Squirrel hunting 22lr vs pcp

[moodyblues]

What’s the best tool for the job? I think most people would think you’re giving something up going with the pellet gun, but I don’t think so. I haven’t hunted small game with a rimfire since I got a pcp, but id say it increases my harvest.

I think a good pcp is the best squirrel harvesting tool ever devised. What do y’all think?

Beau

 

[Vetmx]

Nope. With my 22lr there is no scope clicking or fooling around. At 20-75 yards just hit them from the armpit forward and they fall dead instantly with a CCI mini mag. But on the flip side, when I hunt squirrels near my archery hot spots, I use an air rifle. You just can’t beat the power and how sleek a real gun is. My real guns feel like toys compared to bloated PCP’s.

 

[rhbrink]

Yep! PCP's work great, springers work pretty good to. I once read a long time ago that hunting squirrels with a .22 rimfire is about equal to hunting elephants with a 104 howitzer. I don't know if that's true or not, never hunted elephants, but pcp's on squirrels = perfect.

 

[Removed]

Nothing wrong with either, I prefer using my high powered airguns. The sound level is less with an airgun and believe it or not I've found the reliability can be better, I do get some misfires with rimfires. I think skill and experience is the advantage over choice in weapons.

 

[dizzums]

pcps are 'low impact' and quiet, theyre as accurate as any firearm in most small game ranges .. overall more effective than a firearm ... if you got a particularly nasty critter though that needs to be eliminated positively, and dam the noise, cant beat a 12 gauge though haha ..

 

[PumaCarl]

If your airgun is tuned right and well suppressed you will definately see more to shoot than people shooting unsuppressed .22LR, at least I know for sure I have. If the .22LR is suppressed, little to no difference between the two.

 

[madeintheuk]

I like that an airgun using a pellet will lose its energy pretty fast compared to a rimfire, so they’re safer to use in less open areas. Not that I’m shooting in the city, but I’m not as worried about backstop with a pelletgun than a rimfire.

 

[Harv24]

Quiet and accurate 22 PCP's are why I fell in love with squirrel hunting.

I could never see going back to a 22LR for small game.

 

[mtnGhost]

Batting 1000 for squirrels with my Mutant with my zero set at MPBR. It hasn't failed me yet as far out as 73y with the Trijicon MRO HD with the 3x magnifier.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Deer and squirrel seasons can overlap in autumn where I live making airguns great tools for squirrel hunting. Especially in areas where there are deer hunters. I simply don’t disturb them. I’m usually posted up at the base of a tree or in a thicket and glassing the area. When I shoot I seriously doubt that other hunters or the deer hear much other than a “ping,” a squirrel falling from a tree, and sometimes a faint rustling noise from a squirrel flopping around in the leaves. Furthermore, using .22 or .25 PCP I have little to worry about in terms of richochets and misses. I’m confident that the pellet isn’t going to travel far at all.

 

[Deleted 45061]

I grew up hunting ground squirrels in wine country, California, with a low powered 177. Man, my family property was as desolate as they come inside a year. The neighbors surrounding us all used .22lr and shotguns. I was the most effective with the ~14fpe 177, but I also had unlimited time on my hands. To each their own I suppose. I don't think it matters really. If I could take a time machine back, I would probably get a HW35e in 177 as my go to, and I would add a moderator. Light, plenty of power, and quiet. The one benefit I know that I had above my neighbors is that I didn't drive the ground squirrels under ground from the noise. I was able to come back 5 times a day on the same squirrel den, so even if I missed or even hit one, they wouldn't go hiding but rather be in a state of confusion.

 

[SteveV]

All I can add is, in some situations, say a WMA near a suburban area, no rimfire let alone centerfire are allowed - it's shotguns, muzzleloaders, archery, or airguns -

 

[HogKiller]

What’s the best tool for the job? I think most people would think you’re giving something up going with the pellet gun, but I don’t think so. I haven’t hunted small game with a rimfire since I got a pcp, but id say it increases my harvest.

I think a good pcp is the best squirrel harvesting tool ever devised. What do y’all think?

Beau

.22 is way too big, I use a .17HMR when I don't even want to think, point, click and watch the guts fly, it's point and click out to 125 yards. With my PCP and it's windy the darn squirrels are out there pointing and laughing at me.

 

[boscoebrea]

distance and surroundings are what I base my choice.I would rather hunt with a PCP

 

[thumper]

I hunt grey and fox squirrels, have since I was a little kid, and I still believe that a .22LR is overkill.

 

[SteveV]

What Thumper said

 

[TC724]

This is simple to me, a rimfire is going to beat most airguns people use to hunt squirrels in flat out power and trajectory except for some of the new slug slingers… that being said, it’s a lot of overkill (imo) with a high risk of the bullet traveling beyond the target of you miss. I hunt on my farm and my farm only but shooting a nice pcp or springer keeps the deer bedded and I can shoot at silhouetted squirrels on dead tree limbs high up, where with any rim fire I wouldn’t feel safe. It’s personal preference for sure but I don’t have any big expensive PCPs or springers and still use them the most. It just fits it better…Technology changes.

 

[elh0102]

IMO, out to 45-50 yards, I believe they are about equal, at least with my rifles in my hands. I'm sure there are a lot of folks who are better than me with an air rifle at 50+ yards, that's just my limitation. I haven't done any hunting in several years, but when I squirrel hunt, I go to a friend's farm, which he manages for trophy deer. If I were to go there now during deer season, while he was in the woods, I'd use an air rifle so as not to disturb his efforts.

 

[Vidwize]

I was a rim fire squirrel hunter. Loved my mag 22 browning A bolt with a 6-20x44 scope. But after hunting with my Brocock commander XR magnum with a 0DB. In 22. And shooting the JSB knock outs in 23.39 gr. I shoot further shots with my pcp. I shot a squirrel the other day sitting out at 70 yards in the eye and crows would be in my yard at day break fighting. Which always woke my house guest's up …. Now the JSB pellet in 25.39 gr shoots the same as knock outs just one scope to the left. 4 crows later now they avoid my yard. Love calling them in for those 60 70 + head shots. I love hearing tud of the pellet or slug hitting the animal. You can tell if you miss no tud
I live in the woods nearest person 1/4 mile but even here people know who’s hunting but I can hunt with anybody knowing I’m out hunting. I love the pcp Brocock long shooter. I’m impressed

 

[Harv24]

I grew up hunting ground squirrels in wine country, California, with a low powered 177. Man, my family property was as desolate as they come inside a year. The neighbors surrounding us all used .22lr and shotguns. I was the most effective with the ~14fpe 177, but I also had unlimited time on my hands. To each their own I suppose. I don't think it matters really. If I could take a time machine back, I would probably get a HW35e in 177 as my go to, and I would add a moderator. Light, plenty of power, and quiet. The one benefit I know that I had above my neighbors is that I didn't drive the ground squirrels under ground from the noise. I was able to come back 5 times a day on the same squirrel den, so even if I missed or even hit one, they wouldn't go hiding but rather be in a state of confusion.

And that's a key benefit that I think is not being factored in.
The crack of a .22LR can be heard a long ways off, while a moderated .22 PCP is not. And it does not alert every animal in the woods that you're hunting.