.410 round ball for squirrels?

[Elric]

After torturing myself with a fork and beating my head against a wall, the idea of using a .41 Rem Mag for squirrels came to mind. In my deep past, I used a .45 T/C Hawken for squirrels.

Is there any deep repressed memories on round balls from a centerfire for squirrels? Max 50 yards, velocities maybe 1100 or so...

 

[Brad]

It will tear em up pretty good. I have shot many with a 40 cal roundball at 1300 fps or so and it leaves a large exit hole.
Tried a 45 gr round nose in a 10" Contender at 1300-1400 fps and it damn near tore em in half.

I would prefer a load with a 41 cal roundball closer to 7-800 fps. Velocity is rough on tree rats.

 

[freebullet]

1100 sounds high to me too. Get down around 700 & it will be quiet & accurate with fast powder. Don't take much on squirrels.

 

[KHornet]

Regarding squirrels, speed kills-----to well. 700-800 range will produce more meat.

 

[Elric]

Great, 1600 fps it is. No cleaning necessary.

Let me see if I can scrounge up some round ball stuff out of Google Books.

 

[Elric]

Recreation, vol 50, no. 4, April 1914 page 200

KENTUCKY SPORTS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
“Barking squirrels" was a delightful sport, and required greater
accuracy than the former. This was the most favorite method of
limiting the squirrel. The ball, patched with a piece of linen, was
sent home with a hickory rod. after the gun was wiped and the
powder measured. \Vhen a squirrel was spied crouching on a limb,
the rifle was raised and a ball fired in the bark on which the squirrel
was sitting. The concussion produced instantly killed the squirrel
and sent it whirling to the earth.

HARRY F. STAUFFER.

 

[Elric]

Moulds for .375, .445 and .451 rbs up the ying yang...

 

[fiver]

1600 it is :lol:
you must have the same squirrels we have here.

 

[Chris]

On a tangent to the topic: I grew up hunting gray squirrels with a .22. It was taught by my mentors that a .22 short placed well was a better killer than long rifles. There is some truth to it even if it seems counterintuitive. To a degree the opinion may have been biased by the fact that shorts were 15 cents or so less per box, but still a careful precise shot killed well and didn't tear up the meat so badly. Squirrels were for eating, after all.

 

[Brad]

Chris, after years of shooting squirrels I settles on short HPs for my squirrel hunting. Less damage than an LR HP but better kills than an LR RN.

I learned quickly with ML using a round ball that even a 32 longrifle will destroy a squirrel with anything but a really light load. 20 gr of FFfg with a patched ball in a 32 was more than adequate at any range I could make a shot. A 40 gr plus RB at 1300 fps plus is wicked on squirrels.

 

[KHornet]

Within range of about 25 yds, I also found that Rem short HP 22's did the job better
than any other bullet that I tried. Rarely exited.

Paul

 

[Ian]

.410 3" with #6 shot and a full choke. If inside 20 yards fade the pattern toward the head end or you'll have hamburger, or center it up if only the head is showing behind a tree limb. No worries about what goes up coming down and hurting something a mile away.

 

[Chris]

I use an old Savage .410/.22, choked full of course. The one with the barrel selector on the side. Always shoot 3" #6's. Killed a lot of snowshoes with it too.

 

[JWFilips]

Shot a number of gray squirrel with my "Bobby Hoyt" re-barreled 40 cal PA flintlock Longrifle (42" barrel)
Learned real quick like, to shoot the limb just below the "coveted meat"! Works like a dream!

Have done a few "head shots" (which come close to pot ready on the drop!) but for constancy Hitting the limb is better
At least for me
Jim

 

[Ian]

Anyone who can hit a squirrel in the head occasionally with a rock lock is tops in my book. Not only because of the difficulty of making the hit, but of making the ball get there before the squirrel sees/hears all the lock smoke and fire and ducks.

 

[Brad]

Ian, the muzzleloader of choice for my squirrel hunting was a 40 cal flinter. With things set up properly they are just as easy to hit with as a caplock. I wore out the original 32 cal barrel and replaced it with a 40. That 42 in barrel makes for good aiming due to sight radius.
Nothing better than a rapid reload as squirrels run around you.

 

[JWFilips]

Anyone who can hit a squirrel in the head occasionally with a rock lock is tops in my book. Not only because of the difficulty of making the hit, but of making the ball get there before the squirrel sees/hears all the lock smoke and fire and ducks.

Ian,
I have been fortunate ...In the flints I build it is an instantaneous thing Just got to know how to tune a rock lock! Us PA boys have a long heritage of knowing how to build them!
Jim

 

[Brad]

Good lock geometry and the right flint make it easy. I own a couple flinders that are unreal. I built a trade gun that was slow. Heavy hammer spring and light barrel made it bad when ignition was slow. Shots 3 inches out at 25 yards were regular. Hated that gun when it did that. Glad I sold it.

 

[JWFilips]

Yes you must know the geometry of the lock. Us PA boys do it it by the feel! of firing the lock in our hands. Hard to explain but You know when the "Feel" is right!
Seriously! That is how I was trained back in 1983!

 

[9.3X62AL]

Tree squirrels have never been legal to hunt where I live. I did a bit of it in Michigan in 1987, and learned how to "shade" a shotshell pattern from a 28 bore pretty well over a few mornings and afternoons. I was never keen on rifle- or pistol-shooting critters above me in trees.......seemed unsafe. That kind of thing is shotgun work.

I have an abiding dislike for our local ground squirrels. They will strip out a vegetable garden in short order. The 410 shotgun is a "natural" for this close-range work, where safe and lawful. I load #7-1/2s and #9s in 410 for this tasking.