Favorite 22 + Scope Combo for Squirrels?

Derwood · Dec 16, 2019

Hi -

I've always hunted squirrels with a shotgun but next year I'd like to get out there with a scoped .22. Can anyone recommend a good combo?

I'm leaning towards a 10/22 takedown with a 1x10 scope. I've owned a regular 10/22 for years so I'm also thinking of just putting a scope on it.

However, I'd also like a rifle that can fire .22 shorts. I've got a relative with a .22 that uses a cylinder like a revolver pistol and can fire longs or shorts.

Firsthand experience using one to hunt squirrels preferred. I just need something that will hit the squirrelseye every time out to about 80 yards. If I can use shorts, it opens up my ability to hunt more quietly/while deer hunting.

newmuzzleloader · Dec 16, 2019

80 yards is kinda far for a squirrel I would think. How far would that .22 round drop especially a .22 short. I bought my son a Ruger American Rimfire a couple years ago and put a Weaver fixed 4x28 rimfire scope on it. It uses 10-22 mags and is a bolt action. He was killing squirrels with 35yd headshots using regular Federal bulk box hollow points.

Flametamer · Dec 16, 2019

Been using a Remington 552 for squirrels since 1962. Shoots and cycles shorts, longs and LR's as long as I take care of her. After all these years I gave up and added a 3-9 scope 5 years ago since I can't hit what I can't see. Head shots with shorts at up to 50 yards are well within my capabilities again. I quit shooting tree rats beyond 50 yards many many years ago for safety reasons.

Mark75H · Dec 16, 2019

The BSA Sweet 22 is hard to beat for the price, esp if you can find it on sale

Melnic · Dec 16, 2019

I have a Ruger 10/22 that I put a bull barrel on and suppressed. Kidd trigger. I have a BSA scope on it. Tack driver
I shoot squirrels up to 60 yards with it as they are attacking my feeder. Use the meat as a treat for the dogs.
I went suppressed to keep the noise down in the neighborhood.

My Marlin XT22 was more accurate but does not have a threaded barrel. You can increase the accuracy on the marlin with better ammo like Eley Match or CCI Greentag.
With the adjustable trigger on the Marlin XT22, inexpensive price and being a bolt gun, the accuracy you get for the price is really good.
If I did not want to shoot suppressed, that would be what I'd use. I think I had $210 into it when I got it with the scope on sale many xmas's ago.

Some people speak of the accuracy of the Savage 22 bolt gun but I can't speak to that.

lazarus · Dec 17, 2019

newmuzzleloader said:
80 yards is kinda far for a squirrel I would think. How far would that .22 round drop especially a .22 short. I bought my son a Ruger American Rimfire a couple years ago and put a Weaver fixed 4x28 rimfire scope on it. It uses 10-22 mags and is a bolt action. He was killing squirrels with 35yd headshots using regular Federal bulk box hollow points.

If zeroed at 50yds, you’ll have about 5” of drop at 80 with shorts.

Shorts won’t easily take a squirrel last about 30.

Use at least subsonic 22lr and there you can hunt to about 50. Maybe 75 with HV 22lr. 100 with stingers or velocitors.

Those are maximum ranges. A good comfortable shot for me would be about 10-20yds less than those stated maxes with those rounds.

For scope I love a fixed 4x32.

My 10/22 and Bushnell 4x32 rimfire have accounted for a large number of squirrels so far. Maybe not dozens, but pushing a score.

geda · Dec 17, 2019

Second on trying to go suppressed or pellet gun. 22 pellet guns have similar energy to a 22 short. I really like my current 22 setup, Ruger charger 10/22 pistol with brace, rugged oculus suppressor, nikon prostaff rimfire. This looks sweet. I have a pic somewhere of this setup along with a 100rd drum mag, looks insane.

I have lots of experience picking off single tree rats around my house with a pellet/22/410 but limited experience "hunting" to a bag limit. A few years ago I tried to clean up around my bait pile before muzzle loader season with a 10/22. Sitting in my favorite stand where there are 20 or so regular tree rats I was able to harvest 2 in the first min, then nothing for the next 2 hours. No alarm calls, complete silence, they gave me the "Man is in the forest" treatment. In my opinion walking around taking skyshots with a 410 is much more effective.

