Replacement for 22 squirrel rifle?

[runfiverun]

the ar will become a bolt gun, but you're squirrel hunting not prairie dog hunting.

[BruceB]

the ar will become a bolt gun, but you're squirrel hunting not prairie dog hunting.

This is a very telling point.

There are NO tree squirrels in these parts that I know of (maybe because there are no TREES?) but it seems to me that, at "normal" tree-shooting ranges....maybe fifty yards max?.... an accurate M1 Carbine could be pressed into service.

In that case, I would turn a new, longer gas piston, which would BLOCK the gas port when installed, and make the little rifle into another sort of straight-pull bolt action. With a nice cast load of maybe 90-110 grains and 1500 fps, it would be a VERY effective squirrel rifle.... sort of a Super .22WMR. It would also save the brass!

My as-new GI Carbine does an easy 1.5 inches at fifty yards with irons, so a no-drill mount with a scope should allow for squirrels at fifty. Hmmm...we DO have hordes of ground squirrels... maybe, while the .22-250 cools....?

[10x]

It is difficult to imagine that 22 ammo is in short supply in the U.S.A.
The real question is why is it in short supply? There is a demand.

The C.I.L. ammo plant in Canada had the capacity to manufacture almost a million 22 rimfire rounds a day in the 1950s according to the staff that worked there.
I am certain there is industrial capacity in the U.S. to supply the demand for 22 rimfire ammo.

So could someone tell us why there is a shortage of 22 rimfire ammo?

[OnHoPr]

This is all BS even having to consider something else other than the .22 for a squirrel gun because of lack of ammo. Marksmanship will degrade even further in the US without it.

10x: "So could someone tell us why there is a shortage of 22 rimfire ammo?"

Maybe these new style AR's where they can shoot a 1000 rounds in a couple of hours at the range at a milk jug at 25 yards.?????

[SawmillJack]

This is all BS even having to consider something else other than the .22 for a squirrel gun because of lack of ammo. Marksmanship will degrade even further in the US without it.

10x: "So could someone tell us why there is a shortage of 22 rimfire ammo?"

Maybe these new style AR's where they can shoot a 1000 rounds in a couple of hours at the range at a milk jug at 25 yards.?????

I'm probably wrong and may be called a conspiracy nut but, the most popular round in the U.S. is the .22 LR. If you take away the ammo for them you have just made them a nonentity in the gun control argument. In other words you have just disabled more than half of the guns in America. It doesn't make any sense that ammo manufacturers would allow them selves to be complicit in such a plan. However in the past40 years how many times have we seen man made shortages play out to the detriment of the American consumer? Gasoline, oil, coffee, orange juice, and more have claimed shortages and raised prices to more than double overnight. At a time when their customer is already scared of an unfriendly government to have shortage of the best selling ammunition certainly gives them a reason to artificially increase the price before it is brought back. The other ammo of recent shortage is now becoming available at 50% and slightly more increase of price. Maybe .22 isn't back yet because 50% increase isn't enough of a gouge yet. I might be wrong, just saying what it looks like.

[badbob454]

home made shot shells? in any of the above calibers, maybe use gelatin capsules with a wad behind them.. for the shot holders and hand feed them? just a thought

[Sensai]

Just a reminder to be careful if you try downloading rifle rounds with fast powder. It works well, but the chance of a double charge is definitely there. I prefer a powder like Trailboss for this kind of thing because it's almost impossible to double charge a case without spillover. Of course, Trailboss has disappeared in some parts of the country too. My favorite load for your situation is 6 or 7 grains of TB behind the Lee 311-93-1R boolit in a 30-30 case. Down to 4.5 grains has cleared the barrel consistently for me, YMMV.

[biggc1]

Air rifle for the win! They had 22 ammo at Dunhams last week though just keep checking.

[DonMountain]

Air rifle for the win! They had 22 ammo at Dunhams last week though just keep checking.

