Other Airgun for Squirrel?

Hello, what small airgun would you recommend for front yard squirrel hunting? I have nuisance squirrels that have refused to get in the traps since last September, and now the nerve of them, they are courting to reproduce in my front yard! No, thank you! I need something that can finally end the squirrels, but won't ricochet into the neighbors' yards across the street if I miss.

My trap has been a Squirrelinator, with peanut butter, sunflower seeds, various fruits sometimes, etc. why won't they GET IN...

Also, I don't have very strong wrists, so I might avoid the pump action ones. But it's not like I'll be using a whole canister at a time, and those can get pretty expensive if just firing a few shots and then the rest of it leaks out from non-use. I don't know much about these things... and could use some advice.
 
Hello, what small airgun would you recommend for front yard squirrel hunting? I have nuisance squirrels that have refused to get in the traps since last September, and now the nerve of them, they are courting to reproduce in my front yard! No, thank you! I need something that can finally end the squirrels, but won't ricochet into the neighbors' yards across the street if I miss.

My trap has been a Squirrelinator, with peanut butter, sunflower seeds, various fruits sometimes, etc. why won't they GET IN...

Also, I don't have very strong wrists, so I might avoid the pump action ones. But it's not like I'll be using a whole canister at a time, and those can get pretty expensive if just firing a few shots and then the rest of it leaks out from non-use. I don't know much about these things... and could use some advice.
Maybe something like this. A Crosman 2240 with an extended barrel. Very accurate, .22cal, over 450fps with 14.3gr pellets

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just my two cents, but I agree with other posters that an air rifle like the HW30/Beeman R7 would be a very good solution. Much better accuracy than a pistol from a shooter's standpoint. Easy to cock, and powerful enough in .177 to take care of squirrels out to 20 yards. Does cost more, but will last a couple of lifetimes if taken care of. A scope helps a bunch. And if money isn't a problem, they can be had in a "Hunters" version with a moderator on the end to keep the noise down, though the HW30/Beeman R7 are not very loud to begin with. And it is just fun to shoot. Puts a smile on my face every time I get it out, and I have 4 more powerful break barrels to choose from. Stay away from alloy non-lead pellets as they are harder and more prone to ricochet.
 
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how do you charge that pistol
Ordinary 12g co2 cartridges,
A stock 2240 has a shorter barrel. This one has a 10” LW barrel.. I’ve heard that the muzzle velocity will increase as the barrel length increases, up to around 14”. The 2240, like the 1377 or 1322, has heaps of options available.
 
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Sounds like there are some safety issues / neighbors making this a tricky situation.

Any people at work who might be able to help? Maybe there is someone there that could help you.

Have you talked to any of your neighbors about this squirrel infestation? They might agree making this easier.

Have you thought about calling a local exterminator? Might be cheaper in the long run.

If you are going to try and sort this out yourself, I recommend a pumper even with wrist / strength issues. Easy to shoot because no recoil and maximum pumps are not needed for the distance.

The Seneca Dragonfly just might be your Huckleberry. A little pricey but it has a really next level pumping system.

Ted, the OG of air rifle reviews, did an excellent review on it.

 
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How about the Crosman 2250XL?
That was exactly the gun I wanted to recommend, but I don't think they've been in production for some time now. Also, those Crosmans would really need to come stock with a metal breach before I'd recommend them for hunting.
 



Put these three items together then buy some of the listed BBs below. That is what I did and when I do hit a squirrel in the kiester, they give me the finger as they run like Hades out of the yard. Problem is the BBs are not particularly accurate and neither is the Red Ryder. But hey! - if I wanted to kill the little nuisances I would get out my 13FPE suppressed MKII AA S200 .177 which is "minute of squirrel eyeball" out to 35yrds with 10.34 JSB domes. I have used the S200 on occasion on particularly insolent squirrels but it is really not fair as it is like shooting them with a laser. I call that air rifle "Silent Death."

 
As someone mentioned earlier, I'd try to lure them more towards the backyard to dispatch them if you can, much less risk of involving neighbors/their property with ricochet.

