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.22 shorts for squirrels?

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Ozarkwoodswalker
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.22 shorts for squirrels?

Post by Ozarkwoodswalker » Fri Nov 30, 2018 6:38 am

Anyone here hunt with shorts? I'm not even sure where I would find shorts locally. But if some of you have used them and had good results I might try some
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bandit1250
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Re: .22 shorts for squirrels?

Post by bandit1250 » Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:34 am

22 shorts usually cost more and have not really good accuracy in some rifles with the 29 gr. bullet. They can also make a carbon ring in the chamber if shooting a lot of them that will make a 22 long rifle harder to chamber and sometimes stick in the chamber and fail to extract. I have never had any use for them except for old rifles chambered for shorts only. If your rifle is accurate at squirrel distances you will be shooting at I recommend you go with the hollow point ammo when using shorts. I would go with sub sonic LR hollow point ammo any day over the shorts. Standard velocity is accurate ammo but the 40 gr. solid doesn't kill as consistent as a hollow point unless you make good clean head shots. I am an opportunist type squirrel hunter. If I see a squirrel and it is a good safe shot to take I take the shot off hand or a rest if available and try to stay any where from the front shoulder to the the front of the eye area. I may damage a front leg now and then but if behind the shoulder it ruins nothing because I don't can the rib section any way. I don't sit for squirrels and I walk and stop and keep on the move and cover a lot of area.
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Sir Henry
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Re: .22 shorts for squirrels?

Post by Sir Henry » Fri Nov 30, 2018 11:55 am

I shoot shorts a lot. My main reason is you can get more in a tube fed rifle like a Henry. Or should I say pistol because it is my main ammo for my Mare’s Leg where the tube is also shorter.

I prefer HV shorts but only shoot them out to 25 yards.
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North Country Gal
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Re: .22 shorts for squirrels?

Post by North Country Gal » Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:08 pm

Shorts will certainly work for squirrels, but you need to mindful of the range. As a youngster, we'd sometimes use HV Shorts to good effect on squirrels, at close ranges. At these distances, the Shorts killed just as cleanly as the LRs and were quieter, to boot.
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Henry88
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Re: .22 shorts for squirrels?

Post by Henry88 » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:04 pm

X2 on the subsonic LR
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