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I'll go along with the others saying you didn't get a good hit. I've killed a boatload of squirrels with my old FWB124 and R9 in 177. A head shot at any decent range always does the job. I've used an RWS350 and RWS 48 in 22 as well with zero problems when they're hit right.

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Originally Posted by JimH
Originally Posted by RexM
Do any of you have experience with a .25 Marauder? Since pellets do not mushroom like .22 LRs on impact it may be better to use a larger round. Just wondering if it makes that big a difference on lethality and also if trajectory is suitable for gray squirrels. Most of the time range is under 40 yd, but as someone pointed out it needs to be precise as the kill zone is very small. I have been thinking about one for sometime, just have not talked myself into it because of the hassle of supplying air to a PCP. It may be necessary however, especially if the .22 SSP is not sufficient.
Killed 120-130 with my .25 marauder the last two (combined)seasons.Absolutely love that gun-hits like a hammer!Mine is shooting a chronoed 850 fps with JSB pellets.0n at 30 yards,about 1.25" low @ 50.Extremely accurate compared to the springers I have owned,1/2" groups at 50 yards are the norm.


I second the motion of using a .25 cal.

As to whether pellets mushroom or not is dependent on how fast they move, and what they hit.

Pellet lead is softer than conventional .22 lr lead. Much softer.

Here's a comparison of a .22lr solid point and a .25 cal pellet fired into the same media under the same conditions.

[Linked Image]

Penetration of .25 pellet in standard 55 gallon steel barrel at 25 yards.

[Linked Image]

Lethality is pretty impressive as well.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

With the Marauder, in most cases, the loudest thing about pulling the trigger is the pellet impacting the target. smile

With the performance of the modern .25's, I don't have much use for the .22 anymore.


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Originally Posted by rockinbbar
Originally Posted by JimH
Originally Posted by RexM
Do any of you have experience with a .25 Marauder? Since pellets do not mushroom like .22 LRs on impact it may be better to use a larger round. Just wondering if it makes that big a difference on lethality and also if trajectory is suitable for gray squirrels. Most of the time range is under 40 yd, but as someone pointed out it needs to be precise as the kill zone is very small. I have been thinking about one for sometime, just have not talked myself into it because of the hassle of supplying air to a PCP. It may be necessary however, especially if the .22 SSP is not sufficient.
Killed 120-130 with my .25 marauder the last two (combined)seasons.Absolutely love that gun-hits like a hammer!Mine is shooting a chronoed 850 fps with JSB pellets.0n at 30 yards,about 1.25" low @ 50.Extremely accurate compared to the springers I have owned,1/2" groups at 50 yards are the norm.


I second the motion of using a .25 cal.

As to whether pellets mushroom or not is dependent on how fast they move, and what they hit.

Pellet lead is softer than conventional .22 lr lead. Much softer.

Here's a comparison of a .22lr solid point and a .25 cal pellet fired into the same media under the same conditions.

[Linked Image]

Penetration of .25 pellet in standard 55 gallon steel barrel at 25 yards.

[Linked Image]

Lethality is pretty impressive as well.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

With the Marauder, in most cases, the loudest thing about pulling the trigger is the pellet impacting the target. smile

With the performance of the modern .25's, I don't have much use for the .22 anymore.


Thank you for the report. I wish we had bought one of those from the beginning. Looks like you got a good one.

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Originally Posted by websterparish47
Re: the head shot. I once shot (with a .22LR) a squirrel in the head. Bullet entered behind the right ear and exited the inside edge of his left eye. That squirrel ran from one side of the tree to the other and jumped to another tree. He died in mid air during that jump.

Guess sometimes they ain't dead yet no matter where you hit them.


Man I agree whole heartedly with that. They can be tough!

I guess I have bad luck, but even way back in high school when we used shotguns we would sometimes get squirrels that just would not quite. A couple of times we ended up having to drag them out of their hollows or holes and finish them off the old fashioned way. I think I killed as many with the butt of my old Winchester 20 gauge as I did with the shot.

I'll give it another go this weekend, but I don't believe the air rifle is going to replace my Anschutz for squirrels.

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I have shot many dozens of gray squirrels off my bird feeders with a RWS 48/52 in .177 cal. Immediate one shot kills. Your .22 is perfectly adequate.

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Originally Posted by Badgerloader
I have shot many dozens of gray squirrels off my bird feeders with a RWS 48/52 in .177 cal. Immediate one shot kills. Your .22 is perfectly adequate.


At what range?

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Had one take a round to the lungs, one to the neck, and then rounds pretty well all over as we dug him out of a ground hog hole. I got him, but it sure wasn't pretty.

First shot was 40 yd, the rest of them were at less than a foot as I followed him down the hole.

Sure does not seem like enough gun to me.


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Rex - range of kills are 25 to 75 feet

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Originally Posted by Badgerloader
Rex - range of kills are 25 to 75 feet


Thank you, that explains a lot. I am trying to use it like a .22 to hunt with. The woods are pretty open this time of year and the ranges are likely too great for an air rifle. Squirrels are tough too!

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Originally Posted by RexM
Originally Posted by Badgerloader
Rex - range of kills are 25 to 75 feet


Thank you, that explains a lot. I am trying to use it like a .22 to hunt with. The woods are pretty open this time of year and the ranges are likely too great for an air rifle. Squirrels are tough too!


That RWS 48 has enough velocity that your 22 pellet should kill one with a head shot well past 25 yards. That's provided you can hit it that far which can be easier said than done with a squirrel moving around!

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A .177 from my HW95 or the old RWS 45 in the brain pan will drop a squirrel every time at 30 yards.

