Calibers for squirrels

[Scott]

Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.

Scott

[Dogwodwind]

#I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
#a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
#Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.

Depends on where you hit them. A .45 head shot would leave they body just
right for cleaning. I remember when we would shoot the wings off flys with
a .22 . those were the good ole days.

[Charles Winters]

Scott wrote:
#
# Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
# Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
#
# Scott

Dear Scott: I believe many old timers preferred the .32-20 to the .22
rf for squirrels. While the .22 will kill them cleanly most of the
time, the little varmints are incredibly tough and sometimes get away
with only their front legs working. I've killed most of mine with an
airgun, not the best arm but necessary in my suburban neighborhood.

My dream squirrel rifle would be a .32-20 single shot (maybe on a Hagn
action) with a nice scope shooting a 100 gr lead bullet at about 1200
fps or a bit less depending on accuracy. The heavier bullet (compared
to a .22), maybe a nice SWC design, would really knock them for a loop
without destroying too much meat, although I consider them pests not
game. - CW

[Mark Horning]

In article <5u3vmo$k...@xring.cs.umd.edu>,
Dogwodwind <dogwo...@aol.com> wrote:
##I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
##a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
##Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
#
#Depends on where you hit them. A .45 head shot would leave they body just
#right for cleaning. I remember when we would shoot the wings off flys with
#a .22 . those were the good ole days.
#

A good frend of mine hunts squirles by shooting them in the head with a
30-06 set up as a semi-scout rifle on an '03 action. They die instantly, and
it leaves all the meat.

Mark E. Horning mhor...@netcom.com

Teacher Teacher, how can you teach, when all the grownups just want you to
preach, how can you teach the kids to think for themselves, with all the
censors stealing books from your shelves -- Leslie Fish

[Don Staples]

Robert Walter wrote:
#
# just musing, but a large caliber might be effective and not too destructive
# if it was FMJ?
#
# Scott <vas...@osu.edu> wrote in article <5u2kaj$h...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...

# # Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for

# # squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# # for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# # a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# # Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
# # Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
# #
# # Scott
# #
# #
The old timers would "bark" a squirrel by shooting the limb below the
resting critters head, stunning or killing depending on how well he
held. I personally like a .22 hornet in a Ruger #3 that will drive tacks
if I let it. But, alas, eyes are going south, so the hunting is ever
more competitive.
--
Ego Stroke: http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/

[Tim]

A .22 that's accurate is all you need...go for the head shot if you can
get it in your sights (or scope). Of course you could find some of
those evil spawned by Satan Black Talons, get a body shot, and have all
your meat pre-carved for the evening meal... ;-)

Tim

Dogwodwind wrote:
#
# #I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# #a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# #Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
#
# Depends on where you hit them. A .45 head shot would leave they body just
# right for cleaning. I remember when we would shoot the wings off flys with
# a .22 . those were the good ole days.

[Alan E. Atwood]

Dave wrote:
#
# On 27 Aug 1997 21:29:55 -0400, Scott <vas...@osu.edu> wrote:
#
# #Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# #squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# #for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used

# #a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# #Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.

# #Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
(snip)
#
# As far as larger _rifle_ calibers, the general rule of thumb to reduce
# meat/fur spoilage is to use FMJ bullets , and keep it under 2000
# feet/second. This is according to John Wooters in "The Complete Book of
# Practical Handloading", ISBN 0-88317-038-8, pages 181 through 184. He
# describes downloaded rifle cartridges for turkey hunting to reduce meat
# spoilage. He also says velocity is more important bullet construction,
# so a soft nose bullet at 1500 fps is better than an FMJ bullet at 2500.

The ne plus ultra of squirrel guns was the .25 Stevens RF. Picture a
slightly fatter .22 WRM with a flat-pointed lead bullet at about 1200
fps. The .25-20 SS and .25-20 were also highly thought of, and in the
factory lead-bullet loads of around 1300-1400 fps, were less destructive
than the .32-20. Winchester and Marlin used to build some wonderful,
light lever-actions that were _very_ nice squirrel guns.

Marlin came out with the 1894CL in .25-20 and .32-20 a few years ago,
but by the time I had the money, they were discontinued. (ain't it
always that way?) They had conventional rifling, and by all accounts
would have made outstanding squirrel rifles, or CAS rifles for that
matter.

Alan

[Tom Embt]

I've heard of people using muzzle loaders of about .45 caliber for
squirrels, BUT this was not what you might expect. The shooter aimed
at the tree bark just under the squirrel's body (this only worked with
profile shots at squirrels clinging to trees) and the resulting
concussion from the large slow bullet hitting the tree killed the
squirrel. This was done so that the squirrel could be stuffed and put
on some ladies hat or something, without being shot full of holes.

