I'm needing a quiet load (Squirrel Problem)

[Tommyt]

I'm needing to make a Quiet load to eliminate a few squirrels  and my old Cross-man pellet gun pooped the bed.
 I made a nice raised bed veggie garden, but now them Tree Rats have  decided to use it as a storage bin and
 wrecking all my nice young plants
  Being in the city I can't take a shot gun ,too them or even a regular 22 guaranteed to UN-nerve the neighbors
SO what have you got for a nice quiet load
I reload so you say it I'll try it
22 rifle
222 12 inch contender
10 inch 7 tcu

 someone told me to load 22 cal pellets with just a Primer on the 222, and I can't get it too shoot worth a darn

[Castaway]

CB caps in your 22 will take care of your problem without disturbing your neighbors.  Turns your auto-loader into a single shot but it can be done.

[DalesCarpentry]

I have a buddy that told me about some 22 lr bullets that have no gunpowder. He says they sound like a cap gun. They don't travel very fast but should get the job done. Maybe someone else here knows the name of them. Dale

[chutesnreloads]

Those are the Aquila Calibre bullert.No powder just a primer power.The bullet looks like a .22 pellet 20 grains.They're very accurate out of my single shot Ithaca.Have taken several; squirrels with it.The bullet hitting the target is louder than the rifle report.From a 10-22 they shoot considerably lower than standard ammo but still accurate.Should be able to order them from Mdway.I just got a brick a couple months ago.

[njanear]

Check your city ordnance first - many won't allow ANY discharging of firearms within the city limit, which means even the .22 Colibris would be in violation.  Perhaps a nice blowgun would be in order... 

[torpedoman]

bolt gun and sub sonics or sniper subsonic 60 gr.

[coyotejoe]

I agree you could have legal problems with any firearm but that said, you should find CCI .22 CB Caps at your local store and they make less noise than an air rifle when fired from a rifle and only a bit of a pop from a handgun. Even standard velocity .22 shorts make less noise than the high power air guns and still carry four times the energy of those air guns.

[Graybeard]

You should forget the idea of using a firearm since you've stated it's illegal and just get another air rifle. A standard run of the mill barrel cock .177" is adequate for what you want and quiet as well. Even the cheap chinese types sold at Harbor Freight and such places for $30 or so will get the job done. Certainly there is no need for a magnum or premium gun to do in squirrels. Quiet, safe and hopefully even legal or as legal as shooting squirrels out of season can be at least.

[BIG Dog454]

I'd use a trap, and not the live catch and release type.

[HEAD0001]

You need to do a search on gallery loads.  Gallery loads were very popular at one time.  I have worked up several gallery loads for a few of my rifles.  My favorite load is for my 45-70's.  especially the one I have for my 1885 Browning.  I use Red Dot powder and a round ball for the load.  The load is reasonably accurate, and deadly(on small game) out to 50 yards.  The load is so quiet that I can hear the hammer drop on the rifle.  I do not list powder charges on the internet, but let us just say that the charges are minimal.  I do not know what centerfire rifles you have available to you.  Normally the bigger bore rifles work better(more lead traveling at a slower speed).  But I have loads for 30 caliber rifles that work great.  In one load(30-06) I actually load a 200 grain Sierra Game King bullet backwards. 

I take these rifles deer hunting with me.  I can shoot small game while deer hunting.  With absolutely no effect on the deer.  Tom.

[Tommyt]

Thanks
where I'm at...... is a fine line "county property and city property" on the same street I am on the city side I could stand at the neighbors and be county and legal but then the game warden SO really not very legal at all .
 SO what I would like to know how to do (During Legal hunting ) is, shoot a few with out bringing alot of attention too what I'm doing
If all else I guess I should call city hall and see if I can trap and remove
But I really want to shoot  its quicker

[Chilachuck]

You really want to check on the laws. Ketchikan Alaska prohibits shooting both pellet guns and paint ball guns inside city limits. I know there's places in California that prohibit shooting even elastic type sling shots. No telling what your town laws say.

Not saying "don't shoot them", just "know if you are breaking the law".

Ignorance of the law is only excusable if you are a cop.

