Favorite Squirrel rifle

[rc51stierhoff]

Those 22 shorts are really getting expensive.

Great thread you started…I was thinking the same thing about the LRs (that they are getting expensive) This spring I finished the last brick of the $8.99/brick stuff. Now I’m getting into the high dollar ammo. this is the first brick of .22 LR ammo I have ever opened that was more than $10. (Yes, some of us started inventorying before it was cool). Also I did not realize it before just now but I see that i have some of that hi speed ammo….I wonder if this is the stuff I keep hearing about on the news that shoots 5x faster than others.

 

[DaveFromMi]

Those 22 shorts are really getting expensive.

True, I might have to upgrade to subsonics.

 

[DaveFromMi]

Great thread you started…I was thinking the same thing about the LRs (that they are getting expensive) This spring I finished the last brick of the $8.99/brick stuff. Now I’m getting into the high dollar ammo. this is the first brick of .22 LR ammo I have ever opened that was more than $10. (Yes, some of us started inventorying before it was cool). Also I did not realize it before just now but I see that i have some of that hi speed ammo….I wonder if this is the stuff I keep hearing about on the news that shoots 5x faster than others.

Be careful using Thunderbolts. The powder amount seems inconsistent; You will get Pop, pop, BANG. My kid shot them and got a squib. The barrel and bolt was ruined. I took all of mine and put them in a post hole.

 

[imnukensc]

That's why folks call them Thunderduds.

 

[bird dogger]

I now use a Savage 555 over/under shotgun in .410 gauge since neighbors have moved in close around our farmstead. But if the squirrels get caught on the ground in the sweetcorn patch........ it's lights out for them when using the .17 HMR.

.444 Marlin brass makes for a cheap reload for the .410 shotgun. All that was needed was to shave a few thou of the thicker rim to allow the break action shotgun to chamber them. With light loads they'll last my lifetime and then some. Their effective range is pretty short, so it's still a challenge to get close enough for a shot.

 

[jkrubi12]

That’s a beaut you have there…that would look good on my rack! I Take these in this order…at top is a ruger 77/22 bolt action. 2nd is what was my grandfathers first gun (so I was told)which was a Winchester model 69-22, and third is a H and R topper model 158 (from my dad that was first 12gu shotgun from him) Generally I just use the ruger. It’s a replica of my hunting rifle although a different caliber, but same size and weight general and feel of the action so it’s great to practice with squirrels. Anyway those are what I use for squirrels. The gun rack my dad built when he was in school and is the only gun rack I ever new at my grandparents farm. Their memories now but still in use. All my grandparents have passed and my dad passed earlier this year.

If you don't mind me asking, what's the scope on your Ruger 77/22?

I have a Winchester 52B bolt-action .22LR (Japanese Miroku version from mid 2000's); I have scoped it with Browning rings & a Simmons 4-12 variable X 44 Obj Lens. The scope is WAY too big for the .22; I'd ideally like to obtain a good quality 30-32mm or so scope....Any suggestions?

I'm not a hunter, just a target shooter. I've tried many types of .22 LR (including several CCI-brand hi-power loads) but IMO the Winchester 30-33 grain HP lead 'standard' LR loads were the most accurate for me.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

If you don't mind me asking, what's the scope on your Ruger 77/22?

I have a Winchester 52B bolt-action .22LR (Japanese Miroku version from mid 2000's); I have scoped it with Browning rings & a Simmons 4-12 variable X 44 Obj Lens. The scope is WAY too big for the .22; I'd ideally like to obtain a good quality 30-32mm or so scope....Any suggestions?

I'm not a hunter, just a target shooter. I've tried many types of .22 LR (including several CCI-brand hi-power loads) but IMO the Winchester 30-33 grain HP lead 'standard' LR loads were the most accurate for me.

