# Best gun/ammo for rabbits/squirrels



## mesrg3

Hello!
I'm new in the sport and I want to buy a good but cheap gun for rabbits and squirrels, so what would you recommend me? I guess .22?

Also how to properly clean a rabbit and a squirrel?

And the last question: Just head shots correct?

Thank you all for your help. :sniper:


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## Militant_Tiger

.22 is usually the prefered squirrel gun. I would reccomend a CZ 452, a marlin 39a, or a thompson classic. Headshots if possible, but a chest shot will kill one too.


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## i_love_177

o absolutely the 22 small is the best squerell rifle available dont use long rifle 22 bullets because it will blow them up but if ur looking for a least damage kill possible i would recomend a pellet gun such as a shadow 1000 by gamo its 1000 fps at muzzle advertised ive had kills up to 50 yards with it and the power is unbelievable that or if u like chasing squerells up a tree go with a shotgun preferably a 12 gauge with birdshot but it HAS TO BE UP THE TREE HIGH or else it will blow it up


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## the_duckinator

.410 or 20 gauge shotguns with #6 shot, you can take squirrels and rabbits running, sitting, however without a problem. Just try to aim for the head for a clean kill and the least amount of meat damage. I find running squirrels hard to hit with the .22, but if you want one I'd go with the Ruger 10/22. It's a great gun, and you can get one for about $125.


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## Militant_Tiger

Don't use .22 long rifle because it will blow them up you say? Sounds like you must be hitting them in the wrong area. .22 long rifle is perfect for squirrel.


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## Jim Licquia

Marlin 60 is hard to beat. Around $150 I think.


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## Gohon

> Marlin 60 is hard to beat. Around $150 I think.


About $90 at Wally World. IMHO the best little 22 out of the box on the market. Rabbits, I use a 22 when stalking alone but a 20 gauge loaded with #6 when behind dogs.
Squirrels I use the same shotgun and load during the summer because of the foliage and a 22 during the winter when the leaves have fallen.

How to clean them.................... in all honesty if I were you I would try to get someone to show you that. Trying to follow direction on such a task is very easy for the typist, not so for the reader.


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## Bore.224

New England arms .410 shotgun


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## Tholzel

i_love_177 said:


> o absolutely the 22 small is the best squerell rifle available dont use long rifle 22 bullets because it will blow them up but if ur looking for a least damage kill possible i would recomend a pellet gun such as a shadow 1000 by gamo its 1000 fps at muzzle advertised ive had kills up to 50 yards with it and the power is unbelievable that or if u like chasing squerells up a tree go with a shotgun preferably a 12 gauge with birdshot but it HAS TO BE UP THE TREE HIGH or else it will blow it up


Well, I'm a big-time air rifle nut for hunting, and I've just finished a test of the Beeman "Kodiak" air rifle at my blog, Velocitypress. Although far from cheap (~$600) its a break-barrel that produces 30 ft-lbs at the muzzle and about 20 ft-lbs at 60 yards--and that's with the deadly "Crow Magnum" pellet (that looks like an egg cup). I'llbe trying some intermediate-weight pellets next to see if Ican stretch the range to aroufn 70 yards--which would as far as I could hit a 3-inch target anyway.

(You can't prop a spring-piston air rifle on anything solid because the recoil will ruin the shot before it gets out the barrel.)


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## Charley

A 12gauge shotgun with #6 shot works very well. If you want more of a challenge use a 22


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## Mannlicher

Where I hunt in Florida and South Georgia, the type of cover, and the season of the year play a part in determining what gun I used. 
During the early part of the small game season, with the leaves still on the oaks and Hickory, I favor a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with #6 shot. If do take a .22, then its the old Remington 521t target rifle. Slow, deliberate shots, taken after a long stalk.
Now during the later part of the season, with the leaves gone, and finding the squirrels on bare limbs, I take the Ruger 10/22 with full stock. Rapid, sometimes snap shots are the rule, and I like the quickness and accruacy of the little carbine.
For rabbit, I almost always take a semi auto shotgun, again with #6 shot.


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## rebel76

I still tote my ol' savage 20ga. single barrel that my dad bought me when i was a kid although it can take the challenge out of things at times.i like a .22 when i'm on private land sometimes,but,when i hunt public land i always use the shotgun because of bow hunters may be in the area...never ran across one but you never know. the odds are slim of a missed shot traveling very far without hitting a tree though...just one of those things to think about. one of those public land problems.could be somebody closer than you think.


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## Grouse Hunter

Me if i had one id use a 22 but i just use my 28 gauge for now.


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## sierra03

Dont shoot your eye out


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## Colonel Sanders

I use a remington 870 16ga. with #6 shot


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## williamdtipton

I use to use my old marlin 22 LR bolt action for rabbits and squirrels.

