 25 yards I expect it will not have a lot of range past maybe 50 at the most, but it should be a LOT of fun to shoot cottontails with in December and January.

very nice

My favorite small game gun is a compact, multi-purpose gun that is always with me for thousands of miles of canoeing and dog mushing:

Sp 101 "Parka Pistol".

1. 180 grain A-frame/1200 fps load for bear protection when camp is full of moose and/or caribou. Moose protection when on trails with dog team. Moose are super grumpy in winter when startled by dogs.

2. Ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare and beaver.
158 grain speer tmj/1000 fps.

Even though I'm currently without one, always liked the build and feel of the 101. Nice.

Savage Model 24, 22lr on top 20ga on the bottom. Such a great bunny gun. Running shots with the 20 and head shots with the 22 if the hold. Big fan of the single shots for small game.

How many more days until Sept 1, feels like it will never get here.

Too many.

By far my Ultra Light Arms Model 20 RF, lefty single shot. For the last twenty three years it’s been nothing but an excellent squirrel rifle.

No one favorite. Many I like to use:

CZ 452 American (22 LR)
marlin 880 SQ. (22 LR)
Winchester 310 (22 LR)
Rem 540XR (22 LR)
S&W m-14 full lug. (38 special wadcutters)
Beeman HW77. (.177 pellet under lever air rifle,)

Current favorite is Marlin 782 22 Magnum topped with a 4x Leupold. For years I would have nothing to do with a 22 magnum but now that I can hunt feral hogs and small game at the same time I find it a perfect dual use rifle. It shoots the CCI and Fiocci 40 gr. FMJ's right at an inch most of the time at 100 yards and will with head shots take hogs out easily. The other option, a shotgun is limited by regulations to #2 shot max and I like 6's for squirrels so the rifle is already loaded for the possible hog appearance and the shotgun with #2 shot is not a top hog load and I would have to switch from a load of 6's in the chamber to the #2's before I could shoot. On the other hand the place has to be the Water Moccasin capitol of the world so sometimes I take the shotgun anyway.

lots of great pictures and stories here. As I was reading the replies, I noticed I have some of the same favorites. I have a plain jane CZ452 that's accurate as heck, a 10/22 with all the kidd accessories, leupold 2-7, silencerco sparrow, etc, but my all-time favorite is still the gun I grew up carrying in the woods alongside my dad, the remington nylon 66... lightweight, accurate enough, and beat up to the point that I don't worry about being a little rougher with it than I would the others.

I use a 10-22 with red dot and a SKB M100 20ga IC/M.

Tough question... if you forced me to pick only one, probably my Anschutz 64 topped with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14X40mm EFR. But I use many different rifles and shotguns. My favorite shotgun is a Browning BSS Sporter 20 gauge that I had threaded for thin wall chokes... when we do our annual NorOnt upland/walleye trip, I bring the Anschutz or a Ruger 77/22 (stainless/walnut) and the BSS 20 gauge... it is a mixed bag of ruffed, spruce and sharptail grouse... limits every day, of both grouse and walleye... we eat good!

@T_Inman, I know this post is OLD, but man... What's that rear sight you got on there. That's sexy.

Looks like a Skinner...

Good guess MOGC but it is actually a XS Ghost Ring, though I'd have zero reservation with a Skinner.

Marlin 39 XS

I have an XS Ghost Ring on a Marlin 1895 .45-70, a Skinner on a 336 .30-30 and a Williams Fool Proof on a M39A. For some reason that looked like my Skinner. Either way, they are all good! Love an aperture sighted lever gun.

What kind of accuracy are you seeing with that combination Tin? Certainly looks svelte.


Hands down my favorite chicken gun is Mathews Switchback XT. Stuffing a 100 grain Judo through a ruffie or snowshoe hare is definitely satisfying.

My favorite small game gun is the Stevens 22/410 my dad bought around 1950. I can't imagine the number of critters this gun has put on the table for my family over the years. Off hand between dad and I , I can remember it taking rabbits, squirrles, a few skunks foxes,grouse,doves,quail,pheasants,ducks a couple of geese ( Prior to non toxic shot rules of course) and 1 turkey. And lots of wood chucks. Dad has been gone for 30 years now but I still feel his presence every timetable the old gun out, and it still kills everything I want it to just fine. These days my kids all enjoy it too, they love the stories of their grandpa they never met.

