Slow .25 or .30 cal for squirrels

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Thank you for all the replies. I understand that shot placement is the most important factor. I have never liked taking headshots. If the squirrel moves just a fraction of an inch you could maim it. To me, the accuracy and repeatability of pcp airguns is the reason for shooting them. 
I’ve seen squirrels run with perfect shots and I have seen them die right there from seemingly identical shots with a 177. The .22 does have better terminal performance. I just thought twice the energy with the larger caliber would be more damaging. Ideally without a pass through. 
Several of you were talking about the hades pellets. I will have to try them and see if the accuracy is there. Expansion would be ideal. I have never liked hollow points due to them not shooting as well as domed. It has been a long time since I have tried some and the hades do look like they could be different. How accurate have you guys seen them shoot compared to your best domed pellets? 
Also, where on the broadside of a squirrel do you think the ideal heart lung area is? I think I tend to shoot too low




 
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If I’m taking a body shot I’ve had good luck with the the shoulder. Even a lung shot squirrel can run a ways and his heart is much harder to hit then his head. If you need to anchor him I’ve had my best luck with breaking major bone. Our grays here don’t have much meat on the shoulder anyway. There’s just no shock with a pellet so you poke a hole. We’ve all seen all kinds of critters go a long way with a hole poked through the lungs or even a heart. My 2 cents worth.
 
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I've used Hades in .177, .25, and .30. I'm not impressed with there on game performance. 

Headshots are overrated for squirrels. I've seen too many over the years hit perfectly and still not die without a follow-up shot.

If you are not killing them constantly, I'd say you are shooting beyond the ability of your equipment. Going up in caliber will give you a bigger "rock" but not necessarily extended range. I read on these forums of people shooting well beyond what I consider reasonable for a rimfire, and I can't understand the need. Thirty yards is enough for me and not because I can hit them further.
 
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Headshots are overrated for squirrels. I've seen too many over the years hit perfectly and still not die without a follow-up shot.


This goes against squirrel hunting wisdom. Not saying you’re wrong in anyway, it’s your experience. I’ve maybe had a couple headshot squirrels skin out after being hit, but in no way could I claim a good shot on them since they weren’t recovered. You either hit the brain or you don’t. I’ve perforated lungs and heart and had them run far enough they could have gotten in a hole if there was one close. I’ve also lost squirrels to what seemed to be good chest shots because they went in holes. 


Beau
 
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https://youtu.be/aL8da38OEGo









I certainly agree with the posts emphasizing shot placement. I have FX Impacts in both .22 and .25 and find that it really doesn't make a huge difference if I make a bad shot with either. The squirrel will end up severely wounded and may never be found. Conversely, both will drop a squirrel immediately with the proper shot. For me, personally, I find the best immediate drop shot to be just in front of the shoulder joint toward the head. Almost every time the squirrel will drop dead- no running and not much flinching- they just drop. This is opposed to some head shots that will have the squirrel running around in circles or flipping all around. If the shot enters even a small degree behind the shoulder they can run for quite a while before dropping and may be hard to find. My preference is to always go for the shot in front of the shoulder (as the video shows). I also like the Hades and most slugs for stopping power. Neither, however, will stop a squirrel immediately with a mid body shot. Placement using any caliber, pellet, or slug is still paramount. 
 
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Moody blues, For a headshot to cause incapacitation, you must disrupt the brain stem directly or indirectly. With a hi-vel .22 (120 fpe), the cavitation is about one-half to three-quarters of an inch which gives you that much room for error. With an airgun, it's only slightly larger than the caliber on a thick-skinned squirrel. On a mouse that has less resistance, the cavitation is double and will cause them to explode. 

A good representation of this is the damaged tissue around the bullet hole, taking into account the elasticity of live tissue. 
 
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I never said there isn’t room to mess it up. I’m pretty well versed in how bullets operate and kill. Not denying your claims either, my experience has been quite different from yours though. Also how big is the heart on a squirrel and how big are the lungs? I’ve never put a tape on them, but I bet it’s not a big enough difference to worry about. On top of that you can’t say a perfect lung or heart shot, cause you probably ain’t getting both with a pellet, is deadlier than a well placed head shot. 
 
