Anschutz .17 HMR with bull barrel

Well, a shotgun will kill anything in the small game catagory, but range is a bit limited. It also depends on what you prefer to hunt with on any given day. If your small game is in the range of rabbit and squirrel, then the .22lr will be enough. Step up to the .22mag and you can kill critters up to say Fox, coons and Beaver. I think the best all around small game rifle caliber has to be the 22 Hornet or K-Hornet. There is a good selection of bullets to load into them and CZ makes a very accurate rifle. Plenty of power up to Coyote and the recoil is non-existent and noise is acceptable.

I guess I must be "old school"- I prefer a good old 410 shotgun for anything smaller than the neighbors dog. Plus, I get the added satisfaction of knowing I could have bought many boxes of 12ga shells for what I paid for one box of 410.

.22lr moderated anschutz, .243 moderatded howa,12 guage side by side shotgun, seems to cover all the bases for me!

marlin 39a carbine for turtles & squirles.. Beretta 390 & winchester 21 12 ga for birds.. the Beretta when I'm alone the 21 with others.

savage 93 17HMR with federal v-max ballistic tips

and a remington 1100 12ga. using 8 shot sport load

These days I use a CZ452 Lux 22 LR topped with a Leupold 4x RF Special

Airforce talon,,,6.5-24x50 scope,,prefer the 24" barrel,,,use the 12" around the house,much quieter,,Clay

Kimber 82 Classic, Burris compact 3-9x32mm, Eley Subsonics preferred ammo.

I'm using Baikal IZH-94 12GA over .223 rifle ( Remington SPR94 in America) - ideal medicine for small game/pests.

Well you can look here and check out my usuals. I am pretty much a varmint small game shooter. Scroll through if you want. I took my friend's whole family out for a day, then a load test and another toy.

http://www.putfile.com/gdcpony

I use a savage LH mark II varminter in 17 HM2, with a 4x16 weaver v-classic w/1/4 moa dot.
RR

I use a tricked out 10/22 with a 3-9 Lueppy compact, a Win 9422 with a 4x Lueppy or a Rem 541-S with a 6-16 Tasco. Shotguns make such a mess of things and I hate picking bb's out of my food. If I can't hit it with a .22, I don't want it.

Fast Ed

My favorite - or at least best toy for small game; A Theoban Eliminator in .20 with a Bushnell Elite 4200 4-16x50 on it.

I also have an RWS 45 in 177 which has taken most of the small game in my life.

While I have used a 22LR for squirrel and rabbits, I have used a shotgun more, as I like to eat them a shotgun is "mo betta".

However I have killed quite a few of both with my 44 mag and Speer shotshells.

I have also taken 2 squirrels with my 450 No2 double rifle. Both were head shots so no meat was lost.

Either a .32 late Lancaster caplock or (most often) 28 gauge flintlock fowler. I even use a suppository gun on rare occasion, 22 K hornet or 22 wmr contender carbine.

Until 1982 I lived in Northern Minnesota-grew up in the woods and used a REmington bolt action .22LR for nearly everything. I usually put around 5,000 rounds a year through that rifle and could hit any reasonable target-shot tons of rabbits, grouse, ground hogs, skunks, etc,etc and even got a few head shot wood cock with that thing. At times I figured I could take on a moose with that .22-a good shot in the ear will take care of nearly anything. I've since moved to Western Washington and the small game hunting around here is pretty damned sorry. Believe it or not I mostly use a Savage M24 12 ga/30-30-it's an ugly gun but good for grouse and quail and whenever a bear steps out I'm more ready than when I used to wear a .44 mag on my belt. I got a lot of laughs when I took it to the skeet range but I never missed a bird with it-when it was time to shoot doubles I switched over to a Ruger Red Label.

10-22, 4x Nikon prostaff. I hunt squirrels after the leaves are down. You'll need some Beagles to get rabbits around here anymore, unless your gonna hunt in peoples yards.

I like to use my marlin 880 sq with quick shocks, my taurus 17s revolver and my savage 17 hmr.

My high school auto shop teacher and I built a .218 Bee on a Martini .310 Greener falling block action.. Rebarreled, chambered and bushed the firing pin for small rifle primers. Mounted a Weaver K-4 scope. It was great for ground squirrels. Don't think you could build a rifle after school in the high school auto shop these days. That was 1961 when the Martini training rifle could be bought for $7.95 at most surplus stores.

Ruger 10/22 Bull barrel, 4x scope

quote:

Originally posted by Dachsterrier:
I use a Sako Vixen in 6X45 .....

I have been interested in the 6x45 for years - how does it perform? Have you used it on bigger game?

I use an Anschutz hornet for feral goats, loaded with 50gr Sierra's but have changed to 55gr Hornady's (still to be field tested). I do body shots so need the penetration. I have no problem with the power of that load and the rifle works for me. For possum I use a Remington 512 Sportsmaster. I would use the hornet if I could - those little beggars are on steroids!

I've used a number of guns for small game over the years. But as time has passed, I've discovered that a Savage 24 s-e 22mag/20gauge does the job better than most anything else - for general work anywho.

I have and use three rifles, and one shotgun for Hunting Squirrels. The rifles are: CZ M-452 & Remington Model 5 both in .22 LR. I also like using my Winchester Model 43 Bolt Action in .25-20 as well as my Kimber M-82 Series "S" in .22 Hornet. I use 7.0 Grs/SR-4759/50 grain High Velocity type bullet, loaded in a Remingtion Brass case fired by a 7 1/2 Rem. SR Primer. I use the same load of 7.0 Grs/SR-4759 powder with an 86 grain Rem. Bullet in my .25-20. Both the Hornet & .25-20, loads, are non-destructive on Squirrel sized game. My Shotgun is a .410 Stoeger Model "Uplander" S/S using #5 shot in 3" shells.

