first squirrel w/pistol!

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I just got my first squirrel today, with help from my best friend and squirrel dog, daisy! I was using a S&W k-38 combat masterpiece, and wadcutters moving at 800 fps or so.it was about 60 feet straight up and looking down at me. the boolit hit its chest exited its lower abdomen and then went through the hind leg. I have killed a raccoon with this gun before but it was a close, easy shot. the reason I am so excited is that this was a challenging shot for me, and I have been working at practicing my grip and also fie tuning the sights. just had to brag to someone, have a good day!
Travis, A.K.A. The O.K. KIDD

[Les Staley]

Congrats on making meat with the wheelgun. A 38 with cast boolet would certainly be cheaper to shoot than unobtainium 22rimfire.. How many squirrels make a mess for the skillet?

[aquarist]

Gratz! Love my wheel guns glad to see someone else who likes them as well.

[newton]

I saw this and smiled. Something about a squirrel and a pistol. I did it also, with my 1911, and know exactly how you feel. I think I was more proud of it than if I had shot a 10 point buck.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

lol, yeah, ive only ever got does, but that doesn't matter much to me, better eating. but I would like to get a buck this next season with my marlin 22" bbl 1895 45-70. but back to the point, yes I am pretty proud, I was kinda shocked I hit it even though I have been doing good on targets. anyways thanks guys
Travis

[Outer Rondacker]

Congrats.

[skeettx]

Travis, well done :)
Thank you for sharing
Mike

[Thumbcocker]

Congrats. Back in the late 70's my squirrel gun was a Ruger Mark II 6 7/8" target model. Ross Seifried taught me pistol shooting with his articles on hitting things. I killed a pile of squirrels with that gun and later a K-22. Also got a few with a kit gun and a Walther Pp .22. Now I have a truce with brother squirrel because he amuses me and tells me when the deer are coming. Lots of good memories though.

[tdoyka]

way to go!!!

[Tenbender]

I have killed a lot of squirrel's with my Ruger MkII. Wonder if it will kill a coyote ? About that time of the year again. The rut starts in February.

[ChristopherO]

Brings back memories of good times in the woods with the 1851 Colt Navy .36 cap & ball revolver I used to hunt squirrels with. Good for you and the fun you've had and will continue to enjoy.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

huh, I had no Idea coyotes had a rut,lol I bet if you could get head shots or close range heart shots it could, tenbender, maybe that's the next thing I should try w/ the .38. do the ruger mkII's with fixed sights come out of the box with good accuracy? I sure would hate to have to bend the front sight or file it or anything, they are probably one of the best lookin guns in my opinion. Thanks all!
Travis

[Sam Casey]

Nice shooting. 38 Spl is my favorite small game handgun. IMO in most cases it will put down small game a 22 will only injure and allow to die in unrecoverable location.

[Markbo]

But a squirre!?!!! Dang...yall have a lot bigger or tougher squirrels than we do! ;)

[Three44s]

Congrats, good work!

Three 44s

[Virginian]

Congrats!

[Duster340]

Nice shooting. Gotta love taking small game with a handgun!

[Echale3]

Good job! I used to bag squirrels in my buddy's back yard with a S&W 617. Gotta love wheelguns...

[Oklahoma Rebel]

one time aabout ten years ago I was hunting raccoons with a 38spl and I cant remember what bullets I was using, Im pretty sure they were lrn's but any ways, we treed a big male and it took the whole cylinder. I felt bad because I like to make quick kills obviously, but I was just as shocked. I could not believe it could take that much lead. made me wonder because this gun is also my home protection. now I have wadcutters in it. they seem to have more "thump" if you know what I mean. anyway I would guess that coon was as tough as a human would be. not that I ever want to find out. but me personally, if I get shot once with a 38, I'd think really hard about continuing whatever it was that got me shot in the first place, lol

[Swede44mag]

Congratulations on your Squil hunt makes me want to get back to hunting small game again.

I use to hunt with a 8 3/8" S&W model 17 (K22) for rabbits, Squils and other small game. I had to hit some more than one time even with good hits. I switched to shooting a 8" DW 357mag with 38spc wad cutters and you can hear it smack. The small game doesn't usually move to far afterword's.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

yeah, as long as the shot isn't too far (to de stabilize the wadcutter) the flat front of wadcutters are great at dumping their energy all at once, important with such a small and thin target, it definetly has the telltale "thump!" that lets you know you got a hit. sounds like a ripe watermelon
Travis

[Dale53]

I am a BIG fan (based on actual use in the field over many years) of the .32 wadcutter and .38 wadcutter on squirrels and other edible small game. Far superior to the .22 rimfire and quite challenging in a handgun. The O.P. is to be congratulated. Hunting edible small game with a proper handgun (read centerfire with a proper bullet) is one of the most satisfying sports on the planet.

