The UK Squirrel Season Is All But Upon Us

[AlexD]

FAC has never appealed to me tbh just more kit time have to deal with like cylinders to get topped up etc. Now the rook rifles are a different matter altogether, nice light rifles with 50 rounds that fit easily in a pocket. The .410 is a double hammer rotary underlever that was once upon a time a double rook rifle so nice & pointable

Be careful: a guy got prosecuted successfully for cruelty last year for shooting squirrels with a non-FAC air rifle. He landed 5 shots, including 3 head shots, while the squirrel's plight was observed by a neighbour. Its X-Ray by the RSPCA was in the papers.

Squirrels are incredibly tough animals. I have seen one climbing a tree with its body cleaved in two at its diaphragm, with the lower half attached only by skin. It took a second shot to despatch it as it was still alive a couple of minutes later. Even a 12 bore, with 32g steels, leave the squirrel peppered but alive more often than not. A rifle head shot that lands anywhere in front of the ears, can take the face off, but leave the squirrel alive for a day. A couple of the air rifle shot squirrels on this thread, show multiple shots were landed before the squirrel was killed, e.g. #468.

Squirrels are living animals. We want rid of Greys but "can't be bothered to do the paperwork" is not an excuse for torturing the beasts.

If doing squirrels get a 0.17 HMR and FAC, so it is clean and the squirrel is definitely dead on first shot.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Interested to know how you think an FAC is better for squirrels than, say, a cartridge rifle firing a .250" 56gn or .312" 80gn bullet - perhaps you could do the ballistics & let me know? I've shot a squirrel or two in my time, including a fair proportion of a bag of 298 that 3 of us shot over 3 days one winter, I'm well aware of what it takes to kill one thank you. Just saying.

Btw - if you're going to use quotes such as "can't be arsed to do the paperwork" at least first check to see if I actually wrote that in the first place. Again, just saying.

 

[AlexD]

Interested to know how you think an FAC is better for squirrels than, say, a cartridge rifle firing a .250" 56gn or .312" 80gn bullet - perhaps you could do the ballistics & let me know? I've shot a squirrel or two in my time, including a fair proportion of a bag of 298 that 3 of us shot over 3 days one winter, I'm well aware of what it takes to kill one thank you. Just saying.

Btw - if you're going to use quotes such as "can't be arsed to do the paperwork" at least first check to see if I actually wrote that in the first place. Again, just saying.

Your posts use the word "rifle" to refer to a .410, so I am guessing it is a 410 shotgun rather than a nitro express, which would definitely be a clean kill on a squirrel but might bother the neighbours.
A .410 shotgun with moderator is quiet. 56gn or 80gn shot would be Buckshot 00 or 000 (which is 72gn), a far cry from No. 4s or No 6s which are a couple of grains, and not many buckshot fit in a 410 cartridge.
Speed of each buckshot is tiny fraction of that of a .17HMR, buckshot has no expansion, ft/lbs per shot is far lower, accuracy of shotgun buckshot is abysmal in the context of every shot hitting a target diameter of under 1" for a squirrel, and on your question of ballistics, well a 410 is shotgun ranges.
On the paperwork, the reference was squirrel shooting with non-FAC air rifles. It can be done using a feeder, so every one is at the same distance so one can hit dead centre of the head, but getting a FAC and HMR allows you to nail them just as accurately at any distance, with enough energy for a clean kill every time.

 

[Donkey Basher]

I think you need to read my posts again properly then you might understand what they actually say.

There was no reference to the .410 being a rifle, in fact it specifically says it’s a .410
that was once a double rook rifle ie it’s no longer a rifle; the .250” 56gn & .312” 80gn both say BULLETS so not pellets.

Re the ballistics - go & see what the muzzle energy of your average FAC air rifle is & compare with the two rifle bullets referred to both doing about 2200fps MV.

Set your calculations out in full & you might get a few marks for getting the process correct even if you get the wrong number at the end.

 

[shakey jake]

i got three this week, bird food should last a bit longer now

 

[blueeyes]

5 tree rats dispatched this morning

 

[shakey jake]

and another one yesterday. cooked as a stew tonight. dogs had the trimmings

 

[shakey jake]

all mine shot with a sub 12 .17 air.
guy done for cruelty must have dug his own grave or accecpted a caution.
if the rspca want to check over the squirrels in 12 hours they can follow the spaniel on a walk and go nuts

 

[nun_hunter]

I went out yesterday and forgot my chest rig so had no binos or thermal To say it was a challenge would be an understatement as I only saw and shot one squirrel but I did take the time to enjoy my new stove and make a cuppa. It was lovely to just sit for an hour without phone signal or any pressures.

 

[blueeyes]

I went out yesterday and forgot my chest rig so had no binos or thermal To say it was a challenge would be an understatement as I only saw and shot one squirrel but I did take the time to enjoy my new stove and make a cuppa. It was lovely to just sit for an hour without phone signal or any pressures.

Still too much natural feed up here at the moment

 

[LarryLightFoot]

Leaving all my feeders alone until the naturals start to dry up and cover starts to clear .

 

[ChesterP]

I've lost count of the number of grey squirrels I've humanely dispatched with a sub 12lbs-ft air rifle. They may be tough little animals but 550-600fps with a 22 pellet is plenty to dispatch them, rabbits and pigeons cleanly as long as you don't stretch ranges out.

 

[nun_hunter]

Still too much natural feed up here at the moment

Yes it's hard to see them and they're spending very little time on the ground. It was still good to get out though.

 

[merlin]

Another 5 this morning - not helped by pigeons feeding on beech mast then clattering through the woods

 

[Klenchblaize]

There's a good chance a few succumbed to drowning last night.

K

 

[BenBhoy]

I went out yesterday and forgot my chest rig so had no binos or thermal To say it was a challenge would be an understatement as I only saw and shot one squirrel but I did take the time to enjoy my new stove and make a cuppa. It was lovely to just sit for an hour without phone signal or any pressures.

You hear of these things called thermos flask???

 

[nun_hunter]

You hear of these things called thermos flask???

Tea tastes like **** after being in a flask for more than 5 minutes, plus half the enjoyment is sitting down and making a fresh brew.

I'll do a black coffee in a flask but that's more because I need a drink stucknin a highseat rather than wanting to take the time to enjoy a proper brew.

Part if the enjoyment of squirrel shooting is there isn't any rush or a deer to gralloch and drag back to the trailer so it's time out to take it slow and enjoy being out.

 

[BenBhoy]

Tea tastes like **** after being in a flask for more than 5 minutes, plus half the enjoyment is sitting down and making a fresh brew.

I'll do a black coffee in a flask but that's more because I need a drink stucknin a highseat rather than wanting to take the time to enjoy a proper brew.

Part if the enjoyment of squirrel shooting is there isn't any rush or a deer to gralloch and drag back to the trailer so it's time out to take it slow and enjoy being out.

I'm just messing mate..I'm only jealous, I'm literally never outside in nature with that much time to just sit. Not quite the same trying t get Kelly kettle going at night with FoxPro blasting away!!

 

[nun_hunter]

I'm just messing mate..I'm only jealous, I'm literally never outside in nature with that much time to just sit. Not quite the same trying t get Kelly kettle going at night with FoxPro blasting away!!

I've got a Kellu Kettle but I only use it in the garden with my boys as its too much faff to take anywhere

Deerstalking is great but squirrel shooting is more fun, less graft and less pressure soni can relax more.

 

[BenBhoy]

I'm outside 6 days a week, usually in a field on my own so I'm not complaining. But not chance to sit & appreciate it sometimes