Marlin 39A Golden Mountie

Good question. I honestly don't know.
I've never actually shot that rifle at a target, besides a random beer can to make sure it was on, then started killing stuff. I bought it used with that peep and front sight.

I have several, The K22 by KDF or the Mauser 201, same rifle, a Sako Quad, and a 581 Rem. I turned into a custom.

The Sako


The Mauser


The KDF



And the Rem.

Savage mk2, bolt.

Nice guns!

Glad I came back to have another read on this thread. Still getting used to the campfire forum and don't see "alerts" for responses to threads. Anyway... I would have never figured it for an XS Sight, being so low profile and rounded like that. If I hadn't of just paid too much for a Lyman 56MC, I think this would have been the one. Guess I gotta' get me another 39. That's a sweet looking setup.

My little Remington 410 pump has been a great squirrel & rabbit getter!

Now that is funny!!

PennDog

p.s. must be a heck of a shot with that one and mighty hungry!!

I'm setting up my newly acquired 77/357 with a Vortex strikefire 2. That will be my small game rig from now on.

My two small game guns are a First year prod. Bearcat( gun I learned to shoot ) and a Marlin 25 Santa brought to me at age 12. Both have served me well for 40 + years and I am only 50.

Browning lever 22 or a 20 GA double

Me old Belgium made Browning T-Bolt with and old Leupold 2-7 rim fire scope and standard velocity CCI Mini Mags. Scope pretty much stays on 6 power and has a thin Duplex reticle. Trigger breaks like a tiny ice cycle and it shoots very well.

Just took possession of an older 39A on Monday. Mounted the only short-range parallax scope I had, a 2-7 Leupy ML. The reticle is a bit coarse, but it’s still minute of squirrel to 50 yards at least. I’m thinking the rifle itself is just about perfect for small game. The scope may get swapped out for an RF 4x.

Had a Mountie long ago and far away, but this one is a bit nicer, and the front sight is straight.

CZ 452 22LR
32 cal flintlock

I hope to get to try these two Tikkas out soon. 17HMR and 22LR.

I mostly use an old Oregon Kimber in .22 LR but some time use a Thompson Center Seneca .36 caliber Muzzle Loader .

For tree rats- scoped marlin bolt action .22
For bunnies- 10/22 or MKII pistol
Turkeys- 12 ga 3"
Pred calling-scoped AR or 12 ga
Land birds-20 or 12 ga wingmaster
Waterbirds- 12 ga express

My primary squirrel rifle the last couple seasons has been a Henry Big Boy Steel carbine hooting 32 S&W Long 115gr cast loads. DRT performance with body shots, and very easy on the ears since they're subsonic.

My rabbit rifle is still my trusty old Winchester 9422, since rabbits bang/flop a lot easier than squirrels.

CZ 452 22LR for rabbits and squirrels
Beretta AL-2 20GA for pheasants and grouse

The way the Drill Instructor described it my gun is in the pants. I gave up on getting any game at all with that gun, large or small.

Savage 24 .22 over 20ga.

.22 pistol, revolver or rifle or muzzle loader

Dinny got me some Hard to find CCI .22 Cal. Subsonic 1050 Hollow Points I was looking for.

On the Ruger 10/22 with the Suppressor in a semi Rural, end of a Country Development, they work pretty well.

The Ruger 77/22, in 22LR, that I recently put a Green Mountain barrel in 17 Mach 2 on, is quickly becoming my favorite small game rifle.

Sorry, I put this in the wrong area!

So let me correct it with a .22 Cal Rifle, probably a Winchester Bolt action Single Shot!

For squirrels and rabbits, a Remington 541-S with a Leupold 3-9 EFR and Remington Subsonic HP’s.

Winchester model 42, full choke barrel with 2-1/2” #6’s
Browning A-bolt 22lr or 22 magnum

Lately a Winchester 1873 (made in 1889) shooting 95 grain cast bullets around 900 fps. I find myself smiling more when I’m hunting with and shooting this rifle than with any other.

PennDog

The Stevens 44 1/2 in .22LR that I inherited from my great-grandfather who bought it new. With CCI Subsonic HPs it drives tacks at 50 yards. I've scoped it with a modern Leupold, but I have the original JC Stevens 6x external adjustment scope he purchased with it that I use for "retro" hunts once in a while.

