Your dream squirrel rifle?

[USMCGrunt]

With the squirrel season opener right around the corner, what’s your squirrel rifle of choice? Mine is my old Marlin Model 60. It’s light, sleek and a real tack driver. If you were going to build or buy a new rifle, what would you go with?

 

[Zogman]

10/22 born in 1968

 

[Zogman]

50 yards. The 3 on the left were first. Made a few clicks to the right for the next 7.
I do have a model 60 that is slightly more accurate. It is still at the NW Angle

 

[svnmag]

DREAM: Ruger 77/floated/action bedded--Fixed 4X Leupold, German #1 reticle.

 

[bucksnbears]

Any shotgun with #6 shot.

 

[TwoLabs]

I grew up squirrel hunting and every year I tell myself I’m going to go one time for old times sake. Never seem to find the time. I have never used a rifle, but an Ithaca model 37 was my go to gun

 

[svnmag]

I grew up squirrel hunting and every year I tell myself I’m going to go one time for old times sake. Never seem to find the time. I have never used a rifle, but an Ithaca model 37 was my go to gun

I grew up "shotgun" too. Except some safety concerns, everything "squirrel" is better with a .22.

On my first rifle outing in The Hills; I was stoked with Win T-22's. I was overlooking an oak "flat": 1st Mr. Gray was foraging @about 30yds. It wouldn't be still. I kept making little "kissing" noises until I got it's attention. There must've been some sort of "echo". It stood frozen, facing the opposite direction and received 40grns of lead between the ears.

As it flashed it's tail; another appeared from "nowhere" to investigate (Marlin boltgun/21in bbl--"crack" like a breaking stick) and received the same treatment which left a larger passage through it's left side of head--it was "intrigued": The third "investigator" was nervous as hell: Kissing noises seemed to result in a "racing around panic". I waited it out and eventually killed it with a body/vital shot. NOT GUT: It was getting dark: Not impressed with my greed.

Anyways; I was on leave and had to clean three squirrels for Grandma. She was pleased. It was now time to fish for brown trout for her Catholic Fridays...Original/Countdown Rapalas/remote/ in acid friendly streams:

Dressing squirrel sucks--it sucks MORE when you smell gut and 4 shot keeps bouncing off the "counter". It sucks EVEN MORE when one smells GUT in piss(?) and "tastes" of it in a meal.

BLAH BLAH BLAH:

That is all.

 

[KDM]

300 win mag. Damn squirrels tend to hide behind trees so I just shoot through the tree.

 

[SDMF]

Cooper 57m in 17 HMR Jackson Squirrel Rifle stock pattern, or Ruger All Weather 77/22 22LR w/drop-in Lilja and muzzle threaded.

 

[USMCGrunt]

300 win mag. Damn squirrels tend to hide behind trees so I just shoot through the tree.

Back before I found out they are delicious, I had one that was getting into the grain bins with a bad lid. He went up the tree and stayed on the other side but a .45-70 through the 1886 Browning didn’t seem to care what he was behind. Not sure if it was the lead or wood splinters that got him.

 

[svnmag]

I grew up "shotgun" too. Except some safety concerns, everything "squirrel" is better with a .22.

On my first rifle outing in The Hills; I was stoked with Win T-22's. I was overlooking an oak "flat": 1st Mr. Gray was foraging @about 30yds. It wouldn't be still. I kept making little "kissing" noises until I got it's attention. There must've been some sort of "echo". It stood frozen, facing the opposite direction and received 40grns of lead between the ears.

As it flashed it's tail; another appeared from "nowhere" to investigate (Marlin boltgun/21in bbl--"crack" like a breaking stick) which left a larger passage through it's left side of head--it was "intrigued". The third "investigator" was nervous as hell: Kissing noises seemed to result in a "racing around panic". I waited it out and eventually killed it with a body/vital shot. NOT GUT: It was getting dark: Not impressed with my greed.

Anyways, I was on leave and had to clean three squirrels for Grandma. She was pleased. It was now time to fish for brown trout for her Catholic Fridays...Original/Countdown Rapalas/remote/acid friendly streams:

Dressing squirrel sucks--it sucks MORE when you smell gut and 4 shot keeps bouncing off the "counter". It sucks EVEN MORE when one smells GUT in urine(?) and "tastes" it in a meal.

BLAH BLAH BLAH:

That is all.

^^^^Posted too quick. Here's all:

 

[USMCGrunt]

Once upon a time (I think this was 2015) my beard wasn’t grey. Oh well, the color may have gone but that little Marlin is still going strong.

 

[Jiffy]

Squirrel rifle?

 

[Tymurrey]

I'm a fan of the cz american 452 or 457. I have one in 17hmr and 22lr and both shoot excellent and aren't terrible to look at.

 

[TwoLabs]

Squirrel hunting back home is like pheasant hunting up here. I can’t remember missing too many opening days of squirrel season.

 

[thriller1]

So you mean to tell me there is a time when your NOT supposed to shoot squirrels? Asking for a friend...

 

[NodakBob]

Browning BL 22 lever action…shoots whatever you feed it from subsonic shorts to long and long rifle. Bought it 54 years ago with my first two paychecks as a dishwasher at country kitchen. 25,000+ rounds later still shoots amazingly well.

 

[SDMF]

Browning BL 22 lever action…shoots whatever you feed it from subsonic shorts to long and long rifle. Bought it 54 years ago with my first two paychecks as a dishwasher at country kitchen. 25,000+ rounds later still shoots amazingly well.

100% easily my favorite lever action 22! Nothing else lever action is even close IMO, that short-stroke is MAGIC!!

If I were to dream up a squirrel rifle I don't own, I'd still really like to have a Japanese production Win/Browning 52B. Tikka T1X in their chassis is kinda sexy too in an entirely different way.

Former co-worker had a pretty nice BSA Martini Cadet in 22LR that I really liked to shoot, that's an itch I probably oughta scratch one day as well.

If we're gonna wave a wand for things we'd like that DON'T exist:

Kimber Montana SS/SYN, tube-feed through the recoil-pad in 22LR, 17HMR, and 22 Mag. 16"-20" barrel w/threaded muzzle from the get-go.

 

[USMCGrunt]

Oh, I don’t know about the BL22 being the best .22 lever gun. I loved my Marlin Golden 39A so much that I added a shorter Marlin Golden 39M to the collection. The micro-groove barrels are tack drivers and takedown for cleaning is as simple as it gets with one thumbscrew to loosen. Once you pop the receiver apart, all your parts are right there to get at and clean or pull out every part for more detailed cleaning or parts replacement.
One thing to watch out for when reassembling them is to make sure the takedown screw Is torqued back to what it was when you sighted it in. When I got my 39A back when I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, I took it to a range out on town, sighted it in, took it apart for cleaning and when I shot it again later, found the group shifted way off to the side. It came back closer and closer to the original point of aim as I tightened the screw so these days, I tighten it down finger tight and then tighten it until the screw slot is vertical (for easy visual reference) and it hasn’t been an issue ever since.

 

[measure-it]

I agree with the Marlin micro-groove rifling for rim-fire.
I've got a Marlin 783 WMR that will surprise you just how accurate it is---unbelievable!