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Shooting Squirrels in the Head at 100 Feet Offhand...Fantasy or Reality?
- Thread starter Buck Wilde
- Start date
The hard part about squirrel hunting, for me, is actually finding one!
Never seen one in the forest. They surround my house like ants.
Little fuckers!
Never seen one in the forest. They surround my house like ants.
Little fuckers!
Interesting, I didn’t realize that Winchester made super grade sporters in the 52. When I was originally looking it was for a 52C Bull Gun to match my Model 70 Bull Gun.
Pellet gun and you'll be fixing squirrel 3 meals a day and 7 days a week. A $100 pellet gun is all you need.
Very realistic , with about any gun or Ammo . 100' is fairly close for any .22 rifle . Even open sights , but any scope makes it easy for a lot of guys . You don't need match grade anything to shoot a squirrel in the noggin at that range. I think you just need a coach to learn form and lots of practice
Somewhat true but some common bulk ammo will not put every shot in a grey squirrel’s head at 33 yards out of even a match rifle. The bloopers will show up.
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Ah, it’s illegal to shoot even pellet guns in town. I guess I get it, some fool would shoot a window out or worse.
I had heard northern squirrel hunting is a nirvana, but I think that was before the Hmong got here. Those chaps are first-rate hunters and fishermen, way more skilled than me, and I think they clean the forests out. I read they helped us out in Vietnam, and many were persecuted afterwards so they fled here.
But still…the squirrels in my yard haunt me, taunt me, so nonchalantly…
UMMM shoot squirrels with a 22 at 100 ft so only 33 yds. I'm pretty sure I could do that when I was a kid quite consistently. I also remember shooting snakes in the head quite often one was a copperhead that was in a tall pecan tree about 120 ft in the air. I think the barrels were better on the 50s and 60s blue steel 22 rifles than most of the stainless ones are today. I had a Winchester 52, a Marlin 39a (1965), and a Ruger 10-22 (1969) all were accurate, way more so than any 22 I have bought in the last 40 yrs.
A great majority of shooters need to get their butt off the bench and shoot offhand, cause it's fun if nothing else. I shoot about 2/3 of my ammo offhand, a lot of it at clay targets, etc. My standard fun practice with a handgun is offhand empty shotgun shells at 12-15 yards, I'm sure someone thinks I can't do that either.
On a lot of websites, I see hunting 'ethicists' state that running shots on game are always unethical. If all you do is shoot off a bench, I'd say they are. I grew up shooting running coyotes ahead of hounds with a rifle, so a 150-200 yard shot on a running whitetail across a cornfield is a dead deer. I started when I was 10, we shot 100-150 coyotes a year ahead of hounds, I got a lot of practice.
I also head shot a lot of squirrels out of the cottonwood trees south of our farmhouse, unless my great grandmother (50% native american) was around, since she liked squirrel brains, she was mad if they were head shot.
On a lot of websites, I see hunting 'ethicists' state that running shots on game are always unethical. If all you do is shoot off a bench, I'd say they are. I grew up shooting running coyotes ahead of hounds with a rifle, so a 150-200 yard shot on a running whitetail across a cornfield is a dead deer. I started when I was 10, we shot 100-150 coyotes a year ahead of hounds, I got a lot of practice.
I also head shot a lot of squirrels out of the cottonwood trees south of our farmhouse, unless my great grandmother (50% native american) was around, since she liked squirrel brains, she was mad if they were head shot.
I like it best when shooters don't feel the need to tell other shooters what it is they need to be doing. I am not going to eat a squirrel, so I sure as the fuck don't need to shoot one, offhand, or from a rest.
then don't, you're free to ignore me. It won't hurt my feelings.
What do you base this on? What old and what new barrels are you comparing.
Top end barrels today are the best ever.
Low priced production barrels have always been poor.
