I first started hunting squirrels when I was a youngster back in the late fifties and I recall my grandfather's advice back then: "If you want to have the most fun hunting squirrels, hunt them with a .22 (my rifle at the time was a Winchester Model 67 having the original factory open sights). But if you're really hungry and want squirrel stew for supper, hunt them with a shotgun".
Over the many years since, I came to prefer hunting bushy tails with a rifle (and sometimes even with a .22 pistol when I wasn't that hungry
) because for me, rifles are much more fun than hunting them with a shotgun is. Here are the four .22 sporters that I've come to like the most over the last several decades:
My Marlin Model 39 lever-action having a Williams "5D" aperture sight.
A Steyr Männlicher "Zephyer" bolt-action with a Bushnell "Banner" 4x scope.
A Ruger 10-22 "International" (a Talo configured Mannlicher) .22 auto having a Williams peep sight.
And my Remington Model 504 bolt-action with a Nikon "Prostaff" 4x scope.
I wish I could list a Winchester Model 52 Sporter as one I have but they're way too pricy for me and very hard to find anymore. So anyone else care to report what their favorite squirrel hunting .22 rifles and sights are?