Favorite squirrel gun

So we usually direct our attention to larger game, but what are your favorite squirrel setups?

I like using my S&W 22A or my Savage .22 rifle. Both have taken squirrels but I wouldn't mind getting a nice .410 for places where a rifle, or handgun isn't an appropriate option.

New Ruger Single Nine 22mag, topped with a burris fastfire iii. Just gotta find more time for armadillo and coyote ventilation!!

I have many favorites. In pistols, a Browning Challenger. In rifles, A Browning auto 22 and a Savage 24 in 22/410. The trigger pull stinks on the savage but is good enough. For rabbits, and lots of them, is my Ruger 10-22.

It has wood grips on it now but:

My two favorites are: 14" 22 match T/C contender and a 7 1/2" 22 lr M97 Freedom arms, both equipped with cross-hairs.

Semi-auto hip gun: Colt Woodsman

Wheelgun: FA M252 7.5" Varmint Grade with Bushnell 2x6

Ruger Mark II and a TC in 22 Hornet

I use a single six hunter its very accurate and fun I have a simmons scope on it works great

High Standard Sport King 6 3/4 in barrel Bushnell scope. Or a 514 Remington single shot with cb's

Ruger MKIII Hunter with a Leupold FX-II 4x28 shooting Remington Golden Bullets. Best small game setup I've ever had, by far.

Lets see...My Ruger 22/45, the SP101, the single-six or maybe the old S&W K22...... Sometimes it's the Single-six .32mag...

Since I just went 4/4 this morning I'd have to go with my 4 inch 617. I've harvested many around the house with it using Aguila super colibri slightly more report than a pellet gun. Squirrel and dumplings for dinner.

10" T/C with a 3x9 Burris and my FA 83 with open sights and a 4 3/4" bbl.

12 inch Bullberry barreled Contender chambered in 22 LR, with 2-7 Burris scope.

Ruger MKI with a Simmons 4X.

H&R 676 w/ 12" barrel & Mini-Mags.

my favorites, a pair of Ruger slab sides, 4x leupold.

really liking my new tauras tracker in 17hmr super accurate gun.

SSK Ruger MkIII, Aguila 38 gr. HP subsonic.Bushnell Trophy 2-6X. Never knew what hit them.

browning buckmark with 14" barrel and a forend. It now wears a 3-9x rifle scope. So far longest squirrel was a 100yd offhand shot. love this gun

Beautiful pieces...really wish we could hunt them with semi autos here in pa.

Lamina that thing is wicked
I love those varmiters

Ya I just had a standard buckmark and ordered barrel and forend straight from Browning. Probably my favorite gun I have

I like S&W revolvers model 17, 63, 617, and 18s for my squirrel hunting, around here. A lot depends on the terrain I'm in.

Steve

I have an ole Winchester 36 that gets the job done very well and the grandkids starting at age 6 really enjoy shooting it.

To my knowledge only Fiocchi sells ammo for it in the USA. I think I have a 10-year supply unless we have a squirrel/pocket gopher invasion.

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Smith & Wesson Model 41 5 1/2" bbl. The gun is open sights and loves the CCI Sub-Sonic HP.

James is that the really light weight barreled handgun you showed me? That thing is sweet.

TC G2 Contender 10" 2.5-8 scope

Mine for the moment, is my Single Six Hunter,mounted with a 2x6 Bushnell Elite.And,with the 22 mag.

I have two, and one is not a handgun. The handgun is the Ruger MKIII Hunter wearing a Leupold. The "other" one, is a ruger 96 in 22 mag.

1. Ammo saver, remington 597
2. not to bad, browning buckmark w/red dot
3. extreme ammo usage, heritage 6" SA .22

Love to see a photo if that M97 rimfire!! Are you pleased with that fine firearm?

IC

10 inch match contender with bushnell red dot.

I guess I missed this thread earlier in 2013 when my new computer with Windows 8, "new" Photobucket, and I were not on speaking terms. In any event, I use a number of .22 handguns for squirrels, and these are some of the favorites:

A FA Mdl. 252 (83) with no iron sights, Gordon Logan base, and 4X Leupold:



An Armour Alloy Super 14 Contender in .22lr with 4X Leupold, seldom used except very late in the season when distances may be long, due to its size and weight:



A pair of .22lr Contenders, one with a special 6 1/2" barrel & Ultradot, the other in full SSK Khrome:



A FA Mdl. 97 with T'SOB and Leupold 2X:



A Gordon Logan Custom Ruger Single Six convertible with 2X Leupold:




A trio of Ruger Mk.II's. The 2X Leupold scoped tapered barrel version in the upper left of the photo is the one of the three most often used for squirrels. Jim Clark fitted one of his triggers before his death:





I also enjoy using a stainless 14" Contender in .410:

Here's a couple portraits....



