Squirrel loads

[snubnose57]

Soon to go hunting with my new to me double barrel 12.
What size shot and shot to powder ratios do you like to use
when hunting the* chicken of the trees*?

 

[Treestalker]

One and a quarter oz number 5 or 6 shot (American) and equivalent volume or a little less of powder. Every gun is different, but if you have a choked gun you will do better; if your gun is full choked, aim for the nose to avoid too much damage to the meat. You'll love your double. George.

 

[Brokennock]

I'm using a 20 gauge and use 65 grains of 3f under a lubed felt wad and 1oz of #5 shot in a paper shot cup.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I use 1 - 1/8 oz of no. 6 shot over 70 grains of 2fg. Crumpled phone book paper wad, paper shot cup made from thick brown Kraft paper. Cylinder bore 20 gauge.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I use an ounce of #5 or #4 launched with 70 grains of 2Fg.

LD

 

[Rifleman1776]

I use #7 1/2 shot as my 'all around' critter gitter. Whatever wad/charge combo patterns best for you is what to go with.

 

[Rich]

In my 20ga smoothie I use Skychief load, 68 grains 2f, 1 and 1/8 oz number 6.

 

[Realwarrior]

I have 3 smoothies and the base line to start out is 1oz shot to equal volume powder loaded with powder felt wad, shot , overshot card. Work your load from there. On one of my doubles I use 1oz shot, little less powder, felt wad, over powder card, shot, overshot card, so it varies from gun to gun. I normally use #6 shot for everything from turkeys to squirrels

 

[FlinterNick]

In NJ we have to use #4 bismuth, no lead shot. I use my pedersoli Bess for Squirrels, #4 tightly packed in cooking parchment seems to give a tight spread at about 15-20 yards.

 

[Stumpkiller]

In my 12 gauge I used 1-1/4 oz #5 and 80 gr FFg (the measure threw 80 to 82 gr FFg and the same measure "slightly heaped" with shot that weight.

Here's an ancient poem that Kit Ravenshear used to have in his brochure:

More powder,
less lead.
Up close,
wide spread

Less powder,
more lead.
Shoots far,
kills dead.

Volumetrically I usually have a bit more shot than powder. A good place to start is a "square load", that is as tall a column of shot as the barrel diameter. Set a wad down 3/4" and see how much shot that cavity holds. Should be between 1-1/8 oz and 1-1/4 oz.

 

[Spikebuck]

Wow...you guys use a lot of powder for squirrels!

For squirrels in my 62 cal (20 ga) smooth rifle, I use 50 grs of 2F followed by two 1/8" lubed felt wads, then 1 1/4 oz of #6's and two thin cardboard overshot cards. I have killed squirrels out to 25 yards+ with that load. I guess my load fits the second verse of the poem Stumpy quoted.

I haven't tried the component arrangement in the Skychief Load yet, but when it warms up I will be.

Mike

 

[Stumpkiller]

He was talking 12 bore. I load lighter in my 16 bore.

 

[Spikebuck]

A number of people quoted 20 GA loads with what I think of as "turkey" powder charges. But, whatever works in each person's gun.

I had a 12 GA Double for a short time and used 70 grs of 2F with the rest of the load the same as I use in my 20. When it came to squirrels, I personally found my 20 GA smoothie to be a better gun requiring less powder charge.

A 16 ga fowling piece for turkey is on my list to get.

 

[toot]

I'm using a 20 gauge and use 65 grains of 3f under a lubed felt wad and 1oz of #5 shot in a paper shot cup.

where do you get a paper shot cup, and what does one look like?

 

[toot]

square loads is the tried and tested rule. volume to volume!

 

[ppg1949]

toot, you make them. There was a recent thread about the making of paper shot cups. If you search "making paper shot cups" something should come up.

 

[30coupe]

I don't think I could force myself to shoot a squirrel with a shotgun, even a muzzleloader. When I was growing up, .22 shorts were $.25 a box of 50, long rifles were $.35 a box, and shotgun shells were about a nickel apiece. If I had "wasted" a shotgun shell on a squirrel, both my dad and my grandpa would have lit into me! Squirrels were to be shot with a .22, in the head, or left in the trees...period! The same was true for cottontails, although one taken on the run with a shotgun while pheasant hunting was tolerated it was not encouraged. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I guess we were kinda poor. I do remember times when meat on the table was something we'd shot, but I just thought that's the way it was. Fish and game were a large part of our diet, which just seemed normal to me. Once Dad bought our 80 acre "farm" where we could raise cattle, chickens, and hogs, wild game became more of a treat than a staple, but the hunting "rules" never changed.

Anyway, it's really hard to undo what you grew up with. Sorry if I hijacked the thread. I always liked #5 shot in my 16 gauge for pheasants and the occasional rabbit, BTW.

 

[bud in pa]

I don't think I could force myself to shoot a squirrel with a shotgun, even a muzzleloader. When I was growing up, .22 shorts were $.25 a box of 50, long rifles were $.35 a box, and shotgun shells were about a nickel apiece. I grew up in NJ in the 50's and 60's, we had no choice but to use a shotgun, we had to use buckshot for deer. Now living in PA I find that a smoothbore is perfect for here, as you couldn't see a herd of elephants beyond 50 yards. I guess whatever makes you happy. We do this sport out of enjoyment not necessity.

 

[Stumpkiller]

toot, you make them. There was a recent thread about the making of paper shot cups. If you search "making paper shot cups" something should come up.

I do mine from grocery bag paper and a slightly under bore diameter dowel.

Step one

Step two

Step three

 

[30coupe]

I don't think I could force myself to shoot a squirrel with a shotgun, even a muzzleloader. When I was growing up, .22 shorts were $.25 a box of 50, long rifles were $.35 a box, and shotgun shells were about a nickel apiece. I grew up in NJ in the 50's and 60's, we had no choice but to use a shotgun, we had to use buckshot for deer. Now living in PA I find that a smoothbore is perfect for here, as you couldn't see a herd of elephants beyond 50 yards. I guess whatever makes you happy. We do this sport out of enjoyment not necessity.

Wow, did I take this thread that far off topic? I'm not sure how this morphed from squirrels to deer, but if I did that, I apologize. We had to use shotgun slugs, no buckshot allowed, when I was a kid in Iowa during the same time span, but back to squirrels...