Squirrel hunting rigs

[HogHQ39]

Using a solid rest like a tree to steady the gun or my knees if I was sitting I hunted squirrels for many years with a scoped 14" TC Contender handgun chambered in .22LR.

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I would starve if that was the only gun I had to shoot squirrels with... I'm better with a rifle lol

 

[HogHQ39]

I haven’t hunted squirrels in many years, but I do have a Henry lever action 22. I’d say that it would be just fine for squirrel hunting. My squirrel gun when I was a kid was a Remington 572 Fieldmaster with a scope which is still in the back of my safe somewhere.

You're not trying to get rid of that lever action? Haha

 

[HogHQ39]

I don’t have much experience with the Henry’s, I second the win 9422 though. Both my magnum and LR shoot extremely well, but the triggers aren’t fantastic from the factory. I’ve got a Ruger 77/17 that I really like as well. It shoots minute of squirrel eyeball at 50yds. The 17s are cool, they aren’t real good for killing stuff much above 10lbs in my opinion, but they’re hell on squirrel and prairie dog heads.

I guess I will have to look up the 9422 and check it out. What yardage did you typically sight in your scoped rifles for squirrels?

 

[AER244]

I guess I will have to look up the 9422 and check it out. What yardage did you typically sight in your scoped rifles for squirrels?

I doubt a 9422 can do anything the Henry can’t, except maybe make a check bounce. It’s just all steel and says Winchester on it. It’s also heavier. 50yd zero.

 

[tynyphil]

I have a scoped Beeman R9 177 cal pellet rifle. If the squirrel stops for a peak I can hit a head shot from 40-50 yards with it. Fairly quiet for in town use as well.

 

[AER244]

Also, if you go the 17 rimfire route: HMR > Mach II

 

[HoLeChit]

I love my CZ457, it’s a money pit of upgrades, but it’s an awesome rifle. I’ve since replaced the leupold with a Zeiss and haven’t taken it back out.

I love my Henry as well. It does me pretty good, and is a lot more pleasant to carry than the CZ, although I wish it had a sling. I use a primary arms p22 6x fixed rimrifle scope on this guy. My alltime favorite rimfire scope.

But sometimes we’re just out doing other stuff, and all I have is a shotgun. So a shotgun works. I do prefer a shotgun when I’m out with Clyde. Having a high drive dog makes it difficult to stalk and take relaxed precision shots. So a shotgun is what I find myself grabbing more and more. This was Clyde’s first squirrel. I think he was 8 months old? We were out jumpshooting ducks and stumbled across this unlucky guy on the way back to the truck. Clyde treed him, I shot him with a 3” steel duck load, and Clyde retrieved him back to hand. Clyde was almost as proud of himself as I was. I love that dog.

For the record, I have about 1300 rounds of 17hm2 laying around that I don’t have a rifle for anymore, so if you want it, I’ll be happy to sell it for whatever is fair. I’ve just found myself sticking with 22lr and 17HMR.

 

[retrieverman]

I love my CZ457, it’s a money pit of upgrades, but it’s an awesome rifle. I’ve since replaced the leupold with a Zeiss and haven’t taken it back out.
View attachment 407916
I love my Henry as well. It does me pretty good, and is a lot more pleasant to carry than the CZ, although I wish it had a sling. I use a primary arms p22 6x fixed rimrifle scope on this guy. My alltime favorite rimfire scope.

View attachment 407917
But sometimes we’re just out doing other stuff, and all I have is a shotgun. So a shotgun works. I do prefer a shotgun when I’m out with Clyde. Having a high drive dog makes it difficult to stalk and take relaxed precision shots. So a shotgun is what I find myself grabbing more and more. This was Clyde’s first squirrel. I think he was 8 months old? We were out jumpshooting ducks and stumbled across this unlucky guy on the way back to the truck. Clyde treed him, I shot him with a 3” steel duck load, and Clyde retrieved him back to hand. Clyde was almost as proud of himself as I was. I love that dog.

View attachment 407918


For the record, I have about 1300 rounds of 17hm2 laying around that I don’t have a rifle for anymore, so if you want it, I’ll be happy to sell it for whatever is fair. I’ve just found myself sticking with 22lr and 17HMR.

That CZ is nice!

When I was looking for a bolt action 22, I narrowed my choices down to a CZ 457, a Bergara, and a Tikka T1x. I found a Tikka first.

 

[adamsredlines]

I'm not a squirrel hunter but always thought a .22/.410 OU would be a good squirrel gun.

 

[AER244]

I love my CZ457, it’s a money pit of upgrades, but it’s an awesome rifle. I’ve since replaced the leupold with a Zeiss and haven’t taken it back out.
View attachment 407916
I love my Henry as well. It does me pretty good, and is a lot more pleasant to carry than the CZ, although I wish it had a sling. I use a primary arms p22 6x fixed rimrifle scope on this guy. My alltime favorite rimfire scope.

View attachment 407917
But sometimes we’re just out doing other stuff, and all I have is a shotgun. So a shotgun works. I do prefer a shotgun when I’m out with Clyde. Having a high drive dog makes it difficult to stalk and take relaxed precision shots. So a shotgun is what I find myself grabbing more and more. This was Clyde’s first squirrel. I think he was 8 months old? We were out jumpshooting ducks and stumbled across this unlucky guy on the way back to the truck. Clyde treed him, I shot him with a 3” steel duck load, and Clyde retrieved him back to hand. Clyde was almost as proud of himself as I was. I love that dog.

View attachment 407918


For the record, I have about 1300 rounds of 17hm2 laying around that I don’t have a rifle for anymore, so if you want it, I’ll be happy to sell it for whatever is fair. I’ve just found myself sticking with 22lr and 17HMR.

Those are both good looking guns. Dog too. Now days most of my squirrel shooting is incidental as well, and a shotgun definitely works.