Varmint gun

[slwndwn]

So I picked up a cheap pellet gun at Canadian Tire for squirrel. It's Stoeger Modx3 Tac .177 break barrel. I generally dont shoot anything but they are getting out of control and doing damage.

My question is, whats the best pellet to use. I'm shooting 15-50 feet. Appreciate the advise from folks that use these pop can killers.

Here's what I currently have. 

[CrowMan]

Assuming you didn't need a permit to buy that gun, so it shoots at under 500fps. With low velocities, you probably want to get the heaviest pellet possible. I believe you can get .177's over 8g. At that velocity, a pointed or hollow point pellet really isn't going to make a difference, a domed pellet will probably actually have more knock down power. 

Even then I'm not sure how lethal a .177 at sub 500fps will be on larger blacks or greys...it will definitely have to be a head shot. As a kid, I once shot a rabbit with a .177 Crosman air rifle..didn't kill it but it was stunned enough where I could walk up to it. Fired another pellet between the eyes at point blank range, and it didn't even penetrate the skull. Ended up having to "manually" put it out of its misery.

Not sure if you're in the city, but if not, I personally find a good ol' 22LR with 38g hollow points the most effective way of dispatching pests, without getting the neighbours excited...reliably deadly and reasonably quiet.

[Big Cliff]

Those will work just fine, I use the same thing and have no problem putting a pellet right through a squirrel at 50' or less. 

[CrowMan]

I

51 minutes ago, Big Cliff said:

Those will work just fine, I use the same thing and have no problem putting a pellet right through a squirrel at 50' or less. 

Do you have a sub 500fps air rifle or one of the high powered ones ?

[slwndwn]

Mine is a sub 500 and I am in town but I shoot into the bush behind the house. I dont possess an fac to purchace anything over 500 fps. Our property backs onto an escarpment. Steep with bush. 

I shoot for the head only, but it seems inconsistent. I thought it might be the style of pellet. On a practice target I get about a 4" spread in 10 shots. My thoughts were pointed pellets but there were none available at the time and I never think to look. 

[Headhunter]

Put the pellet in backwards if you are within ten feet.

HH

[slwndwn]

I may already do that half the time. lol

[Big Cliff]

3 hours ago, CrowMan said:

I

Do you have a sub 500fps air rifle or one of the high powered ones ?

Sub 500 fps

 

20 minutes ago, slwndwn said:

I may already do that half the time. lol

That might explain the 4" grouping 😊

[slwndwn]

7 minutes ago, Big Cliff said:

 

That might explain the 4" grouping 😊

Had my glasses on for sighting the gun. They just never seem to be handy when I walk past the back door and the little buggers are sitting on top of my live traps. 

[Big Cliff]

Get a rat trap. Take a wallnut, drill a small hole through it and wire it to the triger on the rat trap. Put the rat trap on the side of a tree and set it. Problem will be solved. 

[Fisherman]

Yes the rat traps do work until they get wary of them and then they'll avoid them no matter what bait you put in there.  I use a Crosman Baze XT, 1200 fps, one shot dead at 80 feet with the pointed pellets. 

[slwndwn]

I must have bigger squirrels. I screwed two rat traps to the rail of a fence they travel and they completely destroyed them. Next time I didnt screw them down, but put the trap on a tether so they had no leverage. That worked for a couple rounds. 

I found they can get in the live traps , have dinner and leave without paying the piper. I now put a mouse trap in the live trap. When they set off the mouse it scares the crap out them and they inadvertently trigger the live trap. I discovered that trick one day watching one eat my peanut butter. I wipped the door open and yelled at him causing him to make a run for it. Got him.

I;m just tired of having to load them up and drive them out of town 10-15 miles. I used a rattle can on them for awhile to see just how far they would travel to get home. A couple made it 10 miles in no time. I think the rest fall victim to predators while they run around with neon pink tail. lol

[Lape0019]

Always used hollow points and shot from further than 30 feet with my sub 500FPS pellet gun. Always aimed for the head and never had issues. 

