Pellet vs squirrel

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  • gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,159
    Mt Airy
    In case you wanted to know. Double lung shot, found the pellet just under the skin on top of the opposite shoulder. Unfired round on the right.
     

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    mauser58

    My home is a sports store
    Dec 2, 2020
    1,755
    Baltimore County, near the Bay
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
     

    johnkn

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 27, 2012
    2,113
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel

    You need a more powerful 22 pellet rifle.

    I’ve never had one from my custom Macarri R9 w/12x scope NOT completely penetrate even out to ~100 ft..


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    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Then you need a more powerful 22 pellet rifle.

    I’ve never had one from my custom Macarri R9 w/12x scope NOT completely penetrate even out to ~100 ft..


    .

    That’s what I was thinking.

    Out of curiosity what was the OP using and what were you using Mauser58. I’ll absolutely admit to ignorance with air rifles. I am curious.

    The one I am looking at is a break barrel that advertises 1300fps in .177 caliber and I think 950 in 22 caliber. I’d think a ~20gr .22 caliber pellet would be pretty lethal to a squirrel at 100ft and under for sure. My 10/22 firing 40gr quiets at 760fps can generally pass through a groundhog width wise (bit length wise though).

    I’d think with a bit more velocity and half the weight complete pass through a of a squirrel would be no problem.

    Even if velocity is 100-200fps optimistic. A 20gr .22 pellet at 750fps I’d think would still pass through. Now one at 400 fps maybe not.
     

    johnkn

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 27, 2012
    2,113
    That’s what I was thinking.

    Out of curiosity what was the OP using and what were you using Mauser58. I’ll absolutely admit to ignorance with air rifles. I am curious.

    The one I am looking at is a break barrel that advertises 1300fps in .177 caliber and I think 950 in 22 caliber. I’d think a ~20gr .22 caliber pellet would be pretty lethal to a squirrel at 100ft and under for sure. My 10/22 firing 40gr quiets at 760fps can generally pass through a groundhog width wise (bit length wise though).

    I’d think with a bit more velocity and half the weight complete pass through a of a squirrel would be no problem.

    Even if velocity is 100-200fps optimistic. A 20gr .22 pellet at 750fps I’d think would still pass through. Now one at 400 fps maybe not.

    You’re right, those velocities are optimistic for most spring guns but even reduced they are more than enough for squirrel size game. And expect over-penetration.....


    .
     

    Bullfrog

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 8, 2009
    15,152
    Carroll County
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel

    As others have said, you're using the wrong pellet, wrong rifle, or both.

    Was it a break barrel, multi pump or (doubtful) PCP?

    I'm guessing you used the cheapest available, all-lead wadcutter pellets?

    A decent pellet through an inexpensive break barrel pellet gun would go most, if not all the way through the fattest tree rat.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,726
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel

    My 18.3 gn .22;s shot at 900 FPS don't stun nuffin. Under 35 yards, it is DRT.

    My 34.3 gn .25's come out for anything from 35 to 75. Same, DRT.
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,159
    Mt Airy
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
    Yeah you're not doing it right. Obviously mine penetrated. Acute angle through both ribs and one shoulder muscle group.

    I have a Gamo break action .17 pellet gun. Bone Collector edition. It's not the most accurate, but it certainly has more than enough for a tree rat
     

    geda

    Active Member
    Dec 24, 2017
    550
    cowcounty
    I have a Benjamin Mayhem, break barrel 22, that has never had any issues taking out squirrels with standard crossman premier 14.3 gr pellets. At my house they also raid the apple trees and corn, they chew on everything that is left out side, and they keep going in the engine bays of cars and making a mess. They all need to be exterminated.
     

    wreckdiver

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 13, 2008
    2,925
    Oddly, this post brought me back to my youth going on tree rat safaris in my yard. Never had any problems taking them out with an old cross man 760 pump up BB gun. Very rarely had pellets. BBs were much more available.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I have a Benjamin Mayhem, break barrel 22, that has never had any issues taking out squirrels with standard crossman premier 14.3 gr pellets. At my house they also raid the apple trees and corn, they chew on everything that is left out side, and they keep going in the engine bays of cars and making a mess. They all need to be exterminated.