So here is some offhand 22LR shooting even using a less accurate modern barrel
As a kid I had done head shots at 100 feet with my .22 single shot bolt action with no scope. These days I need a rest and a good scope on my Marlin Squirrel rifle and I might do ok. I always used .22 short hollow points too because they made less noise than a long rifle. A pellet rifle is louder than a .22 short. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I think you're full of crap before I had a stroke I guarantee that I could do that all day and I have plenty of witnesses the will back me up and to beat it all I did it with an old JC Higgins that I bought for 20 dollars when I couldn't afford a more expensive gun
Those Winchester 52 sporters make me jealous. Lovely old rifles. I have three of the tgt models but have never gotten my hands on a sporter. I know what they are capable of and head shots on squirrels is relatively easy. In fact, one of my old 52's was butchered by having its bbl cut off at 22-3/4" which turned it into a heavy bbl carbine. I used to hunt with in topped with a 6-24x scope and it was deadly on squacks. I shot more than a few in the head. Today, I am using actual hunting rifles most of the time. But marksmanship is a perishable commodity especially offhand shooting. Having the confidence to "Know" that you can hit the tgt is an important mental edge that matters in hunting squirrels or high level match competitions. I don't hunt with $250 walmart specials and I don't use the cheap ammo. I use match grade ammo to hunt with because that is what I practice with and know what it is capable of. The drop between 50y and 70y is enough to miss a squirrel. I also don't usually take off hand shots. I bring a custom shooting stick that I made, and use it or a tree or limb to take rest off of. I have gone prone to shoot off a log as well. I don't take all head shots and I do miss some but not that often cause I wait till I have a shot that I know, I can make. I don't kill as many squirrels but I do not care about that. I have only had one head shot that I hit that failed. I shot a Grey in the right eye with a 17hmr with 17g HP ammo that failed to expand. It exited the back of the poor squirrels head leaving a needle hole. It lobotomized the squirrel and it was walking around in circles and I dispatched it as humanely as possible. That is a very rare thing. I use Eley HP or Lapua CX for 22lr and Eley 17HM2 for the 17 rifle. I have several rifles but if they cannot group into a nickel at 50y, I do not usually hunt with them. Some open iron sight rifles only group about 1" at 50y. I have to limit my distance with them. But they are still accurate. In many ways open irons, especially peeps are best fore squirrels.
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Bison hunting with a sharps? Well that’s straight bad ass right there!!
As a kid, I used to shoot moving bottles as they flowed downstream on our local creek during high waters from a RR bridge standing offhand with a little Ithaca 22lr lever action. It had the crudest, blocky sights. The front sight was so wide that I had to be sure that I placed the tgt in the center of the front sight and then raise the sight above it to allow for the long range drop. Many of those shots exceeded 100y. Now I could adjust from the splash. Before the nervous nelleys get involved, there was a bend in the creek about 400y up stream with an uninhabited 1500 ft Mtn for a safe backstop, so we were not being unsafe. I mostly used HV Remington plated solids in those days because it was what I could buy at the local general store. These were supersonic and NOT match grade. I still have that rifle and I doubt it would group 1" at 50y, but for some reason it seemed easy at the time to hit long range tgts. I was shooting all the time though and stayed in fine form from daily practice. I was taught however to make my first shot and every shot count, so I was not into spray and pray. My dad and an old Marine Gunny Sgt were my marksmanship instructors, and they did pretty good teaching me the fundamentals back in the late 60's when I was young enough to still listen. To this day, even though I am now an accomplished benchrest match shooter, I still get a kick out of lobbing 22's out to 200, 300 and 400y at our local range. I also often feel that it is easier to hit a tgt at 100y than at 50y for some strange reason. Go figure. I have not been practicing my offhand shooting much until in the last three years when NRL22 and PRC rimfire became more popular. Those forms of competitions will make you a better marksman and a better hunter. The time pressure I feel trying to hit a 1.5" plate (about the same size as squirrels head) at 100y is very similar to how I feel trying to catch a squirrel sitting still for more than 2 seconds so, I can pop off shot. Every season, I have to remind myself how quickly I must get a sight picture and shoot before they move.
