Which caliber for squirrel rifle

Thinking about a Kibler SMR. Wondering which caliber is best squirrel hunting and overall shooting ? Also which bore on this particular rifle has the best balance for carrying. Has to be .36 or smaller to be legal in my state.

I have a .36 SMR, and it balances very well. The regulations in Arkansas says .36 is the max caliber for squirrel. Besides , I can 000 buckshot, which is a lot cheaper then buying balls.

teflonhunter said:

which caliber is best

Click to expand...

This is like asking, "which running shoe is best," or, "which truck is best."
Generates a lot of discussion, but no real conclusion. It comes down to what is best for you personally.
Connecticut also only allows .36 caliber or smaller single round ball for "small game." (or a shotgun loaded with shot smaller than I think #2) This really means .32 or .36 caliber. There are some guys out there making tiny .25 and .30 caliber rifles, but those are outliers and could mean issues sourcing ammo and accessories.
Do you plan to hunt anything else with this gun? (When I finally can buy a small bore rifle I plan to hunt coyotes too, so will go with a .36 for a margin of "insurance") If it's cold where you are when you hunt squirrels, can your fingers manipulate .310 balls? Can you make accurate head shots on squirrels if you go with the larger caliber?
There are more questions to ask of yourself than there are general questions like "what is the best ____," to be asked of others.


Looking forward to pics of your hunts and the culinary creations of the results of those hunts, regardless of what caliber gun you get.

The way I see it, rifle for the challenge and shotgun if you want to eat them Twitchy little critters they are hahaha

Brokennock said:

This is like asking, "which running shoe is best," or, "which truck is best."

Click to expand...

I can't say much about the running shoe. I'm too darn old to run. As far as to which truck is best, it's my truck, because it's paid for! Seriously, I really like my .36 SMR, but head shots are a must. I used to hunt tree rats with a shotgun, but I bit down on missed pellets more than once!

The .36 is the one you want.

Years back I upgraded from the 22LR to a kit built T/C Cherokee in .32. That knocked them them out of the tree with aplomb. Head shots by far are the best, but a body shot on a large fox squirrel wasn't too bad, either. Way back I shot a few with the .36 1851 Colt revolver, too, but never owned or used a .36 rifle. I'm sure it would work just fine, but never had the need for one. I thought a number of times about taking the .32 out for called coyotes, but the .223 kept leaping into my hands instead. The possibility of doubles put it front and center. That was always a high that outweighed the Mzlder's use. I may still talk myself into totting the .32 for that purpose someday, though.

For me with my arthritic fingers the .36 is the smallest I can deal with and load with less trouble when the weather is cool. Squirrel season is usually in the colder times of the year. My .32 is problematic even during summer.

I built the .36 Kibler SMR. It balances very well though I wish it had a little more drop in the stock for me. Like Brokennock, I wanted a caliber I could use for critters like coyotes.

If I were to have a dedicated squirrel/rabbit only gun, I would have gone with a .32. In my experience the .32 acts a lot like a .22LR as far as damage.

You can't really go wrong with either.

Thanks for the advice Gents. I was and still am leaning towards a .36. We have a lot of squirrels where I hunt and killing squirrels is very easy 1st 2 weeks and mostly easy the rest of the season. I usually hunt the still green early season with a shotgun and limiting out at 8 a day is easy most mornings. Later season I switch to 22 when the leaves fall off the trees. Looking to add a little adventure to my hunting. I have a Kibler colonial that will probably see some time chasing deer and hogs. Most of my shots are 50 yards and less.

OP, Get one of each!!

david w said:

I have a .36 SMR, and it balances very well. The regulations in Arkansas says .36 is the max caliber for squirrel. Besides , I can 000 buckshot, which is a lot cheaper then buying balls.

Click to expand...

Where are you getting this .36 cal max?

The max caliber for Squirrel in Arkansas is .40. Here it is, straight from the agfc website.

https://www.agfc.com/en/hunting/small-game/squirrel/season-dates-and-bag-limits/
Squirrel Season

Statewide: May 15, 2022-Feb. 28, 2023 and May 15, 2023-Feb. 29, 2024
Dogs allowed.

Daily limit - 12
Possession limit - 48

• Squirrels may not be hunted with rifles or handguns larger than .22 caliber rimfire or with muzzleloaders larger than .40 caliber unless a modern gun or muzzleloading deer season, bear season or coyote season is open.
• Squirrels may not be hunted with shotguns using rifled slugs or shot larger than T shot.

I'm in Louisiana. I do hunt deer and bear in Arkansas though.

I love my 32, It tears up any meat it hits though. I don't know how much worse a 36 would be.

Texas doesn't have minimum or maximum caliber for bushytails, or anything else for that matter.

I went with the 40 cal so i could hunt most all game in the Lone Star State. I'm very happy with my 40 caliber PRB with 20 grains fffg for small game. I haven't chrono'ed it but data suggests around 1200 fps. Last time out I swatted a pair of tree rats, about 15-ish yards. One between the running lights, other a body shot behind the shoulder. I'm fairly new to the flintlock.
Here's what I like best about that load.. 25 yards, hit low until I filed front sight .

Slow the ball down til accuracy falls off and it won't tear up as much of the animal.

My humble advice is the .40 cal unless the State you live in says no. Then pick a .36 cal, i am older n stiff fingers during cold weather is a bummer. A .40 cal covers all the bases small game n predators n deer

Dusty_Traveler said:

OP, Get one of each!!



Where are you getting this .36 cal max?

The max caliber for Squirrel in Arkansas is .40. Here it is, straight from the agfc website.

https://www.agfc.com/en/hunting/small-game/squirrel/season-dates-and-bag-limits/
Squirrel Season

Statewide: May 15, 2022-Feb. 28, 2023 and May 15, 2023-Feb. 29, 2024
Dogs allowed.

Daily limit - 12
Possession limit - 48

• Squirrels may not be hunted with rifles or handguns larger than .22 caliber rimfire or with muzzleloaders larger than .40 caliber unless a modern gun or muzzleloading deer season, bear season or coyote season is open.
• Squirrels may not be hunted with shotguns using rifled slugs or shot larger than T shot.

Click to expand...

Unless the hunting regs have changed, .36 is max for squirrel, and .40 is minimum for deer. Since I have misplaced my hunting guide, maybe you can confirm the caliber restrictions. I ask respectfully.

• Squirrels may not be hunted with rifles or handguns larger than .22 caliber rimfire or with muzzleloaders larger than .40 caliber unless a modern gun or muzzleloading deer season, bear season or coyote season is open.

So according to this you could use any caliber you want, because it looks like coyote season is open all year long.

So I had the same quandary a while back and I opted for the .32 SMR. Here are the results.

I’ve not shot it much but I am happy with it. It is primarily a squirrel/paper gun. I wanted a rifle that was very cheap to shoot.

But like everyone else has said, it is really your preference.

My old original .32 percussion half stock was fine for squirrels. Then I bought a DGW .32 SMR. For me, that was not good. The much longer barrel was a bugger to clean properly. Then, I broke the original wooden ramrod. DGW went away, back to the old half stock .32. I mostly use shotguns, both flint and percussion when decent hunting weather arrives and other game's in season (rabbits, doves, quail).