I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
Then you need a more powerful 22 pellet rifle.
I’ve never had one from my custom Macarri R9 w/12x scope NOT completely penetrate even out to ~100 ft..
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That’s what I was thinking.
Out of curiosity what was the OP using and what were you using Mauser58. I’ll absolutely admit to ignorance with air rifles. I am curious.
The one I am looking at is a break barrel that advertises 1300fps in .177 caliber and I think 950 in 22 caliber. I’d think a ~20gr .22 caliber pellet would be pretty lethal to a squirrel at 100ft and under for sure. My 10/22 firing 40gr quiets at 760fps can generally pass through a groundhog width wise (bit length wise though).
I’d think with a bit more velocity and half the weight complete pass through a of a squirrel would be no problem.
Even if velocity is 100-200fps optimistic. A 20gr .22 pellet at 750fps I’d think would still pass through. Now one at 400 fps maybe not.
I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
That's like armor piercing pellets. Lol
I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
Yeah you're not doing it right. Obviously mine penetrated. Acute angle through both ribs and one shoulder muscle group.I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
I liked those a lot. Ran out. I'm using target ammo now out of a 4 pack of pellets I bought at a podunk (but awesome) general storeI used to use these for squirrels years ago when I had to thin them out. Still have half a tin left:
https://www.airgundepot.com/gamo-22-cal-rocket-pellet-100-ct.html
I have a Benjamin Mayhem, break barrel 22, that has never had any issues taking out squirrels with standard crossman premier 14.3 gr pellets. At my house they also raid the apple trees and corn, they chew on everything that is left out side, and they keep going in the engine bays of cars and making a mess. They all need to be exterminated.
I removed about two dozen tree rats from my property during the last year. The reason mainly because they were raiding my apple trees. You all know how they take one bite and ruin the fruit and drop it and onto another. I have many pellet and BB rifles I have experimented with. A pellet rifle is not the way to go. Ii have found that pellets sting the squirrels and stun them while they do a dance and usually recoup from it. I have killed a few with 22 pellets as they are larger and pack a wallop but only if you hit then right in the head or ear. Body shot forget it as they will mushroom and no penetration. I had to go back to BB's and only head shots will kill. Best to use a scope and only eye and ear shots if you want them dead. Other wise you just have a pissed off live squirrel
I know I am going to seriously regret saying this, but despite the large number of tree rats I have on my property (I really need to trim them back this fall), I've never had an issue with them damaging things. Not even the bird feeders. Though I've got cones on the bottom so they can't get up them and they aren't near enough for them to jump down or over on to them. But never chewed anything on the cars (though usually parked in the garage, not always. .
I know I am going to seriously regret saying this, but despite the large number of tree rats I have on my property (I really need to trim them back this fall), I've never had an issue with them damaging things. Not even the bird feeders. Though I've got cones on the bottom so they can't get up them and they aren't near enough for them to jump down or over on to them. But never chewed anything on the cars (though usually parked in the garage, not always. Sometimes parked outside for weeks). Not on the house either that I can see.
They do occasionally do a bit of damage in the garden, but I've never seen them down in my orchard munching on anything. Though the orchard has pretty new without much fruit yet, so maybe that is just a matter of time.
But I am planning on a Gamo 22 break barrel just in case. It would make me a little more comfortable than my 10/22, I am assuming at least slightly quieter even with suppressed subsonic rounds out of my 10/22 and if a neighbor ever did have an issue, probably would have a lot less of an issue going "oh, its a pellet gun".
Though my neighbors are generally okay with me hunting, I don't want to push it. I am on 4.4 3/4ths wooded acres.
And a couple of tins of pellets would probably last a few years of fun + tree rat trimming. I'd still grab my 10/22 and subs for the ground hogs.