Grey Squirrel W/ Seneca dragonfly mkII. Distance pellet questions in .177

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Tifford

Tifford

Member
Nov 28, 2022
43
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Jordan,NY,USA
I'm seriously looking at the Seneca Dragonfly MK II in .177.

I'm mainly going to plink (target shoot) at a local range and that's the main reason for .177 caliber.

With that said, I have an over abundance of large grey squirrels around me, here in Central New York.

What maximum distance (assuming I'm an excellent shot) can the above rifle put a pellet into the chest cavity of a grey squirrel?

What type of pellet in .177 do you guys suggest for the task?
 
Tifford said:
So about 30yards and try different pellets with baracuda 8 to 10 grain going down the barrel first after a good cleaning. Then shoot different brands to see if I can improve accuracy.

The rifle, at least online, seems to have acceptable accuracy from what I've viewed.
Thanks everyone!
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Just watched a video on these, and they're doing roughly 11 fpe on 8 pumps. That's not too shabby really. I think a vital shot at 30 would be fine. They may run for a bit after, but should do the job.
 
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If you plan to retrieve the squirrels, not just pest shooting, go for the head shot. The Dragonfly II will do it, with an appropriate scope. I’ve gotten good groups out to 50 yds. Experiment with the number of pumps, because I found going past 10 didn’t produce enough extra velocity to make it worth the extra effort or time.

Mine is a .22 and shoots 13.4gr. Pellets @ 650 fps. on 10 strokes. I’m betting a .177 will shoot the same weight at equal or higher velocity. That’s 12.5 fpe. Plenty to kill a squirrel.
 
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If you don't have a scope for it yet, look into the west hunter 4-14x44. I have arken, vortex, vector veyron scopes and this west hunter is good for the money. Amazon had a deal for $110 when I ordered it 2 days ago and it comes with everything you need and more. Scope is nice and clear, reticle is just about perfect, not too thick or too narrow.
 
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My favorite inexpensive but dependable scope are the Hawke Vantage scopes. Either a 2-7 or a 3-9 should work well and stay close to $100. I'd keep shots as close to 20 yards and less with a 11-12 fpe 177. Expect squirrels to run a little on body shots. But if you place them well you should get the squirrel. I use nothing but domed pellets in my 6 pcps. I've taken 56 squirrels with them so far. I see no reason to use a "hunting" pellet but if I had a gun that did not like any domed I could find and really like a "hunting" pellet I would use it. Accuracy is the important point, not the type of pellet. Domed penetrate further which could be important with a lower powered PCP.
 
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JimD said:
My favorite inexpensive but dependable scope are the Hawke Vantage scopes. Either a 2-7 or a 3-9 should work well and stay close to $100. I'd keep shots as close to 20 yards and less with a 11-12 fpe 177. Expect squirrels to run a little on body shots. But if you place them well you should get the squirrel. I use nothing but domed pellets in my 6 pcps. I've taken 56 squirrels with them so far. I see no reason to use a "hunting" pellet but if I had a gun that did not like any domed I could find and really like a "hunting" pellet I would use it. Accuracy is the important point, not the type of pellet. Domed penetrate further which could be important with a lower powered PCP.
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I wouldn't worry too much about it unless the gun is shooting 1" groups at those distances. Our neighbors across the pond take small game out to 50yds with 12fpe and under efficiently. I myself actually took out an iguana at 30yds with a .177 atomic pellet shooting 9.3fpe, but that was with a streamline.
 
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Just Zack 2 said:
Do as you see fit, But... If you cull all of the greys you're giving an open invitation for reds and/or chippers to come in. They're harder to be rid of and can be much more troublesome.
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I don't know what extremes you'd have go to in order to eliminate ALL grays. I live in a residential suburban area and they just keep showing up, no matter how many I remove, and I'm pretty diligent. I shoot in a very narrow area of my property for safety and shots are 20-30 yds... 90+% @ 20 yds. They never learn. Not unusual to shoot one sitting next to the body of a previous volunteer. Head shots so they don't run onto the neighbors yard and the local foxes and hawks do clean-up... without fail. A few make it into the freezer, but arthritis in my hands is making it more difficult to skin the tough little buggers.

