Squirrel shot placement /.177 pellet selection...

[toddk63]

...for an underpowered rifle

I am getting frustrated with my ability to knock down a nutter on the first shot with my underpowered .177 Mendoza RM 600 .  It chronies around 11 fpe regardless of pellet.  I have been using Beeman CroMag 8.8 gr. thinking  they expand nicely and going for head shots.  Problem is if I or the squirrel flinch just a bit I end up shooting off its jaw or such and it runs off into the neighbors yard to die.  I really don't want the little bugger to suffer and I REALLY don't want the neighbor to keep finding the dead or wounded critters.  I need to incapacitate it so it cannot climb a tree or fence after the first shot.  I recently tried a Beeman Kodiak 10.6 gr. round nose and shot at the forearm hoping it would A) break the forearm B) continue on to a vital organ.  It seemed to work! ...but needs more testing.

I plan on getting a Benji Trail NP .22 this summer which should solve my problem with nearly twice the energy.  However in the meantime I am being overrun by nutters and only have the RM 600.

So...which pellet and where to aim?

Thanks,

Todd K.

[onemountain]

I don't think 11 fpe is necessarily all that bad, then again I'm used to 20+ so I've got a margin of error that I might be underestimating. What kind of ranges are we talking about here?

[toddk63]

...range is 13 yards

[onemountain]

I worry a little about deliberately going for a limb, seems like you might get some unfortunate deflections eventually. I must admit right now I'm a bit out of my depth on hunting with lower powered guns But seeing as our friends over in the UK do pretty much all their airgun hunting with sub-12 fpe guns, there's gotta be a solution, especially at 13 yards.

Have you tried just normal shots at the heart/lung area? Nothing too exotic; if you wreck those Mr. Nutter isn't usually going too far. Since the Kodiaks seem to be working, I'm tempted to say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but as you said- needs more testing. I also wonder if they're a bit too heavy.

Again, I'm out of depth here; all I can do is think aloud Sorry I'm not of much help; I'm sure one of the more experienced fellows will come along and enlighten us both. (I guess this is just a verbose bttt lol)

[Mebits]

Yanno, when I was shooting my old 5mm Bluestreak (bigger than .177, true, but still...), I just put the pellet in their eye. or back a bit toward the ear. I never used to loose any wounded squirrels. They either got away unscathed or they fell dead. Neck shots also worked pretty well.

I think the only solution is to take the right shot and make it count. That's back on the head so if you miss right or left a bit he's still dead.

[toddk63]

If I can see the white of its chest, that's usually a good shot.  It just doesn't happen that often.

[shadow]

I fusebox shot is still your best bet with what you have to work with and I've taken Squirrel's along worth other small game with low powered air rifle's and pistol's. The shot placement has to be surgical on them to drop them humanly. The two nutters were taken with a tuned B3, G-hog with a stock 1377 pistol, Squirrel with a 680fps B16 and a rabbit with a custom 2240. Ed

[fisherdude]

I did some testing a while back and found that the harder nosed pellets had better penetration with a low powered air rifle.  Of about a dozen pelets I tested, the Gamo rocket had the best penetration.  The best shot is a head shot from the side, not when they are looking directly at you.

[Bentong]

For nutters, I only aim between eye and ears. If I miss it lives and if I hit it drops for good.

[airiscool]

Todd,

Like Ed said, it's got to be surgical.  There is no majic hunting pellet. The best pellet is the one you can put where you need it to go. If not, don't pull the trigger on a critter until you can do that every time.  Find the most accurate pellet for your gun, practice with it ALOT, and don't take shots  beyound where you can't put all your shots in a dime  sized target area.

I agree, 11 fpe at 13 yards is reasonable for human kills on Squirrels.  But if you, the gun, and the pellet don't all work together to be able to hit in the brain area, your going to have runners.

The exception is, a head-on shot into the base of the neck, or into the nearest shoulder at the base of the neck if slightly quartering for a squirrel that's on the ground. Because your shooting slightly downward, those have a high chance of being a heart shot, while hitting other vital organs also.


Oh, and reload quickly 'cause some of those nutters are tough and don't always die easy no matter where you hit them.
Paul.

[onemountain]

Paul's comments reminded me of something else: if possible, deliver a follow up shot. While shooting at a little critter's head is usually an all or nothing deal in terms of the animal dropping or quickly getting away (mortally wounded or not), a follow up shot at least eliminates the possibility that the squirrel was only stunned or knocked out by the pellet and is going to regain its senses and run off.

[djmyers]

I am spitting out just under 15 ftlbs at the barrel and at 35 ft around 12and its more than enough to kill squirrels. I shoot 8.4 gr JSB pellets and have them going through regularly. At the right angle they will not blow through. I have shot a squirrel in the left eye and found the pewllet between the skin and right shoulder. Your Ft Lbs are more than enough if you place the shot in the sweet spot. Practice shooting quickly and off a steady base. Squirels here love sunflower seeds and will sit there all day for you to shoot. If you need to put out some of that seed and take your time. Not all day of course but will buy you 2-3 more seconds.

[Sniperdad69]

I have taken about 60 treerats with my Beeman R-7 and other match rifles which are only generating about 5fpe.
I can only recall having two get away in the last four years.

Between the Eye and Ear, or the neck are the best shots, but the heart shot will also work well, even with low power, as long as the shot doesn't go through leg or shoulder bone.

I agree 200% with "Don't shoot at any Live target until you can hit your mark every shot."

Cheers, David.

[tjk]

"under powered RM-600",.......not sure where you get the idea that the Mendoza is under-powered unless you've either had it 'de-tuned', a broken spring or bad seal, or you haven't "oiled" it on the side of the reciever as the factory stamp indicates (for deliberate dieselling to up the power). At the range you're speaking of, the squirrels should be turning summer-saults when you hit them. I'd opt for the 8.8 grainned Cro-Mags and practice, practice, practice!!!!! LOL's tjk

[toddk63]

Update...to bring up to speed, rifle is a Mendoza RM 600 shooting about 11 fpe regardless of pellet weight.

OK, I've had several opportunities to try different strategies.  First to clarify,  I was suggesting taking a front shoulder shot, or between front elbow and shoulder.  I originally stated that as "forearm" .  I hope that wasn't misconstrued as below the elbow.

Now onto the results.  I tried these "forearm" shots with 3 different pellets. Beeman CrowMag 8.8 gr. (flat nose), Crosman Premier HP 7.9 gr. (round with small divet), and Beeman Kodiak 10.6 gr. (round nose).

The CroMag and CPHP all had mostly runners, (3 of them combined, I believe), though I did eventually manage to finish them off with a second shot.   The Kodiak has had no runners (4 for 4 got no more than a few feet away).  It appears the solid round nose is penetrating the shoulder and getting into the vital cavity area, whereas the lighter hollow points shatter the shoulder and do not go any further allowing them to hobble up the tree on three limbs.

Although it doesn't make sense that a heavier pellet is penetrating better, since the energy is roughly the same as the lighter pellet, that is what appears to be happening.

Thanks,

Todd K.