I have a squirrel problem and the airguns I have are pretty slow pistols. The highest velocity I have are with a Crosman 1377 with 600 fps and a 1322 with 460 fps. I was an active hunter with PB in my youth but have never tried to use an airgun. I searched the forum and found a lot of threads about squirrels and power but none I read really answered my simple question. Given a close range of less than 20 yards, will a faster .177 pellet be more lethal than a slower .22 pellet, or visa-versa? Or is either one too under powered?
N/A Squirrel Power
- Thread starter sjs
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Both of those should do fine inside 20 yards. The .22 will hit a lot harder even at lower speeds.
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Where you find the best accuracy, is best, generally, .22, and up, for squirrels, is recommended. WM
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Your going to get a lot of high power answers (20+fpe) In reality all you need is 525 FPS in .177 for a head shot ,especially @ 20 yards or less in your yard .
Shot placement is the critical thing .
Shot placement is the critical thing .
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I personally never tried a heart lung shot so i can't speak about that . That's a lot more tissue to go through i think
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I've taken a squirrel with a H&L shot using a Benji 397 at about 18 yards, 8 pumps, probably about 600 fps with a 10.5gr pellet. He and his missus were chewing a hole in my roof. She got it in the head. DRT. The male didn't offer a good head shot but because this was business and not pleasure, I landed a shot right behind the shoulder. He almost made it inside the attic to croak, but bled out before he could make it. The .177 had pretty good penetration. There was an entry and exit wound. I prefer head and neck shots on these critters. They're tough and can get a little ways down the road if you don't pop them in the fuse box. That's why I bring a dog when I'm hunting.
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Even an unmodified Baikal 46M shooting JSB 10.3gr at 400 FPS can kill a squirrel with a head shot at about 15 yards.
I agree completely that shot placement is the key.
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For what its worth, my favorite go to pesting unit is my PP750 with a red dot sight dialed in at about 500 fps. Very discreet and fits in my backpack. If need be, I can make a quick followup shots. Squirrels are fidgety creatures that zip along.
The Crosman 1377 or the 1322 without a doubt will get the job done on a squirrel.
The Crosman 1377 or the 1322 without a doubt will get the job done on a squirrel.
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In the UK they use many sub-12 FPE in .177 to hunt rabbits. Like others said already, you don't need much power.
At short distance a 14 FPE .177 goes straight through a 16mm pine board.
At short distance a 14 FPE .177 goes straight through a 16mm pine board.
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At a range of less than 20 yards, either caliber can be effective for squirrels with proper shot placement. However, if you're concerned about the lower velocity of your Crosman 1322, you could consider upgrading to a more powerful airgun or using heavier pellets to increase its effectiveness.
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Shooting a squirrel in the head at 20yds with a pistol is quite a bit harder than people here may think. 
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You're absolutely right. While it might seem like a relatively short distance, hitting a small, fast-moving target like a squirrel in the head with a pistol at 20 yards can be quite challenging, even for experienced shooters. It requires a lot of practice, patience, and precision to make a shot like that, and it's certainly not something to be taken lightly.Shooting a squirrel in the head at 20yds with a pistol is quite a bit harder than people here may think.
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Yeah you're more likely to get passthrus using the .177 due to the ice-picking effect of the smaller projectile.
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With iron/open sight, it is quite challenging. However, with a dialed-in red dot, it is quite doable. I have a FWB65 with a barrel mounted red dot that can do this.
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on squirrel 700fps in .22 is roughly equal to 1050fps in .17 using standard weight pellets 14.3/7.9 .... this is the sweetspot range for squirrel, absolutely slams them dead even better than a .22lr given its an accurate pellet gun .. hard to say which is better, id say it comes down to logistical factors of the gun ie, how light it is how ideal the scope is etc to get on them fast .. and of course this is assuming almost all shots on squirrel are under 40y, longer than that isnt necessary, get closer ..
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It takes a more skilled hunter to get closer. But for squirrels in the state of Misery it takes more power. More that is, than killing what we call rabbits. Hares are larger quarry. A different target. All of them will go down with precision to the noggin. I hope I didn't beat a dead horse here. See if you can find a factory carbine stock. Be Well Brothers, B.
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Those will both do the job. The real issue is factory 13xx tend to not be all that accurate. The barrels tend to not be good these days, and the barrel wobbles aroud, the sights or at least the rear breech wobbles around, as does the front barrel band. I feel headshots with the .22 and those very hard crosman pellets would do best. The issue is actually making the clean shots.
This one was sub 500fps with crosman 14.3gr .22. Dropped on the spot and did not move. @25 yards
I also got one with a diana bandit .177 detuned to 650fps at the muzzle @30 yards in the same fashion. 8gr crosman pellet as well.
This one was sub 500fps with crosman 14.3gr .22. Dropped on the spot and did not move. @25 yards
I also got one with a diana bandit .177 detuned to 650fps at the muzzle @30 yards in the same fashion. 8gr crosman pellet as well.
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Both will run at around 485 because it is a PCP......If you're living in the States Wes will send you a replacement brass valve seat but with a larger exit port hole.
Canadian 1.88mm
USA 3.44mm
USA PP750 should run at around 625 to 650 fps in stock condition?
I added an aftermarket regulator gauge block accessory and changed the 10.5 inch barrel to a new 12 inch length. I dialed mine down to 500fps on the button. More than enough power for pesting.
"This is the Canadian version is limited to <500fps and has baffles removed from shroud. US Customers check out the airgun parts section, and add the baffles to your cart with the pistol and get free shipping of them from California."
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