Mar
16
What FPS do you need with a pellet gun to kill a squirrel?
ByI’ve basically just got a few questions on hunting with pellet guns in general. First of all what’s the minimum you need with FPS (feet per second) to kill a squirrel? Also what how powerful are the air rifles that people usually use if they’re hunting small game with an air gun? Also, do people ever kill anything larger than a squirrel with air guns, like wood chucks? Because I saw some pellets for sale that were hollow point, intended for hunting, and they had a woodchuck on them. So I’m wondering if that’s even realistic. Thanks.
11 Comments
March 16th, 2010 at 3:04 am
check out gamo products
March 16th, 2010 at 4:03 am
At least something around 450 fps. minimum.
March 16th, 2010 at 4:05 am
You don’t say what caliber air rifle you are going to use so …since .177 and .22 are the most popular, I’ll assume one of those is it.
With either .177 or .22 caliber, 650 fps muzzle velocity is the very minimum I would think of a suitable for squirrel. With that low velocity though, your pellet should be fairly heavy so it retains as much energy as possible when it hits the target.
With a .22 caliber air rifle, it is possible to hunt game as large as a woodchuck IF you have a fairly powerful springer or PCP that can push at least an 18 grain pellet at 800 fps muzzle velocity.
.177 caliber should never be used for any game larger than squirrel and then only if it can push the heaviest .177 pellet.
Never take the manufacturer’s advertised velocities at face value. Most, if not all, use the lightest pellets to obtain the highest velocity through the muzzle. Those light pellet do not retain much energy and are pretty useless for any hunting or pest control.
Now, there are air rifles better suited to hunting than most of the springers you find in the sporting goods stores. PCP (precharged pneumatic) rifles are made in .25, 9mm, .45, and .50 calibers. Some are powerful enough for deer hunting but usually not legal to do so.
For a better idea of what is out there in the air gun arena, check out Pyramyd Air web site:
March 16th, 2010 at 4:31 am
Depends on where you hit ‘em. Head shots will kill just about anything if you’re close enough. For example, cows are “dispatched” with a .22 round to the forehead. It’s like the great hand of GOD came down from heaven and slammed the beast to the ground. Truly impressive.
I’ve killed fox/gray squirrels with a bb gun but don’t recommend it as a weapon of choice. I like my RWS 1100 fps pellet rifle w/scope for squirrels and coons on my deck (when they misbehave). You can kill a chuck with a pellet rifle if you hit ‘em right square in the head. These are incredibly tough creatures and I’d use at least a .22 rifle.
March 16th, 2010 at 4:41 am
You can get a Crossman Storm XT at Walmart for $110.00. It shoots 1000-1200 FPS. It’s enough to kill squirrel. Take my word for it.
March 16th, 2010 at 5:10 am
I’ve used about 400 fps and that worked fine out to 30-40 feet.
the ones that they use now without needing a special license in Canada is up to 980 fps I think, I know it’s below the speed of sound, in the US? about 1000 fps.
March 16th, 2010 at 6:01 am
No so much FPS, but caliber is important because squirrel are considered small game. You need a license. They need to be in season. Not every state allows airgun hunting. The ones that do, few allow .177 caliber airgun hunting. Most require a minimum of .20 or .22 caliber. Since .22 caliber gives you a lot more choices, I’d say it is safe to say an 800 fps .22 caliber air rifle can take a squirrel efficiently. Even better 900-950 fps.
Any of these will do it in .22 caliber.
June 14th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
I kill rabbits with my 760 pumpmaster all the time so u should be able to even if u hit it right in the ass!!!!
July 22nd, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Why the hell would you want to kill a squirrel?
What did it ever do to you?
July 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
search how to make a crossbow. shoot the thing with chopsticks.
December 27th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I use the RWS 350 Magnum. RWS Superpoint 14.5 grain pellet. Iron sights. Kills gray squirells dead! And this at 50+ yards. Also killed a racoon with a head shot at close range with RWS 14.3 grain hollow point, he flopped a little, second shot took him out. Think the first one killed him, nerve damage caused movement. Not that I would suggest this weapon for coon hunting. This fellow chased my Black Lab in our yard at 13:00 hours, on a sunny summer day. He was in need of something to slow him down. RWS/Umarex products are top notch, I own several. Happy Hunting!