Biggfoot44 · Dec 17, 2019

.22lr rifle vs shotgun is a tastes great vs less filling kind of question . The oversimplified rule of thumb a 12ga will get more squirrels in shorter time , if only for the capabilities of taking them on the move . Conversely , the skill set for squirrels w/ .22 rifle is fairly close to certain deer hunting techniques .

*******************************

Did you use " hit the squirreleye " as a word play on hitting the bullseye meaning hitting the squirrel generally , or are you specifically meaning only taking headshots on squirrels ? If the latter , 80yds is really, really ambitious , with about half that being more the norm .

If you want ability to interchange S, L , and LR And semiauto, the primary semi- common option is indeed the Rem 552 . OTOH , such capabilities are common with lots of manually opperated .22's .

I will observe the the * CCI .22Quiet * in a rifle gives same ballistics as a .22 Short loaded in a .22lr casing . The feed geometry is the same , but cycling the action on a semi is hit or miss on specific rifles .

Call me Old School beyond my years , but I am notorious for preferring a fixed 2.5X on .22 sporters .

Uncle Duke · Dec 17, 2019

Derwood said:
Hi -

I've always hunted squirrels with a shotgun but next year I'd like to get out there with a scoped .22. Can anyone recommend a good combo?

I'm leaning towards a 10/22 takedown with a 1x10 scope. I've owned a regular 10/22 for years so I'm also thinking of just putting a scope on it.

However, I'd also like a rifle that can fire .22 shorts. I've got a relative with a .22 that uses a cylinder like a revolver pistol and can fire longs or shorts.

Firsthand experience using one to hunt squirrels preferred. I just need something that will hit the squirrelseye every time out to about 80 yards. If I can use shorts, it opens up my ability to hunt more quietly/while deer hunting.

Save your 10/22 for the rapid fire fun of walking soup cans up hillsides. Hit the used shops and get yourself a good bolt action, and a 4x scope. Maybe a good used Marlin 25. Then shoot the hell out of it, find the ammo it likes, lay in a supply of the same lot for hunting, and relegate the rejected hunting test ammo to the Ruger soup can plinker. Rinse and repeat the ammo experiment with shorts or quiets if that's something you think for some reason you need to do. Worry about where your shots will be, most typically heavily concentrated on 50 yards and in, with majority of shots well within. Learn where those bullets will be at 25 and 50 yards, and stick with your identified hunting ammo for hunting to keep point of impact as consistently known as possible. Enjoy!

Rab1515 · Dec 17, 2019

Melnic said:
I have a Ruger 10/22 that I put a bull barrel on and suppressed. Kidd trigger. I have a BSA scope on it. Tack driver
I shoot squirrels up to 60 yards with it as they are attacking my feeder. Use the meat as a treat for the dogs.
I went suppressed to keep the noise down in the neighborhood.

My Marlin XT22 was more accurate but does not have a threaded barrel. You can increase the accuracy on the marlin with better ammo like Eley Match or CCI Greentag.
With the adjustable trigger on the Marlin XT22, inexpensive price and being a bolt gun, the accuracy you get for the price is really good.
If I did not want to shoot suppressed, that would be what I'd use. I think I had $210 into it when I got it with the scope on sale many xmas's ago.

Some people speak of the accuracy of the Savage 22 bolt gun but I can't speak to that.

I have an XT22, +1 on its tack driver, and its light.

lazarus · Dec 17, 2019

Dunno, my 10/22 cleans up. 22 quiet semi-autos have cycled it completely reliably and work fine for headshots out to about 25yds. Body shots to about 35 if I am careful. 22 segmented quiets are more likely to kill them on a body shot, but have slightly more drop, slightly less accurate (out of my 10/22 anyway) and don’t cycle it.

It that’s mostly what I am shooting them with as it is lest control around my property.

