Oh boy. Now you have opened a can of worms with your squirrel hunting options for your 22. Repeater or single shot - this or that - LOL. There is no bad answer here. I have a Ruger MKII with red dot, several S&W 17s - scope and irons and a Contender. They all work for squirrels. Since you have the frame I would run to get a 10 inch Contender barrel and give it a try. If you do not like it you could part with it easily. LOL........