.22lr or shotgun?
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Brad Phillips
Active member
Originally Posted By: scoremasterLove them 22s I canned 10 quarts of squirrel hearts last fall
Whoa, that is a pile of squirlo's
Whoa, that is a pile of squirlo's
AWS
Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
When hunting snowshoes one of us would get on a track an stay on it until the hare circled back to the stander, tracker carried a rifle to pot one stopped and the stander a shotgun for the one running past.
For cottontails we both carried 410 for rolling bunnies in front of the dogs.
For most of my life squirrels were hunted with an old JC Higgins SS 22. As I got to be a serious gun loonie I speñt a number of years hunting squirrels with a 358 Norma Mag loaded with 148gr lead wadcutters over a enough shotgun powder to get the bullet out the barrel, it was as quiet as a 22 and would shoot clover leafs at 50 yards, it put a pile of squirrels on the table and come big game season it was deadly with all that practice.
For cottontails we both carried 410 for rolling bunnies in front of the dogs.
For most of my life squirrels were hunted with an old JC Higgins SS 22. As I got to be a serious gun loonie I speñt a number of years hunting squirrels with a 358 Norma Mag loaded with 148gr lead wadcutters over a enough shotgun powder to get the bullet out the barrel, it was as quiet as a 22 and would shoot clover leafs at 50 yards, it put a pile of squirrels on the table and come big game season it was deadly with all that practice.
Cranesville Hunter
New member
I believe hunting with a .22 puts all the sport and skill back into hunting. If I was starving, a shotgun but for the sport I love the .22lr.
GC
Well-known member
Originally Posted By: Cranesville HunterI believe hunting with a .22 puts all the sport and skill back into hunting. If I was starving, a shotgun but for the sport I love the .22lr.
You should use a rimfire handgun or a bow and arrow. Why limit your sportiness by using a scoped rifle.
You should use a rimfire handgun or a bow and arrow. Why limit your sportiness by using a scoped rifle.
Cranesville Hunter
New member
I use the .22, an old Savage single shot with open sights. It is a challenge and I like challenges. I don't use a bow due to my physical condition (100% disabled vet).
I greatly prefer my home-built suppressor on my Browning Buckmark. The OAL is 9.5", with a 3" barrel. When i run it wet, which is nearl always, it's no more noisy than the noise from the ejection port. I can carry it out of sight in a fanny pack, worn at the muzzle. That greatly helps with public relations, as does the suppressor. 
With this setup, I can reliably hit 2" disks from 25 yds, standing un-supported, 2 hands on the gun, iron sights. That's plenty of accuracy for small game. With the harvest out of sight in my pack, I'm just another bird watcher.
you have to experience it to appreciate the huge advantages offered by the suppressed .22. I don't freeze my fingers, lugging around a longarm, and if I miss, the animal usually just sits there. So I can amuse myself on starlings and sparrows when there's nothing else to see. If I had to feed myself, those birds would really help the taste and food value of greens, tree cambium, and roots. A .22 can harvest fish, too, in shallow water. Illegal now of course, but an option if it's a survival thing.
With this setup, I can reliably hit 2" disks from 25 yds, standing un-supported, 2 hands on the gun, iron sights. That's plenty of accuracy for small game. With the harvest out of sight in my pack, I'm just another bird watcher.you have to experience it to appreciate the huge advantages offered by the suppressed .22. I don't freeze my fingers, lugging around a longarm, and if I miss, the animal usually just sits there. So I can amuse myself on starlings and sparrows when there's nothing else to see. If I had to feed myself, those birds would really help the taste and food value of greens, tree cambium, and roots. A .22 can harvest fish, too, in shallow water. Illegal now of course, but an option if it's a survival thing.
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