Squirrel hunting with air rifle

[TroutMcghee]

Anyone using airguns to squirrel hunt with? If so what is your recommended setup?

 

[Nykki]

I use a Crossman Medallion 22 cal pump up pistol. Squirrels are small here doesn't take much. I've got an old Springer break barrel in 177 that gets used but not very much. The springer I've had for almost 60 years.

 

[IdahoFF]

I hunt squirrels with air rifles every year. I've been playing with pcps for about 20yrs now. Fortunately now its a lot easier to get into the pcp realm. My son for Christmas just got a Umarex Notos .22cal. I put a red dot on it. Should be an awesome squirrel rifle.

Pcp air rifles are remarkably accurate and really it comes down to what kind of money you want to spend. They are by far the most accurate rifles in my safe. Air Arms S200 .22cal, Air Arms S510 .25cal, Taipan Veteran Long .25cal, and now the Umarex Notos. This being the most affordable out of the bunch. Have fun, they are addiciting. Check out Airgun Nation Forum

 

[flyboy214]

For squirrels, you can get by with a basic .177 springer. I killed a bunch of them growing up with a Gamo break-barreled that I fed RWS domed pellets. More expensive PCP models can be more accurate and more powerful, but the nostalgia of hunting with a break barrel drove me to get a WH95L in .22, and it is a dream to shoot. Slower, heavier pellets seem to be more accurate for my .177 and the .22. Velocities from 600 fps to 900 fps are plenty fast for killing squirrels.

For pellets, the predator polymags, H&N crow magnums, and JSB exact pellets all seem to do well. The polymags and Crow magnums actually expand quite a bit as well.

Those german made springers are a ton of fun. The HW30S urban pro is a pretty cool model that comes with a scope and suppressor.

The real trick is finding a scope that can survive the punishment and not shift in the mounts. I ended up using Form's scope-mounting guide for rifles and degreasing, then torquing everything to keep the scopes from shifting. Also, witness mark the scope and the mounts so you can tell when things have shifted.

 

[MallardSX2]

Look no further if you’re dead set on a pcp.

Benjamin Marauder Synrod Combo | Small Game Rifle | Pyramyd AIR

Get a Benjamin Synthetic Stock Marauder combo, or a Benjamin Synrod combo, with CenterPoint scope and sling - the ideal combo for hunting at Pyramyd AIR.

www.pyramydair.com

.22 caliber with JSB JUMBO HEAVY pellets.

My recommendation would be to get a suppressor on a 22lr. It’s cheaper to shoot.

 

[LostArra]

For squirrels, you can get by with a basic .177 springer. I killed a bunch of them growing up with a Gamo break-barreled that I fed RWS domed pellets. More expensive PCP models can be more accurate and more powerful, but the nostalgia of hunting with a break barrel drove me to get a WH95L in .22, and it is a dream to shoot. Slower, heavier pellets seem to be more accurate for my .177 and the .22. Velocities from 600 fps to 900 fps are plenty fast for killing squirrels.

For pellets, the predator polymags, H&N crow magnums, and JSB exact pellets all seem to do well. The polymags and Crow magnums actually expand quite a bit as well.

Those german made springers are a ton of fun. The HW30S urban pro is a pretty cool model that comes with a scope and suppressor.

The real trick is finding a scope that can survive the punishment and not shift in the mounts. I ended up using Form's scope-mounting guide for rifles and degreasing, then torquing everything to keep the scopes from shifting. Also, witness mark the scope and the mounts so you can tell when things have shifted.

Great advice here ^

I have found it's good to try a bunch of different pellets. Each air rifle seems to have a favorite for accuracy.
And accuracy is the key to killing because any .177 pellet in the head kills a squirrel.
Springers require a unique shooting technique and a good trigger helps. Support the rifle but don't grip it.

 

[TroutMcghee]

Would vortex scopes work? With the lifetime warranty I could see that being a big plus.