Squirrels, .25 pellets, JSB Kings vs Polymag what would be your choice?

[Cran]

My vote is for the domes!
Squirrels are tough critters and penetration is a must. Polymags are ok at close range but in my experience lose their accuracy after about 40 yards.
If you want a little more punch try some FX 34 grainers. They fly really well anywhere from 880 to 920fps.

My go to for my wildcat mk3 .25 cal are the fx domed 34 g at about 900:fps. Seldom any question of a humane kill.

 

[6gun]

Squirrel, like deer, coyote, groundhogs and other animals rarely behave the exact same way even with the same exact shot placed to the vitals. It’s the same to a lesser extent when you shoot them in the head. Some just fold up. Others turn into acrobats. Some get the shivers or lay there running. You’re sending a Poly pretty dang fast. So what you experienced on the entrance hole is the cavitation blowback. It caused all the disrupted internals to escape the route of least resistance. You basically set off a hand grenade in there and the entrance hole was the pressure relief.

I‘ve had squirrel with everything blown out the opposite front shoulder hit the afterburners. Then the next shot is a pencil hole through the rib cage and that squirrel just falls off the tree and gives a couple kicks. The only advice I can give is for a guy to use what works best for him from experience. Enough experience that it becomes definitive data.

And sometimes their friends drag them back down a hole and try to get rid of the evidence so as not to attract predatory critters (birds). Cannibal squirrels was disturbing the first time I saw it. "wait how did that piece of squirrel slide backwards? "

 

[MightyMo]

In my beer league garage plumbers putty performance comparison they do tend to penetrate comparatively shallow but the energy deposition is really high. Granted me and my pals little setup was knowingly THE best case terminal performance. Polymags, crowmags and hybrid slugs had a very unique capability (not unlike the vmax or varmint grenades for powder burners). The expand quickly and aggressively and stop or break up.

Squirrels keep ticking with mortal wounds that are astonishing. Even a 40+fpe 25 hades shot from 30 yards and they'll scurry 6 feet away and die.

Yeah, you have to have a perfect heart shot, or they, like groundhogs (unless you use the H&N .25gr HP II slugs, that is one shot one kill to the vitals) they will scurry a ways

 

[MightyMo]

I would try slugs with a large hollow point

 

[BlackICE]

I would try slugs with a large hollow point

I don't want to go down the slug rat hole, because all my shots are at 40 yards or less. Although the FX type slugs look like they would expand quite well and maybe will have more penetration than the Polymags.

If I ever do shoot slugs it would be for a .357/9mm and probably cast or swage my own.

 

[MightyMo]

I don't want to go down the slug rat hole, because all my shots are at 40 yards or less. Although the FX type slugs look like they would expand quite well and maybe will have more penetration than the Polymags.

If I ever do shoot slugs it would be for a .357/9mm and probably cast or swage my own.

Naw man, if I had a scope cam I'd show you. I use 25gr slugs (.22 cal.) out of my Zelos for groundhogs, most of it is close range work, there has never been a passthrough on either a body (only on of these shots) or head shot. Every one I have shot goes down right were it is, there is just a crack/thwack and the groundhog just plows into the dirt. I am not a long range hunter, but I just try to find that one round that just drops everything... and I found it, those H&N HP II 25gr slugs. You do you though man, but make sure you hit exactly where you aim, because domed pellets only have a massive energy dump on birds.

 

[6gun]

Yeah, you have to have a perfect heart shot, or they, like groundhogs (unless you use the H&N .25gr HP II slugs, that is one shot one kill to the vitals) they will scurry a ways

I've been having good luck with shooting them in the face with polymags.

 

[Zebra13]

Gents,

I have sent many a ground squirrel to the great beyond with the 25 caliber, 34 grain JSB’s. Every squirrel I’ve hit in the head, or in the chest cavity ceases to be quickly. Think about a 25 caliber pellet zipping through a critter the size of a squirrel. Relatively speaking, that’s a big hole to be leaving for the size of our quarry. In my humble opinion, any sort of expansion is not needed, as a quarter inch projectile is going to leave a significant permanent wound channel in a squirrel.

A bad shot, is a bad shot, and sometimes they happen. I know of no air gun projectile that is going to make up for bad shot placement.

Shooting a 25 caliber at squirrels, I think you should be shooting whatever pellet is most accurate out of your rifle.

Justin

 

[MightyMo]

Gents,

I have sent many a ground squirrel to the great beyond with the 25 caliber, 34 grain JSB’s. Every squirrel I’ve hit in the head, or in the chest cavity ceases to be quickly. Think about a 25 caliber pellet zipping through a critter the size of a squirrel. Relatively speaking, that’s a big hole to be leaving for the size of our quarry. In my humble opinion, any sort of expansion is not needed, as a quarter inch projectile is going to leave a significant permanent wound channel in a squirrel.

A bad shot, is a bad shot, and sometimes they happen. I know of no air gun projectile that is going to make up for bad shot placement.

Shooting a 25 caliber at squirrels, I think you should be shooting whatever pellet is most accurate out of you rifle.

Justin

You know what? I totally agree with you. I sighted in a Gauntlet for a friend, I used JSB 33gr pellets too, they are no joke, guys, they mean business, and they give it too. Expansion does't matter for a squirrel unless you want crazy energy dump and less passthrough, just as long as you hit what you are aiming at.

 

[BlackICE]

I've had 100% DRT using only a 12 fpe .177 at 22 yards when I hit the skull. But I used a .25 body shot because these shots were taken when I was awoken with in the morning, 1/2 asleep without corrective lenses I can see to well. That's why the body shots.

I was shooting from an elevated position with a safe backstop so even if I miss or pass throughs aren't an issue.

 

[Zebra13]

I've had 100% DRT using only a 12 fpe .177 at 22 yards when I hit the skull. But I used a .25 body shot because these shots were taken when I was awoken with in the morning, 1/2 asleep without corrective lenses I can see to well. That's why the body shots.

I was shooting from an elevated position with a safe backstop so even if I miss or pass throughs aren't an issue.

BlackICE,

You sound almost apologetic for taking body shots on squirrels. Don’t be. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them. If a tight behind the shoulder body shot is the responsible, humane shot on a big game animal, why would it not be on a squirrel or a rat?

Some folk get all wrapped around the axle about taking head shots only. To each his own. But the cranial ocular vault on an animal such as a squirrel is pretty damn small. Further, it is situated in the multi axis orb that is the head, meaning it can move, easily and a lot. When I was teaching young police snipers…many of whom were hung-up on only taking head shots…I gave them the boxer analogy. A boxer slips punches by moving his head because he can(multi axis orb that can move quickly)…whereas he blocks punches to the body with his arms, because he can’t move his body out of the way to avoid the punch. Substitute projectile for punch. If you wanted a for sure kill shot, what would you aim at?

To me, a tight behind the shoulder, double lung shot is a higher percentage kill shot. You double lung a rat or squirrel with any diameter pellet, it’s game over.

If you want to take head shots exclusively, rock on with your bad self. I sometimes do. But don’t poo-poo the double-lung body shot. There are a bazillion big game animals that could attest to its effectiveness. If they weren’t stone dead.

Justin