[slwndwn]

I feel this is like my brief encounter with golf, good clubs, good balls, go to driving range till you get it right. So a bucket of pellets and a stack of targets. Got it. Hope it goes better than my golfing.

[TimWestley]

For dealing with raccoons and other varmints, a .22 WMR can be a solid option, especially if you're looking for more stopping power than a .22 LR. I've had good luck with CCI Maxi-Mag and Hornady V-Max rounds, but finding ammo locally can be hit or miss. Ordering from BulkMunitions has made things easier for me since they usually have a good stock without crazy markups.

 

Edited Monday at 07:40 AM by TimWestley

[akaShag]

7 hours ago, TimWestley said:

For dealing with raccoons and other varmints, a .22 WMR can be a solid option, especially if you're looking for more stopping power than a .22 LR. I've had good luck with CCI Maxi-Mag and Hornady V-Max rounds, but finding ammo locally can be hit or miss.

The OP does not apparently have a firearms licence and he is in town.  And a .22 WMR is serious overkill for a squirrel.  Just sayin'

Doug

[Big Cliff]

We use to be able to get a .22 cal round called a bb cap, don't know if they are still available but they were awesome for squirrels and didn't make much more sound than an air rifle.  

[akaShag]

7 minutes ago, Big Cliff said:

We use to be able to get a .22 cal round called a bb cap, don't know if they are still available but they were awesome for squirrels and didn't make much more sound than an air rifle.  

BB caps are not made any more as far as I know, but I did buy a whole bunch of them on auction a couple years ago.  CB caps are sill made, and they are kind of halfway between a BB cap and a .22 Short.

But the OP does not have a firearms licence, and lives in an urban area which probably has "no discharge of firearms" laws...

[dave524]

On 2/13/2025 at 11:19 AM, akaShag said:

BB caps are not made any more as far as I know, but I did buy a whole bunch of them on auction a couple years ago.  CB caps are sill made, and they are kind of halfway between a BB cap and a .22 Short.

But the OP does not have a firearms licence, and lives in an urban area which probably has "no discharge of firearms" laws...

I got a .22 single shot , Winchester 67 , at 13 but all dad would let me shoot around the property at crows and groundhogs etc were BB caps. CIL bb caps came in a box of 100 for a buck and a quarter at the hardware store, they were actually more expensive than the CIL Whiz-Bang hp Long rifles at 50 cents a box of 50

[Big Cliff]

I use to make all my spending money when I was about 12 shooting groundhogs and foxes for local farmers. A box of .22 shells was $0.25/50. I got $$0.25 for a groundhog tail and a whole $1.00 for a fox tail. I had a little single shot cooey no scope or anything, just ramp sights but I  started target shooting with my dad when I was 6 and I  was taught 1 shot one kill.

That was a lot of money back then, I could sometimes earn $4.00 or $5.00 for a whole day of hunting.

[akaShag]

10 minutes ago, Big Cliff said:

That was a lot of money back then, I could sometimes earn $4.00 or $5.00 for a whole day of hunting.

awesome!

[Fisherman]

On 2/13/2025 at 11:09 AM, Big Cliff said:

We use to be able to get a .22 cal round called a bb cap, don't know if they are still available but they were awesome for squirrels and didn't make much more sound than an air rifle.  

Ah yes, I still have a stash of them, round nose and pointed, they don't make any more noise than a pellet gun.

[smitty55]

Don't forget about those .22LR mini shot shells, they were real handy for smaller varmints at close range.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/09/27/rimfire-report-22lr-shotshells/

[dave524]

These are the ones I shot, I had forgot that the case was copper , they were just loose in the box 

[akaShag]

11 minutes ago, dave524 said:

These are the ones I shot, I had forgot that the case was copper , they were just loose in the box 

Did you buy them in an auction?  It might have been ME bidding against you.....😧

Doug