probably a dumb question re squirrel rifle

[tenngun]

For my two cents worth, anything too small to legally hunt deer with (in my home state of NY) becomes a squirrel rifle. Or Snowshoe Hare Rifle, or whatever. That means my .32 and .36 rifles are probably squirrel rifles. My .40 is not legal for deer, but is mostly for target shooting. So it is my paper and steel rifle. My .50, .54, and .62 rifles are deer/bear rifles. And maybe someday Elk rifles. Or Moose rifles. I really need a .45 squirrel/deer/antelope rifle.

ADK Bigfoot

Snowshoe hare rifle, I like that. That would be a multi purpose gun :
Hare today coon tomorrow

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

It has to be quite a big bore gun, or you’ll never be able to get the squirrel down the barrel. Lol

Ever seen a Blunderbuss muzzle? With a little help from a mortal and pestle that squirrel will go down the bore one way or another.

 

[tenngun]

I’ve seen squirrel catapults on you tube

 

[tenngun]

My .54 smooth rifle is a squirrel’rifle’ as it kills them and deer equally well

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

My .54 smooth rifle is a squirrel’rifle’ as it kills them and deer equally well

I read about someone using a .54 on squirrels with very light charges. Said it would do a cookie cutter effect on them punching a hole straight through but not blowing the rodent into pâté.

Interesting and if one found themselves caught out with only a Hawken could be viable.

 

[tenngun]

Well my .54 shoots a .527 for Bambi and an ounce of very small ball unpatched when Rocky or Thumper is the target

 

[10acres]

I have an unfired CVA 32 cal Squirrel Rifle, says it on the barrel. I am going to say it was a marketing ploy to sell more rifles. I have had it for about a year now and it will not be unfired for very much longer.

 

[hanshi]

I don't hunt small game with any gun that shoots a ball that's larger than the tiny critter.

 

[bud in pa]

Before they changed the law, my 50 with a reduced load was my squirrel rifle.

 

[Zonie]

Even those big .54's can have a tough time killing this guy:

 

[gvandersluis]

Here in Australia we often shoot rabbits with our 45-70s but there are rules. You must have a decent tree as a backdrop to your shot, and it is important that you stick 4 carpet tacks into the front of the Bullet. Now carefully take your shot from hopefully about 50 yards away. As you approach your kill you should find that the rabbit has been gutted and skinned and the skin neatly tacked to the tree. Enjoy!

 

[MrMackc]

If you use a larger than .40 rifle as a squirrel gun to hunt squirrels to eat, my relatives in the Missouri Ozarks would "Bark shoot" the squirrels, by shooting the tree limb under the squirrel.
Hillbilly girls would hunt squirrels by throwing rocks and if they got so good that they were tearing up the meat, they would have to throw left handed or "Bark" the squirrels, that is what my Grandma told us kids.
"The first liar ain't got a chance......"

 

[JCKelly]

Dunno what they called it, G-Grampa's ~ .40 cal rifle was used for general hunting and, ah, keeping things civilized in late 19th century Pennsylvania. Used very little powder. Grampa once loaded it with twice the powder, for killing a pig in the barn Ball passed thru pig's head, bounced off wall & struck Great Grampa. My Grandfather did not load it that way again.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Ooh ok
So no particular style but usually just a smaller caliber
It’s just a general term.
Thanks
Ou
Tom

Just my two cents, but most of the "boys" who call a rifle a squirrel rifle, refer to a rifle of so small a caliber (in a muzzleloader) or even in a modern rifle cartridge, that the load or cartridge isn't thought suitable for game larger than squirrels...although they would all take rabbits, racoon, fox or varmints without trouble.

So yes I have taken both squirrel and rabbit and fox with my .54 flintlock deer rifle.

In some states my .40 caliber flintlock is not legal for deer, so it would be called in those places a squirrel rifle.

I have no idea why some places folks have varmint rifles and squirrel rifles when they seem to work well for both..., although there are some modern folks that do some very long range varmint shooting...but that's for another forum.

I also don't know why nobody really ever uses the term "rabbit rifle", though a few older fellows I knew as a kid did own "rabbit guns" that were shotguns. Perhaps because in the area where I live the rabbits were about half the time shot when they started to run, and the shotgun was the better choice for the local hunters in my area ??

LD

 

[Travler]

I dunno, I have a 28gage (.54 roundball) monkey gun. Least i was told that is what the gun was when I bought it from a good friend of mine. At he would not lie to me much. Any way I have been hunting them monkeys ever since. If I shot a rabbit with it do I have to change the name? Hope not....still want to hunt the monkeys....

 

[tenngun]

Ohhh .54 well pop goes the monkey

 

[Travler]