I always use a 12 ga with a modified choke and 1 1/4 oz of 5's, I've even shot them close with this load and it didn't screw them up. I am always on public land hunting them, and they are very wary, so most shots are 25 yards and up.

When the leaves are on the trees, I use a 16 gauge high brass #6s. Otherwise, I use a Rossi pump 22 with a tang sight. I have used my 44-40 and low velocity cast bullet loads.

20 gauge federal game-shok heavy field 1oz of #6.

double 410 w/ #6's or 22 lr henry lever action, or spartan combo 410/22lr.

Decisions, decisions. The squirrel season opener will be here in about 3 weeks and I don't know whether to take my 12 gauge O/U with 1 oz. #6 in the bottom barrel choked imp. cyl. and 1 1/4 oz. #5 in the top barrel choked imp. mod., or my 16 gauge pump with 1 1/8 oz. #6 in the fixed mod. barrel, or my 20 gauge autoloader with 1 oz. #5 through the imp. mod. choke. They are all very effective for squirrels. So many guns and so little time to hunt.

I hunt mostly in "shotgun only" areas with shots around 25 yards or less. I think I will start off this year with the double .410. 2 1/2" # 6 in the right barrel and 3" # 6 in the left barrel.


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My brother-in-law swore by his bolt action .410 for squirrels.

When I lived in Virginia I did quite a bit of squirrel hunting. I found that a Model 24 Stevens in 22LR/410 bore was a very useful gun. I always used 3" shells with #6 shot.

I've got an old one in the Savage model 22/.410. Some think the combination could be the almost perfect squirrel gun.

One similar to it was the only gun I remember my grandfather having. He kept squirrel on the table for many years with that gun.

My little 25 poor boy flintlock is kinda fun. Uses #3 buckshot as a ball.

DP

Very cool, Mnshooter.

Marlin 39a with tang peep sight and Remington 36g 22lr, hopefully soon i can start using my marlin 1894c with some light 357 rounds and always head shot them.

+1 for Mach 2

I've always wanted to get a small bore percussion cap, buckskins, and go down to the Ozarks to hunt squirrel, but never got around to it. To get to the OP, IMO, tall timber and fox squirrels are probably best with the .22. In brushy timber and grey's a shotgun is probably more effective. I suppose it all depends on your hunting style and the terrain that you are hunting.

I don't care what you say, now that's funny there!

Robert

By far my favorite squirrel gun is my Anschutz 1418 .22LR. I prefer subsonics, Aguila 38gr.

If I have to use a shotgun, I take a Browning Sweet 16 loaded with 6 or 7 1/2 shot. But I'd rather not, it makes squirrel cleaning messier and I hate biting on shot.

There are a lot of nice post to this thread, I'm happy to see there are a lot of 22 guy's out there. If I had to choose only one type of hunting for the rest of my life it would be SQUIRREL's with a small caliber rifle. Although I did buy two Ruger Mark 2 target handguns in 22 caliber. I've used the 22 calber for over thirty years. I also bought the Marlin model 882 stainless steel, laminated stock in 17 hmr and topped it with a scope. My old 22 is a Marlin 882 - 22 mag. blue barrel/wood stock with a 3X9 scope.
If I were in a postion where it was shotgun only I'd take my 20 gauge Steven's SXS with high base #5 shot, or my Ithaca model 66 single shot with a vent rib Mod. choke with #5 shot. I just bought a Ivers Johnson 20 gauge with a solid steel ribbed barrel that I'd use as well. This is an old shotgun, it has Ivers Johnson Gun & Cycle Works on the side. I have the Ivers Johnson Single shot 12 gauge solid steel ribbed barrel and the Ivers Johnson 410 with a plain barrel All with "Ivers Johnson Gun & Cycle Works" I'm looking for the 16 gauge Ivers Johnson with a solid steel ribbed barrel.

I bought a Traditions 50 cal./36 cal. that I need to get out & shoot. Small gameing would be fun with the 36 Caliber. Pat

A high powered air rifle (magnum breakbarrel springer or pre-charged pneumatic) also works great, with the bonus that ammo is very cheap, shooting is very quiet, and you can even build a legal target range at home in many suburban areas (though not all of them). Most people like .22 cal (for springers) or .25 cal (for PCP guns) for small game hunting, but it can be done with a high powered .177 cal air rifle.

For overall effectiveness and versatility though, yeah, a .410 shotgun or .22 LR are probably the way to go for squirrels.

A fun, but rather elderly thread!

I hunt public land exclusively. Where I am limited to shotgun only (including my best honey hole), I like a 20 gauge O/U with 1 ounce of #5 shot. Where I have my choice, I either use a scoped Marlin 39A with Aguila subsonic hollow points, or a combo gun with the Aguilas for the .22 barrel and 1 ounce of #5 for the 20 gauge shotgun barrel. I recently grubbed up a .22/.410 Spartan/Baikal and I think that is going to be a very fun squirrel gun with the Aguilas and a 3" shell of #6 shot.

I'm in the process of training my feist pup right now and I needed a squirrel to get her interested. Down to the creek I went with the old double barrel Ithaca 16 gauge stoked with 1 oz of 6 shot. DRT.