Marlin 60

Tristar G2 Viper 28ga

Mossberg 500 410 TSS turkey gun.

Have used everything from .22 short to .44 mag; but my most used since it came out has been a Ruger Mark 2. I have 2 virtually identical mk 2 targets with the 5.5" bull barrels and volquartsen competition internals, triggers, and some other parts. One currently wears a 2.5x8 leupold and the other a holosun green dot. For most of the years I've had them, they wore iron sights only; but... my eyes ain't what they used to be.

My Remington model 25 pump in 25-20 WCF will be my favorite when I can get it's failure to feed from the magazine issue figured out and fixed.

Flint or percussion? Years back I bought a Dixie 32 Tenn. squirrel rifle flinter. Fancied it up a bit patch box entry pipe. Bobby Hoyt freshed the barrel. I take it to the woods for just about anything small game wise. usually come home with something for the pot.

5 1/2" Buckmark.
It now wears a RMR to allow me to continue hunting with it since the front sight has turned into a wad of fuzz.

Muzzle loading or BPSS shotgun is also a fave all though I haven't done it in years.

Used a 10.5 AMT Lightning and Kart/ Colt 6" when i was younger.

Nowadays its a Buckmark Target 5.5 w a reflex sight.

Kills golf balls at 50 yards good too ( varmint golf balls, leave em where they lay, dont eat em )

Marlin 60 in 22LR

I was looking back over this thread and happened to notice this question; one thing that can make them taste bad is the glands in the armpits. They look like pinkish fatty tissue and they need cut out before cooking as they will make for a "gamey" flavor. How to cook can depend on how old they are. Younger tender squirrels can be fried, Ive had no luck trying to fry older ones and boil those until the meat is falling off the bones, then drain well, brown and add to gravy.
Middle of August now so squirrel season is a month out.

The gun which has probably accounted for the most small game for me is a Ruger Mark 2 target pistol. Next is probably a Weatherby .22 semi auto. Next would probably be an old single shot which a brother bought for me at estate se for $10 when I was about 5

+1

Remington 522 Speedmaster

Ruger 10/22

I don't hunt smallgame a lot but when I do it's either/or my S&W mod 19 32 long with cast bullets or my Mossberg 783 22 mag, Mosberg is very accurate but I don't like the tube feed. Now and then just going walk about I'll take along my S&W 38/44 with cast bullet's, just for a change I guess. If I was serious though it would be the Mossberg and the Mod 19 Smith!

Love that Marlin mod 60. Just don't have one anymore!

Love that mod 60. Just don't have one anymore!Now that makes me think. Bet my High Standard HD Military would spoil me. Boy is that thing accurate. Only problem is finding a holster that fit's it!

For tree squirrels a Remington model 24, for everything else............the same rifle.

A S&W M19 in .32 Long?

22 @ 410.

Tikka T1x in 22LR. Nothing fancy, but shoots everything I put in it to reasonable accuracy. Lightweight too.

T/C Carbine, match chamber .22 Short
---or---
Ithaca 37 20 Ga.

Marlin 39A and Smith K22 or 48. Shotgun is REM 1187 20 gage

These are my favorites, for now.

Thompson Center G2 Contender, MGM 22lr Match, Leupold FX 4x Rimfire:



Christensen Arms Ranger, 22lr, Sightron SIH 3-9x32RF:

Hows the accuracy on those two above?

Ruger 77/22 w/2x7 Leupold

Okay Dan, your not fooling anybody. I have seen the pig you shot with that M37 20 gauge. That's a big game shotgun!!!

P.S. I saved the picture don't make me post it!!!

A 1959 model Ruger bearcat is my go to small game gun

My Valmet BBF in 12ga/222Rem is perfect for small game.

I've gotten to favoring this Weihrauch HW100S. 22 PCP rifle. Very accurate with JSB 18 grainers and quiet death to squirrels.

Don I think you need the ‘9’ in Model 19 turned upside down to read Model 16.

Rick

Not only that but I think his Mossberg 783 is actually a Marlin.

I prefer a .22 rimfire, Marlin Model 39A or Rossi 62SA are my typical choices but I’ve a Remington Model 33 single-shot that I also frequently use. Great guns all, but the Marlin is my favorite.

I have an M8-4x Leupold on top.

Well, small is a relative thing, no?