As far as traditional hunting, I have often wondered how badly a FMJ
bullet from a .223 or .22-250 would mess up a squirrel. The velocity
would probably have to be kept down, but it might make the task of
hitting them where it counts a little easier. On the other hand, a
centerfire rifle of that type is likely to make a heck of a lot of
noise in the woods. I will admit to once having shot a red squirrel
with a 50gr Nosler Ballistic Tip out of a .22-250 at about 20 yards.
I know, I probably shouldn't have done it, but curiosity got the best
of me and, since there is no season on reds around here, I did it. I
will say only that it was *messy*, and he definately never knew what
hit him.

If you could find a slim, light, single shot rifle of .32 or .38
caliber that would accurately shoot LSWC's, my guess is you would have
a good squirrel gun. However, I have no experience in this particular
area. Well, I've already written twice what I expected to, so I'll
stop here.
-Tom

## Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
## squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
## for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
## a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
## Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
## Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
##
## Scott

Tom Embt
tom...@iinc.com

[SHU2]

Well, seriously, I always used a 12 gauge, #4 shot or so, but, if you want
to be really terminal about the whole business, a 375 H&H is super.
Squirrels don't really care! SH...@prodigy.net

RobinsGuns <robin...@aol.com> wrote in article
<5u5asi$o...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
# #Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# #squirrels?
#
# This is joke, right?
# Best squirrel gun now is the Ft. Worth .22 black powder, but if you can't
# handle the fun of that, go to any modern type .22LR.
#
#

[JayStr]

Douglas Heard wrote:
#
# I haven't barked a squirrel in over 20 yrs. but your post reminded me
# that there are other guns to pot tree rats. Think I'll try my 6mm
# this year. Shoot for about 1/2 inch from head.
#
# On 28 Aug 1997 09:27:46 -0400, "Robert Walter" <wal...@gate.net>
# wrote:
#
# #just musing, but a large caliber might be effective and not too destructive
# #if it was FMJ?
# #
# #Scott <vas...@osu.edu> wrote in article <5u2kaj$h...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
# ## Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# ## squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# ## for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# ## a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# ## Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
# ## Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
# ##

Whenever my dad was serious about squirrel hunting, he used a Savage
bolt-action .410 shotgun. Loaded with different sizes of shot, the .410
is THE rodent gun par excellance for rabbits, squirrels, and all manner
of ground-burrowing pests. It hits easily, kills well, and does not
spoil a bunch of meat.

-- Jay Stranahan

[mrus...@ix.netcom.com]

I'm going to use a 90 year old Swedish mauser in 6.5x55 for deer hunting
this year. There is some gallery 6.5x55 ammo available for the rifle
which will group about 1" at 25 yds. Originally developed for indoor
practice, it should be ideal for the occasional squirrel or rabbit I see
while toting the deer rifle. I know at least one dealer at a gun show
who sells it as small game ammo.

Scott wrote:
#

# Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for

# squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just

# for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used

# a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?

# Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.

# Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
#

# Scott

[E.G. Clayton]

On 29 Aug 1997, Tom Embt wrote:

#As far as traditional hunting, I have often wondered how badly a FMJ
#bullet from a .223 or .22-250 would mess up a squirrel. The velocity
#would probably have to be kept down, but it might make the task of
#hitting them where it counts a little easier. On the other hand, a
#centerfire rifle of that type is likely to make a heck of a lot of
#noise in the woods. I will admit to once having shot a red squirrel
#with a 50gr Nosler Ballistic Tip out of a .22-250 at about 20 yards.
#I know, I probably shouldn't have done it, but curiosity got the best
#of me and, since there is no season on reds around here, I did it. I
#will say only that it was *messy*, and he definately never knew what
#hit him.

I shot a fox squirrel from a similar distance with a 170gr softpoint
in .303 British (the deer hunting was pretty slow that day). He felt
no pain either. But, at that distance and with a rest for my rifle
I was able to behead him cleanly and bring home the squirrel meat.

(I later found that this was against the game regulations, although
squirrels were in season. I believe they specify rimfires and shotguns
only for squirrels and rabbits.)

I think you need a head shot with any centerfire cartridge, regardless
of bullet type, to avoid blowing a tree squirrel to smithereens.

==========================================================================

Ed Clayton
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

[Peter Gutmann]

Mark Horning wrote:

#A good frend of mine hunts squirles by shooting them in the head with a
#30-06 set up as a semi-scout rifle on an '03 action. They die instantly, and
#it leaves all the meat.

