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Airgun Squirrel Hunting- Help

Old 10-02-2011, 09:50 AM
  #1  
Typical Buck
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Default Airgun Squirrel Hunting- Help

well ive been trying to knock off some squirrels lately with my Rem Vantage 1200. It is a .177 cal. When i had my Crosman G1 xtreme i had no problem at all killing squirrels with crosman wadcutter pellets. Now i have the Vantage and it just doesnt shoot them accurately. I now shoot crosman destroyers. They have no problem at all taking birds and chipmunks, i actually got a few today. But when it comes to squirrels they just dont do it, i have never had a problem losing squirrels like this. Today i shot one from 20 yards, i had aimed for the shoulder. i hit him, he flipped and went up a tree. i then shot him in the neck, the only shot present. He flipped again and ran away. My shots are pretty on, atleast i would think because i hit a chipmunk in the head today at 15 yards. What are some accurate hunting pellets i can try. i really wouldnt like to spend like 10$ for 100, or those 25% more velocity ones (which i imagine are a gimmick and i heard they aren't accurate) so what are some pellet you use for taking squirrels?
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Old 10-02-2011, 06:41 PM
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i have the same gun i shoot crosmen rockets they have like a bb in the pellett seem to work pretty good but there tough critters ive shot one 8 times before it finally went down
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Old 10-04-2011, 06:27 AM
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Hunting Kid - I never got good accuracy using Crossman pellets in my .17 cal. guns. I always had the best squirrel killing results using the RWS superpoint 8.2 grain pellets. I regularly killed gray squirrels stone dead with them out to about 35 yards, trying mostly for head shots.
Keep in mind - that every air gun is a law unto itself as far as the ammo it likes. It sounds like you don't have a lot of money to experiment with different pellets - so it might be a good idea for you to go to one of the on line airgun stores and buy one of their pellet samplers, and try as many pellets as you can, to see what your particular gun likes the best.
I assume you are shooting the big Fox squirrels and they are a bit tougher to anchor than a gray squirrel. If you can - try to get a .22 cal. pellet gun when you get a chance to trade up - you will be amazed at the killing difference.
Also - In my very limited experience - I have found that it pays to pay a little extra money for the RWS or H&N pellets - accuracy wise and for the killing power.
Hope this helps
Good hunting
P.S - I don't mean to be flaming you - but try to go easy on the chipmunks - ok? It was taught to me by an old guy many years ago, that you shouldn't kill anything you weren't going to eat. I know - when I was a kid - there for awhile - just like most kids - I shot most anything that moved too - till that old guy caught me killing dinky birds one day and had a long talk with me about being a responsible gun owner and hunter. That changed me forever.
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Old 10-04-2011, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by NEK
Hunting Kid - I never got good accuracy using Crossman pellets in my .17 cal. guns. I always had the best squirrel killing results using the RWS superpoint 8.2 grain pellets. I regularly killed gray squirrels stone dead with them out to about 35 yards, trying mostly for head shots.
Keep in mind - that every air gun is a law unto itself as far as the ammo it likes. It sounds like you don't have a lot of money to experiment with different pellets - so it might be a good idea for you to go to one of the on line airgun stores and buy one of their pellet samplers, and try as many pellets as you can, to see what your particular gun likes the best.
I assume you are shooting the big Fox squirrels and they are a bit tougher to anchor than a gray squirrel. If you can - try to get a .22 cal. pellet gun when you get a chance to trade up - you will be amazed at the killing difference.
Also - In my very limited experience - I have found that it pays to pay a little extra money for the RWS or H&N pellets - accuracy wise and for the killing power.
Hope this helps
Good hunting
P.S - I don't mean to be flaming you - but try to go easy on the chipmunks - ok? It was taught to me by an old guy many years ago, that you shouldn't kill anything you weren't going to eat. I know - when I was a kid - there for awhile - just like most kids - I shot most anything that moved too - till that old guy caught me killing dinky birds one day and had a long talk with me about being a responsible gun owner and hunter. That changed me forever.
if i dont eat it or have a reason to kill it i wouldn't. they are chewing up my shed and garage doors. thanks for the help too.

oh yea and my name is a little bit deceiving. im 16 going on 17 now so im not really a kid but i still am. And about being a responsible gun owner and hunter i couldnt agree more, my dad taught my young. sometimes i hunt with my friends and its kind of disgusting how much disrespect they show to small games animals like you were saying chipmunk, little birds etc.

Last edited by huntingkidPA; 10-04-2011 at 12:09 PM.
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Old 10-04-2011, 01:21 PM
  #5  
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Thanks for the explanation HK.
You have a pretty good arsenal of weapons to choose from there. 16 going on 17 - yeah, not really a kid are you?
Those Chippers can be a nuisance at times. I have some living under the back porch and they get into the garage sometimes and raid the bird feed sacks. It doesn't happen unless I leave the door open too long when I'm working out there. I haven't had to shoot any of them yet - but I will if they get too numerous and start damaging things. My wife loves to watch them stuffing their cheeks under the bird feeders.
Good luck with the pellet rifle.
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Old 10-07-2011, 03:02 PM
  #6  
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iv been usinmy cheap daisy powerline 880. iv been usin cheap crossman destroyer pellets from walmart. they are 2.00 for 250 count.i have iron sights on my gone and i drop the squirrels from the trees. i guess that if you have good aim you won`t need high priced fancy pellets, but thats just me.
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