Yes, I whacked that big ol' boar with the 20 Ga. OTOH, I also whacked a gopher awhile back with it.



And I whacked a few hogs with the .22. It's all very damn confusing, this "small" thing, no?

Dear Dan,

Just thought I would share a photo of my favorite small game gun as well since we both like bottom eject pump guns. Full up it goes about 10 1/2 pounds (not including wheels and undercarriage) and once you get it moving rarely have a problem stopping your swing. A full combat load is 50 shells in 2 bandoliers slung in Pancho Villa fashion and 25 more in a trap bag around the waist. My ammo carrier rarely complains, if she did I would shut off her cell phone service. Throwing 2 1/4 oz lead loads I get good results on quail, dove, snakes, chipmunks and those pesky pigeons in the barn rafters that poop all over the place. I even got a goose one year with this gun and didn't even fire a shot (Yes I have witnesses and no don't ask how). Truth be known the only reason I use it is because I can't get my hands on an 8 bore at a reasonable price.

Best wishes
Bart

Marlin 22 mag

Henry levergun in .22 chambering. I mounted a Bushnell 1.5-4.5X scope and it's a deadly outfit for rabbits and squirrels. This rifle was designed by ERMA of Germany many years ago, but Henry bought the patent. - Sherwood

Can you tell me a little about your air rifle? I am interested in them, but find them expensive and intimidating. I have had an rws 22 that was too loud and a air arms s410 that had to go back to manufacturer too many times.

Is yours quiet? Does it actually kill the squirrel cleanly? What does it weigh?

Thanks!

It's a Weihrauch HW100S, .22 caliber. This one is rated at 50 Joules or 38 ft lbs of muzzle energy. It is superbly accurate with the 18 grain JSB and 21 grain H&N Baracuda Match pellets. It's a heavy rifle, scoped it weighs a bit over nine pounds. It doesn't feel that heavy shooting it as the stocks design is a great fit for me. A reservoir fill will yield 28 shots. The magazines are a metal rotary disc which hold 14 rounds so a fill does two mags. The reservoir is 175 cc and the fill pressure is 200 Bar or 2900 psi. I have overfilled it 10% without any negative affects which yielded seven more shots. It is a long gun, with a 24" or 610mm barrel plus the moderator. The firing report is exceptionally quiet, just a low "spikt". The hammer spring tension could be lowered some for less power and more shots per fill but I've left it as it came as I'm happy with the performance as is. Head shots are easy with the accuracy and flat trajectory.

Air supply for PCP rifles is part of the game. I have another rifle, an Evanix AR6, Korean made revolver rifle that I bought back in 2009. When I got it I got an 80 cubic foot aluminum 200 Bar scuba tank, then in 2010 added an 80 cubic foot 232 Bar steel tank. A few years ago I got a 4 stage hand operated pump. I have a JTS Comp 1 portable compressor ordered. Quality pellets cost less than quality rimfire ammunition but then you have the cost of supplying the air pressure to operate the guns so I doubt that you save much money in an airgun versus rimfire comparison, maybe some in the long run. You do get quiet, safer in built up areas due to lighter projectiles with much shorter travel ranges and less energy than .22 LR bullets and you get away from firearms. No fooling with FFL transfers. Plus no carbon rings, no gunpowder fouling, no first shot cold barrel flyers, etc.

Airguns of Arizona is the primary retailer of Weihrauch pcps in the USA, I think that they carry the whole line. FX has a Dreamline Classic Walnut that is a nice too.

That's unusual for an Air Arms rifle to be having that much trouble, they are high quality guns.

Shoulder buster! Bet you don't need a second shot.

Like this?

[img]https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...eries/18667559/remington-33#Post18667559[/img]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. That is a nice air rifle you have.

I got the s410 based on the recommendations of my gun club, they have a monthly air rifle silhouette match and there are a bunch of folks there who know air rifles well. Unfortunately, my particular rifle had major problems from the beginning one of which it just would not hold air. I am not up to date on all the nomenclature of air rifles so I did not follow everything that was done to fix it, but one thing that was done was the replacement of the entire "action". I think airgunners call it the block. The could not get it to work by just replacing seals, so eventually just replaced the entire thing. Pyramid air held up to their warranty and eventually got it to work, so I have no fault with them, but sending it back so many times was a pain. I finally gave up and sold it to another club member.