My dad shot a rabbit with a Lee-Enfield .303 once (it was an unsuccessful
deer-hunting trip, and he felt he had to shoot *something* :-). All he ever
found was the ears.

I guess your choice of gun depends on how you want the meat - if you like
rabbit/squirrel mince, then a .303/30-06 is fine.

An uncle of mine also found an interesting use for his .303, after running out
of ammunition he ran the deer down and beat it to death with the rifle (I'm
sure this one must win some sort of prize for the most creative use of a
.303. Those things were *heavy*, they would make a rather good club).

Peter.

[Will Hartung]

dar...@aol.com (DArbabi) writes:

# What calibers for squirrels? I guess it would depend on the squirrel
#-- most experience great difficulty getting their short, furry arms around
#your average pistol, no matter what the caliber. . . then again, squirrel
#*rifles* are out of the question.

# Hmmmmmmmmm, maybe McMillan and Fulton Armory could collaborate on a
#suitably tiny short stocked firearm for our four footed forest friends.

I don't know what you're thinking, but if we're talking squirrels like
the Gray squirrels we have around here, we're talking at least 4" in
diameter. That's Cannon Country as far as I can tell. Heck, a good
size grasshopper is around .30 caliber.

I don't know how'd you'd go about feeding them properly, though. I
visualize a lot of jamming, myself.
--
Will Hartung - Rancho Santa Margarita. It's a dry heat. vfr...@netcom.com
1990 VFR750 - VFR=Very Red "Ho, HaHa, Dodge, Parry, Spin, HA! THRUST!"
1993 Explorer - Cage? Hell, it's a prison. -D. Duck

[RolyF]

Why a bulldozer to build a sandcastle? I use an RWS .22 Model 52 air
rifle. I make only head shots, nothing more than 25 yards, and the last 10
of 10 have gone 2-4 feet straight up in the air before falling to the
ground stone dead. If I couldn't be sure of an instant kill I wouldn't
pull the trigger.
Geeze, just the thought of people shooting a high powered rifle into the
air makes me real skittish!
By the way, I read recently that 6 people down in Kentucky got real sick
from eating squirrels brains. Seems that some are infected with a disease
that lives in the nervous system.

[Eric B. Vogel]

Tomtom812 wrote:
#
# #I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used

# ## a .45 on sqirrels.

#
# Think I remember reading something about that, or at least something like
# it. The trick is not to shoot the squirel directly, but to "bark" it, I.E.
# shooting right next to it so that the concussion and explosive action of
# the bullet shooting out the bark of the tree would kill the squirrel. That
# way you don't damage any meat.
# Guess its an old black powder hunters trick from the "old days"
#
# Tom Brown
That is true. Back when all a man owned was a .45 caliber Pennsylvania
rifle he had to find a way to make it work on small game as well as
large, lest he starve for lack of the latter. It was not considered
desireable, just as a way to make do. As things progressed and bores got
smaller these men who shot food to live immediately opted for the
smaller bore and less power. Today, making an overpowered, overbored
rifle do for small game is unnecessary and dangerous. If a .22 long
rifle can travel 1 1/2 mi(dangerous enough, ain,t it?), think about a
high powered rifle killing someone in the next county. There aren't many
parts of squirrel country that aren't populated anymore. These days we
have subsonic .22LR, .22 short, .22CB short and some excellent air
rifles available to us -- what the frontiersmen could only dream of. I
do not believe that a shotgun is any good for hunting squirrel either,
however in heavily populated areas one has to make do. I guess we have
come full circle. E in IL.

[Dave]

On 29 Aug 1997 22:53:18 -0400, mrus...@ix.netcom.com wrote:

#I'm going to use a 90 year old Swedish mauser in 6.5x55 for deer hunting
#this year. There is some gallery 6.5x55 ammo available for the rifle
#which will group about 1" at 25 yds. Originally developed for indoor
#practice, it should be ideal for the occasional squirrel or rabbit I see
#while toting the deer rifle. I know at least one dealer at a gun show
#who sells it as small game ammo.

Ah, another gallery load/reduced load afficionado. Speer #11 and Speer
#12 have reduced load data for many rifle calibers, including 6.5x55
Svedish. 120 grain bullet at 1673 fps.

C. Ed Harris has published some neato gallery loads for .30 caliber
rifles, but I haven't seen any data for 6.5x55.

I've loaded 8 grains of Bullseye in a .30-06 behind 110 grain, 125 grain,
and 150 grain bullets.

