Best rifle set-up for squirrel stew?

[Bill_Rights]

Hi, I am new the hunting portion of THR, tho been around other areas for a year or so.

I want to set myself up for squirrel (and occaisional sitting rabbit, etc.) hunting. When I was young, we mostly used shotguns, but that's no so great.

I want suggestions for rifle, ammo, scope and (maybe) suppressor.
Here are my desires:

1) Reliable head shot capability
2) I am 50+ years old, eyes not great, so probably need a scope but not more than $200 or so
3) 75 yard range max
4) flat trajectory, so I can shoot up at 25-yard-tall trees without having to worry too much about bullet drop compensation change
5) quiet shooting capability - suppressor? I am not so much trying to shoot inside city limits (though that may occaissionally happen) as to not disturb wildlife so much.
6) I don't care about the action: bolt, slide pump, lever, semi-auto are all the same to me - I just want the functionality.
7) As I said, I am shooting for pot meat - not for "pink mist" varmit elimination.
8) Trying to stay under $500 for whole rig. (That's a LOT of squirrels, if you think about it!)
9) I don't mind buying lightly used equipment.
10) I have ZERO interest in old classics, collectors' items, and stuff like that. I just want the functionality.

I was amazed to see that CCI has some .17 caliber rounds with ~2500 fps muzzle velocity. That should shoot pretty flat inside 75 yards, eh? But again, I am not after pink mist, just good reliable head shots.

Are .17 caliber rifles way more expensive than .22 LRs? I would think the best value for the dollar would be .22 LRs, just 'cause there are millions upon millions of them out there.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations on a complete package set-up!

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I think just about any decent .22 will serve you well (savage, marlin, cz, etc.). I would get the one that fits you the best and feels the best. Guns are a lot like cars. No two are exactly alike.

I would stick with a .22 lr and you don't have to spend $200 for a good scope. I'd get the bushnell rimfire scope in 4x or 3x9.

 

[Clipper]

I used to do exactly what you want with my Browning BL-22. Light and fast-handling, accurate as all get-out and beautifully built and finished. Only weighs 5lbs, and so it's a pleasure to carry all day (I don't use slings, so weight is a major selling point to me), and the 33* lever throw is something I would never do without after having one.

However, if I wanted a bolt action, I would without a doubt get the CZ.

In general, I'm not impressed enough with new out-of-the-box autoloaders to seriously consider buying one (I want to make a 10-22 based OMG accurate rifle, but it would cost some bucks, and probably be too heavy for woods hunting), but I would give a BAR-22 a try if I could find one at a reasonable price...

 

[UpTheIrons]

Marlin Model 60 works for me

Like you, I was in the market for a suirrel gun recently.

I bought a Marlin Model 60 with a synthetic stock ($140) and put a Bushnell 3-9x rimfire scope on it ($40). I've been very happy with the results, but I haven't had the chance to go after those elusive tree rats yet. Gun is light, easy to carry, shoulders and points well, and would likely do just as well with subsonic ammo, which I haven't tried yet.

This is at 20 yards with Winchester Xpert High Velocity hollow points. The target is 3/4 inch across and I shot this from an inadequate rest, so I guess this is a real-world minute-of-squirrel-head expectation from it.

 

[14mogul]

.22 is great, but if you're getting close enough a good bbgun will also work. Doesn't mess the meat as much either.

 

[Cosmoline]

CZ 452 is a death ray for squirrels and other small game. Forget head shots, you can make EYE shots with it. I lost count of how many I nailed when I was living in the sticks, but I shot near half a dozen one morning without getting out of bed.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I agree that any quality .22 would fit the bill nicely. My set up is a Marlin model 60 with a Nikon Pro Staff 4x32.
I only have about $225 in the whole thing. Love it.

 

[Bill_Rights]

Thanks for the advice!

So far everybody's mentioned .22 LRs. What about a used .17 HMR (Horandy Magnum Rimfire?) Marlin 917, USED, for about $300 shipped and taxed? With Federal scope. Here is GunBroker description and photo:

MARLIN 917 HMR 17CAL. BLACK STOCK,22 INCH BARREL WITH SIGHTS.COMES WITH TWO MAG.4 AND 7 SHOTS.THIS RIFLE IS LIKE NEW.HAS A BRAND NEW 3X10X44MM FEDERAL SCOPE. HAVE BOX AND PAPERS ON RIFLE.NO CA. SALES.SEND FFL AND MONEY ORDER ONLY.

 

[bobelk99]

.17 will do the job just fine, but you should plan on all head shots. The 17 is more than really needed, but is a good tool.

 

[KzoneAL]

The savage MKII 17M2 is just the right medicine for squirrel 0-100yds.shoots much flatter than the .22. not as destrucive as the 17HMR and is wicked accurate.

 

[cerberus65]

My squirrel gun is a Marlin 980S with a Simmons 22 Mag (3-9x32) scope on it. Only annoying thing about squirrels is they practically crawl over you during deer season and then disappear once you start looking for them. It's almost like they know you're after them.

 

[Geno]

Autoloader:
For an autoloader, I would suggest that you look a the T/C R55. All of the T/C R55s have match chambers. They are viciously accurate! Yes, there are other nice and accurate models, but the T/C had a steel receiver, and the barrel is threaded to the receiver a la centerfire style.

