squirrel rifles

[nathanbowenarrow]

How about some pictures and discriptions?
Thanks

 

[Nugget]

My tree rat gun is a Pedersoli Frontier rifle in .36 cal. Also sold by Cabelas as the Blue Ridge. I shoot a .350 RB, .018" patch and 40gr FFF. Flinter, by the way.

 

[MikeChapin]

The top rifle is a .36 with a 42"- 13/16" Sharon barrel. I built it 30 years ago to chase turkey but never got around to doing that with it. I shoot 40 gr. KIK FFg, .350 ball with .026 denim patching.

The next one down is Swee'Pea, one I built last year. It has a 36" - 3/4" .32 Green Mountain barrel. I use 30 gr. KIK FFg under a .311 ball with .026 denim patching.

Ignore the bottom rifle. It's a .58 I built for going after those Boone and Crockett Jackalopes we have around here.

 

This little rifle is a scaled down Tenn style .32 made by a friend of mine for me. It has a 38" Longhammock bbl, small Siler lock and midgrade maple stock I think from Pecatonica. It really would be a fine woman's or boys rifle, but as I am short, it fits me well, too...I shoot a .310 ball in front of 24 gr fffg.

 

[tom hargrove]

those are some fine looking rifles , i really like the little tenn. nothing like a southern rifle :thumbsup:

 

Here's a Texas squirrel rifle I made 4 yrs ago. It has a 39" long barrel and is a .58 caliber rifle. You drop a acorn down the bore and when the little rascal comes sniffin' around ya pull the trigger and blow 'is head off. Saves a lot a meat that way. :winking:

 

[roundball]

This little rifle is a scaled down Tenn style .32 made by a friend of mine for me. It has a 38" Longhammock bbl, small Siler lock and midgrade maple stock I think from Pecatonica. It really would be a fine woman's or boys rifle, but as I am short, it fits me well, too...I shoot a .310 ball in front of 24 gr fffg.

Beautiful rifle...

 

[dispatch 510]

Mighty fine lookin rifles. I don't have any pics,but I shoot a older model CVA squirrel 32 cal.

 

[patch knife]

Mighty fine lookin rifles. I don't have any pics,but I shoot a older model CVA squirrel 32 cal.

Me too ! :thumbsup: I load mine with 35 grns. Goex fffg and a .315 rb with a .010 patch . What is your load ?

 

[Nugget]

O.K., here's the $64,000 question. I have always tried for head shots or to put a ball through the front shoulders of a squirrel. Would someone who knos more than me about this explain "barking" a squirrel?

 

[Roy]

"barking" is basically shooting the tree that the squirrel is on (under the head neck area) throwing up fragments of the tree (bark) into the squirrel. Quite effective with a larger caliber rifle.

I tend to just shoot at the base of the tree and knock them out that way. :rotf:

:blah: :blah:

 

[Vaino]

Have intentionally "barked" two squirrels in 40 some years and both were fox squirrels that froze in a crotch and refused, after I walked around the tree for 20 minutes or so, to give me a decent shot. Saw an ear tip, moved into the limb a bit, fired and lo and behold the squirrel fell to the ground. Both squirrels looked unharmed but when cleaning I saw some bruising on their heads. I use a .45 LR for squirrels and don't think the smaller cals. would do the job. Of course, one doesn't ordinarily hunt w/ the intention of "barking" squirrels......Fred

 

[Nugget]

Thanks for the replies! By the way, how do you expect to move that gun (and I mean that in the naval sort of way) and rest when the elephant charges?! :grin:

 

[Roy]

we got some big ole squirrels here. :shocked2:

" By the way, how do you expect to move that gun (and I mean that in the naval sort of way) and rest when the elephant charges?! "


Don't have to if'n its charging, just let it come :grin: , just hope theres not more than one. :winking:

 

[Roy]

All joking aside, this is my "normal" squirrel rifle

.32 cal 44" 7/8 Douglas barrel stocked in shell maple. This is the first gun that I had built. Absolute tack driver.

 

[Russianblood]

O.K., here's the $64,000 question. I have always tried for head shots or to put a ball through the front shoulders of a squirrel. Would someone who knos more than me about this explain "barking" a squirrel?

A shoulder shot on a squirrel ruins most of the meat. I go for head or mid body shots on squirrels.

Here's my 32 cal mule ear squirrel'n gun:

 

[Nugget]

Nah, most of the meat on a squirrel is in the rear legs. Every time I shoot for the middle where there's no meat at all, I put a ball through the rear end. Kinda all or nothin' for me. I've found, too, that they skin easier if the middle is intact. Just my opinion.

 

[TN.Frank]

Personally, I'd rather use a good smoothbore loaded with shot for squirrel then you an load it up later with a patched round ball and hunt deer with the same gun. You can't do that with a "squirrel rifle", at least not legally. :v

 

[Nugget]

That's what the .50 is for! It's legal here in Ohio to use a muzzleloader during shotgun season. I use it when it's not pouring rain because I get better accuracy than with my pump 12 and slugs. I have been toying with the idea of getting a blackpowder shotgun, though. The only thing keeping me from getting more serious about it is the added steps of wads, rather than just powder and a ball. 'Spose it's like anything else, though, it's all a matter of what you get used to. When I started with that .50, it seemed like such a pain to load. Now it's no big deal.

 

[vinnynj]

this is big gun has a 38x 3/4 in 36 cal rayl barrel 1-60 twist manton lock modified davis triger i shoot 50 g 3f goex and a 350 rb in pillow ticking lubed with stumpies moose snot it will hit golf tees at 25 and blows squirrels in 1/2 gess il just eat the hind legs