squirrel season starts soon. Going to do a test

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Bander124

Bander124

Member
Sep 9, 2019
669
223
Kansas, United States
So June starts squirrel season here and there is no caliber restriction. So this year I’m going to give my 177 , 22 , 25 and 30 a go and see what I think will be my fave and why. I’m not going to try and convince anyone what is best ya da ya da ... this is just going to be my observations for me. But I have to ask what Is your fave and why. I don’t want a debate it’s just what you like. So far I’ve only shot them with a .22
 
Since you mentioned squirrel season then I assume you are going to hunt them in the woods and to eat, not pesting in confined urban environment . As far as hunting goes I would probably go with a .22 still but .22 hades, second choice would be .25 hades. When truly hunting you are unlikely have the luxury of always getting a clean headshot. The .25 will be a little more effective at dropping them if the shot isn’t spot on but more meat damage.
 
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I like my Prod for 25-35 backyard squirrels. It is tuned up a little to about 18 fpe at the muzzle and only barely shoots through a squirrel from the side or with a head shot. So I will shoot one in a tree with it (and have a bunch of times). My 25 is tuned to about 50 fpe so it blows right through. It only gets used when there is a tree or something behind them or they are on the ground. I only use domed pellets. In my experience they penetrate best (I have tested in squirrels and in wet paper) and they make a big enough hole for a quick on the spot kill as long as they are placed reasonably well. The key point is to place the shot into the front half of the body. Head is great but squirrels move their heads a lot and it is a pretty small target for me at 25 or more yards. Less power is needed if you can reliably hit the brain. But I have proven I cannot reliably do it at 25 or greater distance so I want enough penetration to make an entrance and exit hole. Since I tuned the Prod up I have only lost one that rolled into a rot hole at the base of a big oak tree and I could not reach it. It was brain shot. Last 7 have dropped at the shot, most were hit in the neck.

For longer range I will use the 25. It is more accurate and has more power. The accuracy is the more important factor - shot placement is by far the most important.
 
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Pellet design is worth more than caliber, in my opinion. Testing in different mediums, all calibers penetrate about the same. Shock increased with size (same pellet design) as expected. A .30 will produce 100 fpe, and a .22 LR is 120 fpe; I feel there comes the point that if you want long-range, then use the tool best suited for that.

Pellets that are pointed or round produce low resistance and low shock. Blunt pellets have more knockdown with nose design, causing the tissue to deflect in different directions resulting in damage accordingly. Expansion is overrated in airguns!

For me, I like a .177 for squirrels: smaller holes and minor damage for body shots. I don't like bloodshot meat or bone fragments in my dinner. I aim for headshots, but sometimes you have to take what you can get within reason.

I have purchased a .25 and .30 for something different. Mainly for the ol' big and slow large caliber hunting. Old single rifles and rounds of the good ol' days are too difficult to come by, but pellet rifle might just fit the bill.

Happy hunting
 
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I was able to get a squirrel the other evening. Used the .30 at 80fpe with nsa 54g slug. I was a bit surprised shot in the ribs it’s had a lot more fight than I was expecting. he twitched for a bit but was unable to go any where I couldn’t recover the slug buried in the tree but I don’t think it expanded much. 
all in all hits hard and there is no second guessing but more than I need for them and more bruising in the meat than I wanted. It’s not a caliber I’ll use for them. Plus it being a slug I’m using I’m treating it like a rimfire and I’m passing on a lot of shots. 
 
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A low powered .177 to the noggin or heart/lungs has always produced good results for me. 

But, anything less than a solid hit to the brain will leave a squirrel running off. "Head shots" don't cut it IMO. I was a little far forward of the brain on one with a 30fpe .22 and it was able to run up the tree and almost made it out of sight before a heart/lung shot brought it down.

For an absolute sure shot of recovery with any caliber, I have found that a heart/lung shot works with a little more leeway. They usually just fall dead right there, and without the "death thrash" that comes with even a solid brain shot. I still plan for brain shots most of the time, but sometimes they don't seem like the best bet for the situation. 

Your experience may vary. I don't dabble much in the bigger calibers. Thanks for sharing your findings.
 
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I've only shot one with my 25 tuned to close to 50 fpe. I shot it twice. The problem was not the gun, I had the scope magnification turned all the way up to 14X and the parallax set at 200 yards and I couldn't see the squirrel very well. But the biggest issue is I thought I needed to aim a little low at 25 yards and it's pretty much dead on. So I hit low to the shoulder and it angled back and down and went out the belly in front of the other side back leg. It would have died but was still trying to go somewhere so I shot it again. I hit the same shoulder but this one went forward and out the neck. It stopped moving after a couple brain flips - must have clipped the spine. I had some bone fragments in that front leg.

A sample of one doesn't prove anything but I've dropped 7 in a row with one shot out of my little Prod which is a 22 at less than half the fpe. The difference is shot placement.

My rule of thumb is about 20 fpe at the muzzle or 14-15 at contact with a domed pellet works great. More is fine but unless the shot angles through the body you will just be adding energy to the pellet after it passes through. If you shoot further than 25-30 yards you would want to look at fpe at contact to be sure.
 
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As the saying goes, .177 for feathers, .22 for fur...OTOH, head/brain shots w/ .177 are often the exception which proves the rule.

I've done most of my squirrel shooting over the course of my life w/ a 5mm Sheridan. After it burned in a shed fire, I've used a Benji 392. No need for fancy schmancy pellets. Crosman 14.3 domes or HP's work fine. 4-5 pumps at 15-20 yards does the trick. Only rarely do I have to do a 6th pump for 25 yards. These days I use a Pinty red/green dot sight on my Benji. Works great for head shots. That tiny green or red dot turns their noggins into a HUGE target.
 
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