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Thread: Thinking of squirrels

  1. #1
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    Thinking of squirrels

    Well, we have a bumper crop of fancy rats this spring.
    SO.... today I stopped in at the LGS that specializes in blackpowder and CAS guns to see if round balls were available.
    Heck yes. I picked up a box each of .310" and .433" Hornady rb- to make squirrel loads for my 30-40 Krag, 30-06, and 44-40.
    I skip the 30-30 because mine is a controlled feed Mauser 93 that doesn't eat stubby ammo.
    Yes, I could use a .22 rifle or a shotgun- but where's the sport in that, Jethro?

    I dont size the brass for these loads. The 30-40 has extra LLA on top to stick the ball in the neck better.
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    Last edited by Texas by God; 04-25-2022 at 10:27 PM.

  2. #2
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    You want sport?

    Get one of those fancy, high end blow guns.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
    This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winger Ed. View Post
    You want sport?

    Get one of those fancy, high end blow guns.
    You cast your own darts?

    Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Looking forward to seeing your results as always!!

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

  5. #5
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anschutz View Post
    You cast your own darts?
    Sort of.
    As a kid, I'd make them from the free tooth picks at restaurant cash registers, and stripped down cigarette butts.
    For big game, I'd probably use a small nail on the end of them.

    You do need to be extra careful with blow guns though............
    You don't want to be like the glass blower who inhaled.
    He ended up with a pane in his side.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
    This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winger Ed. View Post
    Sort of.
    As a kid, I'd make them from the free tooth picks at restaurant cash registers, and stripped down cigarette butts.
    For big game, I'd probably use a small nail on the end of them.

    You do need to be extra careful with blow guns though............
    You don't want to be like the glass blower who inhaled.
    He ended up with a pane in his side.
    That's a good one. I used PVC pipe, notebook paper, and metal coat hangars as a kid. I only ever hit one squirrel with it but it just bounced off.

    Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy Landy88's Avatar
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    Powder:
    Too bad about your 30-30's dyspepsia with short ammo, since it loads down so well. They'll taste the same from the others, though.

    Breath:
    Small diameter conduit, newspaper, glue, and #10 duplex nails were what I found to be ideal as a kid. Much practice was needed for both accuracy and power, but then sticking the nails in a board where I wanted and deeply enough to hard to pull out was easy.
    The first purpose of the Second Amendment is too often overlooked, fostering a liberty of mind and action necessary in the people of a free republic.


    “Ironically, the only gun control in 19th century England was the policy forbidding police to have arms while on duty.”
    ~ Don B. Kates, Jr.

  8. #8
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    Squirrels have been and will remain my favorite game. I've thought of downloading a CF rifle with RB's but any time a RB is mentioned, most of the time it goes in a flintlock. A 32 or 36 cal. flintlock makes real sport of squirrel hunting. I've used a 36, Southern Mountain for decades and there's no telling how many squirrels it's killed.

    This year I'm trying a Jeffrey, Champion Rook rifle in 25-20 WCF loaded to 255 Jeffrey Ballistics.

    Landy, love you old Husky. Here's "my boy"....Click image for larger version. 

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    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

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  9. #9
    Boolit Master Rapier's Avatar
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    If you put a feeder out in a squirrel’s territory, that feeder then belongs to them. They will run off everything from “their” feeder. Squirrels are very territorial.
    “There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
    Cervantes

    “Never give up, never quit.”
    Robert Rogers
    Roger’s Rangers

    There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
    Will Rogers

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Live trap and diesel exhaust.
    QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES?

  11. #11
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    The reds have over run us this year. My ideal gun is my Marlin .25-20WCF Model 1894 that was made in 1907 or shortly thereafter. The special-order 26" barrel is 2" longer than the standard 24" for this model. Folding front sight has an ivory bead, it is probably a Lyman #5. The tang sight with locking lever, a Lyman #2A. The rear barrel sight is a Winchester Express sight. It has take more tree rats than I can count, I only have 10 fingers.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    Old bicycle spokes work well, cut down in length and forged a bit, hammer the end so it is flatter, then file or grinder into a leaf shape, sharpen the edges.

    Most any paper can be used to make cones, although plastic impregnated is light and stiff and holds up for a long time.