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Took two bullets at around 120 yards, the first bullet was 3” above the heart and got caught in the fur on the offside. Since he barely reacted at the shot I was concerned I hit the dead zone below the heart so I aimed a bit higher shooting for double lung. Forgot how low their spine actually sits so the second shot clipped the bottom of the spine and folded him up on the spot with the bullet getting caught in the far shoulder.
I used to do that when I was a teenager. Sheridan Blue Streak or Daisy Powerline 880. Practice, practice, practice. BTW that was using quick kill. Point shooting. No sights.
My club runs a long range buffalo black powder cartridge rifle range that goes out to 1000y and they use vernier sights and do well with them. Another club runs a 22 PRS match. It always has a one shot, one kill stage. Last month it was a 3/4” plate at 103y standing with rest off of a ladder. That was tough but one shooter did hit the plate. Lucky but doable.
So I read the OP with somewhat of a "you're kidding, right?" Fantasy?
Are we really so hooked on rests, scopes, bugholes ammo, etc. that we forgot that lots of folks, me included, grew up shooting squirrels by the dozens. Yes, including head shots. At distances that were 100 feet or more.
But I started to think... meh. Maybe nostalgia on my part. Maybe I wasn't as far away as I thought. Even taking into account the height of the tree. And the distance to the limbs.
So, on this beautiful day, I decided to relive some of my youth and do a bit of an empirical test. With my boyhood .22. And a box of random .22 ammo... which is about what I'd have had as a kid. The rifle is an open sight Savage 29a. Bought new by my grandfather, and passed to me when I was old enough to use it. It was about my only .22 until after high school. And I carried and shot it a lot. Squirrels, rabbits, partridges (always head shot.) But I have not shot it in probably 10 years. I treasure it. But don't squirrel hunt much any more. And when I do it's with a Zastava with a nice Nikon scope on it.
Anyway... I found a couple of Chewy boxes and the C is a bit bigger than a grey squirrel head. And definitely larger than a red squirrel head. So gives me at least an aiming point. BTW, I still have 2015 vision as I did then. But have trouble with the rear sight now.
Set the box out at 33 paces. 100 feet. And proceeded to shoot 10 - 12 strings. First string was way high and about the size of a softball. Didn't take a photo. But I remembered that I had the sights set to 'lollipop' my target. So I could see it while shooting. Next two strings I lowered my aim and fired for effect. Kind of hard to gauge the distance... but it was 33 paces. 100 feet or so.
So my first group... had two definitely in the head. And the rest would have been whisker close or body shots. And one does not have to hit a squirrel in the brain to drop him. A good crease is all it takes. These shots are the first time I've fired this rifle (other than the first 10) in probably 10 years. I don't shoot it much any more. With mixed ammo.
Here is the second group... That's four in the head. Again, offhand. Open sights and mixed ammo. With my boyhood pump Savage .22 that I have not shot in a decade.
I don't think I'm having a fantasy nostalgia moment. And when we were kids, shooting pennies and thumbtacks was something we did a lot. Not at 100 feet. But at 25 - 50. We missed some. But hit more than we missed, probably.
Just for the heck of it, since the weather is lovely, I'll see what I can do now offhand with my Scoped Zastava. I have more ammo. And more Chewy Boxes!
Yeah... squirrel rifles. We knew how to use them. Betting if I was younger and could see the rear sight better, I'd tighten those groups up a lot.
Cheers,
Sirhr
Are we really so hooked on rests, scopes, bugholes ammo, etc. that we forgot that lots of folks, me included, grew up shooting squirrels by the dozens. Yes, including head shots. At distances that were 100 feet or more.
But I started to think... meh. Maybe nostalgia on my part. Maybe I wasn't as far away as I thought. Even taking into account the height of the tree. And the distance to the limbs.
So, on this beautiful day, I decided to relive some of my youth and do a bit of an empirical test. With my boyhood .22. And a box of random .22 ammo... which is about what I'd have had as a kid. The rifle is an open sight Savage 29a. Bought new by my grandfather, and passed to me when I was old enough to use it. It was about my only .22 until after high school. And I carried and shot it a lot. Squirrels, rabbits, partridges (always head shot.) But I have not shot it in probably 10 years. I treasure it. But don't squirrel hunt much any more. And when I do it's with a Zastava with a nice Nikon scope on it.