MY4xdjv.jpg
 
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I understand that 12 fpe can work fine, I watch the videos from England too. But the videos I see are almost always a guy sitting in a hide within 20-25 yards of a feeder. You are not allowed to bait squirrels where I live. I do not have the luxury of waiting until they sit still eating a peanut. I need to take the shot I have before the squirrel decides to run off. That tends to lead to less than ideal placement and increases the chance they run a bit after impact. I used a stock Prod at about 13 fpe on a few squirrels but I decided it needed more power after hitting a few and watching them run.

My rule of thumb is the lower the power the better the placement must be. 12 fpe is at the low end in this country and so I think it's best to keep the range short so the placement can be good. But with good placement it can give the desired result (DRT).

I am also not in the "you should try a 30 caliber" camp. I get DRT results from 22s and 25s with around 30 fpe with almost any hit to the vitals. Front of the chest shots sometimes lets them run but otherwise they drop. I have a couple guns at about 18 fpe and they work very well but need better placement than the 30+ guns.

I grew up hunting quail with a shotgun. We called a 410 an "experts gun". It works but the margin for error is less than bigger gauges. I think a 12 fpe airgun is more of an experts airgun. Not at all incapable. Just not as much margin for a shot in not quite the right place.
 
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Just Zack 2 said:
Do as you see fit, But... If you cull all of the greys you're giving an open invitation for reds and/or chippers to come in. They're harder to be rid of and can be much more troublesome.
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When I was in my early teens my Dad saw a squirrel bouncing across the lawn with a baby Robin in its mouth. From that day forward, til his death about a decade ago, he declared war on squirrels. His weapon of choice was a bolt action, ported (very loud), 12 guage with a poly choke on the end. Dad served in WWII and was a great shot. He had numerous trophies with a hand gun. He must have sent 100s of squirrels to their maker while waking me up at 6:00am with a blast. The woods up there where I grew up must of have thousands of squirrels. I once saw a battle between a blue Jay and a squirrel (blue Jay lost). I don't think squirrels will ever be eliminated. They are adaptable and can live where hunting isn't allowed. I just want to thin the heard that eats from my bird feeder. All others can use the branches as highways and byways as they see fit.
I'll use it mostly for target shooting. The sport clears the mind, blocks everything out and is good for the soul.
 
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huntr said:
I don't know what extremes you'd have go to in order to eliminate ALL grays. I live in a residential suburban area and they just keep showing up, no matter how many I remove, and I'm pretty diligent. I shoot in a very narrow area of my property for safety and shots are 20-30 yds... 90+% @ 20 yds. They never learn. Not unusual to shoot one sitting next to the body of a previous volunteer. Head shots so they don't run onto the neighbors yard and the local foxes and hawks do clean-up... without fail. A few make it into the freezer, but arthritis in my hands is making it more difficult to skin the tough little buggers.

MY4xdjv.jpg
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Love the phrase "previous volunteer"
 
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Changed my mind yet again. I don't think the pump has the power I'm looking for, in .177 anyways.

So I'll be going pcp. I already have the compressor. Another version of this was recommended by pyramid Air but had the plastic stock, I'll be going with wood because I believe it will hold a bi-pod better just incase I want to use one. Don't get me wrong, there are advantages of plastic in that it doesn't swell but I like the feel of wood and the solid surface for the front bipod.

Birthday is in May and this will be a reward for helping to pay off a loan my wife had.

The .22 version has admittedly peaked my interest due to the much greater energy. I have to do some research with local shooting competitions to see if they will allow a .22. If they do, then I get a .22 and if they don't then I'll get the .177.
I will more than likely sell my Hatsan break barrel in .22 that I have. I wanted to really like that rifle but I just don't. Debating weather or not to let the scope go with it or switch the scope to the new rifle. I'm not even sure who makes the scope. Maybe someone can tell from the pictures.

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