    1/2" pvc pipe 3-5 feet long makes a pretty good blow gun. Buy a coupling for your mouthpiece. Cut a thin slice of pipe off one end, glue it into the mouth end of your coupling. Makes a very good simple anti-inhale device. And a zip tie on the far end makes a dandy sight. Easily adjustable, available in a variety of colors. Yeah I've played with them a bit. Only killed one sparrow just to prove I could.
    Last edited by GhostHawk; 04-23-2022 at 09:38 AM.
    I truly believe we need to get back to basics.

    Get right with the Lord.
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    Get back to thinking like our forefathers thought.


    May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you
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  13. #13
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    What's all the fuss about? Anyone got a peanut?

    Look out Merle the Squirrel....someone is probably hiding in the shed sighting in on you with a large caliber rifle! At least you're out of blowgun range--unless someone is wearing a ghillie suit and hiding in the grass....


    DG

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I have definitely killed my share with a blow gun, but my weapon of choice was always a slingshot with round stones. It's crazy how brazen they would get when the acorns were falling. 3 or so would make an easy cheap meal when money was tight.

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  15. #15
    Boolit Master Jim22's Avatar
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    My favorite squirrel story is a true one. The old couple who lived next door fed the squirrels. They put out a feeder with peanuts on the railing of their deck. The squirrels loved it until the magpies discovered it. The territorial squirrel would chase a magpie out of the feeder and chase it the length of the railing while another magpie would raid the feeder. The birds could exhaust the squirrel by taking turns being chased and raiding. It could last for hours.

    Jim

    Jim

  16. #16
    Boolit Master Murphy's Avatar
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    Squirrel's provide a lot of entertainment around my place. I live in a part of town with a lot of old growth hardwoods in it, pecan tree's and oak mostly. So far, none have ever been a problem and I hope it stays that way. I can sit on the back deck and watch them for hours, anywhere between 1-5 at a time may be out playing. They do seem to take pleasure in tormenting our cat "Kid". He's an opportunist and a hunter at heart. I've gotten some good laughs watching them.

    As for hunting them, I loved it when I was younger and still do on occasion. Sadly, Oklahoma game laws (to my understanding) allow a .22 rimfire and shotguns The .22 magnum is questionable and people have been charged with hunting deer out of season, and it stuck in court was the sad thing. The other sad thing, is most of them were doing just that. I read about people using this or that gun and dream about it.

    Yep, it's about that time of year again. Think I'll start looking for some of my old spots I can still get to this spring for a bit of fun.

    Murphy
    If I should depart this life while defending those who cannot defend themselves, then I have died the most honorable of deaths. Marc R. Murphy '2006'.

  17. #17
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    i used to hunt squirrels with my 22 when i was in my teens. i always enjoyed it. i'm not a grey or fox squirrel eater, but i give them to older people. i shot the red squirrels, but older people didn't like them.

    i always wanted to use 36 cal fl muzzleloader, but it never happened. heck, i can remember the excitement of opening squirrel season. it was right up there with the opening of deer season. i know of nobody that eats squirrels, let alone who hunts them.

  18. #18
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    405grain's Avatar
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    I made a blowgun out of a 5ft piece of 5/8" aluminum tubing. It shoots drywall screws with a cone shaped paper skirt. Here's a neat hack: Go to the dollar store and get a cheap laser pointer. Hose clamp the laser to the blowgun tube and you've got a space age sight on a stone age weapon.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    I recently sighted in for my summer load in my 357 Rossi. For light loads around 1000-1300 fps I have seen 125 grain bullets shoot better than other bullet weights with multiple 30" twist Rossi rifles .

    My summertime groundhog load is the NOE 124 HP PC 9mm bullet with 5 gr Titegroup at around 1300 fps. This shoots 10 shots into 1.5 inches at 50 yards and garden pests hate it. For squirrels I like the 125-RF with the same Titegroup load, loaded long or I like a faster powder loaded around 1050 fps. My rifle likes 38 specials loaded long to feed consistently. One of the best powders I have seen so far for subsonic loads with this increased case volume and low bullet weight is Alliant Extra Lite around 3.5 grains. This is around 1000 fps and super quiet, quieter than any 95-Rf loads I tried.

    I need to try a round ball because my main problem with the 95 grainers was not seating them straight and having lots of runout.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    My hometown of Blissfield, MI. Is known for its black squirrels. They have several “ black squirrel “ events during the year in town. They are a black phase of the fox squirrel.

    Jedman

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check