Anyway... I found a couple of Chewy boxes and the C is a bit bigger than a grey squirrel head. And definitely larger than a red squirrel head. So gives me at least an aiming point. BTW, I still have 2015 vision as I did then. But have trouble with the rear sight now.
Set the box out at 33 paces. 100 feet. And proceeded to shoot 10 - 12 strings. First string was way high and about the size of a softball. Didn't take a photo. But I remembered that I had the sights set to 'lollipop' my target. So I could see it while shooting. Next two strings I lowered my aim and fired for effect. Kind of hard to gauge the distance... but it was 33 paces. 100 feet or so.
So my first group... had two definitely in the head. And the rest would have been whisker close or body shots. And one does not have to hit a squirrel in the brain to drop him. A good crease is all it takes. These shots are the first time I've fired this rifle (other than the first 10) in probably 10 years. I don't shoot it much any more. With mixed ammo.
Here is the second group... That's four in the head. Again, offhand. Open sights and mixed ammo. With my boyhood pump Savage .22 that I have not shot in a decade.
I don't think I'm having a fantasy nostalgia moment. And when we were kids, shooting pennies and thumbtacks was something we did a lot. Not at 100 feet. But at 25 - 50. We missed some. But hit more than we missed, probably.
Just for the heck of it, since the weather is lovely, I'll see what I can do now offhand with my Scoped Zastava. I have more ammo. And more Chewy Boxes!
Yeah... squirrel rifles. We knew how to use them. Betting if I was younger and could see the rear sight better, I'd tighten those groups up a lot.
Cheers,
Sirhr
And here are 10 from my fancy new (by new, I mean I bought it c. 2001) Charles Daly by Zastava... and it is a Simmons scope. Sorry Nikon. Didn't mean to take your name in vain. I shot several squirrels with this last winter. Reds.... pests. Not hunting them. Just eliminating them. Used this and Colt Woodsman, mostly. So I was 'more' used to it than to the Savage. Same mixed ammo, just like I would have shot as a kid a lot.
In this case I know I pulled a couple of shots as the trigger is 'twitchy.' But 6 of 10 are in the head zone. 3 for sure. A couple of grazes.
Statistically, probably a dead heat with the iron sights. But if I shot both for an afternoon to tune back up... those would tighten up nicely.
So offhand squirrel heads with a .22 at 100 feet? I wasn't remembering wrong. Guess all those bags and bipods and tripods and levels are awesome. But don't discount the kid with the .22 that he'es been shooting since he could barely hold it... to be able to put rounds on target.
Cheers and thanks to the OP for the inspiration to do something fun this afternoon. I finished farm chores early and this was JUST the thing to do before opening some Chianti and putting the ribs on.
Sirhr
PS. I'd also point out that squirrel hunting in the woods... we 'always' had something to rest on. Tree limb. Trunk. Sapling. Offhand shots were frequent. But for a treed squirrel with a death wish, we always had time. And rarely missed regardless.
In this case I know I pulled a couple of shots as the trigger is 'twitchy.' But 6 of 10 are in the head zone. 3 for sure. A couple of grazes.
Statistically, probably a dead heat with the iron sights. But if I shot both for an afternoon to tune back up... those would tighten up nicely.
So offhand squirrel heads with a .22 at 100 feet? I wasn't remembering wrong. Guess all those bags and bipods and tripods and levels are awesome. But don't discount the kid with the .22 that he'es been shooting since he could barely hold it... to be able to put rounds on target.
Cheers and thanks to the OP for the inspiration to do something fun this afternoon. I finished farm chores early and this was JUST the thing to do before opening some Chianti and putting the ribs on.
Sirhr
PS. I'd also point out that squirrel hunting in the woods... we 'always' had something to rest on. Tree limb. Trunk. Sapling. Offhand shots were frequent. But for a treed squirrel with a death wish, we always had time. And rarely missed regardless.
The premise is doable with a scoped modern rifle. But……..lots of practice.
