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Squirrel Hunting ?

1K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  woodsrunner 38 InMemoriam 
#1 ·
Decided to get into a bit of squirrel hunting and want to get my .22 Rem 552 Speedmaster accurate enough to make head shots. No luck so far with CCI mini mags or some very old Rem Thunderbolts, so off to the local store to see what they have in stock. Curious what most use for squirrel, hollow points or solids? Would seem to me that HPs are not needed for quick, clean kills, but I'll use whatever I can get to shoot the most accurate out of my rifle.
 
#7 ·
CCI Standard Velocity 40gr LRN works for me.

I usually hunt squirrel with an old Stevens Model 66 bolt-action my Dad bought back in the early 1930's, but the 10-22 and a Beretta 71 cycle fine using the CCI Standard Velocity...
 
#9 ·
When I used to squirrel hunt with my Marlin Model 25, it was most accurate with CCi minimags. I used the hollow points to great effect. I could open up their craniums quite nicely with it. These days I hunt then with my .62 caliber (20 gauge) smoothbore flintlock, and a 1 1/8 oz load of #6 shot.
 
#12 ·
Twenty plus years ago I owned a 552. I liked it because it was relatively large for a .22 and even though a semi-auto it would shoot short, long or long rifle and still cycle the action. Like you, I couldn't get decent enough accuracy for hunting. I hope you have a better outcome. Best. Tom
 
#14 ·
Since this Squirrel Hunting Thread was initiated back last November, we--my small group of 4 other friends--and I had our annual squirrel hunt in early January. Five of us total. Four use flintlocks, and one uses a caplock, and we hunt a 700+ acre major creek bottom hardwood forest on a quail hunting Plantation where I still, though I've been retired for 10 years, manage the timber and wildlife. All together we killed 65 or 66 squirrels in 2 days, most were head shots though not all as we wanted them to be. And one bobcat....almost forgot about that! It's fun to get 3-4 squirrels up in the limbs, bust one and try to reload your flintlock and keep an eye on the other ones 'till you're ready to shoot again!
 
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