Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Best squirrel rifle

Which ones are the best, accuracy, weight, feel, ascetics

probbly the one that you shoot the best. i use the 77-22 mosty now mainly because i cant see iron sight well. but when i was younger the rossi 22 pump was the go to gun. in the field off hand it was deadly. aimed really naturally and you could pick off a squirrel it the top of cotton wood trees.

i lean towards sporter-weight bolt guns with a mid-powered variable such as 3-9x, 4-12x, etc.

i hunt open, mature hardwoods about as much as i do thick timber, so for my use the 17mach2 works great, but i could get by with a 22LR for most hunting if i had to.

depends on your budget. the kimber hunters, the cooper jackson squirrel rifle, the anschutz all have excellent reputations. all are out of my budget. for $250-ish, my old remington 581 and 582's are very accurate. for $400-5-ish my ruger 77/22's are great after some trigger work. i don't have any experience with the cheaper savages and marlins but know people who love them. all depends on your tastes and budget. me, i like walnut and blue and classic styling, hence the 77/22 is my go-to squirreler. i just bought one for each of my boys too.

I like retro guns for squirrels.

Old Mossbergs, Marlins, and Remington's make pretty tight little rifles for blasting squirrels.

My Mossberg


Borrowed Remington

I bought a Kimber Hunter when they came out and still use it for hunting squirrels.It is a beautifully made and accurate .22 rifle. My first serious squirrel rifle was a Remington Model 513. I still have it and would recommend any of the 500 series Remington bolt action .22 rifles as good choices.

I've killed more squirrels with my old Marlin 60 than anything else I own, probably a couple of pickup loads full to the rails, not to mention rabbits, back when I was a kid.
Ya use what ya got, of course, and that's what I had.

I've got nicer rifles now, but if I was heading out for tree rats, I'd just as likely grab that old Marlin and take it along. It's balance is better than anything else I own, excepting maybe Dad's old Stevens 86D, but I can't see the iron sights on the Stevens as well as the scope on my Marlin. The other rifles don't even compare when it comes to carrying them around.

Hey Winnie...if your friend/relative is ever interested in parting with that Remington, give me a holler...

CZ453 American in 22LR.

Winnie...when I was in WA state we used to shoot those squirrels..called them "gray diggers"....we didnt eat them... Do you?

Do you guys think a 17M2 is better than a 22 for squirrels?

Sure do like my Remington 541-S that I bought new in the late '70's. I just put a Leupold 3-9 EFR on it. It's drilled lots of squirrel's heads. There are usually some on G/broker but good ones ain't cheap.

up close, say to 50 yards or thereabouts, wont matter either way.

but, if you hunt open areas where you might have shot opportunities at 75+ yards to 100 yards or more...then the 17's sure make it easier to hit 'em.

Use what you have, and learn how it shoots. My first was a Glenfield 60, not the best but it did work. I have a Sako Quad in 17HMR, very accurate, but anything other than a head shot is not worth cleaning. Yes they can be very tasty indeed.

Beldings ground squirrels?

I only eat tree squirrel. No ground squirrels, coyotes or other critters don't mind getting fat off them though.

Nothing better than squirrel with a side of biscuits and gravy.

I've killed squirrels out to 225 yards with my old Mossberg.

If you know where the bullet will hit at 150 yards then I say use a 22lr. I know my rifle sighted in at 75 yards will send the bullet right where the bottom post of the scope is aimed at 150.

I can kill anything from a few yards out to 150 with out twisting dials on my scope.

You can buy a brick of 22lr for pretty darn cheap compared to the HMR.

I've got a sako quad, with all 4 barrels so I can try any of the chamberings, I haven't shot any critter with the 17HM2 yet, but the 17HMR is extremely accurate.

I need to put a better scope on it, and may start looking for a wood stock.
But I'm thinking about getting a cooper, Annine, or Kimber

hey ded eye dik u ought to teach the olimpic guys how to shute tree rats at 225 yards away

u so ful of shyt u need a ceptic tank insted of a stumak

I think I should teach you how to spell first.