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I used to have a RWS Model 52 in .22 cal. (same gun as the 48, but fancier stock.) I got tired of getting solid chest hits on crows which did not kill them, and while they could no longer fly, they had a hole in their chests, so had to chase them down with a club. Sold the rifle in disgust, big mistake, as it was a good shooter.

Got into using my 12 gauge shotgun on crows and saw them take hits and keep going too, so crows are tough. The one time I actually hunted squirrels I hit one with my .22 caliber rf pistol with a 40 gr solid bullet, and still had to shoot him 2 more times before he expired, tough animals.

Had rats in my kitchen the last few Winters, used a spring trap to catch them, they often were still alive, so used my .177 pellet rifle (Crosman and Daisey) muli-pump to finish them off, at first I was just ventilating them in the stomach and chest with solid hits using flat head pellets, which did not kill them. Did head shots after that which worked great, tough animals. But they are related to squirrels too.

I currently have a RWS 34 in .177 that is very nice, have not hunted with it yet. With these springers you need to hold them in the so-called "artillery hold". There are films on the internet showing how this is done, and getting to know your specific rifle too. Makes a difference in accuracy. My Daisy 901 multi-pump is my primary as it is more accurate than any springer, but lacks power. I won't use it on crows.

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Originally Posted by HE112
I used to have a RWS Model 52 in .22 cal. (same gun as the 48, but fancier stock.) I got tired of getting solid chest hits on crows which did not kill them, and while they could no longer fly, they had a hole in their chests, so had to chase them down with a club. Sold the rifle in disgust, big mistake, as it was a good shooter.

Got into using my 12 gauge shotgun on crows and saw them take hits and keep going too, so crows are tough. The one time I actually hunted squirrels I hit one with my .22 caliber rf pistol with a 40 gr solid bullet, and still had to shoot him 2 more times before he expired, tough animals.

Had rats in my kitchen the last few Winters, used a spring trap to catch them, they often were still alive, so used my .177 pellet rifle (Crosman and Daisey) muli-pump to finish them off, at first I was just ventilating them in the stomach and chest with solid hits using flat head pellets, which did not kill them. Did head shots after that which worked great, tough animals. But they are related to squirrels too.

I currently have a RWS 34 in .177 that is very nice, have not hunted with it yet. With these springers you need to hold them in the so-called "artillery hold". There are films on the internet showing how this is done, and getting to know your specific rifle too. Makes a difference in accuracy. My Daisy 901 multi-pump is my primary as it is more accurate than any springer, but lacks power. I won't use it on crows.


Thanks for relating those stories, as your experience mirrors mine a lot more than what you read on the airgun sites. I have seen them take hits from shotguns and .22s and keep on going, so I am not sure why I was suprised by the lack of leathality of the air rifle.

I like shooting the RWS, but hunting with it is not wise.

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Geeze I've killed a truckload of squirrels around the yard here with a bunch of different pellet guns over the years. My 40 year old Daisy 881 has probably done in the most. It throws a crosman round or flat nosed .177 lead pellet at about 630 fps with 10 pumps and usually kills them instantly with head shots. Broadside double lung shots kill them too but not instantly and they'll usually run aways or hang on up in the tree for 30 seconds or so before they fall.

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Originally Posted by HE112
With these springers you need to hold them in the so-called "artillery hold".


I don't use the artillery hold with my springers. They shoot pretty well.


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I shoot my springer a lot from cross sticks with a leather saddle. When shooting groups I like to support the rifle with on an old sleeping bag. Seems to give the right amount while being a stable platform to shoot from.


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The two possums I posted a picture of earlier this week were killed with a .177 Benjamin Prowler. One shot to the head on one, a few more on the other. I kill coons with the same gun, only shot one squirrel with it so far -a fair sized fox squirrel. It fell at the shot, but the dogs got it and basically ate it before I could do an autopsy. I'd listen to Rockingbar, if he is killing hogs with a .25! I really want to try a .357 for hogs! I was so deadly on grackles at the marina with my son's old Crossman .177, a friend said he was going to have a full sized cardboard cutout of me and the gun made to use as a "scarecrow! Killed a big heron with it a friend put a "bounty" on because it was crapping all over his boat.

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Using the .25 for anything bigger than small game requires a head shot. And limited range. Under 50 yards. It'll sure put them down, though under those conditions.

The .357 air rifle is GTG out to 100 yards and even beyond.

I could take body shots with it, but on hogs, I try and put it in their ear.

Took a running shot at a huge boar before, and shoulder shot it at about 65 yards. It went about 20 yards and fell. Quick follow-up to the head. The first shot went completely through the hog. Both shoulders.


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Those 22 cal. Crosman 14.3 gr. hollow point premiers are the same ones I use most in a Benjamin Trail 22. They can take squirrels cleanly but not always. They chrono at an average 816 fps from that Benjamin with the Nitro Piston 2 system. I try to limit it to 25 yards, about 30 is the most I ever got a squirrel at, (and that took 2 rounds). Any further than that becomes 22LR territory for me. I've never noticed much sensitivity to hold with this one. I did notice that I really like that thumbhole stock for shooting offhand. I wonder if your RWS is really getting the advertised 900 fps? Be nice if you could chronograph it; but I'd at least try some different pellets. But if you can get at least 816 fps from those Crosman Premiers I'd vouch for their effectiveness on squirrels out to about 25 yards.

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Rockinbar, I've killed enough hogs with a .22 LR - when I was a teenager, and had nothing else - that I can see where a .25 would work at the right range and with good shot placement.

Mike

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