I currently have a FX Impact .25..I originally sighted it in at 50 yard, but have been taking many shots at the 25-30 yard make..I seem to have one problem, and I am not sure what is taking place.. I have shot three squirrels square in the chest only to have them run off before they expire.. I would have thought that the impact from a JSB MKII @ 886FPS would deliver the crushing blow that should stop them dead in their tracks..I can only think that the pellet is passing through without mushrooming ??? Any one care to weigh in on their thoughts here....
FX impact- squirrels
- Thread starter AAC9888
- Start date
At that short of a distance, my recommendation is head shots only... That way you get to see the squirrel helicopter tail dance of death.... 
For heart lung shots at that distance, try the Polymags - absolute carnage at that power level.
For heart lung shots at that distance, try the Polymags - absolute carnage at that power level. Upvote 0
The pellet may be hitting approximately center mass but it is missing the vital organs. It does not need to mushroom. For best results you need to pass it through the heart and lung area, and be able to do so from whatever angle the squirrel is sitting.
A .177 with proper placement will instantly fold them up. A .25 is far more forgiving but I’ve certainly seen them run off with ostensibly hard center mass shots that miss the vital organs.
A .177 with proper placement will instantly fold them up. A .25 is far more forgiving but I’ve certainly seen them run off with ostensibly hard center mass shots that miss the vital organs.
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At that short of a distance, my recommendation is head shots only... That way you get to see the squirrel helicopter tail dance of death....
^^^this^^^
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I’ve been hunting grey squirrels the past few years with my fx impact. They’re definitely one tough critter! Just like you stated, I’ve shot them at center mass and they still manage to get away. All the shots were pass through shooting 34gr mk2 heavys. I then switched over to .30 cal, same results. Shot placement is key even with a big caliber. I was shooting freehand at the time and had quite a few run off while being hit with 50fpe plus! Best thing I did was bought a nice shooting stick and now every single shot I take its lights out. Got a few pictures to share
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I agree 100% if they ran off you missed vitals , I have taken large animals like coyotes with a .22 pcp its all shot placement , but I have found with a .25 caliber on squirrels usually the shock kills them , the bigger caliber you can get away with alot of error LOU
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I don’t know, I shoot a Diana 34P .177. I had squirrels on my bird feeder and in my attic. I decided to thin the heard. The RWS Super mag wadcutter at 9.3 gr. is like the hammer of Thor when doing head shots, they just drop. I was reading on one of the air gun blogs one guy was saying always uses body shots and never has to chase them down. So I had an opportunity for a 10 yd perfect body shot. So I took it. Perfect hit, under his left arm, clipped the heart and through the lungs, (autopsy) pellet under the hide on the off side. I had to retrieve him from the neighbor’s yard, about 12 to 15 yds. from where I shot him. I don’t take body shots any more. I live in a cul-de-sac, I have 5 adjoining neighbors. I need quiet and DOS. (Dead On the Spot)
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I've seen way too much of what you've recently experienced.
I would suggest Barracuda Hunters in .25 cal. for those close range shots. Even at 70-80 yards they will hit much harder than a dome.
Perfect shot placement won't be quite as critical with them. They will dump 2.15 times more energy into a squirrel sized animal at 60 yards than a 34 gr. JSB.
That's real world testing. Not some computer estimation crap!
No one can hit the center of the vitals with a dome every shot under hunting conditions. Too many variables.
So do try something else (a Hollow Point anything) that will still inflict trauma on those less than perfect shots.
Just my thoughts....
I would suggest Barracuda Hunters in .25 cal. for those close range shots. Even at 70-80 yards they will hit much harder than a dome.
Perfect shot placement won't be quite as critical with them. They will dump 2.15 times more energy into a squirrel sized animal at 60 yards than a 34 gr. JSB.
That's real world testing. Not some computer estimation crap!
No one can hit the center of the vitals with a dome every shot under hunting conditions. Too many variables.
So do try something else (a Hollow Point anything) that will still inflict trauma on those less than perfect shots.
Just my thoughts....
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My Grandfather taught me as a kid, that if I was going to hunt squirrels with a .22 rim fire instead of a shotgun, that I couldn't just "aim at the squirreI" -
but that I needed to aim at the squirrel's brain, or aim at the squirrel's heart/lung area.
Your larger than .22 caliber airgun, although very powerful for an airgun, still falls into the "jumbo shrimp" category.
As a kid, I had squirrels run off from rim-fire hp shots that didn't hit the off button - and as an adult airgunner I've also recently killed a groundhog with a sub 12 fpe .177 springer.
SHOT PLACEMENT - let that be your airgun hunting mantra!
Vines
but that I needed to aim at the squirrel's brain, or aim at the squirrel's heart/lung area.
Your larger than .22 caliber airgun, although very powerful for an airgun, still falls into the "jumbo shrimp" category.
As a kid, I had squirrels run off from rim-fire hp shots that didn't hit the off button - and as an adult airgunner I've also recently killed a groundhog with a sub 12 fpe .177 springer.
SHOT PLACEMENT - let that be your airgun hunting mantra!
Vines
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I always try to head shoot squirrels. I've lost them with rim fires trying body shots. This past season I took a shot quartering away. The 18.1 at 31 ftlbs went straight through the boiler room. The squirrel ran down the limb he was on to the trunk and I lost sight of him. A few seconds went by and I heard him fall and hit the ground dead. The time from the shot until he fell was around 6 to 7 seconds, if there had been a hole in that tree, I would have never recovered him . When I cleaned him there was a massive hole straight through his heart. For this reason I strongly encourage headshots only. Squirrels are extremely tough animals and can find a hiding place even if hit in the vitals.
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Yes tree squirrels are many times tougher than ground squirrels, which I primarily hunt. A chest shot will kill them near where you shot them. Not so for his tree dwelling brethren. The ones that have crossed my reticle have required multiple shots. Most where last year as I was learning this wonderful activity and were chest shots. Now that I am better with the help of Rangefinders and ballistic computers like Strelok, I do go for the headshots more, and they are most effective on both types of squirrels.
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