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I think I tend to aim too far back, thinking of similar placement to a deer. Tried it out again this afternoon. Dropped one at 62 yards, 2.3mil of elevation. Hit just in front of the shoulder joint. The pellet exited about 1/4 inch behind the eye. No surprise this one didn’t go anywhere. 
How much louder is the impact from an average .25 compared to a .22? Will most shots from a .25 pass through a squirrel?
 
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Click to expand...

Youngbuck

I feel you are more likely to maim a squirrel with a body shot. I know in my experience that’s been the case, and that includes 22RF. Your still aiming at about the same size kill zone, but there’s a lot more around the kill zone that will maim an animal with a body shot. I just haven’t wounded many squirrels taking head shots, I’ve missed truck loads though! If your posting I get body shots, but we eat them and I’ve had to many get away. Again just me experience I’m glad yours is different, that’s what makes this fun!
 
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If you are a poor shot with a .22, you will be a poor shot with a .25 a .30 or whatever. Gray squirrels here in the south east are very tough little critters and will run off in a heart beat if not shot properly. I kill them on a very regular basis and quite honestly loose count of how many I kill over the course of an Alabama hunting season. It's a lot. Most are killed with a .22 cal springer using a 14.6gr H&N FTT pellet, and 9 outa ten are with headshots. I don't lose a squirrel with a headshot.....ever. They don't run. They just fall with a thud. If I don't do my job and end up making a poor shot and hit them in the body someplace....good chance I may lose that one because they will take off in a hurry. When I do use my PCP to hunt them, which is a .22 Marauder, I still take head shots. It's even easier to take these shots with the PCP. So why not do it?

To say that you don't want to take the one shot that will guarantee a quick, clean kill, and thus a positive recovery of the animal you just shot.....makes no since at all. It's actually unethical. I do sometimes make a poor shot, and because of that will occasionally lose an animal. And it bothers me to no end knowing that I have wounded an animal that will suffer for quite a while most likely before it dies. If you aren't proficient enough with your tool of choice to make consistent clean kills.....change your tool or practice until you are. Maybe a shot gun would be better. I actually do know a guy that hunts squirrel with a 20g shotgun exclusively. Why? Because he is a lousy shot with a .22 rimfire. He is not into air guns like me. 

I know that my response may come across as a bit abrasive. But, I know what I am saying is true. If you are gonna shoot and kill animals.....learn how to dispatch them clean and quick. Become a better marksman......a more patient hunter......

TR
 
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Also on terminal performance if you may, I still prefer the .22 it penetrates better for me which is what I’m after. Plus all the other benefits a squirrel gun has in .22 over .25. 


Here’s my 9 year olds first squirrel with his new gun
E7A3C692-B1F1-420C-954E-E863AAABCD9C.1640658686.jpeg
, well we share it a lot! Kral NP02 with a short bottle and trimmed bottle stock. Old laser rangefindered 65 yards so give or take a few yards. Oh it’s .22cal, 18gr JSB around 800. Been good squirrel medicine.
 
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I primarily hunt squirrels with a .177, and I have avoided a .22. Years ago, I found them useless in a multi-pump. I have a .25, which I have found to be overkill. 

I don't use a rangefinder in my style of hunting. We didn't have them when I started. Today everything is long range with a rangefinder and bc charts; I'd rather keep my hunting simple. 

I can hit a bottle cap off-hand at 100 meters with a rimfire, but hunting in heavy underbrush game gets lost easy.

When you start hunting at a young age with underpowered equipment, you learn a body shot will kill when a head shot won't. I never said I don't take headshots. I said they are overrated. But I see more archers taking headshots on deer, so I guess times have changed.
 
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Man I have really had a completely different experience than you my friend. 100 meter bottle cap offhand is a hell of a shot that I’m in no way capable of making regularly with any weapon, and I don’t wound or cripple squirrels with head shots. I most generally miss or have a dead squirrel, way more hits than misses. Where exactly do you hit a squirrel in the head to cripple him? In my experience you basically have to hit in front of his eyes and mangle his mouth up. Anywhere behind the eyes to the shoulder is drt. Just don’t aim at their mouth, if you can cleanly dispatch a pop bottle lid at 100 offhand that shouldn’t be an issue.



Beau
 
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