You’re gonna love the CZ. I’ve got a 455 model and it’s a squirrel getter! I’ve always used CCI Mini Mag but this one also shoots Federal Game Shok well.Originally Posted by Tripplebeards
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You’re gonna love the CZ. I’ve got a 455 model and it’s a squirrel getter! I’ve always used CCI Mini Mag but this one also shoots Federal Game Shok well.
The tightest group so far with my CZ was with the cheap 333 Winchester hollow points at 1250 ft./s. I get crawl offs 99.9% of the time unless I hit him right in the head. They normally only go 10 to 15 feet. I had one I dropped out of a tree at about 40 yards on a full tilt run. It hit the ground and I watched it hobble 20 yards and run up a tree and into a knot hole with a blood trail the whole way. I’m sure it was a pretty poor shot. Even with a lousy shot out with a 22 WMR the squirrels don’t go anywhere. I guess if it saves some meat I don’t mind some crawl off.
I normally just always put my squirrels in the crockpot until the meat falls off the bone. I normally just eat it right out of the crockpot. I did debone some after cooked and put it in hamburger helper once and also mixed the deboned meat with cream of mushroom soup mix and poured it over toast.
Yep those HMR's & V-max's blow small critters apart!
I have been shooting squirrels with a 60 grain gc out of an Interarms mini mark X in .223. Even body shots do not damage much meat and they are drt. Off hand I do not remember the amount of 2400 powder.
Steve
I'm in the process of moving to TN and have interest in returning to the field for squirrels. I would love to use my Hornet and looked at NOE's 225-46 WFN 2X2 (GC/PB) for this purpose until I read the regulations and it is RF only.
I was thinking of a subsonic load with the above bullet with just a 1-16 or 1-20 alloy. Since the GC/PB combo mold has been outta stock forever I was looking at the 5 cav brass GC and converting 2 cavities to PB. Would you recommend the HP Option.
That bullet works very well for me in the Hornet with two grains of Bullseye (my mold is all plain based). Kills way better than the ballistics and noise would lead you to believe it would. I have gone as low as 1.5 grains and it works too, and is subsonic based on the noise. Try to get Tennessee to change that stupid law.I'm in the process of moving to TN and have interest in returning to the field for squirrels. I would love to use my Hornet and looked at NOE's 225-46 WFN 2X2 (GC/PB) for this purpose until I read the regulations and it is RF only.
I was thinking of a subsonic load with the above bullet with just a 1-16 or 1-20 alloy. Since the GC/PB combo mold has been outta stock forever I was looking at the 5 cav brass GC and converting 2 cavities to PB. Would you recommend the HP Option.
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I sighted in my cz452 utralux 22lr today. Here’s the first five shot group I shot at 50 yards with CCI stingers. I can honestly say I didn’t really take my time and slowly squeezing the trigger and concentrating on breath control. I believe I could do even better with time and practice. My 22 WMR shoots tighter at 100 yards but I’m calling it good and I’m ready to go hunting!
I then played with the mill dots. The second mill dot down in my Tasco scope I hit dead center at 100 yards. I hit 11 for 11 little rocks in a row that were 50 Cent size or smaller once I figured out where to aim.
At 25 yards I was stacking bullets all inside one bullet hole with Winchester 333’s with this gun today to. Man, is this a fun gun to shoot!
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 01-07-2020 at 07:55 AM.