[Al Gerheim]

Alan E. Atwood wrote:
#
# Dave wrote:
# #

# # On 27 Aug 1997 21:29:55 -0400, Scott <vas...@osu.edu> wrote:
# #

# # #Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# # #squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# # #for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# # #a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# # #Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
# # #Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
# (snip)

A friend from West-by-God-Virginia went deer hunting with me once
to a spot I'd just scouted out a couple times. I set him up at
a spot overlooking a swamp known for good sign, and a couple of
out-of-season sightings. He was carrying a 30-30, and was bothered
by the play of a pair of squirrels all morning. About time to go,
he plugged one right between the eyes using iron sights at a range
of about 50 yards. While we were leaving for lunch break, he did
the same with another squirrel. His comment was, "Normally, whey
I shoot one with a .22 or a shotgun, they twitch a little on the
ground. These just layed there and smoked."

He was also known for shooting a crow on the wing with a 30-06.

Seriously, unless you're confident you can get a head shot, don't
go over .22magnum.

--

_\\V//_
(O-O)
+-------oOO--`o'--OOo-------+
| Albert P Gerheim, K1QN |
| http://www.sonalysts.com |
+---------oOO---OOo---------+

[Fluid]

Someone wrote:
#
# ...The .25-20 SS and .25-20 were also highly thought of, and in the
# factory lead-bullet loads of around 1300-1400 fps, were less destructive
# than the .32-20. Winchester and Marlin used to build some wonderful,
# light lever-actions that were _very_ nice squirrel guns.
# Marlin came out with the 1894CL in .25-20 and .32-20 a few years ago...They
# had conventional rifling, and by all accounts
# would have made outstanding squirrel rifles...

And they do indeed. I was able to purchase a new Marlin 1894CL in
.25-20, and it is one fine squirrel/grouse/rabbit rifle. I load the
Speer 75-grain flatpoint to around 1500 fps with AA-7, and performance
and accuracy are great! The flat nose on the Speer kills well, but meat
damage is usually minimal on small animals. And the same bullet speeded
up to 2000 fps with W680 worked fine on a coyote...

Jay T

[Norm & Helen Borton]

Scott wrote:
#
# Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
# squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
# for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
# a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
# Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
# Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
#
# Scott

Your question is a good one, and reply's as well. Some many years ago,
probably when it was more common to have but one good rifle, the old
timers employed the practice of "BARKING" small game, with heavy
calibers. It goes something like this, you shoot for a spot above the
head/between the ears, a crease or the concussion does the job, or the
flying bark (shrapnel) may get it done.

Norm

[Eric B. Vogel]

RolyF wrote:
#
# Why a bulldozer to build a sandcastle? I use an RWS .22 Model 52 air
# rifle. I make only head shots, nothing more than 25 yards, and the last 10
# of 10 have gone 2-4 feet straight up in the air before falling to the
# ground stone dead. If I couldn't be sure of an instant kill I wouldn't
# pull the trigger.
# Geeze, just the thought of people shooting a high powered rifle into the
# air makes me real skittish!
# By the way, I read recently that 6 people down in Kentucky got real sick
# from eating squirrels brains. Seems that some are infected with a disease
# that lives in the nervous system.
Yeah, it causes people to shoot high-powered rifles into the high
branches of trees! By the way, I am very happy to see that someone
realizes that power isn't what makes a successful hunt, and that
marksmanship is the key (ATTA BOY!!!). I enjoy hunting and pest control
with an RWS M45 in .177 and have taken rabbit at 60-70 ft. with a single
round. Absolutely no meat damage, and they never knew what hit 'em. No
smoke, no muzzle blast, no recoil pad, no noise, no problem. E in IL.

[Charles Strahan]

On 28 Aug 1997 20:17:07 -0400, deme...@iquest.net (Dave) wrote:

#On 27 Aug 1997 21:29:55 -0400, Scott <vas...@osu.edu> wrote:
#

##Has anyone used a caliber higher than a .22LR or .22magnum for
##squirrels? I am talking about shooting for the meat, and not just
##for sport. I read an article a while back about an old-timer that used
##a .45 on sqirrels. Maybe I was seeing things; could that be right?
##Surely something that big would obliterate a delicate squirrel.
##Any insight would be appreciated. Feel free to e-mail me.
#
#I've never butchered squirrel, or eaten a whole one, (just squirrel
#chili) so I'm not sure what meat parts are more desireable, front
#quarters, or hind quarters.