Bolt Action:
For bolt actions, I suggest looking at various Marlins and the various models of Savage Mark IIs. Both marlins and Savages are also viciously accurate. IMHO, the Marlins "feel" more like an adult-sized rifles, but the Savage is a genuine "sleeper". Yes, the CZs are great little rifles. If I had my druthers, though, I would choose a USA-manufactured rifle.

Lever-Action:
For ultra-accurate level-action shooting, nothing more needs to be said than Marlin 39A!

Single-shot:
For Single-shots, you simply will not find better then T/C Arm's Contenders and G2 Contenders. Get the match chamber and never look back.

I personally own all of the above mentions .22LRs. They are fun, accurate, reliable. We are spoilt rotten here in the USA as far as .22LRs go. We have dozens and dozens of viable options. Select the top 3 that physically fit you the best, then select the one that pleases you eyes the best. Don't worry about which it is, because eventually you'll be back to buy more .22LRs. They are addictive.

Geno

 

[Bill_Rights]

I am a dumdum when it comes to .17 caliber and its chamberings. I take the hint from bobelk99 and others that the .17 HMR is really more "medicine" than the sickness requires. And

KzoneAL said: The savage MKII 17M2 is just the right medicine for squirrel 0-100yds.shoots much flatter than the .22. not as destrucive as the 17HMR and is wicked accurate.

So my question is, can a rifle chambered for .17 HMR also shoot the .17 M2? Or are they two totally different chamberings?

And Geno, special thanks for the run-down on all the different actions!

 

[Geno]

No, they are vastly different: one based on the .22 Mag, the other based on the .22LR.

I have used the .22LR in a Ruger 10/22 HB to take one-shot kills on woodchucks to 175 yards. The .22LR is all you need.

Here's a picture of some of the "kids". Every man should have an extensive family.

Geno

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[colonelhogan44]

The savage MKII 17M2 is just the right medicine for squirrel 0-100yds.shoots much flatter than the .22. not as destrucive as the 17HMR and is wicked accurate.

+1
headshots at 100 yards are effortless.

It's also quite cheap to feed...less that premium .22 cartridges. The .22s stay in the safe when it's time to kill squirrels.

 

[wankerjake]

Any 22lr or 22mag rifle and a decent scope. 22lr is all you need, the 22mag pretty much destroys a squirrel's head. So will a 22lr with stingers. Standard 22lr loads kill them just as dead with half the cost, hollow point or not. My personal setup is a Ruger 10/22 with see-thru rings(which I hardly ever use) and a Cabela's Pine Ridge (Bushnell) 3-9x variable scope. I've killed a lot of squirrels with this setup. The higher power helps when the tree rats get way up high in the tree and have their head in a clump of pine needles. You can make out an eye or ear better with higher magnification. A set of decent binoculars will help to locate the crafty ones as well.

 

[Sunray]

"...though that may occaissionally(SIC) happen..." Not legally.

 

[Bill_Rights]

Yeh, I checked the laws were I live and my idea...

5) quiet shooting capability - suppressor? I am not so much trying to shoot inside city limits (though that may occaisionally happen) as to not disturb wildlife so much.

to which Sunray commented

Not legally.

is "illegal". There are special licenses in my jurisdiction for people who want to be legal with full auto firearms and other extended capabilities of firearms, but I suppose efficient hunting via not disturbing wildlife is not going to be one of the arguments that would be well received on the aplication form - hunting is supposed to be sporting and all. Still, with the demise of farming on the industrial scale in the Northeast/MidAtlantic seaboard of North America, our semi-tropical rain forest has bounced back so that we have urban, suburban and rural forests of deciduous trees that are remarkable in their size and maturity, and we are positively overrun with squirrels. Sporting-ness, hunting licenses and other minor legalities are kinda beside the point when we almost have to trap-and-kill them, poison them, etc. just to maintain the integrity of our buildings and such. Better to have squirrel stew than fodder for landfills. Urban foxes and, strangely enough, coyotes, have made a huge comeback in my well-populated neighborhood, if that gives you any idea.

So I guess an air rifle would be the way to go for surrpeticious (sp?) urban/suburban pest control. Some of these have 2000 fps muzzle velocities, I hear.

 

[Geno]

Bill_Rights:

Those air rifles are louder than .22LRs. If quiet is what you want, buy a box of Aguila Super Colibri (powderless) .22LRs. They literally are nearly silent. The firing pin-strike makes more noise than the round firing. In my rifles, this ammo is accurate at 30 yards. At 10 to 15 yards, it can produce literally single-hole groups (using my BSA 3-9 AO scope). It would work for small pests. Of course there are other forms of sub-sonic .22LR ammo on the market that have powder and are slightly louder, but significantly more potent.

You know, I blame you for my need to go to the rifle range this morning! I had to pack up my Bushmaster ORC and my T/C Arm's R55 Classic. I'll post a target later. At 25 yards, off hand, no sling and using iron-sights only, she managed dime sized 5-shot groups. What is most significant, I was using mixed loaded of Remington "Golden Bullet" and Remington "Thunderbolt" ammo. I loaded each magazine with 3 of one, and 2 of the other. I wanted to show the consistency regardless of the ammo selected. This little carbine simply fires great! The only drawback was the original stock cracked. T/C Arms replaced it immediately, free of charge and paid the shipping.

Geno

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[NSP64]

Find an older bolt action 22lr with 21-24" barrel and use S,L,or LR ammo and it will be wisper quiet. Most 22lr ammo powder burns in the first 16"of barrel. Past that it is just sliding along.