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?

SK and Wolf are produced at the same factory using the same production lines. For some reason the Wolf Match Target 22 is impossible to find and SK+ is fairly common. It is not quite the level as Eley TenX but it shoots as well or better for me than Club.

I do not remember any ammo labeled as Subsonic that did not shoot well, including Remington and Winchester (both very difficult to find anymore).

CCI Standard Velocity and CCI Blaser shoot very well and are reasonably priced and commonly found to boot.

All of it works for squirrels.

I have two of them, this one and a standard model I got for my grandson, we have been hunting with them for a couple of seasons and they have became our favorite squirrel rifles. Triggers were a little stiff at first but have smoothed out very nicely, I would guesstamate 2-2.5 lb's. I have only ever shot the Aguila and CCI Mini Mags through them but they will both shoot dime size groups at 50 yards, off a bench that is.

Why is a 220 swift over kill? Also you must not be down loading your hornet it you remove half the squirrel with a body shot?


:D Al

Thanks for the replies.

Went to the range last night for a quick check with three boxes I picked up at D!cks - CCI standards, Ely Target and Winchester Subsonics. Still spraying bullets at 50yds with 2.5" groups. The Winchester Subsonics seemed the best but not by much. Thinking there may be an issue with my rifle or scope (can't be me!). I'd hate it to be my rifle since it's the first rifle I ever owned, a gift from my dad when I was a teenager. I'm using a cheap scope that I may try replacing first.

I have several Swifts and I know what the end result would be. Leaves some pretty nasty holes on 'yotes and fox. To each their own. Makes no never mind. And on the Hornet, I mainly load 45grn Speer Spitzers. I also load some ballistic tips. I guess I like to keep it simple and close. That's why I shoot pistol when I can. I have inadvertently popped some in the shoulder with the Hornet and it was no need to use the knife on the front half.

;) Popped more than a few tree rats with my .220 Swifts loaded with 55gr VMax's smoking out an average of 3720fps. Head shot equals removal of head :D Body shot equals a fairly large greasy stain on the tree and a tail :D Ya want overkill, hit one with a .22-250 loaded with a 40gr VMAX flying at a cruising speed of around 4250 :D Those buggers will even skin the tail out for ya! Pink mist! Was out smacking ground hogs and this little bugger was irritating me! Bang, POOF, no more irritation :D

As to the OP, I've killed thousands of squirrels with both solids and HP's. Whatever my rifle liked to eat is what I went with. Stick either one in an ear hole and watch it drop.

From the Speer # 11 reloading manual, also in the # 12 and 13 manual. Which contains reduced loads for a lot of 22 center fires like the Hornet, Fire ball, jet, wasp, 222, 222 mag, 225 and even 22 250.
Speeds are in the 22lr range up to the 22 mag range and damage is roughly the same as using those. Problem I have now is they have discontinued SR4759, so am looking for new published loads with different powders. Cost per round for the hornet it about 7 cents and 8 for the Swift. BIL called me Friday and said the local gun shop had 22 mags limit of one box per and cost 20.00. No thank you.







Ruger77V
26" 1 in 16 twist barrel
W-W case
CCI Primer

40gr Spire SP
SR4759 10.5 to 12.5 grains
1662 to 1973fps

45gr Spitz SP
SR4759 10.5 to 12.5 grains
1631 to 1938fps

50gr Spitz SP
SR4759 11 to 13 grains
1669 to 1997fps

52gr HP
SR4759 11 to 13 grains
1680 to 2001fps

55gr Spitz SP
SR4759 11.5 to 13.5 grains
1709 to 2000fps

70gr Semi Spitz SP
SR4759 12 to 14 grains
1642 to 1906 fps


:D Al

Reduced? Sheesh I can get out and walk the bullet faster than those slow pokes :D If I want .22mag speeds, I'll use me .22mag!

I would use a 22lr or a 22mag if I could walk into a store and buy a couple boxes of ammo. You can't in this area you have to drive several hours, order on line and pay a hasmat fee, or go to a gun show and pay a bunch for a little.


For me much more fun to set down and load up a couple hundred rounds for the same or less money.


I got a E mail from my BIL Monday morning a local gun shop had 22 mags one box per and only 20.00. I don't think I would waste my time driving a couple miles for a box at that price.


Nice thing about the swift is you can go squirrel hunting and if you see a coyote rack the rifle insert a 3808 round dial up the turret an collect a coyote out there 200 yards.


:D Al

I have some Swift loads that are past the 250 loads with a 40 BT. And it really doesn't matter what they "Interact" with, they REALLY don't like it!! Yeah, Swifts are fun to shoot and I have burned thousands of rounds as well out of the gaggle of them I have or have had. Nothing like a near maxxed out 50grn BT in the ribs and watch their eyes bulge or put 1 straight on in the chest and see it leave a "Trail" out behind it in the snow!!!! I'm with others here in the RL theory that if I wanted to shoot something in the 22Mag or 22LR velocity, I would!!!

Standard federal SPs

Made a serious effort to clean the barrel, tried various lead removal products and techniques, finally got the rifle clean. Went back to the range. Five different brands of ammo, turns out the CCI standards shot the best. Got some decent 1" groups at 50yds, so I'm thinking it's time to go for some tree rats.

Thanks again.

My experience HP's perform better. My rifle prefers Eley subsonic HP's.