I don't have an air rifle and my wife has determined that I already have enough guns? That brings up the question. How many guns is enough? So now its a decision between using the downloaded AR-15 rifle or the shotgun, which I also reload for. Of course the downloaded .223 is the cheapest solution for me. So I think I will try that one. I have been so into the boolit thing for the last 20 or 30 years that I had been thinking 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with a cast lead boolit. But the AR with 55 grain J bullets makes more sense since I have so many of them that I never use except on an occasional coyote.

[10x]

I don't have an air rifle and my wife has determined that I already have enough guns? That brings up the question. How many guns is enough? So now its a decision between using the downloaded AR-15 rifle or the shotgun, which I also reload for. Of course the downloaded .223 is the cheapest solution for me. So I think I will try that one. I have been so into the boolit thing for the last 20 or 30 years that I had been thinking 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with a cast lead boolit. But the AR with 55 grain J bullets makes more sense since I have so many of them that I never use except on an occasional coyote.

The question really is "how many wives are enough?" Sometimes one is enough, and sometimes one is one too many....

[madsenshooter]

A pocket full of rocks will work. There were a couple boys in the local area whose dad used to send them out so armed. They'd get whipped if they didn't come back with something! One of them grew up to be quite a baseball pitcher.

[biggc1]

The question really is "how many wives are enough?" Sometimes one is enough, and sometimes one is one too many....

Too true!

[44minimum]

What about one of those adapters that allows you to shoot 32 ACP, 7.62x25, 30 carbine or a whole bunch of other pistol calibers in a 30 caliber rifle? You already said that you have a 30 caliber rifle.

[Wolfer]

If you throw 5 or 6 grains of clays in any rifle you deer hunt with and whatever boolit you have handy you may discover you don't need a 22 anymore.
If Larry would come back on he could probably give you better details. I just start at 5 gr and work from there. Woody

[Hamish]

[QUOTE=DonMountain;2435615]I don't have an air rifle and my wife has determined that I already have enough guns? Silly Rabbit, you have them all in one place where she can see them, don't you? That brings up the question. How many guns is enough? (All of them) So now its a decision between using the downloaded AR-15 rifle or the shotgun, which I also reload for. Of course the downloaded .223 is the cheapest solution for me. So I think I will try that one. Good choice, you have a lot of info at your disposal here. I have been so into the boolit thing for the last 20 or 30 years that I had been thinking 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with a cast lead boolit. No reason that wouldn't work too, how light a boolit can you cast for it? But the AR with 55 grain J bullets makes more sense since I have so many of them that I never use except on an occasional coyote. You really don't want to fool with downloading jacketed, so much easier to stick a bullet in the barrel that way. If you are interested, PM me for some samples to try in your AR.

[Digital Dan]

i don't have an air rifle and my wife has determined that i already have enough guns? That brings up the question. How many guns is enough? So now its a decision between using the downloaded ar-15 rifle or the shotgun, which i also reload for. Of course the downloaded .223 is the cheapest solution for me. So i think i will try that one. I have been so into the boolit thing for the last 20 or 30 years that i had been thinking 6.5x55 swedish mauser with a cast lead boolit. But the ar with 55 grain j bullets makes more sense since i have so many of them that i never use except on an occasional coyote.

do not use jacketed bullets when trying to replicate .22 rf performance in a .223. They will not clear the bore reliably at that velocity range.

[Whiterabbit]

Also trailboss or H4895 will make holes touch in your 7x57 with a good boolit. I like them both, but gave the edge to 4895.

hey! I still have my pic uploaded. This is 50 yards during load development



Good enough for me!

[SeabeeMan]

I'll cast my vote for a decent air rifle. I've actually started adding pellets to my stockpile. Not that I could possibly see them ever getting hard to find, but in a SHTF scenario, a pocketful of pellets can bag a lot of small game...birds included!

[subsonic]

Pick up some round balls for your .30 rifle.

[Digital Dan]

That'll work.