FWIW
Dale53

[Markbo]

I dont discredit your choices at all Dale. I am a big .32 fan myself. But frankly I think the .22 LR is the perfect round for squirrels and cottontails. They are the very definition of small game and I have never foind the .22 lacking. Its no good for the larger jacks, armadillos and such but squirrels and bunnies? Perfect.

[Texas by God]

I dont discredit your choices at all Dale. I am a big .32 fan myself. But frankly I think the .22 LR is the perfect round for squirrels and cottontails. They are the very definition of small game and I have never foind the .22 lacking. Its no good for the larger jacks, armadillos and such but squirrels and bunnies? Perfect.

Good on ya. Great load and gun for tree rats. I love them in dumplings. I've killed one with a Raven .25 and one with a .54 plains pistol. I grew up on a pecan farm; hunted them with everything but the handgun is still my choice. A .357 Blackhawk with .38 lrn nowadays.

[cainttype]

Having hunted squirrels in SW Louisiana heavily (almost exclusively with a 22 LR handgun) for a stretch of over 30 years, I can tell you that the 22 LR is MORE than adequate. I've lost count, many times over, of the squirrels that pistol potted. There was never a time that I felt more was needed.
That said, a good head-shot on a squirrel "might" knock half his brains out without actually killing him clean (grab rear legs, SMACK head on tree... no biggie), where a through-and-through lung-shot will have'em dead before they hit the ground.
My favorite squirrel gun is a High Standard 107 Series semi-auto. It allowed instant swaps between fixed sighted and scoped barrels long before the idea was common.

To those preferring other cartridges... Great! There's plenty of room for everybody's favorites.
The challenge of handgunning small game can be addictive. Becoming highly proficient in that pursuit makes most other handgunning games seem a little less intimidating.

Congrats, Travis... Hopefully this is the beginning of a long and enjoyable new sport for you.

[SSGOldfart]

Congrats your hooked now,remember the gravy them tree rats are some fine eating too

[castalott]

Mmmnnnnnn...squirrel gravy on fried tators...now yous guys is talking!

[Lucky Joe]

I'm with ya Kidd, great sport. Congratulations on your shot. I used a S&W 686 with a Lyman 358101 74 gr. WC.
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[cainttype]

Somebody must be missing a house-cat!
Our fox squirrels are maybe half that size, and the grays (cats) are maybe half that.
What the gray lacks in size, he makes up for in speed and agility when he's "motivated"... Our foxes will quite often just hide, as best they can, and wait.

[shtur]

Way to go! Harvesting small game with a handgun is the height of small game hunting. If you get addicted to that as much as I have, well, good luck on trying to have only one handgun in the future.

[Don Fischer]

Been a long time since I hunted squirrel's and in those day's I used a 22 RF rifle. Today I have 22's that should be good for it; Win mod 62 pump, S&W 22 combatmaster piece and a S&W mod 16 32 Long, almost forgot my High Standard HD military, it is a nice nice gun and very accurate. I get out again and I'm taking that mod 16, love shooting it. I shoot a bit better with the High Standard but can out shoot the 22 handgun easily with the 32.

[dagunnut]

I still remember my first squirrel with a handgun. It was a Ruger single six stainless I had just purchased. That was back in 1995, oh the memories.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I regularly shoot squirrels here at work with...well...my ccw. Often times I feel that the 10mm is a little under powered and I feel a bit unethical about taking the shot...

And yes, the secretary here LOVES squirrel!

[Don Fischer]

There were two 22 handguns from my past I wish I still had. In 1963 I got a brand new Ruger bearcat, that was a nice gun. Then I think my all time 22 is a toss up between my present High Standard HD military and a Colt Diamond back I had aabout 1981. The only SA handgun I ever enjoyed was that old Bearcat. The Diamondback was a work of art!

[kawasakifreak77]

Congrats!

Several Thanksgiving ago, my dad came to vist me on my small farm south of Great Bend. We were standing on the front porch, about dusk when a fat bunny rabbit came hopping up the driveway. I told dad to plug his ears & drew my '51 combat masterpiece.

We had fresh bunny that night. Its the only time I managed to put something in the pot with a handgun. That old beat up K38 is probably the most accurate handgun I ever held. Dad keeps it on top of his bookshelf these days, full of FBI loads.

I know how you feel man, and that is a good feelin'!

[smokeater]

Got a squirrel just before the season ended with my S&W 637-2 J frame. Missed close shot, squirrel ran away to a further tree and sat up perfectly. One shot, game over and he sure tasted fine fried with a biscuit and side of gravy. Yum Yum

[luvtn]

Coyote females come in season/heat in February, I think is what was meant. My Ruger Mark ll is as accurate as a lot of rifles. I really miss my Remington single shot with a peep sight. It took a lot of squirrels, and possums out of the chicken coop!
luvtn

[Jeff Michel]

167380Nothing quite like it. Congratulations