# .22LR hunting



## reelx11 (Jan 2, 2015)

What .22LR ammo do you recommend for squirrel hunting? Awaiting your replies. Thanks


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## FlipKing (Jan 2, 2015)

With squirrels you can use about any .22 LR ammo. I prefer hollowpoints to provide a little more hit.


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## Buckhead (Jan 8, 2015)

Really doesn't matter which flavor of LR you select, all are effective.  I like to take head shots, so generally am using standard velocity or match ammo of some sort.  Whatever shoots the smallest group.  HP or round nose, doesn't make much difference.  

An added advantage to standard velocity ammo is how quiet it is.  No sonic crack, considerably quieter than high velocity.  Doesn't scare the squirrels near as much.  Not unusual to take 2 or 3 from the same tree in one sitting.


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## kmckinnie (Jan 8, 2015)

I would say the ones you canfind.


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## dawg2 (Jan 8, 2015)

My preference are CCI Stingers.  They are pretty rare so I reserve those for special occasions.  I generally use whatever I can get right now except sub sonic.


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## NE GA Pappy (Jan 8, 2015)

I just low velocity stuff.  I like to hear the whoommpp when you hit them.  with the hyper velo stuff you can't hear it hit.


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## dawg2 (Jan 8, 2015)

NE GA Pappy said:


> I just low velocity stuff.  I like to hear the whoommpp when you hit them.  with the hyper velo stuff you can't hear it hit.



That is a good sound.


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## duckone (Jan 9, 2015)

reelx11 said:


> What .22LR ammo do you recommend for squirrel hunting? Awaiting your replies. Thanks



Reelx11,

What rifle action will you be using?  Bolt, pump, lever or semi-auto?

What range do you anticipate taking shots at?

If most of your shots are within 25 to 30 yards and you can consistently make a head shot then almost any 22 long rifle ammo will do.  If you prefer to take body shots on squirrels then, in my opinion, a bullet that delivers more shock will reduce the number of hit squirrels that are able to make it to a hiding spot after being shot.

If you shoot a semiauto rifle then some standard velocity ammo will not cycle the action.  It will shoot but your rifle may be turned into a single shot that you’ll have to clear a jam out of.

Remember too that whatever ammo you used to sight-in and plink with during the summer will experience a drop in velocity as the temperatures get colder.  It would be a good idea to check your point of impact when the temperature gets below somewhere around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  It will likely be a little lower at 25 yards and even more so at 50 yards when the temps are in the 40s and lower.

All that said, the easiest thing to find these days that will likely work well enough in any 22 rifle action is probably CCI Mini Mag hollow points.  These can usually be found at most gun shops and Walmarts.  Most rifles will shoot these rounds pretty accurately and they will cycle almost every semiauto rifle that has received at least a basic cleaning in the last year or two.

There are many other good choices but they are usually more expensive and more challenging to find at your local gun store these days.  Eley and SK subsosnic hollowpoints and CCI Standard velocity solids are superbly accurate out of most rifles.  They will reliably cycle most reasonably clean semiauto Ruger 10/22s.  From what I’ve read many Marlin semiautos like the Model 60 won’t reliably cycle the subsonics.  I don’t personally own a Marlin semiauto so I can only go on what I’ve read.  They certainly have a reputation for being accurate rifles but reportedly they function better with high velocity rounds.

Here’s a link to Midway USA’s rimfire ammo page.  They are a good source for some of the harder to find as well as more common rimfire ammo.  

$10 and $20 off MidwayUSA coupon codes.  http://www.midwayusa.com/promo/jan15-pickyourdeal-offer?cm_re=Nav-_-SWBanner-_-JANpickyourdeal

MidwayUSA’s rimfire ammo section.  http://www.midwayusa.com/shop/rimfire-ammunition/ammunition

Look here for discounts for new MidwayUSA customers.  http://www.midwayusa.com/

22 LR rifles are like romantic partners.  Some things they really like and some things they really don’t.  It may take a little time and experimentation to find out what ammo your rifle likes the most (is the most accurate with and/or cycles best with.)  Bullet placement is the most important thing in squirrel hunting (for that matter any hunting.)  Bullet performance is a close second.

Good luck and let us know how you do.


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## duckone (Jan 9, 2015)

A few more 22 LR hunting and ammo resources:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php

Scroll down to the ammunition section for more rimfire ammo insight and answers.  Scroll down to the "Great Outdoors" section for hunting including squirrel hunting info.

Here's a very good squirrel hunting blog I've recently been following.

http://www.squirrelhuntingjournal.com/


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## ryanh487 (Jan 9, 2015)

I like CCI mini-mag HP.  My 597 can hit an aspirin at 50 yards with them all day long and they leave a nice dime to nickel sized exit hole.


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## GunnSmokeer (Jan 9, 2015)

what will you hit if you miss the squirrel?

When I had the opportunity to hunt in thousands of acres of thick woods, I used "CB long" on squirrels so that I could shoot at them safely when they were on limbs and tree trunks without any backstop behind them.  I knew that those CB long bullets (29 grain round-nose at 700 fps) would have a pretty short danger zone before falling to earth.  
A regular .22LR could go for 1.5 miles, and I didn't have that much safe distance of empty woods around me.
I did have half or 3/4 of a mile, though.

With regular .22 LR rounds, I would have had to pass on a lot of possible shots, because the squirrel's head or body would have nothing behind it but air and maybe leaves or thin branches of other trees' canopies. I would want to have the trunk of the tree directly behind the squirrel to shoot him in the tree.

For squirrels on the ground, and assuming a safe backstop or a mile of empty woods and fields in that direction, I use the CCI mini-mag hollow points. They're almost as accurate as target loads, but they really do open up on impact. They are reliable and feed in all my guns.  (the CB longs often have to be chambered by hand and will not cycle the action of any semi-auto).


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## Gamecock (Jan 9, 2015)

GunnSmokeer said:


> what will you hit if you miss the squirrel?
> 
> With regular .22 LR rounds, I would have had to pass on a lot of possible shots, because the squirrel's head or body would have nothing behind it but air and maybe leaves or thin branches of other trees' canopies. I would want to have the trunk of the tree directly behind the squirrel to shoot him in the tree.



That is why they call it hunting and not shooting! LOL


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## Gamecock (Jan 9, 2015)

reelx11 said:


> What .22LR ammo do you recommend for squirrel hunting? Awaiting your replies. Thanks



I like Eley Subsonic Hollow


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