Hey guys, My dad is taking me and my little brother squirrel hunting this weekend. We have 2 semi-automatic .22 long rifles, and a remington single shot 410 shotgun. I was wondering which of our guns would work best for squirrel hunting. Most of our shots would be between 20 and 40 yards, tops. What ammo would you reccomend for the hunt.[8D][/align]

I use shotguns for everything except deer, so I'd vote for the .410, but 40 yards is a long shot, so the .22 may better suited.So you'll have to make the call. I just prefer shotguns because I like to shoot them running instead of sitting still.

"Southern as can be!" You from somewherein Dixieland?

Depends on how many leaves are still on the tree. In FL the leaves never really fall so I always use a shotgun. But if there are no leaves on the trees then I would go with the 22.

I prefer to use the .410 cause you can shoot while they are stopped or if they start to run. We have a couple of pump mossberg that work awesome. Last year we didnt have a lot of rain so there wasnt a lot of acorns or pecans, during deer season had them coming into my corn in herds. There was one time I counted 23 squirrels gobbling down corn. Wanted to take my .410 and see how many I could get at once but never did. Even had a bobcat that would come see in the brush, wait for a bunch to get out there and then make a mad dash to try and grab one (all this less than 25 yards from the blind)

I would use the .22. Less meat wasted.

Personally I like the .17HMR. It's an extremely accurate round which means head shots and no wasted meat. I've been shooting a Marlin Model 17VS for a few years now and have been extremely impressed.

It really depends on how good a shot you are with the 22. If your not that good then I would take the 410 and wait for close shots.

The .22 is great if you can hit with it. I use shorts in mine, because they are so quiet, but they don't have a huge range.

I killed about 50 squirrels one season mostly with a .410. I would go with some 3 inch #4's or #6's. Even then, 40 yards is gonna be a stretch though. But then again, I like to take careful shots at fairly short range even if i am using a .12 gauge.

i like the 22 because i like the challenge. plus it gets you practiced for deer season..