Calibers >22 LR for Squirrel?

[Louisiana Deerman]

Hey Rokslide. I currently have a blast squirrel hunting with a supressed 22LR using subsonics. Thinking of trying another caliber that may be more flat shooting and allow for longer shots in the large canopy oak flats I hunt. Anyone have experience using rifle calibers larger than 22LR, such as 17 HMR or 22 mag? Do those calibers tend to result in more wasted meat on squirrel? Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[menhaden_man]

22 mag is pretty nasty on squirrels. Head shots or mid body or you’ll be wasting a lot of meat. Probably better off sticking with a 22 and dialing.

 

[Nine Banger]

Probably better off sticking with a 22 and dialing.

That's what we do.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Squirrel hunting is all about headshots, so a flatter shooting cartridge is desirable, but .22 LR has always worked for me. If I were to try a different cartridge, I’d go for a 17 HMR. CZ and Tikka both offer excellent rifles in that cartridge.

I’ve heard from lots of folks that 22 magnum ammo isn’t usually very accurate, but I don’t have firsthand experience to verify that.

In my younger days, I used to use my 9mm for shooting squirrels while I was deer hunting. But that was only a 25-yard affair.

 

[Chris in TN]

After numerous years of using a subsonic suppressed .22lr I have zero desire to ever use anything supersonic again for squirrels.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Hmr is legit. Rather destructive though. Id stick with the 22