I just bought a cheapo Stevens ($150) hmr17 at walmart.
If all the good press Ive heard is true, this is my new rabbit/squirrel gun


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## ohio

if your new to the sport dont listen to these guys tellin you to use .22's there carzy espicially for rabbits for someone getting started\.......just use a 20 or 12 ga with some 5 or 6 shot and youll get them every time


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## Gohon

Well, lets see....... you ask a question on squirrel hunting methods in one thread and then turn around and call people crazy for recommending a 22 for squirrel hunting. Do a lot of squirrel hunting do ya.....for the most part I don't like eating blood shot meat or picking lead out of my teeth. A shotgun for squirrel in the summer and early fall might be called for because of foliage but even then I reach for a 22 rimfire if possible. When the leaves have fallen you won't get close enough for a squirrel with a shotgun in my neck of the woods. Been using a 22 for the better part of 45 years now......... Hell, even for rabbits if there is snow on the ground I use a 22. Both my daughters cut their teeth with 22's for rabbit and squirrel, though a shotgun is normally a better choice for rabbits under most conditions.


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## ohio

maybe you need to learn how to sneak.....just kidding.......i use a .22 quite often also but i was lookin at it from a beginners point of view......and i think that if someone hasnt hunted for very long its almost dangerous for them to be hunting with a rifle espicially shhoting at such small targets at great distances....do you get where im coming from


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## Doorman

I think the best gun is the one you can consistently hit with. but for me, If i'm walking use a shotgun (whichever one I happen to miss shooting at the time) If I'm sitting a 22 is perfect with shorts I can take several squirrels in one sitting. the quiet rounds don't bother them much and they keep coming back.


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## Remington 7400

Ruger 10/22 or Savage 93, personally I like the Ruger. Prefer a shotgun for rabbits unless they are sitting still.


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## John M

I love my ruger 77/22 ( http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?mo ... 9&return=Y ) Its extremly acurate out to 50-60 yards topped with a burr's blackdiamond scope it can do some damage, i got a half an inche group at 65 yards using remington round nose high vel. long rifle , i got the target as proof to if no one believes me, its an excellent gun, i recomend for anyone from begginers to pro's , that is if you can afford it. And to answer your questions about headshots, i believe if you are using a hollowpoint bullet such as the stinger or veliciator, body shots will almost instantly kill them, but if you are using a cb cap or bb cap id recomend headshots big time.
I do not know how to dress squirrels but heres a link to a site that gives you directions: http://www.silverstreaksports.com/squirrel_cleaning.htm , but i do know how to dress a rabbit: This is how I dress, after 
the animal is taken get some string , light rope. Tie the rope around a tree 
about shoulder length. Take the rabbit by the back legs & tie each back leg 
to the rope. Start skinning the rabbit @ the leg joint, take your knife & 
cut around both legs, start to pull the fur down until You get to the head / 
neck area just past the front legs. Take the front legs & pull them trough 
the skin. Next take the knife & cut front leg joint . Next cut the head off 
with the skin still attached. Unless you want the fur for gloves or 
something. At this point you should have the rabbit skinned & decapitated. 
Next Take the knife & start to remove the Guts. Do this bye taking your 
free hand & pulling high on the stomach , make a slit all the way through to 
the ribs, The guts will start to spill out. Now for the bladder & lungs. 
Take the bladder & hold it will you cut being careful not to get the pee 
everywhere. Next get the lungs out. Next just cut the back legs @ the joint. 
Once you do a few you will get the hang of it.

Hope this helps,
~John M :beer: Get them lil critters :sniper:


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## Cleankill47

Click on this link, everyone! When you get to the forum, click the link that says 'skinning squirrel', and prepare to be amazed!! This is the fastest I've ever seen it done! My first tree rat took me an hour to clean, (half of that time was skinning) but I was 12, and no one in my house knew what to do...

http://www.sqdog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9790

As for a squirrel/rabbit gun, it depends on your wants and abilities. If you like the idea of one bullet, one animal, or have a problem with noise, go with the .22 and and maybe some subsonic ammunition. The .22 allows you to take headshots, which damages no meat. But, in exchange for that, you have to be willing to either be incredibly patient, or miss some bushytails entirely. The.22 is at it's best when you can see your target clearly, like late season out on a limb.

With a shotgun, there is considerably more noise (unless you have a .410), but you get the advantage of several projectiles at once headed toward your target. This is good early season when all you can see is a tail through the leaves.

Also, .22s tend to be cheaper. As a matter of fact you can get a brick of 500 rounds for about $20, while shotshells are about $6-$7 for 15-20 rounds. But you know, sometimes, you just feel like breaking out the scattergun...

Oh, and in crowded areas; public land, for instance, shotguns are much preferred due to the decreased lethal range. A .22 can maintain it's velocity for up to 2 miles; a charge of #6 shot from a .410 is lucky to last 200 yards through brush. Bear that in mind when you make your choice; where you hunt affects your hunting tactics and equipment, as well.

Rabbits are persued a little differently:

If you're going to stalk them, taking one or two steps at a time, while looking for an ear, an eye, or a tail, then you can easily get by with a .22, making exact shots.

If you're going to kick them up, and try to take them 'on the jump', then a shotgun is the perfect medicine. You get more room for error, and you don't have to aim like you do with a .22, you just point & shoot.

The same goes with dogs, if you'll be hunting with dogs, then you'll be wanting a scattergun. That bunny's gonna be truckin', and he'll only stop for a second, if that, so the shotgun will be right at home there, as well.

Good luck.


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