New guy - Squirrel head shot, no kill

[RetiredChief]

Hi all. New guy checking in and I have a question. Hopefully, you can share your experience with me.

I have a Benjamin Trail XL 1100. It's rated for 950 fps with a standard lead .22, 14.3gr pellet. My rifle is a couple of years old and I probably have only about 200 rounds through it. I did a trigger mod to lighten and shorten the pull. If I do my part I can achieve dime size groups at 30 yards. But, I think it may be losing power. Today I shot a squirrel from about 20 yards and placed the pellet right behind his eye and below the ear. A perfect head shot and it didn't kill it. It took 2 more head shots, 3 total, to finally kill it. I support hunting but I prefer a clean, one shoot kill so the animal doesn't suffer. Has anyone else ever had this happen when hunting squirrel or do you think it could be my rifle? At the moment, I do not have a chronograph to check my velocity.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AJ3]

Welcome...

i don't own a chronograph either and have found that when my point of impact lowers at my original scope sight in distance (20 yards), I am losing power or velocity. I only experience this problem with my CO2 Hammerli 850 which does not have a pressure gauge or a means of determining the CO2 charge remaining. When the rifle seems to be losing power, I shoot at a target at 20 yards and if the POI is dropping...time to change the CO2 cartridge.

My thought is if you have not had to adjust your scope and your POI has remained consistent, you just shoot a thick headed squirrel! Otherwise, don't think you can maintain the same POI if you are losing power/velocity.

 

[RetiredChief]

Thanks for the replies guys. Rocky, my rifle is a nitro piston (version 1. The older one). I'll do some testing to check my POI but considering that I hit that squirrel right where I wanted to I don't think the tests are going to tell me much. Still worth a try. I've been wanting a chronograph for a long time. I guess now I have a reason to get one. A new toy. Yay for me!

 

[Ben10]

Are you sure it wasn't just its nerves a kicking off. Most times when you brain shoot an animal they will look like they are writhing around. This is usually just due to the nervous system going nuts when the brain is mashed. The kills you usually see Ted make are heart/lung or spine/ neck shots which doesn't give you the same result 

 

[Robonline]

Did you check the body over to see if the first shot did penetrate the head to the brain? If it was on targit and there was penatration then you did good and he was actually dead but the nerves just had not got the message yet. Next time watch the back feet, if the toes are spread wide as he flops around he is already "in the pot"
Red

 

[RetiredChief]

I'm in VA and though I appreciate the invite, it's a pretty long drive to TX. I do remember commenting to myself how heavy the squirrel was when I picked it up. I don't know about calcium but I definitely think he was using steroids. LoL. It was definitely one of the biggest one's I've taken. I forgot to mention in my first post that this is only the second squirrel I've taken with this rifle. The first one was smaller and died right away.

Thanks for the video link. I've been following Ted on YouTube for a long time but I had forgotten about that video.

When I shot him he fell from the tree, hit the ground and crawled about 15 feet heading away from me. His back legs weren't working very well. He then made a sharp left turn and crawled about another 15 feet. Then he laid still but was still breathing. That's when I could see where I hit him right below the ear. I did not check for penetration so I guess it's possible that I missed my mark and he sustained the head injury when he fell from the tree. But the wound was just the right size and there was very little blood. The second shot was point blank in the head. He jumped and kicked but quickly laid still again and still breathing. The third shot was also a point blank head shot and finished the job.

I can tell you from this experience I won't use this rifle to take game ever again. And because of that I really don't see any reason to keep it. Crossman / Benjamin claims this rifle can be used to take varmint such as raccoons and possum but I just don't see how that's possible.

 

[RetiredChief]

Rocky, I'm using Crossman Premier Hollow Points (14.3gr). I've tried a bunch of different stuff and I get pretty good groups with those. So, I imagine I'm getting the same FPE that you mentioned above.

I grew up hunting squirrels and rabbits with air guns. I used to have an old Sheridan Blue Streak chambered in .20. And then later in life I continued to hunt those and other larger animals, so I don't know why this particular kill has affected me this way. 

I guess I'll hang on to this rifle for a while. I really would hate to get rid of it. It's one of the most accurate break barrel rifles I've ever shot and it doesn't require strict artillery hold discipline like so many other break barrel rifles do.

Thanks again for everyone's responses. I look forward to spending more time here.

 

[Dan25]

Tree rats are tough game. I suspect the pellet may have deflected on impact and not penetrated the skull. And a dime group at 30 yards with an affordable springer is very good shooting. I used an RWS 34 in .22 for years and the Fox squirrels we have in the South can absorb a lot of punishment. BTW, I killed over 600 house chewing tree rats with that RWS.