wanna get into squirrel hunting but need help.

[cottswald]

I like CCI CB Shorts myself.....

Beats me why more people don't use em. Bought a box of CCI CB Shorts not too long ago and used em for the first time in my 39A. Cycled well and quite accurate. Two for two so far on the bushy tails.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I'd probably get the Marlin 995

 

[country boy marksman]

I hunt squirrel more than anything. My dogs find them tasty, and so do I! I have used a 1000 fps pellet gun with good results, but I prefer a 22. I use a remington 510 targetmaster, a henry lever action 22, a ruger 10 22, and rarely, my mossberg 500 20 guage and 6 shot. I try to "bark" them with the shotgun. Any 22 ammo will do, though sometimes 22 lr's are overkill. Stick to headshots if at all possible and keep quiet! Besides that, you'll develop your own tactics!

 

[dzelenka]

I also use a squirrel whistle made by Mr.squirrel. It makes them come out of hiding by sounding like a young injured squirrel, it takes a little practice but makes a big difference on a slow day.

This thing really works. Everything usually goes quiet for a minute then squirrels will start barking at you. I even have had them charge down a tree toward me. It is a great way to hunt with a rifle or pistol because they are easy to locate and pick off. I have used one of these things for nearly 30 years.

 

[natman234]

I have almost always used air rifles. My favorite, best built, quietest, acurite to altoids @ 30 yards all day is still only a .177. It's a BSA SuperTen MKII (Pre Charged Pnumatic), BSA 6X24x40mm scope, a Logun volumetric silencer (and I do mean silencer - Obtained before the brits outlawed exportation), and ten round magazine. It's been chronographed at 1100fps with .177 cal crosman pellets(7.67gr) and sounds like a loud click covered by a soft poof...

I could take as many shots as I wanted at the same squirrl with out him running for cover. unless of course I chipped the bark under his nose

Any 22 that you can hit altoids at 25-30 yards will do regardless of make, model or opitcs as long as you hit them in the head.

 

[1SOW]

12 yrs old, visiting grandparents in hilly heavily wooded Tennessee.
Get up before light and find a spot to sit near some oaks. Don't move.
Light comes out and so do the squirrels. Longest possible range about 25 yds.
Pull the 'knob' behind the barrel and load the .22lr lrn with iron sights.
Shoot a squirrel, reload and don't move. If lucky, shoot a second one.
Best hunting was after a good rain. Don't move. They make a big racket after the rain stopped. Almost always got two.
My uncle cleans it and grandma cooks it. It looks just like the fried chicken on the same serving plate. Man, that was good squirrel; but having 'hunted' and shot it probably made it better.

Doesn't really help the OP, but the telling it brought back good memories.
It's not the gun or the ammo. Enjoy the trip!

 

[courtgreene]

the nylon has a following, but after having held one a few weeks ago on the used rack, i can't figure out why. that said, I agree with the post above that recommended a microgrooved .22.
To the poster who couldn't understand why more people don't use shorts... LOTS of people have semi's and don't see the need for a bolt/lever .22 when they already have the semi. I'm one of those people. I just like the semi. In CF's I am all about the bolt and only have a semi for plinking. I'm sure I'm not the only person like that, so that may shed some light on your question.

 

[cottswald]

To the poster who couldn't understand why more people don't use shorts... LOTS of people have semi's and don't see the need for a bolt/lever .22 when they already have the semi. I'm one of those people. I just like the semi. In CF's I am all about the bolt and only have a semi for plinking. I'm sure I'm not the only person like that, so that may shed some light on your question.

Well it was more of a statement than a question.

I would think "not using cb shorts in a semi auto" would be a given for a number of reasons; cycling the action and magazine feed to name a couple (neither of which would be a factor in most bolt, lever, and pump actions equipped with a tubular magazine).

I can think of a number of reasons someone would choose a bolt/lever action .22 over a semi-auto (and vice versa). Just depends on your intended use.

 

[hunt]

any of those weapons will handle the job nicely
price would depend upon condition as always
none seem to be to badly priced if in good working order
with out alot of outer damage as well
check them over real good then pick your favorite and enjoy

 

[Sunray]

The firearm doesn't matter much. Only ever used a 12 guage shotgun myself. With a rifle you have to know where the bullet may end up when shooting up should you miss.
The trick to hunting tree rats is seeing them in the bush. They're not like city tree rats, scampering about a park. Unless you're up early, feeding time, you'll be looking for an oddly shaped black(or whatever colour phase/species) spot in a tree or a tiny bit of tail fur moving in the wind. Walk very slowly while watching the trees. Including close to the ground.

 

[Kentuckiana rifleman]

M-2 HMG or M-134 and come to think of it the Mark-19 would serve nicely... That should get the job done. Just kidding, I'd put my money on a Ruger 10-22 like some others have posted with a low powered scope.