Well after trying the stingers I don’t see the hype. The first squirrel I shot today it was running away at like 10 to 15 yards and I gave them my Texas heart shot to test the ammo out out. I shot at it and it kept running like it wasn’t hit. I then shot at it again aiming right at its tail pipe. The squirrel rolled sideways got up and ran up a tree set up the tree for about 10 seconds and fell out hit the ground and tried to run and hobble about 10 to 15 yards into some thick brush. I gave it a minute and I went to look for it. I found it laying flat out on the ground head down like it was taking a dirt nap. I set my gun down and crawled in the brush to get it and it picked his head up and ran hobbling about 15 yards and ran up a tree again. I could see internals hanging out the hole that I shot in its rear. I grab my gun and rolled it right in the ear and of course it dropped Stone cold dead. Dropping up in the head TK audit and I wasn’t impressed because any cheap ammo will do that as well. So I sat down because before I shot this I saw three big fox squirrels chasing each other down the hill and I figured I’d sit for a while and wait for them to come back up. I had fun playing with my rangefinder in ranged a couple different spots. About 10 minutes later a big fox squirrel came up walking on a log and 55 yards away that I ranged earlier. I put the crosshairs right on its front shoulder and pulled the trigger. I blew that squirrel right off the log. It got up and tried in about 15 yards and I saw it wiggling around by a big oak tree. I gave in about 20 minutes and I walked over to see what happened. There was a blood trail a blind man could follow for 15 yards to that tree and it must of went up at sat in the tree and blood was dripping all over into the snow. I’m guessing the squirrel finally had enough and crawled in the top of the hollow tree and died. If I would’ve shot these with the 22WMR they wouldn’t have moved. I’m going to recite in my 22 WMR at 75 yards instead of 100 so it doesn’t drop law they close distances and wreck shoulders. Taking my 22 Long rifle out today was almost déjà vu the last time I took it out to years ago. I have to say I had only one runner that one up a tree and the other ones only crawled 8 to 10 feet and died and that was using cheap Winchester 333 ammo which is less than half the price of CCI stingers. I’ll be the last box of stingers I ever buy. I took those shots on purpose at the squirrels because I wanted to see the destruction it did or didn’t do from what I’ve read that it supposed to be comparable to a 22 WMR. They aren’t even comparable to the cheap Winchester 333s in m6 book for stopping power.
Here’s the squirrel I recovered you can see both holes that went up the tail pipe one directly in it and one just above it and they both exited in front of the front shoulder. And then the last shot I put it through the ear and they all came out in the same spot. When I skinned it the head came right off of course. also both rear legs broke right off and one was completely bloodshot so even though I realize it was poor shot placement my 22 WinMag did less damage and they dropped on the spot every time.
The final shot that sealed the deal...
And where all three exited..
I would assume these bullets never expanded. When I cleaned it the heart and the liver were perfectly intact. I’m guessing CCI changed their lead boolit mix to a lot harder BH and it acted like a full metal jacket. I don’t know how many countless posts I’ve read on all different forums that said this ammo will literally take squirrels and rabbits heads right off their shoulders... Not anymore apparently.
I talked with CCI this morning and told them my results. They told me those bullet should have opened up and blew that squirrel apart. The technician there referred me to try a box of the segmented version. I’ll have to shop around and see if I can find a box locally and see if they group worth a darn in my gun. Same bullet with segments in it I would think it’s got a group pretty close to the same?
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 01-08-2020 at 01:55 PM.
The old stingers were messy. Haven’t used them in decades. I didn’t like the accuracy myself. I like the bulk Winchester ammo myself and use Paco Kelly’s Accurizer for much improved results. The dish nose works great on tree rats. If you want more the nastynose is even more dramatic and the tool improves accuracy as well. Well worth the money
.
http://www.pacotools.com
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Wow, not sure what the problem with the stingers is. I have found that an ordinary .22 LR hollow point with any kind of solid body hit drops them decisively and they usually don't even twitch when they hit the ground.
ive shot squirrels my whole life with a 22lr with cheap bulk ammo or a .410 with great results. this year im going with my new 22cal ruger air rifle my wife bought me.
I’m guessing they change their alloy composition and made it way too hard so it wouldn’t expand. That was enough to never make me buy another seven dollar box of ammo when there’s a lot better “cheaper” options. I do want to try though segmented versions and the Remington yellow jackets on squirrels (if they group) and see what happens. Aquila’s are out. For some reason the two highest speed options both grouped 6” and 9” at 50 yards out of my ultralux. I would assume they make their bullets smaller in diameter then my bore?
I bet if I would’ve stuck to my Winchester bulkpack I would’ve had two dead squirrels laying on the ground the other day.
Wait!!! I just ordered two packs of CCI quiet segmented high shock 1640 ft./s ammo from the Sportsmens guide with free shipping! The only catch is they are on back order I won’t get them till the first week of February but that’s all right for $12 to the door!!!
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 01-10-2020 at 11:03 PM.