While hunting in Wyoming I’ve seen ranchers shoot running coyotes offhand at 150 yards. That’s a lifetime of practice. Way beyond my pay grade. It has taken me years to learn to shoot at moving game. I said moving, Not running, and with shooting sticks or another type of field rest. Not offhand.
In one of the Scandinavian countries one must pass a moving game test in order to get a hunting license. There are special reticle for this.
While hunting in Wyoming I’ve seen ranchers shoot running coyotes offhand at 150 yards. That’s a lifetime of practice. Way beyond my pay grade. It has taken me years to learn to shoot at moving game. I said moving, Not running, and with shooting sticks or another type of field rest. Not offhand.
In one of the Scandinavian countries one must pass a moving game test in order to get a hunting license. There are special reticle for this.
@sirhrmechanic
Excellent post.
I had hoped to do a similar post but 30 mph winds and torrential rains precluded it over weekend.
I’ll try to make amends soon!
Excellent post.
I had hoped to do a similar post but 30 mph winds and torrential rains precluded it over weekend.
I’ll try to make amends soon!
This should replace the 6x5 challenge.
Off hand at 100ft 5 shots on the Apple, 5 shots on the nut.
Anyone can shoot well of a bench.
Let the USAF show you how to do it...napalm. Kill 'em and cook 'em at the same time 
I know a guy who neck-shot a possum @30m with a Norinco JW15, at night. He used the open sights and illumination provided by a spotlight held by another member of our pest control party. He is, however, an ex-RAF pistol team member.
Vudoo .22LR off my back porch...it's not magic just takes practice
Designed to destroy German fuel dumps. Perfected as an anti-personnel weapon by the RAF ‘Hurri-bomber’ force fighting the Japanese.Let the USAF show you how to do it...napalm. Kill 'em and cook 'em at the same time
I can shoot a TUMS at 17.9 miles with my Daisy Red Rider , blind folded, in 50 mph winds, pitch black out and standing on one leg - off hand... Just saying...
Not bad, but I can do it using only one hand too…just sayin…I can shoot a TUMS at 17.9 miles with my Daisy Red Rider , blind folded, in 50 mph winds, pitch black out and standing on one leg - off hand... Just saying...
I haven't hunted squirrels in decades, but with a simple, unmodified 10/22 and decent ammo, 100' headshots are possible--I'm not good enough to pull them off consistently without a rest, so I'd lean on a tree or use my backpack if possible. I'd take body shots instead of headshots if I didn't have a rest--we're talking squirrels, and a .22 to them is like a 50 BMG on a person.
The Appleseed clinics are a great way to test your abilities and see if your gear is right for practical shooting.
The big top target is offhand and the bottom targets are prone. No rest--just a sling, and the course of fire is at 25 yards. (thats 75 feet for the mathematically challenged)
With my bipod, bag, and a much heavier rifle, I shoot better.
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As I recall, the older I get, the better I was.......at my age, nearing perfection.
Wow what can I say! All the years of shooting squirrels with a 22 while I hunted against Browning A5 high brass guys they preferred to eat mine ! Unless they wanted fried brains they were outta luck! It was my goal to wait for the right moment to shoot from just a few feet to 50 plus yards 99.9% head shots or neck, guns Browning scoped 22 , Anchutz 1614 , 541s , 581 and 10/22 you name normally wearing full camo. Yes alot got away because the shot never presented itself.
Same here. And it's unbelievable how many things I can get done TOMORROW. Today, I can't get nearly as much done.
I am still getting notifications from this thread. I don't believe the BS any more than I did when I started the thread. If there is one thing people like to lie about, it's how well they shoot.
That's only 33 yards, plenty of shooters can do that very consistently with practice . At 33 yards you don't heed match grade Ammo either . I shoot the NRA silhouettes at 25-75 yards offhand and the chickens are small . Muscle memory , decent scope and it's very doable. I prefer a light weight tripod now but I can shoot heads out to 65 yards using it , and out to 100 yards with my 22 magnum . Yes, all head shots .