....and YES, I'm very pleased. I will never part with this sweet piece of metal.

G2 contender 10" 22LR match.

WOW, Beautiful! What a nice tack driver!

as for handguns my favorite is my Taurus Tracker 990,but if I am doing some serious squirrel hunting then I go to my custom built .32 flintlock.

I love the head shots! Good on ya!

thanks! if I don't have a good head shot I usually let them pass,i hate cleaning a gut shot squirrel and hate wasting good meat even more.

you fellas that are interested in squirrel hunting might like this site.
http://www.squirrelsunlimited.com/

Thanks for the site Longhunter and that's some fine shooting man!

Mark III Hunter. Open sights. I'm not the best shot in the world but can still get a head shot on pine squirrels with it. It helps that the lodge poles they're in are rarely much over 50 feet tall. Brunswick stew anyone?

yes! or squirrel dumplin's

My current go-to small game set-up is a blued Ruger Mk.II with a custom 8" bull barrel that was turned from barrel stock by my local 'smith to match the diameter of the receiver. It wears a TC pistol scope with a fine duplex reticle in Warne rings over a Weigand base. I tuned the internals with a Volquartzen "accurizing kit" (hammer, sear, trigger) and put on a Hogue monogrip. It's heavy in the hand, but I've never shot a more accurate .22 auto. It does exceptionally well off the bench with the CCI Green Tag that I have left. Just today, it put some meat on the table.

Great site!..Thanks....I love squirrel hunting!...I use a ruger single six 5 1/2"...either LR or Mag cylinder...mostly this gun is now used with just the open sites and LR cylinder (cci stingers actually shoot very very well in this pistol)...it is tapped for Leupold mounts also....I also use T/C contender 10" .22LR match with scope or 10" .357 shooting reduced loads (cast boolits with bullseye powder)...

Here's a couple portraits....



....and YES, I'm very pleased. I will never part with this sweet piece of metal.

longhunter,

The only thing that you will find disappointing about the FA97 in 22lr will be finding the ammo to feed it.

My favorite squirrel gun is a S & W model 17 (K22) 8 3/8" with a 4x Bushnell scope. (Yeah my scope is 30 years old!) It spent many years atop my 358 JDJ Contender. I have it mounted with a custom, Weaver base that mounts on the barrel rib so I can QD remove the scope and use the iron sights. I have shot many squirrels, a few grouse and pheasants and quite a few groundhogs with this rig.
The K22 rig usually goes to the range with me on every trip. Its probably the gun I shoot the most. Many years ago it was my IHMSA silhouette gun. Very accurate, classic Smith.

nice!

Single six blued 6.5"

Remington 513SA 22cal. bolt gun I bought from my great uncle Bud. With the 6X leupold it has yet to miss if I do my part.

I use squirrel hunting as a time machine to youth. My dad let me use his Colt Woodsman. Skeeter Sketlton touted a S&W K-22, my first dedicated squirrel gun. I didn't kill many squirrels compared to a shotgun but handgun hunting was planted in my soul. Today a High Standard Victor or Ruger Mark II would go with me. My middle son started with squirrels. Now he carries a Colt 1911, a little big for squirrels. He's not impressed with the Air Force issue handgun, but it might make a good squirrel gun come to think of it.

My current squirrel gun is my 22/ 45 hunter with a browning halo type sight. Loveto shoot the single six but I am not as accurate with it. If i had to feed the family its got to be ruger 10/ 22. That gun is a workhorse of a gun. I grew up hunting with it. My 3 kids all hunted with it. Now my grandsons. I am betting there has been 15000 to 20000 rds down its barrel. I know my grandson but 5000 rds through it 4 summers ago . Only ever cleaned and oiled it. Accurate is spot on shot 10 shot group last weekend at 25 yds and covered them all with a dime. Cheap bushnell 4 x scope high top shoot through rings. Shoots everthing but remington thunder crap ammo. My buddy has a glenfield squirrel getter thts pretty darn impressive.

I've had the same Ruger 10/22 so long I paid under $100 for it. I keep threatening to buy a high-end bolt action but never get it done. My kids have tried to wear it out like yours, but never have. If God is indulgent to a sinner, I'll heard grand kids laugh at a dancing can or spinner out at the backyard range.