    I know I am going to seriously regret saying this, but despite the large number of tree rats I have on my property (I really need to trim them back this fall), I've never had an issue with them damaging things. Not even the bird feeders. Though I've got cones on the bottom so they can't get up them and they aren't near enough for them to jump down or over on to them. But never chewed anything on the cars (though usually parked in the garage, not always. Sometimes parked outside for weeks). Not on the house either that I can see.

    They do occasionally do a bit of damage in the garden, but I've never seen them down in my orchard munching on anything. Though the orchard has pretty new without much fruit yet, so maybe that is just a matter of time.

    But I am planning on a Gamo 22 break barrel just in case. It would make me a little more comfortable than my 10/22, I am assuming at least slightly quieter even with suppressed subsonic rounds out of my 10/22 and if a neighbor ever did have an issue, probably would have a lot less of an issue going "oh, its a pellet gun".

    Though my neighbors are generally okay with me hunting, I don't want to push it. I am on 4.4 3/4ths wooded acres.

    And a couple of tins of pellets would probably last a few years of fun + tree rat trimming. I'd still grab my 10/22 and subs for the ground hogs.
     
    I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel


    I own half dozen BB and pellet rifles and never had an issue killing a squirrel. Even my ancient crosman 760 pump will kill em. It's 40+ years old..shot placement is the key.. squirrels have a hard head. Never take a headshot with an air gun unless you know for a fact it's powerful enough to penetrate a skull. The heart is really too small to take an ethical shot so like the OP right behind the top of the front shoulder and put that bb or pellet right through both lungs. If you can't get a good shoulder shot don't take the shot if you intend to kill it
     

    Occam

    Not Even ONE Indictment
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 24, 2018
    20,230
    Montgomery County
    None of my air guns can kill a squirrel because apparently it’s illegal to use them in our MoCo yard. The squirrels were probably behind that legislation.
     

    johnkn

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 27, 2012
    2,113
    I know I am going to seriously regret saying this, but despite the large number of tree rats I have on my property (I really need to trim them back this fall), I've never had an issue with them damaging things. Not even the bird feeders. Though I've got cones on the bottom so they can't get up them and they aren't near enough for them to jump down or over on to them. But never chewed anything on the cars (though usually parked in the garage, not always. .

    Well 2 years ago they chewed the wiring on my Raptor truck 2 times in 3 days. That cost me over $1k to repair. Coincidently, over the next 2 weeks more than 30 of them died of lead poisoning......


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    Last edited:

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,726
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I know I am going to seriously regret saying this, but despite the large number of tree rats I have on my property (I really need to trim them back this fall), I've never had an issue with them damaging things. Not even the bird feeders. Though I've got cones on the bottom so they can't get up them and they aren't near enough for them to jump down or over on to them. But never chewed anything on the cars (though usually parked in the garage, not always. Sometimes parked outside for weeks). Not on the house either that I can see.

    They do occasionally do a bit of damage in the garden, but I've never seen them down in my orchard munching on anything. Though the orchard has pretty new without much fruit yet, so maybe that is just a matter of time.

    But I am planning on a Gamo 22 break barrel just in case. It would make me a little more comfortable than my 10/22, I am assuming at least slightly quieter even with suppressed subsonic rounds out of my 10/22 and if a neighbor ever did have an issue, probably would have a lot less of an issue going "oh, its a pellet gun".

    Though my neighbors are generally okay with me hunting, I don't want to push it. I am on 4.4 3/4ths wooded acres.

    And a couple of tins of pellets would probably last a few years of fun + tree rat trimming. I'd still grab my 10/22 and subs for the ground hogs.

    Get a Gamo Whisper series and no one will know you are shooting. My .22 is so quiet, I shoot in the basement and all you hear it the pellet hitting the trap.
     

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