I put a Leupold 3x9 on it…it’s a bit much but I did it to make as close as possible to my hunting rifle. I use it for squirrels, still hunt rabbits, and simple target practice…it’s easier in the wallet and shoulder than the 300WM.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

If you don't mind me asking, what's the scope on your Ruger 77/22?

I have a Winchester 52B bolt-action .22LR (Japanese Miroku version from mid 2000's); I have scoped it with Browning rings & a Simmons 4-12 variable X 44 Obj Lens. The scope is WAY too big for the .22; I'd ideally like to obtain a good quality 30-32mm or so scope....Any suggestions?

I'm not a hunter, just a target shooter. I've tried many types of .22 LR (including several CCI-brand hi-power loads) but IMO the Winchester 30-33 grain HP lead 'standard' LR loads were the most accurate for me.

I really don’t have any good recommendations on a scope…it’s really your preference and application. Different people have different eyes and focus and appreciate different priorities in the glass. I have leupold on my hunting rifles, but I recently have picked up a couple nightforces for my target rifles that I also use at dawn and dusk (they have illuminated reticles and the style reticle I wanted combined with decent glass). IMO shop the reticle and glass you want…I don’t think the power is that important especially for target. The lower you can the leave the power the more data you can take/see at longer distances. If just punching holes in paper and short distances I would tend to keep the higher power if the distance not too far to see what you did…that’s just me. Depending on the depth of your pockets, take a look at what the benchrest shooters and maybe the PRS are competing with…they’ll be using quality. ‘Accurate shooter.com’ and ‘precisionrifleblog.com’ should have some good info on pretty decent quality glass.

 

[leveraddict]

Be careful using Thunderbolts. The powder amount seems inconsistent; You will get Pop, pop, BANG. My kid shot them and got a squib. The barrel and bolt was ruined. I took all of mine and put them in a post hole.

Same experience here with the thunderduds! Some go bang others pop, poof, puff! I wouldn't buy them again if they were $5 a brick. Shame on you Remington!

 

[edritchey]

Same experience here with the thunderduds! Some go bang others pop, poof, puff! I wouldn't buy them again if they were $5 a brick. Shame on you Remington!

They are dirty as hell too I've never shot any other ammo that would crud up the gun as quickly as the thunderbolts do.

 

[lugbolt]

7mm rem magnum is what I used to use. Sold it when I was younger. It is a multi-purpose rifle for small and larger game both.

Shot placement is crucial.

.22 will split one wide open if you hit it just right, ruins every piece of it, conversely a 7mm RM will make a clean kill if you hit it right. Many many rabbits and squirrels graced my tables when I was younger and had basically no money. Animals were a way to reduce the grocery bill. Nowadays with ammunition costing what it does, there is no sense in it.

Don't own any more firearms now. But I do own an old browning compound bow which I'll use occasionally.

 

[Bmyers]

Ruger 10/22 is what I have used over the years. Although in full disclosure, it has been 15 years+ since I was last hunting. Ended up enjoying fishing more and the wife likes fishing, so hunting has taken a backseat.

 

[Flintknapper]

Ruger 10/22 is what I have used over the years. Although in full disclosure, it has been 15 years+ since I was last hunting. Ended up enjoying fishing more and the wife likes fishing, so hunting has taken a backseat.

Wise man....!

 

[Thunder chicken]

I have a Chiappa Little Badger, use 22 short sub sonic (cci 720fps) quieter than an air rifle and shoots straight. We only have little red squirrels here but they cause enough damage to need thinning out!

 

[Velma]

Minigun?

 

[pigdoc]

My go-to for small varmints from starlings to groundhogs is my Belgian Browning .22 semi-auto, bought out of the Sears Roebuck catalog in 1969 for $99. Weight: 4 lbs, 15 oz. I have a cheap 4-7X scope on it. I zero it for 60 yards, regularly.

I use LR hollow points for the groundhogs. Chest shots are best on them. Brain is too small to hit reliably at 50-100 yards...

-Paul