Being an annoying old coot, I've developed some nifty ways
to irritate my younger family members after a morning hunt.
When one gets a bit froggy, explaining just how he picked off that grey squirrel
at 114 yards, no problem at all, I'll wait until he's dug in too deep to back out
and challenge him to a quick check of his skills. Pride gets 'em every time.
The kill zone on the skull of a southern grey squirrel is about the same diameter as a nickle.
About 3/4 of an inch. Just so happens I keep a roll of 3/4 inch diameter orange stickers
in my hunting bag, and it doesn't take long to peel and paste 5 to a chunk of cardboard
then tack it to a stump. There's those 5 tiny stickers and there's the family
counting off the 114 steps that that squirrel was taken at. The look on the youngsters face
when he has to back up the brag can be very entertaining.
Some times, one of the 5 stickers will get tagged during the challenge,
but usually it's a series of clean misses across the board.
Offhand, braced or prone, the killzone on a squirrel skull at 100 yards is a submoa target.
Outdoors with a Sporter rifle it most definitely is not a gimme.
Hey, I still have that roll of stickers, anyone wanna try a 100 yard challenge?
See how many shots it takes to punch 5 orange 3/4 inch stickers, offhand?
to irritate my younger family members after a morning hunt.
When one gets a bit froggy, explaining just how he picked off that grey squirrel
at 114 yards, no problem at all, I'll wait until he's dug in too deep to back out
and challenge him to a quick check of his skills. Pride gets 'em every time.
The kill zone on the skull of a southern grey squirrel is about the same diameter as a nickle.
About 3/4 of an inch. Just so happens I keep a roll of 3/4 inch diameter orange stickers
in my hunting bag, and it doesn't take long to peel and paste 5 to a chunk of cardboard
then tack it to a stump. There's those 5 tiny stickers and there's the family
counting off the 114 steps that that squirrel was taken at. The look on the youngsters face
when he has to back up the brag can be very entertaining.
Some times, one of the 5 stickers will get tagged during the challenge,
but usually it's a series of clean misses across the board.
Offhand, braced or prone, the killzone on a squirrel skull at 100 yards is a submoa target.
Outdoors with a Sporter rifle it most definitely is not a gimme.
Hey, I still have that roll of stickers, anyone wanna try a 100 yard challenge?
See how many shots it takes to punch 5 orange 3/4 inch stickers, offhand?
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You supplying all the bullets?Being an annoying old coot, I've developed some nifty ways
to irritate my younger family members after a morning hunt.
When one gets a bit froggy, explaining just how he picked off that grey squirrel
at 114 yards, no problem at all, I'll wait until he's dug in too deep to back out
and challenge him to a quick check of his skills. Pride gets 'em every time.
The kill zone on the skull of a southern grey squirrel is about the same diameter as a nickle.
About 3/4 of an inch. Just so happens I keep a roll of 3/4 inch diameter orange stickers
in my hunting bag, and it doesn't take long to peel and paste 5 to a chunk of cardboard
then tack it to a stump. There's those 5 tiny stickers and there's the family
counting off the 114 steps that that squirrel was taken at. The look on the youngsters face
when he has to back up the brag can be very entertaining.
Some times, one of the 5 stickers will get tagged during the challenge,
but usually it's a series of clean misses across the board.
Offhand, braced or prone, the killzone on a squirrel skull at 100 yards is a submoa target.
Outdoors with a Sporter rifle it most definitely is not a gimme.
Hey, I still have that roll of stickers, anyone wanna try a 100 yard challenge?
See how many shots it takes to punch 5 orange 3/4 inch stickers, offhand?
Only if y'er family RD.
But ya know, that might make an interesting addition to the whole box at 100 yards thread.
How many hits could you keep inside a 1 inch circle at 100 yards?
Not just a group but hit where y'er aiming.
Any takers? Won't be easy, not even off a bench.
But ya know, that might make an interesting addition to the whole box at 100 yards thread.
How many hits could you keep inside a 1 inch circle at 100 yards?
Not just a group but hit where y'er aiming.
Any takers? Won't be easy, not even off a bench.