#As long as you were able to make head-shots with a .45 and used
#non-expanding bullets, I don't think it would ruin the meat. But don't
#hold me to it.
#
#As far as larger _rifle_ calibers, the general rule of thumb to reduce
#meat/fur spoilage is to use FMJ bullets , and keep it under 2000
#feet/second. This is according to John Wooters in "The Complete Book of
#Practical Handloading", ISBN 0-88317-038-8, pages 181 through 184. He
#describes downloaded rifle cartridges for turkey hunting to reduce meat
#spoilage. He also says velocity is more important bullet construction,
#so a soft nose bullet at 1500 fps is better than an FMJ bullet at 2500.
#
#
I have tried both standard 22's and the 22 mag for squirrels, there
is no need to use anything heavier than a good 22. As a matter of
fact, I use a Rem. 541T Heavy Barrel to hunt squirrel, Extreme
accuracy, keeps me in practice for dear season

[Dave]

On 7 Sep 1997 20:34:57 -0400, Stra...@centuryinter.net (Charles
Strahan) wrote:

##As far as larger _rifle_ calibers, the general rule of thumb to reduce
##meat/fur spoilage is to use FMJ bullets , and keep it under 2000
##feet/second. This is according to John Wooters in "The Complete Book of
##Practical Handloading", ISBN 0-88317-038-8, pages 181 through 184. He
##describes downloaded rifle cartridges for turkey hunting to reduce meat
##spoilage. He also says velocity is more important bullet construction,
##so a soft nose bullet at 1500 fps is better than an FMJ bullet at 2500.

#I have tried both standard 22's and the 22 mag for squirrels, there
#is no need to use anything heavier than a good 22. As a matter of
#fact, I use a Rem. 541T Heavy Barrel to hunt squirrel, Extreme
#accuracy, keeps me in practice for dear season

Ah, but there are two ways to approach this:

1. The looking-or-a-reason-to-buy-another-gun approach,

and

2. The reloader's approach, "How can I cook up a bullet/load combination
to do this?"

[Joel Rosenberg]

deme...@iquest.net (Dave) writes:

#
# On 7 Sep 1997 20:34:57 -0400, Stra...@centuryinter.net (Charles
# Strahan) wrote:
#
# ##As far as larger _rifle_ calibers, the general rule of thumb to reduce
# ##meat/fur spoilage is to use FMJ bullets , and keep it under 2000
# ##feet/second. This is according to John Wooters in "The Complete Book of
# ##Practical Handloading", ISBN 0-88317-038-8, pages 181 through 184. He
# ##describes downloaded rifle cartridges for turkey hunting to reduce meat
# ##spoilage. He also says velocity is more important bullet construction,
# ##so a soft nose bullet at 1500 fps is better than an FMJ bullet at 2500.
#
# #I have tried both standard 22's and the 22 mag for squirrels, there
# #is no need to use anything heavier than a good 22. As a matter of
# #fact, I use a Rem. 541T Heavy Barrel to hunt squirrel, Extreme
# #accuracy, keeps me in practice for dear season
#
# Ah, but there are two ways to approach this:
#
# 1. The looking-or-a-reason-to-buy-another-gun approach,
#
# and
#
# 2. The reloader's approach, "How can I cook up a bullet/load combination
# to do this?"
#

Yup. We've been through this before. Somebody was asking for the
best .308 loads for groundhogs, when .22 Stingers are clearly all you
need. His argument was that he had a .308; mine was that before he'd
shot a lot of groundhogs with .308 (even reloads), he could have paid
for a .22.

(For obvious reasons, the reloading fraternity tends to have less use
for the .22 than some folks do. Me, I think it's a remarkably
versatile round.)

[Heath]

Just use a .410 shotgun on the squirrels, that'll get 'em outta that
tree every time.

[Andykun66]

Just use a .410 shotgun on the squirrels, that'll get 'em outta that
tree every time.

Heck, anybody can do that! Besides, you gotta spit out the shot when you
eat 'em. Me, I got this slick new custom Bullberry barrel in 25-20 for my
Contender, and a TC scope sitting on it just waiting for a chance to throw
those little 60 gr. Hornady flat points at a few.......
Andy O.

[Fluid]

Someone wrote:
# I got this slick new custom Bullberry barrel in 25-20 for my
# Contender, and a TC scope sitting on it just waiting for a chance to throw
# those little 60 gr. Hornady flat points at a few.......

Sounds like a neat rig! You may want to try the Speer 75-grain flat
points too, as these have proven more accurate in my .25-20. They
expand less too, so would do less meat damage. With their large flat
point ( larger than the Hormady's ) they don't really need to expand.
The recoil difference in a T/C would be very small.

I hate spitting out shot too, but it's the only way if you want ducks or
geese...

Jay T