 

[Naybor]

A bolt action with solid point .22 shorts will take more squirrels than you can shake a stick at. The problem with a semi-auto, the smaller shell will not cycle the slide.

If you do get a semi-auto, you can always use solid point .22 LR to help save the meat.

Thing is, get what YOU like and you will do fine.

Make sure you have a tree limb as a backstop as even .22 shorts will go almost a mile if shot in the air and don't strike anything.

Also, any good 3x9x32 or 4x12x40 scope will do fine. Expect to pay $50 - $75 for a good one. With a .22, buying the cheapest may not be a good idea. You do get what you pay for. Paying hundreds for one that will withstand the recoil of the largest calibers may also be wasted money.

 

[langenc]

My favorite Mossberg(bolt action) that I bought new in 1958.

 

[lizziedog1]

Sunray,

Thanks for being safety conscience!

 

[frankenstein406]

So can I use ss in a marlin 795 or will it not cycle? Im pretty sure I'm set on a marlin 795, probably a bolt for back up/ dads gun.

Most squirrels are always coming down the tree staring at me lol so I'll have good backstop but thanks for the tip none the less

 

[76Ford]

my favorite squirrel hunt is when i'm wearing a blaze orange hat, a blaze orange vest, and a .270 win bolt action rifle, i just cant get enough of them jumping through the leaves and barking at each other. all morning they will come out of the woodwork to find where i'm sitting at the time

 

[HOOfan_1]

I actually found that I had more squirrels running around me when I was in blaze orange than when I was in camo head to toe. Curiosity killed the squirrel.

 

[cottswald]

...and a .270 win bolt action rifle...

Are you sure you've got enough gun?

 

[toivo]

So can I use ss in a marlin 795 or will it not cycle? Im pretty sure I'm set on a marlin 795, probably a bolt for back up/ dads gun.

I have not put this to the test, but I would bet that subsonics will not cycle reliably in a semi-auto. Shorts will definitely not feed out of a 795 magazine. I would go with a manual action (bolt, lever, or pump) if you think you might want to shoot subsonics and make it a tube-fed if you think you might want to shoot shorts.

Some of the older Mossbergs had an adaptable box magazine that could take shorts, but these are getting more rare, and most of the ones you find nowadays don't have the original magazine with the adapter.

 

[Grousefeather]

squirrel guns and ammo

I have 3 guns I use through the season. My marlin 99 M-1 with a 6X short tube Leapers , a CZ 452 American with a 3X9, and a CZ 513 with a 4x Nikon. After much experimentation, I settled on Win sub-sonics, they are dead quiet and group great. I got the CZ 513 to keep the nice stocked American out of the the underbrush. After working the trigger a bit, it groups as well as the American. A nice day in the squirrel woods can't be beat.

 

[frankenstein406]

I'm not finding a lot of sub sonics at the store. Rem and cci were the only ones I saw hmm.

Hehe I keep seeing 22 rifles for cheap I'm gonna start a collection soon lol.

 

[dagger dog]

I shoot a Savage MkII heavy barrel bolt gun, 3X9 scope,and a 10-22 with a target barrel and a 4X18 power scope, I like the sub sonic Ely primed Agulia Super Extra Plus HP's, both guns like that round and head shots are the norm with both.

 

[cottswald]

I'm not finding a lot of sub sonics at the store. Rem and cci were the only ones I saw hmm.

Between the two I would go with the CCI.

The loud "crack" that you hear when firing a high or hyper velocity .22 round is the sound of the bullet breaking the sound barrier (appx. 1140 fps). This small "sonic boom" causes a slight vibration in the bullet when both entering and exiting the sound barrier. The velocity of subsonic ammunition is just under the speed of sound, which in turn avoids the effects of breaking the sound barrier and hence improves accuracy in most firearms. That's why subsonics will typically shoot tighter groups (at 50 yards or less). Also, as mentioned before, subsonics shoot quieter (again because their speed is below the sound barrier), in the field this helps the hunter avoid spooking other nearby game.

Many .22 shooters have no use or are not aware of the advantages that come with subsonic ammo. If you're looking for range and/or power, then high or hyper velocity would be the ammo of choice. That's why the shelves are usually loaded with "supersonic" stuff.

 

[frankenstein406]

Will the cci standard velocity still be sub sonic or does it depend on rifle? I keep reading conflicting comments on it. Thanks!

 

[Mudinyeri]

Squirrel was the second type of "game" that I ever hunted. Sparrows came first. I've been hunting squirrels with my Marlin 39A Golden for 32 years. My 10 year-old son shoots a Marlin 795. We use whatever .22 ammo we have on hand.