Ultrastu Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 Ah Now you are getting to the crux of pellet choice . Slow speed and lots of lead will never deform the pellet on soft flesh or even thin bone . A much faster .177 and a lot less lead built to deform will do so much more effectively. Look at a .22 lr travelling around 950 fps hitting a rabbit skull .it hardley even slows down let alone deform . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 We'll SS your to be applauded first for weighing your squirrels, I just think big/ small and secondly digging out the pellet to see what they look like once they've done the business, I've cut them out in the past if I can feel them under the skin but never gone looking for them. I do get my .22 accupell going clean through on head shots at twenty metres , I just prefer head shots in the garden, dead or miss much less chance of squirrel ending up in the neighbours garden . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburban shooter Posted August 24, 2017 Report Share Posted August 24, 2017 Salter Little Samson fishing scales 1.5 kg or 4 lb depending which side you look at; either hang them from their teeth or stick them in a carrier bag and loop the handles over the hook. I think that if you are getting them under 550g then you are winning. I think that they get to 610 -620g by year two, 900g plus monsters in virgin territory. I'm assessing suburban greys supplementary feeding by humans through the winter and lean late Spring gets them bigger than their country cousins. They also live in much higher population densities than in the countryside. If using .177 in the garden or limit to up to 25 m then Bisley Pest Control is a brilliant pellet for head shots 8.8 grains and hits at least as hard as a .22 but is going faster. 20 m on chest shots. Not to be confused with the Crow Magnum that the Americans love so much which is a heavier pellet and doesn't work as well in our reduced power sub 12 lb rifles. Speed kills!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Cannot understand why anyone would deliberately shoot a squizzer in the engine room - these little pests are solid critters. I have posted several times on calibre for Squizzers so wont bore you all again but IMHO the .22 is the best tool for the job at my normal ranges (25 yards max) - the .177 is capable of going clean thru the head and not delivering enough energy to make a clean kill. On the other hand my longest shot last year was just over 50 yards after my patience wore thin watching 2 Squizzers playing for hours instead of coming to the feeder - one sat still for a fraction too long and was dropped stone dead by a .177 AA Field - I cannot help but wonder if the drop killed him as he was way up high but dead is dead in my book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 (pulls up chair and reaches for popcorn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 (edited) Cannot understand why anyone would deliberately shoot a squizzer in the engine room - these little pests are solid critters. I have posted several times on calibre for Squizzers so wont bore you all again but IMHO the .22 is the best tool for the job at my normal ranges (25 yards max) - the .177 is capable of going clean thru the head and not delivering enough energy to make a clean kill. On the other hand my longest shot last year was just over 50 yards after my patience wore thin watching 2 Squizzers playing for hours instead of coming to the feeder - one sat still for a fraction too long and was dropped stone dead by a .177 AA Field - I cannot help but wonder if the drop killed him as he was way up high but dead is dead in my book Providing the range is short enough either .22 or .177 pellets in almost any shape or form will penetrate deeply inside a squirrel, most will drill right through. I have always been interested in the rationale behind statements such as highlighted what part of a hole all the way through the head is less preferable to one half way but which contains a pellet, does anyone seriously believe that the pellets residual 8 ft lbs of "energy dump" is what kills the creature ? That clearly isn't the case because if you have used FAC power level air guns you will know that despite their much much greater capacity to drill right through quarry, they nonetheless routinely result in cleaner and better kills. Non lethal head shots DO occur and I have always been the first to admit that but they occur when the pellet happens not to hit the head in the right area, it goes without saying that a hole all the way through has more chance of hitting vital organs than one only half way. Edited August 25, 2017 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Shot two squizzers recently. A shot to the chest does it. 46 flbs and 25gr in .25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 That's practically a 22LR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Hamster - I'm afraid that I totally disagree with you....the Squirrels that I shot with my S410 .,177 were shot clean thru the head between the eye and the ear - no ifs, buts or maybe's - with no intention of boasting about my marksmanship ( My Squirrels are always shot from a known range and using a rest) it's normal for me to lay out the slain and they actually often look like they have been drilled thru the head by a CNC machine. I totally understand why you would be sceptical but my only way to prove it would be to film one on my phone (and I have given it some thought) but my instant reaction upon approaching such a wounded creature is to finish it off. I might add that I am as tight as a Ducks Butt under water so why else would I go and buy an almost identical gun but in .22? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 (edited) Hamster - I'm afraid that I totally disagree with you....the Squirrels that I shot with my S410 .,177 were shot clean thru the head between the eye and the ear - no ifs, buts or maybe's - with no intention of boasting about my marksmanship ( My Squirrels are always shot from a known range and using a rest) it's normal for me to lay out the slain and they actually often look like they have been drilled thru the head by a CNC machine. I totally understand why you would be sceptical but my only way to prove it would be to film one on my phone (and I have given it some thought) but my instant reaction upon approaching such a wounded creature is to finish it off. I might add that I am as tight as a Ducks Butt under water so why else would I go and buy an almost identical gun but in .22? I'm a tad confused, in what way are you disagreeing with me ? I don't routinely take body shots with squirrels myself but merely mentioned that those who do stand as good a chance as any in killing the animal very quickly providing the heart and other organs are damaged. What my real point was is that I don't believe a hole right through is less likely to kill than one half way, in other words I don't believe "energy dump" applies to small animals and sub 12 ft lbs guns in the same way that it might with hyper velocity centre fire guns and certain big game. Edited August 25, 2017 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 That's practically a 22LR! It is and then it isn't. I have 2x.22LR and this fits a need. Super smooth bolt and so so quiet. Superb trigger and much more accurate than using low power LR subs. I do quite a bit around paddocks with spooky horses with this thing they just put their noses in the air and sniff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Apologies Hamster - my post was in response to your particular line where you state that non lethal head shots occur when the pellet fails to strike in the right area - I must confess to considering the very same thing after experiencing this phenomena the first couple of times but the very last Squirrel that I shot in this way was sat bolt upright and responded to my approach by attempting to run away but the poor creature appeared "drunk" for want of another description, it was shot at least 30 minutes before I approached it and the shot placement was spot on with a clean hole one side of it's head and a blob of blood on the other. I have switched to .22 simply because I cannot bare the thought of this happening again and, to date, it hasn't. Just about to start on a new Squirrel clearance job ( 70 acres of mixed woodland) before September sees me back on the numerous Woods that keep me busy over winter so time will tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 Apologies Hamster - my post was in response to your particular line where you state that non lethal head shots occur when the pellet fails to strike in the right area - I must confess to considering the very same thing after experiencing this phenomena the first couple of times but the very last Squirrel that I shot in this way was sat bolt upright and responded to my approach by attempting to run away but the poor creature appeared "drunk" for want of another description, it was shot at least 30 minutes before I approached it and the shot placement was spot on with a clean hole one side of it's head and a blob of blood on the other. I have switched to .22 simply because I cannot bare the thought of this happening again and, to date, it hasn't. Just about to start on a new Squirrel clearance job ( 70 acres of mixed woodland) before September sees me back on the numerous Woods that keep me busy over winter so time will tell I started off with .177 and like the calibre very much but for similar reasons have preferred .22 for hunting even in sub 12 ft lbs for years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.