What is your favorite squirrel rig?

Ruger 10/22 w/ E.R.Shaw Sporter contour barrel, Hogue synthetic stock, Brimstone BX Trigger, Topped with a Bushnell 3200 2-7x32 Firefly reticle w/ fine center crosshair. For squirrels I recently switched from my old faithful CCI Mini Mags to Norma Tac 22 Subsonics. Incredibly accurate and cycle fine in my action.

 
DesertRam said:
I don't get to chase squirrels very often, but when I do I like to use Savage 93R17 TR or a Smith and Wesson SW22 with a red dot. Both are accurate and fun.
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Brad Phillips said:
Belgium made T-bolt with a Weaver K-10. Although there are others, based on mood !

I still have the .410 single that I got when I was seven. It has been used by a few family members, but I track it down and get it back. It is an old Kresge. Well, old, as in 1977-ish.
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Nice Brad, Good to hear you bring out one that’s dear to my heart as well. I have a Belgium T-2 w/ a Leupold compact 3-9.I bought this from a dear friend before he passed. I have changed to a CZ 452 17 hm2 with a 6-18 Vortex great little but mighty round. The T Bolt is waiting for a Grandson to get big enough to love it like I have. Hard to believe such an amazing Browning rifle for at it‘s time sold for $66.
 
Shooting ground squirrels here so saving meat isn't important. The 2 that get the most use is a Handi rifle in 17hmr cut down to 16" and running a deadair mask topped with a cheap 3-9 OR a ruger american rf 22wmr shortened to 16" and running the same can topped again with some cheap 3x9.
 
My go-to squirrel rig is my FX Royale 400 air rifle in 22 cal


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I have tons of rimfire pistols and rifles. My favorite is one of my cheapest. Wilbur, American 22 WMR. It’s my most accurate that’s for sure. Wanted at Cabela’s a few years back on sale for 199 bucks. The first time I took it out I shot a six shot roof at 100 yards that measured .323 inches With hornady vmax 2200 Fps ammo. I took an out the other day and got my limit of squirrels pretty quick. Two grays I shot freehand at 60 yards in the big fox. I shot a little over 100 yards running up a tree. I installed an EDW rail on it so I can flip-flop to my night vision that I’ve never used on it.







I have to remember because I have it zeroed at 100 yards it hits about 2 inches… or high… close range I don’t remember? I shot a rabbit with it at about 10 yards and it took its head cleanly off with that ammo. Definitely want to do head shots only unless you’re 100 yards or more small game. I shot at a called in red fox last year. I should’ve never took the shot through thick brush. I don’t know how I even connected with it but I had one heckuva blood trail for a couple hundred yards. It even climbed up a tree. After it jumped out of the second tree, I lost the blood trail. I never did find it but I had two big bald eagles flying around so my guess is one of them made a quick meal and flew away with it.

my urban small game gun is my Walter Talon Magnum, nitro piston, 22 pellet rifle. I use H&N terminator pellets. They blow right through squirrels out to 25 yards plus! Sounds like a black cat going off when he hit them in the head at that distance. Who’s the best pellet I’ve used for squirrels. I’ve shot squirrels with 22 long rifles. That’ll take off and climb a tree with a behind the shoulder shot. Those pellets rip the snot out of a squirrel and exit with big exit hole a good blood trail if it crawls off to die. The pellets are wicked!!!
 
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I have went full fanatic on handguns since my last post in his thread, so update. So as of now my favorite squirrel hunting rig would be one of these, S&W 617 revolver or the Kimber 1911 .22 Target, both topped with Burris FastFire III's. Season opens on memorial day weekend here in Missouri and I have acquired around six new .22 handguns that I need to get in the woods with, I am truly looking forward to chasing the bushy tails this season.
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My favorite squirrel rifle is my Savage BMAG .17WSM with 20gr fodder. I have a Savage A17 Sporter .17 WSM backordered for two years. like the one pictured in the top picture.
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Another of my favorite rifles is my tricked out Savage 93 .17 HMR with a custom lefty cherrywood stock for a right hand rifle. Rifle shoots one hole groups at 100 meters but that is because of the Basix Sear Kit installed and trigger set on 12 OZ. The rifle is a safe queen since I started using .17 WSM rifles. The WSM works much better for varmints I encounter while small game hunting.
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Boy it's been years since I've hunted squirrel's. Been living here last 35 yrs and closest squirrels are a good hundred miles off or closer I noticed some in down town Bend ten or so years ago.

If I was to go today I'd have to give it some though. Have a High standard HD military in 22 RF that really shoot's well. Also have a Win 62a 22 RF but open sights only and my eyes aren't so good anymore. Then I have a Marlin mod 783 22 Win Mag that is a really good shooter. Also have a S&W 32 long I really like to shoot and a S&W 38/44. Like cast bullets in the handguns. Logically the marlin would be the way to go, everything else is open sights! Marlin has a very old El Paso Weaver 4x on it.

What might be cool, heavy but cool, would be my 1903 Sprinfgield by Paul Jaeger. Spent a bunch of time working up 180gr cast loads for it and it shoots them really well and recoils about like a 22 RF. Ya know probably it would be my S&W 32 long with 124gr cast bullet's. A friend in Montana years ago had a 22 Hornet we only shot with cast bullet's also. Seems to me cast bullet's would be pretty right for squirrels!
 
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