My new favorite squirrel rifle is an old Mossberg 36B I picked up with a worn out barrel last year. Bored it out, relined and chambered to .17M2. Here's the results of a recent outing.
[/IMG]

Well for some reason the photo isn't working but the little rifle did turn out to be a keeper!

I bought myself a CZ American model .17 HMR a few years ago. Since then it’s all that I hunt squirrels with. It’s more accurate than I am. I topped it off with a Nikon 4.5-12 scope W/AO. It's one sweet little gun.

I also have a custom built 257 Weatherby mag that I call my varmit gun. I hope to be using it next week when I'm home for a few Yodies.

Here in PA where Semi-auto's aren't allowed for hunting
I use my little Browning BL-22

Lately I've been using the factory iron because the
old bushnell rimfire scope fogged up, so I took it off.

Anywhere else where semi-auto's are allowed I use
my Ruger 10-22 which wears a Simmons 3-9 Rimfire scope

In New Jersey cartridge rifles aren't allowed for hunting.

I really HATE finding shot with my teeth

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quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
I use an old Savage 23 in 25-20 with a steel tube Weaver K4 and cast bullets. On occassion it has also worked on game larger than small.

I'm with craigster, use the same rifle in 25-20 with cast but mine wears a 2.5X Weaver. I use a Ruger SS (original run with 6" barrel) in .32 H&R with cast bullets. That's for intentionally hunting the eating type small game, with the varmint variety I use what is in hand.

Larry Gibson

For squirrels, I use a Savage Mk II, a Stevens favorite, or a 10" T/C contender, all in .22 LR. For rabbits I use a 12 ga or a 20 ga shotgun- I've mostly been using the 12 lately.

CRUSHER, here is what i use, it is the 5.7x28 necked down to 17 caliber, it is called the 17 velociraptor which means small fast and deadly.

20 gr vmax at just over 3600 fps with only 10.2 grains of powder. reloading it is cheaper than buying 17 hmr ammo.
more details in wildcat forum.

the rifle is a cz varminter and a cooper model 38 repeater, did you have any problems with the cz extractor holding onto the fired case?
and they both shoot---



the cooper

the cz

the loaded case, great for head shots on squirrels

I really like my Remington 504 .22 LR but am having a 32-20 made from a Browning Low Wall .22 Hornet. Allen and the guys as Delta Gun Shop/Clearwater Reboring are almost done with it.

Before and after pictures attached.

I like my old WOOD & STEEL Winchester M69 bolt action with Rem. STANDARD vel. 22's, for squirrels (kills better than the HV stuff and the bullet WILL expand!) Same gun for close range chucks with Rem. Hollow Points! Both loads will shoot 1/2 inch at 50 yds!
Range roving I like my Winchester pump .22 that I inherited from my long time hunting buddy.
Am starting to work on mild loads in my Win. 43 .218 Bee and Marlin M62 .256 Win. Mag.

Always got to keep the brain working !!!
Hipshoot

P.S. As you can see, I like the old & unusual guns (something like me!)

Sako Finnfire w / 6 X 18 I use it for sillywett also. And a 10/22 w/ 4 X 12 both scopes Bushnell.

I use a Winchester 9410 for grouse. Not enough rabbits nearby to make it worth chasing them, but plenty of grouse. (I ran into another hunter once who was using a .22 rifle...he saw the bore on the 9410 and asked what caliber rifle I was using on grouse! He hadn't seen a 9410 before.)

Well around my neck of the woods rabit/squirrel and grouse seasons run pretty much concurrently.
I find that every time I take a rifle out I will flush 2 or 3 grouse, and every time I take a shotgun out I see sitting bunnies at 50 yards or so. My solution to this after many years of being frustrated regularly is soemthing my dad tried to teach long ago. I carry the old Stevens .22/410 O/U he loved so much. Now I have the option of either, and he proved to me long ago just how deadly a decent shot can be with this combo. Plus it is light and handy to carry all day! Just the added satisfaction I get carrying Dad's gun isenough though. It is like still having him in the woods with me even though he has been gone 20 years now.

For a walk-around rifle for small game I usually carry a Sako AI 223 or 17 Rem becuase they afford me a little more flexibility in the event a yote or similar sized target presents itself. Lou

When I was a kid with good eyes I used a 22 rifle w/iron sights for all small mammals and quail. As I grew older I went to a scoped pistol and scoped rifle for small mammals. I’m in my late 50’s and have bad eyes and I use a shot gun for most small game.

Here in PA I've been quite fond of my Kimber HS in .22LR for quite a few years. Recently I've been using a Kimber 8400 in 300 WSM loaded with 125 grn NBTs to take groundhogs in the summer.

My normal squirrel gun: Cooper 22



I think a shotgun is much more effective - any kind and any size will work. The one I have most enjoyment with is a black powder 12 ga. I like running around the smoke to see if I got him.

However I have more fun with a 22 than anything else so thats what I normally pick up.

Over the years I have hunted squirrels with
a 22lr, 22mag, 222 rem, 357 mag rifle. I have
always a 25/20 to try out, but lately Ive
been thinking about a CZ 17HM2 w/bull barrel.