Hardcorehunter16

Deer season is coming to an end here and its time for me to be hitting the woods for squirrels. I hunt my squirrels with my .22 but am just wanting to shoot my .243 from a barn into a hardwooded hill for practice. All shots would connect with a backstop. Anyone else have some fun with larger calibers? Any rounds that are not to much for a squirrel that I could shoot from a .243?

*Shot a few the other day with it and other then the headshot ones, the one that I hit in the body mangled it. Was a GREAT DEAL of FUN though and was great pratice with my rifle that I wanted to work with anyway before going to alabama for deer season. I was shooting 100 grain core lock soft points which is what I use for deer. Good deal of fun since there isnt prarie dogs or anything else fun to shoot down here in long distances. Just keep in mind as everyone else has stated any centerfire weapon should stay on a grounded target.(also check regs,Some places do not allow centerfire weapons for squirrels!)

jloop

I would say it is to much. If ur a sharp shooter a 150 yeard shot with a 22 should not be to hard. I hunt with a guy that was a sniper in vietnam and he kills them 100 yeards with no scope.

Bernie P.

Head shots would be ok but a .243 will even tear up a coyote if you want the fur.

Hardcorehunter16

Im shooting a marlin .22 m989 that has a rather short barrell. Trust me, Ive seen my friend hit targets out to 200 with his CZ .22. That is just not my guns capabilities though. I may try the .243 with just one box of 55 grainers and post the kills if its succesfull in leaving anything left over.

Howler

Stick with your .22 RF for a couple of reasons. As you said, anything but a head shot will equate to meat loss from a .243 bullet and there's not much there to start with, but add on the fact that most shots are UP and that .243 is going to send those bullets even further into "who know's where it lands" places. At least a round from 22rf fire will use up most of it's energy when it hits a squirrel, even though the bullet will most likely always pass through, but a .243 bullet is going to go through the squirrel and have lots of energy left to keep right on going to who knows where.
Keep the .243 for shots at targets on the ground.

halfbakedi420

yeah a 223 is too much fer squirrel, as we whack deer all the time with it here.
22lr is a good one fer squirrels
.17 is also a good choice....
243...good for big game

skb2706

Maybe its just me but the thought of shooting a .243 up into a tree with no backstop is a bad idea at best. I guess it depends on where ya live but even here in the wilderness its not really a good one.

You could shoot a squirrel in the head with just about anything and not jack it up if all you hit is head.

Hardcorehunter16

I agree with everyone who has said something about shooting up in a tree. That simply is a bad idea but defiantly not my intention. I have a property with an old barn on it that has a second floor. I like to climb up into the second floor were there is a spot you can shoot from. being that the barn looks into a huge hill there is a 100% backstop for every spot I could shoot. This is where I like to go with my .22 just to make rediculious long shots and where the .243 idea came into play. Ehhh with boxes of ammo being 25$ I think it may just not be worth it. Still worth mentioning though...although if I go through with it then ill let yall know how it turns out haha(pretty sure we all know how it would lol).

bones987

naaaaa i like atleast a 30-06 for squirrels them things git brutal lol

skb2706

Situation begs for a .17 HMR.