I would like to replace it, as there is nothing like being able to shoot at home, but am reluctant. I do think they air rifles are the future though, given how crowded the woods are becoming.

my very 1st gun as young kid was a Savage 24 22LR/410 ,then when i was 30 years old i Purchased another Savage 24 22mag /20 gauge i may own some expensive rifles and Perazzi shotguns but to be honest that cheap old Savage 24 is still my favorite rifle/shotgun i now own 4 of them the last two are a 22mag./410 , 223 /20ga.

One of my favorites is a Browning a bolt in .22 Hornet. I bought it almost 30 years ago. At the time I was doing a lot of chuck shooting. It made a perfect gun for shooting around houses and barns. I had it a few years and retired. Since I have shot some forest grouse, tree squirrels, cottontails by the truck load, and 5 wild turkeys. Don't hunt those areas in more but it still gets used shooting gophers and prairie dogs. If we have cottontails and someone wants a mess, it is great for head shooting bunnies. Not many folks these days enjoy fried cottontail..

Dayum, that thing could win WW3 with one shot!

50-100-450

Or 40–50 Sharps bottleneck…

Browning A-Bolt .22 Mag

I was scrolling through and saw the beautiful wood and a classy old lever gun and knew it was shrapnel before I read the post!

If I’m “hunting” and just out unwinding in the woods I’m most apt to take a CZ bolt action 22 suppressed. If I want to fry me up a mess of squirrels and I’m serious… my old wal mart 870 express I brought home the day I graduated HS and some 6shot and a tight choke.

Pithy

Mossberg 500 410 turkey model.
Mossberg SA 410 turkey model
Tristar G2 Viper 28ga shotgun.
I sure like using a 410. I havent had the 28ga long. I reload 410 3 inch. So i can shoot one alot.

I like rifles and have to give several a workout from time to time. I do a lot of shooting in my 32 acre backyard. I use
the following rifles:
CZ 452 Trainer with Vortex Crossfire 2X- 7X

Custom Ruger SS 10/22 black synthetic stock, Greem Mountain fluted SS barrel, custom trigger job, Leupold M8 4X scope

Winchester 67 22 single shot (grandfather’s with finger groove stock. He paid less than $3 for it new at a hardware store. Old

TC Seneca ML in 32 and 45 cal

Handmade Tennessee PoBoy in 45 cal Youth or Women’s size.

Winchester 37 SteelBuilt in 12 guage My first new gun I bought myself. Most of mine are pawn shop finds.

Ithaca 37 Bicentennial Model with mismatched stocks in 12 gauge pawn shop $75 find. Slicker than snot action. Fits me well.

Ruger Mark II Target with 6 7/8” blued barrel.

Colt Frontier Scout - $45 find at a pawn shop. Fixed the hand myself. Owned it for decades. Making custom grips for it

Haven't hunted small game in years. If I did today i have several guns I'd use. Old eye's so my mod 62a Win 22 is out. Marlin bolt action 22 mag would be my rifle. Have several handgun's I'd use Mostly I think I'd go with my S&W mod 16 in 32 long and cast bullet's. next choice would be my 38/44 S&W in 38 spec also with cast bullets. Might also give my High Standard HD Military a go, really accurate! have a S&W 22 combat masterpiece I like but have never shot it very well.

My Model 39A .22 would likely get the nod in most cases but my 1892 .25-20 is a very close second! So fun and easy to reload for!

Tristar G2 Viper 28ga shotgun.

20 gauge 870
26" barrel
Interchangeable choke tubes
Used for everything small

Will even work if you drop it in water

Don't ask me how I know this

Benelli M2 20ga camo with 24" barrel....Good hunting...Hb

I had a Henry lever action that I foolishly got rid of. It didn't have the glamor of nicer rimfire lever actions but it was fun to shoot and would be my choice for a rimfire hunting rifle.

Rifle would be a pair of CZ 452 Americans
Shotgun would be a Beretta AL-2 20ga

Shotguns huh? Well I have an AyA 28ga I love using and a CZ Bobwhite in 28 ga that hasn't got used much yet and both nice guns. But I also have an AyA 410 I used quite a bit on training birds with my dogs and it is really special. Biggest birds I've shot with it are chukar to date but closer shot on a pheasant I think the pheasant will loose! Be a nice handy small game gun it I was to use a shotgun for small game, pretty much zero recoil.