The only problem with getting a pellet rifle for squirrels is that soon after you get it, you'll start getting "problem" coons and opossums....like somebody told me in my "I NEED A NEW BOAT MOTOR" thread, cry once and get it over with....get you a .25 Marauder and a hand pump....quiet and thumps schitt like a .22 short....you can "tune" em pretty easy and Neil Claque used to offer an aftermarket shroud that works even better than the factory "air stripper"...