Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game .22 or shotgun for squirrels?

this should start a grand debate. what do you guys prefer?
.22 rifle or a shotgun for tree rats. For fox squirrels I use a .22 rifle for cat(gray) squirrels I use a shotgun. tom

I personally only use a 22LR for squirrels.

I've always been partial to a 20ga with #6. Always seem to do the trick.

I like 22lr, or my 22 hornet downloaded, or my 223 downloaded.

22lr and sometimes my old 410.

.22LR OR 28ga suits me. Just depends......

Yeah. .22 w/o a scope too. Some times I use a Ruger MKII.

I like the .22 myself. Save all the meat with head shots, I do use a scoped one these days though, just can't see the squirrel, front sight and rear sight at the same time anymore! Like to sit still in the area and let em come to me.

T do you have cat squirrels down there or just fox squirrels? tom

A scoped rifle in .22 LR.

I'll throw another iron in the fire and say I prefer to use my .20 cal Beeman airgun. Headshots out to 50 yards are possible with this and I absolutely love the quietness of the shot. Thhwwppppt <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I haven't hunted squirrels for many years now but when I did, my dad and I always sued a 22 rifle. I did have fun for a few years using a 357 Mag. in a Colt Python with a scope. With that, I could shoot right through small limbs and kill the squirrel. It was fun and a challenge.

We have the regular Grey's and the Florida Fox, which is nothing like the red Fox Squirriels you have up nawth!

shooting through limbs to get squirrel is a challenge?

OOOOOOOooookkkkkkk....

I'd liken it to using a cannon and cannon ball for golfing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Booom!.....Four!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I like using my Marlin 880SQ .22lr, I can really reach out there and touch something if i need to! Its just so exciting to put one of those tree rats in the crosshairs of my scope <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I did a lot of squirel hunting in east texas before I moved to colorado. There is nothing funnier than listening to someone trying to take a cat squirrel with a 22. They do not sit still at all. Fox squirrels are easy with a 22 they normally present sitting targets. tom

blammer, what loads are you using in your 223? I've seen a couple of handload recipes for 223 loaded down to Hornet level for turkey and such, but I don't think I have any squirrel-sized downloads jotted down. This would be just the thing I need to justify buying a Savage model 24.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I use a Speer 46 gr Flat Point, and 5 gr of Unique powder, with a standard primer, and no filler, and use a Overall length of 2.08.



I tried the sierra 40 gr soft point bullets but they blew up even at that slow of speed.



I have not chronographed them but assume they are around 22 lr speed, I could be off a bit! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



forgot to say... I was /do use my ruger MKII 26 inch brl varminter for those loads. I guess I am putting them out quite fast due to the longer barrel. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Interesting. Just a pinch of Unique. Obviously you aren't spending yourself into the poorhouse with that load. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I wonder if you used a 55 grain FMJ spitzer and juiced the velocity up a bit, if you'd get reliable game kills without excessive meat damage. Plus you can buy .224 FMJs in those humongous bulk packs.

I would like to interject my experiences.



I use SR 4759 (about 8 grains) in the .222 Rem. The Sierra 40 grain HP is pretty tough at .22 Mag/.22 LR velocities.



One thing I did learn pretty quickly, the 55's don't stabilize well at low velocities in a 1 in 14" twist. Speer had a 55 FMJ with a flat base that would stabilize pretty well (#1045) but they don't make it anymore. There's a 50 grain FMJ available (RWS, I think) but at a buck a pop, I'll pass.



The faster twist .223's shouldn't have any problems with the stability of the 55 FMJ's.



You guys tried any of the cartridge adapters by MCA (Ace Dube)? He makes some that can utilize either the .22 LR or .22 Mag in a .222 or .223. I'm contemplating trying one in .22 Mag, using the CCI 50 grain Gold Dot. It trots along at about 1500 fps, maybe not quite as violent as the lighter weight bullets.