For that purpose I had John Taylor build me a Bunny Gun on the small pre-WW1 H&R .44/12mm shotgun action in .32 S&W Long. Factory 98-grain LRN ammo gets 865 fps and shoots inch groups at 50 yards out of a 4-lb. rifle.
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For that purpose I had John Taylor build me a Bunny Gun on the small pre-WW1 H&R .44/12mm shotgun action in .32 S&W Long. Factory 98-grain LRN ammo gets 865 fps and shoots inch groups at 50 yards out of a 4-lb. rifle.
I think there's a 25 ACP rifle thread around here somewhere. I've always been tempted just to load for something so tiny.
might want to check your game laws, here in LA, you can not shoot small game with anything other than a 17/22 rimfire or .32 cal muzzleloader, or shotgun unless there is an open firearms season for deer. Even if its downloaded, try explaining to the game warden why you killing squirrels with a 30-30 or some caliber he's never seen before and does not understand.
A 22 Hornet an be loaded lean (22 rimfire magnum) or 3,000 fps,plenty of cast boolit molds, I shoot a Barnes 30 grain Grenade, Unique with a gas checked 224-415 hardly any recoil and very quiet.
I have a Savage Model 40 single shot, lots of Hornet shooter like the CZ.
I'll second the Hornet I have two and either will shoot a five shot one hole group at 25 yards with a cast bullet and 4.5 grains of Unique and a Federal small rifle primer. My other squirrel rifle is a 30 caliber muzzle loader that is good for a squirrels head at 50 yards when loaded with a patched #1 buck shot and 15 grains of triple F black.
Seems to me a 22lr shooting Aguilar 60gr subsonic rounds comes pretty close to what your after .not quite 24cal but fits every thing else. I know little yard rats could use some thinning around here.
I use a 16" 9mm barrel adapter in a 20ga. barrel,red dot on top, loaded with lyman 358345-115gr.SWC over 3gr. 231. I have shot over 30 squirrels, ton of coons,rabbits have never lost any good meat due to damage.
Do you live in a state that ALLOWS center fire for squirrels, or other small game? It'll get you a citation here, no matter how loaded down it is. :shock:
NC allows just about anything for anything, and I like it that way. We can hunt with SBRs, Suppressors, crossbows, rimfire for deer if you wish. It's all about personal accountability as a hunter and I despise the state doing the deciding for me. Didn't work with Alcohol keeping people from drinking neither.
That being said, the only centerfires I would be considering for squirrel would be .32 acp or maybe a .32 revolver round. My 10/22 eats them up with CCI RN minimags anyhow
Have you ever read of the old Velro Dog Cartridges? Could you imagine the left going crazy over these today !
http://www.ammo-one.com/5-75VeloDog.html
Thanks for all great the suggestions!
Although not bolt action you might consider a Marlin Camp 9 ? Cheap shooting , accurate and more than enough 'knock down' power for the lowly squirrel ?
Thumbrocker: Size 0 buck shot in .30-30 over 3 grains of bullseye or red dot is pretty good. Just roll the shot in liquid lube, and load in an unsized flared case. Added bonus is that balls travel much less than boolits.
I do this also but in a .300 Win mag. It really freaks people out when they see it.
Take an ear of corn hollow it out fill it with Tannerite cap the top and plug it onto your squirrel feeder. When the squirrel takes the bait just shoot the corn. I'd say this would help with the unique part.
This thread's topic reminds me why I stay disgusted with TN's small game regulations. I would absolutely love to hunt small game with any of my rifles in 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, or 25/20 Winchester calibers. I suspect there are various concerns about big game poaching with these and similar calibers. While these events do happen they are rare compared to the numbers of legit hunters wanting only to expand their enjoyment in the field. So for now we are limited to rimfires and shotguns, muzzleloaders and archery for small game. Dangit.......
A 30-30 with that size boolit loaded to cat sneeze speed would easily do the job.I prefer Red Dot or Bulls Eye for cat sneeze loads but you could use Unique if you want a "unique" load for your "unique" squirrels.
BTW - I googled "unique squirrel" and didn't find anything - must be a "Hoosier thing"? Try and keep 'em below the border of Hoosier Land and the Wolverine State - we don't need any more critters up here. :-) LOL