Hunting Squirrels w/Big Bore...

[Brokennock]

A man can shoot shot charges out of most anything. Close up. Problem comes with rifled bores, your pattern might look like a doughnut as rifling may "Spin" part of the shot charge outward, leaving a hole in the middle. Fun to pattern at various distances.

From the o.p.

Do any of you squirrel hunt with big bore guns (/< .58)? My only smoothbore is a .745 (12/11ga).

Who said/asked anything about shooting shot from a rifled bore?

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

An 8 gauge fowling piece with maximum load of 2.5 ounces of #6 shot and 150 grains of 2Fg would make a real mess on a red or grey.

 

[stikshooter]

What you gotta do is "bark the squirrel" with large calibers - as writers years ago claimed legendary hunters did. To "bark" a squirrel, you shoot the bark beneath the squirrel not the squirrel itself. When the large caliber ball strikes the bark, it sorta explodes and splinters of wood and bark kill the squirrel. Saves meat, you see.

My old and smooth brain cannot recollect which account of what frontiersperson that came from - Davey Crockett, Daniel Boone, Disney cartoon, or some bib overall wearing old guy at the New London Phillips 66 station.

Mine happened with a H+A under hammer 45 (on purpose ) 50 gr OE3F and a 440 ball . He stopped coming down a hickory and held under his chin and when he hit the ground he wasn't moving much so I thumped him with a stick . But when I picked him up his front paw was missing and the other hung by a thread , whileskinning I noticed no holes in hide but throat /chest area was black +blue bruised/he ate good Ed

 

[martin9]

Well he said smoothbore so I assume he's asking about shooting shot.... I hope so anyway. A 24 gauge would be an excellent squirrel getter...... with shot. Save the round balls for big game.

 

[ETipp]

I have seriously considered using my .54 plains rifle...it is accurate enough for head shots...and im really fond of the gun

I killed a gray squirrel with an old .54 Renegade and a round ball. It put a .54 hole in and out. I would have thought it would have blown the squirrel to pieces but it never. I think the ball hit and exited so fast, in such shot length that the ball never expanded.

 

[Spikebuck]

In my 20 GA smooth rifle I use 50 gr 2Fg, two lubed 1/8" felt wads, 1 1/4 oz #6, over shot card. I had a 12GA Pedersoli at one time. 70 gr 2Fg, rest of the load the same. Those loads were good to 25 yards with cylinder bore.

Be sure to check out the Skychief load in the stickies. I haven't tried that yet, but plan on it before turkey season.

Your gun may like something entirely different, but it certainly can be used with shot for small game. I like to aim at the nose to limit shot in the body.

My .62/20 smooth rifle and the result of an afternoon in the woods.

 

[Spikebuck]

A side note to anyone contemplating using a large bore with a single solid projectile: Understand your state game laws and also check with your local warden. While your state may or may not have specific calibers for small game, a warden may still ticket you if you are in the woods with a gun and ammunition legal for big game but you don't possess a current valid license for that big game. I can see why they would do that as wardens are lied to all the time. The person proclaims they are out there with a .54 and round balls for squirrel. The warden is going to say "Yeah....riiiiiiight!"

For that reason I either use a 20 ga and carry only shot OR I carry my .36 with round ball because neither of those combinations are legal for big game in Minnesota.

I just don't want the hassle of trying to explain to a judge why I was carrying a big game gun/ammo combo for small game. The judge would probably find I was pursuing big game.

 

[andy52]

I've never tried to bark a squirrel but the concept is sound, it's the same principle
as cannoneers used on ships in the age of sail.