Solids or Hollow Points for Squirrel?
 

Decided to get into a bit of squirrel hunting and want to get my .22 Rem 552 Speedmaster accurate enough to make head shots. No luck so far with CCI mini mags or some very old Rem Thunderbolts, so off to the local store to see what they have in stock.

Curious what most use for squirrel, hollow points or solids? Would seem to me that HPs are not needed for quick, clean kills, but I'll use whatever I can get to shoot the most accurate out of my rifle.


Suggestions welcome.

I would use whatever your gun like to shoot. My Remington .22 likes federal bulk ammo. Use whatever you feel comfortable shooting and allows you to make a clean shot. JMO

Hollow points! for quick clean kills, and it's still no guarantee. I've had many of them crawl off with a HP through both ears, but I've had even more crawl away with head shots from solid points. I shot these two this morning, the big fox took a 36gr HP in the left ear and it exited his right eye taking a big hunk of his skull with it and he still crawled a good ten feet, I found him half way under a small brush pile. HP's are not a sure thing but the odds of them getting under cover or in a hole are far lower than with solid points.

When I hunted with a 22LR it was federal gold metal hollow points. the 22 mag I used the cci tipped stuff.


I use solids 50 & 55 grain stuff with the hornet and the 220 swift. I think the key here is the extra heavy pills.


:D Al

DDAAUUMM!!!!!!!! A 220 Swift for squirrels? A tad over kill isn't it!!! LMAO!!!!:happy0001::happy0001: Take a head shot an it cleans it also in the same shot!!!!! I use a Hornet but with 40grn Speer RN and they shoot good. A shoulder shot is almost guaranteed only 1/2 a tree rat for the pot.

Good rat smakn!!! Hey LH, what kind of rifle is that? Looks good!! I have found that both of my main tree rat smackers are fond of Eley Subsonic Match HP and Federal Gold Medal Match Solids. Either one puts them DRT. Both shoot sub 1/2" 5 shot groups at 50yds. Fully tricked out 10-22 and a Mossberg 144 LSB. Head shots only. No body shots.

It's a CZ 455 Varmint in .22lr. I am shooting Aguila Super Extra 40gr CPRN that I hollow point myself.

I use CCI Standard Velocity more than anything else. Wolf match ammo used to be my favorite but it is nearly impossible to find anymore. SK has also proven to be excellent ammo and seems identical to Wolf. Standard velocity ammunition has always proven more accurate than any HV ammo for me.

Squirrel hunting with a 22 is one of my favorite ways to spend a day when the leaves are off of the trees. You do not need either HP or high velocity for squirrels.

I have some early SK 22LR that came out and is Subsonic HP. If I remember story correct, it is/was made by Lapua. Cant find it hardly any more. That, RWS and Eley are my go to ammo for tree rat smakn. All area HP and Subsonic. I never shot the wolf ammo for I heard it didn't shoot very well from the few who told me they had shot them.
And 100% agree that Standard or Subsonic are far more accurate from what I have shot over the years in all my rifles for match and top shelf accuracy.

How do you like the rifle? How long have you had it? What is the overall performance of it and trigger?