Cartridges for squirrels

Redding Reloading
Reloader708

Reloader708

Well-Known Member
An increasing amount of my work time is being redirected towards squirrel control these days now its becoming apparent just how damaging they are to forestry based company.
Trapping, .22 and shotgun are the tools. Often when I approach a trap I can knock a couple out of the same tree with the shotgun.
Anyway in the face of lead not being an option ive been told not to buy anymore cartridges, ive also been told steel is 100% no go (we sell timber commercially)
Anyway i got a price for a couple of slabs of bismuth....£1200 🤣
Lots of spluttering in the office. 🤣
I guess the available options for squirrel management have diminished.
 
GWP said:
why can you not use lead it is still legal plenty of cheap clay rounds out there
Click to expand...
Part of our fsc certification, we're being proactive in the fazing out of all that nasty lead.
Interestingly the fsc guidelines and the law don't align; example: .22 hornet is exempt from the coming lead ban and an ideal calibre to shoot hares in young trees. Fsc states all lead regardless of calibre is not to be used.
So itll be a 7mm rem mag loaded with copper to keep on top of the rabbits 🤣, ill have to throw my .22 in the sea.
Ive brought this up a few times in management meetings mostly to blank faces. We have keepers who might use a .223 with lead for foxing but will come unstuck when said rifle on certified forestry ground.
Its just a big mess.
 
Reloader708 said:
An increasing amount of my work time is being redirected towards squirrel control these days now its becoming apparent just how damaging they are to forestry based company.
Trapping, .22 and shotgun are the tools. Often when I approach a trap I can knock a couple out of the same tree with the shotgun.
Anyway in the face of lead not being an option ive been told not to buy anymore cartridges, ive also been told steel is 100% no go (we sell timber commercially)
Anyway i got a price for a couple of slabs of bismuth....£1200 🤣
Lots of spluttering in the office. 🤣
I guess the available options for squirrel management have diminished.
Click to expand...
There was, I have a slab of it, once upon a time tin shot. Hull Cartridge loaded it as "Gameflight".
 
A cheaper option would be bioammo, lead free and about £600 / 1000. I've not found lead free .22LR ammo to be accurate but some people seem to find it ok after a thorough barrel clean, expensive and more noisy though.

I also have the added problem of the possibility of pine martins in a year or two so even trapping might not be an option for me for grey squirrel control.

I might try talking to them sternly.
 
Suggest they give up FSC. Its a jumped up expensive quango kitenark that is overstepping the mark by dictating things like this beyond pure forestry management. There are other things they are trying to bring in which impact farming and other land uses.

We looked at this but stuck with the UK government forestry certification (FS I think) because:
- of the cost of FSC membership
- regs like the above, and
- because our two timber buyers said joining wouldn't change the price per ton of timber they buy from us.
 
I 100% wont send Steel shot into a tree ! I have scars from steel coming back on the bounce , it happens with lead shot also and i did know a guy who lost an eye but steel shot ? Nope not doing it again . Best thing is the std 12ftlb airgun and lead and still wear safety specs you don't need that much power behind the lead and the fall out zone is short when the angle is steep .
 
muddy42 said:
Suggest they give up FSC. Its a jumped up expensive quango kitenark that is overstepping the mark by dictating things like this beyond pure forestry management. There are other things they are trying to bring in which impact farming and other land uses.

We looked at this but stuck with the UK government forestry certification (FS I think) because:
- of the cost of FSC membership
- regs like the above, and
- because our two timber buyers said joining wouldn't change the price per ton of timber they buy from us.
Click to expand...
This very thing came up in a meeting last week, no different in price although when the mill gets spoiled for choice (like right now) they're more likely to shift certified timber.
 
Reloader708 said:
This very thing came up in a meeting last week, no different in price although when the mill gets spoiled for choice (like right now) they're more likely to shift certified timber.
Click to expand...
It depends how big the mill is. I think the big mills themselves are certified and can somehow mix certified and uncertified and somehow its all certified by magic!
 
The ludicrous part of this for me (well one of them) is that hitting steel shot buried in a lump of tree with a saw is going to be far more troubling than hitting lead. It's pretty much all testicles in order to appease ill-informed fundamental nutters IMO.
 
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