Here's an odd "rest of the story". I made a crock pot of stew out of these four and have been working on it this past week (funny how much meat four small animals like that actually render down into). Eating the last bowl of it just now, I bit down on something I figured was a small bone fragment I missed, but it was a piece of #6 bird shot. I'm the only one who has hunted this place or anywhere close for the past four years or so, I have to assume it was one I missed or thought I had missed when I used the 16 gauge out here which has been more than a year. Didn't seem to be causing him any harm, all four were big and healthy. Weird, huh?
Nasty! I just experimented and tried to make drummies for the first time with one of my squirrels. They look really good on camera but I cooked them on low for an hour after browning and I overcooked them. Most the meat was crunchy and dry. If I ever try this again I’ll crockpot them until they’re tender and then batter fry them. After having them this way I think I’d rather just eat them in the crockpot anyways.
+1 for crockpot.
Biting down on birdshot is the reason I don’t like shotguns. Never had a problem with .22’s doing that.
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I shot all these with a .22, that pellet had been in that squirrel a while.
Been thinking of developing a heavy load if #4s for squirrels that with a full choke would most likely go all the way through and if not, be easier to pick out during cleaning.
Normally when I use a shotgun I try and wait till squirrels are up a tree or behind a log with only their head poking up and out looking with the rest of their body sheltered. That way I don’t waste any meat and don’t have to pick out BBs.... Or break my teeth on them. If I just could get all the squirrels on the same page life would be good. I went out yesterday with the 22 WMR and saw six and they all ran like their house was on fire. Never could get one to stop for a clean shot and wasn’t going to blow them up again like I’ve been doing. I made a squirrel call out of a plastic comb in the top plastic ribbed lid from my milk carton. When I rub the two together it sounds like a squirrel chewing on a nut. After all the squirrels ran I sat down and scrubbed my little call the gather for a half a minute I made a couple are chattering noises with my mouth. One of them came to inspect and ran down the tree that it went to hide in 100 miles an hour ran past me and sat in a log 87 yards away....
I’m sure I could’ve took some running shots at the other ones and connected but I didn’t feel like blowing them in half again.
Even with an earshot when I cleaned one of the front shoulders came off. I’m sure some of the shrapnel broke apart and cause it. If I could only get a cast boolit do that on deer!
Those 22WMR hornady vmax bullets are squirrel destroyers!
Those squirrels know the gig is up after now that I’ve been out there enough times now. I might be going out with a 12 gauge and some six or 7 1/2 shot next time. The problem is 95% of them are always out of range that’s why I’ve been taking my 22s. No leaves on the trees in the snow is so crunchy they can hear me coming a mile away no matter how slow I go and sneak. I might have to man up and use the 22LR cz452 next time out with the Winchester 333’s.
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 01-13-2020 at 03:24 PM.
My dad would of thrown a coniption fit if I'd ever shot a squirrel with a shotgun. Only slightly less so if I used a body shot with a 22. Squirrels were to be shot in the head, period. Body shots made them harder to skin and wasted meat. Solids only, no hp, whether shorts or long rifle didn't matter. He grew up in the depression and the only rifle he ever used was Grandpa's old Montgomery Ward bolt action with iron sights. Once I was old enough to hunt he quit hunting, but his way was to get right under the tree the squirrel was in and get a close shot.
Have shot literally in the hundreds of squirrels with CCI Subsonic 40 grain HP.
Head or chest shots very lethal and drop them immediately. Deliberately shooting squirrels in the butt with a 22 is not the way to do it, and head or chest shots are not hard to obtain.
25-20 usually groups decently with 5.5-6 grains 2400 or 6.5-7 grains 4227 and cast 85-90 grain bullet. If twist allows subsonic 1050-1080 fps loads using in vicinity of 2.8-3 grains Bullseye or w231 do well in spoiling little meat yet with somewhat more killing latitude than 22 LR if bullet has decent meplat.
When I used to hunt on the Cumberland Plateau in TN, I almost exclusively used my Rem bolt 22 with shorts. I hit one gray squirrel dead in the chest as he was looking at me. I recovered the bullet from under the hide on his rump. I had used 12 ga with 71/2 or 8 shot, but had too many wounded ones get away. Shotgun with
number 6 shot was a lot better.
Wayne
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - or else it gives you a bad rash.
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