Trapping wise, I use a conibear set up tied to a string and attached to a garden pole with peanuts on the bait triggers, though with your wrist injury I wouldn't recommened it, could be bad if it slams on your fingers trying to set.

I also have a cage trap, not the squirrelnator, one of those smaller ones you can pick up by the handle and could hold at most 1-2 squirrels, and in my experience those work much better for tree squirrels than the big squirrelnator (I've seen squirrelnator better success at ground squirrels than trees). I prefer buying a large bag of peanuts like from Sams Club or some other store, usually cheap and they cant resist them. Take a small lid, like a peanut butter jar lid and put some peanuts in it and put in back of trap. I also put some peanuts in one of these https://a.co/d/d1AYYAi Just hang it inside just above the plate that closes the cage (sometimes squirrels are too light and dont trip the trap, but when they try grabbing this it makes them push more on the plate). And if you really wanna try to lure them in, scatter some peanuts around toward the trap and some aniseed oil.

Then you can also bait lure them to a safe spot to try and shoot them can be either front or backyard, just make sure you have a good backstop or wall, etc. Get a jar of peanut butter, fill with some peanuts or bird seed, and lay in front of the backstop. Whatever airgun you pick, just practice with it prior to make sure you have it sighted to hit whatever is near the bait. With this, if you dont mind olaying the waiting game, you can leave the bait out and let the squirrels go at it for a day free of charge, this makes them use to going to the spot. Then next time they come is when its time you get rid of them for good hopefully.

As for what airgun to use if you still need one, with your distance to the outside, a Hatsan Supercharger QE or Supertact QE (same gun, just has a stock) in .177 or .22 could work.I've taken several with the supercharger in .177. Might need some force to fully break the barrel and cock with your wrists but dont think its too bad. Theres also the Seneca Dragonfly mk2, always heard those are easy on the wrists when it comes to pumping it.

But if you dont mind spending more, you can get a nice cheap air compressor and have access to a wide variety of PCPs that to deal with all the squirrels and without making your wrists hurt. Tons of good budget ones like the PP750, Notos, Diana Stormrider, etc. I wont recommend any of the higher end ones as those you really wanna be hooked into airguns to get into 😁
I had a friend fairly nearby that had a terrible infestation of ground squirrels,he was old and he didn't have time to mess around hunting or waiting.. so on his ranch I think 20 acres he had several live traps.. the wire cage type with a handle on top that he would go around 2 times daily checking.. I don't remember,he probably had 2-4 traps.. and every single day he had at least one in each trap.. almost year around.. then he would just take them.. out back and shoot with the pistol and put them right back out..had a regular spot out back where he could see from the house to dispose of them and coyotes and birds would literally keep it empty.
Mark
 
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Well after reading 90% of this recommendation, it’s UNLAWFUL in pretty much all states to discharge any projectile using any device that might hurt/ kill a living been in a neighborhood or public area. Now think about what happens if you missed your target, most likely you r going to be hitting something / someone else.
Think twice before you do anything foolish or the consequences will be worse than you think 🤔. Be safe
 
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Well after reading 90% of this recommendation, it’s UNLAWFUL in pretty much all states to discharge any projectile using any device that might hurt/ kill a living been in a neighborhood or public area. Now think about what happens if you missed your target, most likely you r going to be hitting something / someone else.
Think twice before you do anything foolish or the consequences will be worse than you think 🤔. Be safe
actually, it's not. In my neighborhood you can fire a firearm with a proper backstop and there are many iguana hunters all over the area in housing developments ETC.
 
I will second the Daisy 880. Easy to pump, accurate, and powerful to kill at 20 yards with head shots. Put a good scope on it. For a pistol, the Hatsan 25 is a good hunting pistol. My pistol is a .22 cal and shoots 14.3-grain pellets at 550 fps. It is surprisingly accurate and close to my HW 70. Downside is hard to cock but you could use a notched PVC pipe as a longer cocking aid.