I do hunt them occasionally (not around my house) and then I usually use mini mags and there it does fine to about 40yds for head shots and 60 with body shots is about my comfort zone. Occasionally use the .410 or 12ga (for hunting).

My oldest is interested in starting to hunt and I think next fall I’ll take him and let him use the .410. I think he’ll enjoy that the most. Might take the 10/22 along also to bat clean-up if needed or let him use it some also.

dist1646 · Dec 17, 2019

Ruger MKII heavy barrel pistol w/ TC pistol scope. Why, easy to carry and more of a challenge for head shots. Massacred a lot of them with my grandfathers bolt action single shot Winchester ( iron sights) way back toward the middle of the last century.

SkiPatrolDude · Dec 17, 2019

Derwood said:
Hi -

I've always hunted squirrels with a shotgun but next year I'd like to get out there with a scoped .22. Can anyone recommend a good combo?

I'm leaning towards a 10/22 takedown with a 1x10 scope. I've owned a regular 10/22 for years so I'm also thinking of just putting a scope on it.

However, I'd also like a rifle that can fire .22 shorts. I've got a relative with a .22 that uses a cylinder like a revolver pistol and can fire longs or shorts.

Firsthand experience using one to hunt squirrels preferred. I just need something that will hit the squirrelseye every time out to about 80 yards. If I can use shorts, it opens up my ability to hunt more quietly/while deer hunting.

I got a super cheap Simmons 3-9x variable for like $50 with rings on Amazon and has held up well and holds zero on my 10/22. Nothing fancy but gets the job done and has decent clarity and uniform image from edge to egde.

cstone · Dec 17, 2019

Marlin model 60 with a made in Japan Tasco 3x9x40. Nice glass for the money. A loaded tube magazine makes it easy to walk around without carrying a box magazine.

Be safe.

lazarus · Dec 18, 2019

cstone said:
Marlin model 60 with a made in Japan Tasco 3x9x40. Nice glass for the money. A loaded tube magazine makes it easy to walk around without carrying a box magazine.

Be safe.

Honestly, that's what I like about the 10/22 is that its rotary BX-10 sits flush. And if you really have a tree rat problem you can always load up a 110rnd drum mag and spray the forest floor.

I am joking on that last one.

Spare BX-10 fit in most jacket pockets or field jacket pockets pretty easy.

Dantheman · Dec 22, 2019

cstone said:
Marlin model 60 with a made in Japan Tasco 3x9x40. Nice glass for the money. A loaded tube magazine makes it easy to walk around without carrying a box magazine.

Be safe.

I have my fathers old Western Auto Supply Co. Model 60 (Revelation 150m). Sweet shooter and very accurate. Holds 18 in the tube and the 22'' barrel makes it a legitimate rifle. I don't think they make em like that anymore. It's a sweet piece of Americana.

Longest shot I can remember taking was a 60 yard shot on a ground hog but one shot did the trick. I'm planning on taking it out next month on a small game hunt.

Mark75H · Dec 22, 2019

Dantheman said:
I have my fathers old Western Auto Supply Co. Model 60 (Revelation 150m). Sweet shooter and very accurate. Holds 18 in the tube and the 22'' barrel makes it a legitimate rifle. I don't think they make em like that anymore. It's a sweet piece of Americana.

Longest shot I can remember taking was a 60 yard shot on a ground hog but one shot did the trick. I'm planning on taking it out next month on a small game hunt.

You are right the current mag tube only holds 14. This might be to qualify as under 15 in some places.

Scott P · Dec 23, 2019

Ruger 10/22 with a old Tasco 3x9. Took 4 squirrels last week with 5 shots. My rifle prefers Federal clasic.................the high perfomance rounds do not seem to group as tight.

codydog · Jan 28, 2020

Ruger 10/22 with 4 power Weaver. Shoots suppressed ammo to the same point of aim to 50 yds or so.

sig guy · Jan 29, 2020

80 yards is pushing it a little bit with a .22.its probably overkill but i use a savage 93R17 17hmr with the BSA sweet 17,80 yards is no problem for that.

Favorite 22 + Scope Combo for Squirrels?

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