[45-70.gov]

get  a 4 foot blow gun [no shorter] and plenty of darts  that fit properly... i prefer blunt stun darts and  head shots  but  the  steel point is also good...you can practice inside on a  rainy day...i  haved   killed  dove  squirells  and one  oppossum....i  think  i  will  kill  an  armadillo  one  night  this  week

[jsoukup]

I've been using one of those Benjamin 22 call pellet rifles. It works well, got a little more thump than the .177. My dad put a cheap laser on his and he takes rabbits when they start trimming the flower beds. It doesn't take long for those squirrels to smarten up and realize where to hide and travel where you don't have a shot.

I bought some small snares and haven't any luck trying to snag them on top of my fence. I tied them to a brick and set it on the upper crossmember, so if they pulled on it, the brick would fall in yard, and yank them off the fence so the dogs could finish them off. I also just got a good deal on a small have-a-hart live trap. I've haven't put it out yet, so I'm not sure how well it would work. Can't use a leg-hold/jaw trap in the city. I'm sure that would work better.

I've given up on total eradication, best I can manage is some control.

[Glanceblamm]

I tied them to a brick and set it on the upper crossmember, so if they pulled on it, the brick would fall in yard, and yank them off the fence so the dogs could finish them off.

That is as funny as when the Hogs ate my little Brother.
I do own one of the large havaharts (for Racoon control) but it is a squirrel catching machine if I would fail to trip it during the daylight hours. Sometimes I will see a Squirrel trying its best to get into this thing when tripped and still baited. I dont keep a whole lot in it (bait wise) a partially open can of tuna along with some peanut butter on a slice of bread and a tomato slice with some sugar on top will usually do the trick for Coon and Squirrels.

The original post and question are getting old but I would still vote for the .22 cal CCI CB Shorts which will shoot a 29gr lead round nose bullet @ 710fps.
These things are quieter than my Crossman 760 in a .177 but that 29gr pill will give you much more knock down power than a .22 cal air rifle.

[Swampman]

CCI CB Longs make very little noise from my 10-22 rifle.  I bought mine at Walmart.

[LaOtto222]

"someone told me to load 22 cal pellets with just a Primer on the 222, and I can't get it too shoot worth a darn"

Drill out a 222 case for 209 shot gun primers and a 22 pellet. A regular primer just does not have enough push to it. I did this for a 22 Hornet, it does not shoot too badly and the noise is not very loud either. I had to file down the head a little to get the head space correct. The primer is a slip fit and the pellet is pushed in with my fingers-just enough tension to hold pellet in place.

[cwlongshot]

Use the longest barrel 22 you have. I am lucky to have a CZ 452 with a 29" barrel. BTW, I cannot shoot the calibre or the little 6mm RWS as they don't make it out the barrel!!!! 
 CB longs are my favorite!!  VERY accurate!! As long as you keep the range short, say 20-25 yards and limit the shots to head shots, even big Wood chucks can be cleanly harvested.

At least, I have about 10 or so less chucks and a dozen or so squirrels around here from such an outfit!! 

 In may last house, I had a BIG problem with chucks in my garden. I also had a tree-hugger neighbor who didn't kill flies!! 
 I was out one day spreading insect killer on the lawn. She threw a hissie fit. (Our lawns adjoined.) She was worried about the dogs, both hers and mine. I told her to keep them in the front yard for a couple days and after the first rain everything would be just fine. I had done this for years she needn't worry.
 About a week later a huge chuck waddled into the garden and the wife called me over to shoot it. I waited and waited but he never offered the perfect shot. I had been after this one for the better part of a month and he wasn't leaving the garden under his own power this time!! Well finally he sat up with a hand full of greens and looked right at us. I put the front site on his nose and squeezed, pop, went the gun and plop went the bullet. I heard the bullet smack 'em. Over he went and he was scrambling out into the neighbors lawn just that fast!!  Now I KNOW I didn't miss... I herd the bullet hit!?! All I could figure was the bugger was tougher than the CB longs 29gr bullet. Any how he made it across the yard and into the woods so I figured, fine, I'll go grab him later after dark and bury him. Well... I forgot... 
 The next day that neighbor came over to my wife complaining about that bug killer and how I had promised her it wouldn't hurt the animals. Well... she had just found that chunky chuck and he was stiff and quite dead. SHE was positive it died from eating our poison grass. That night her husband and I had a beer and a laugh on my deck!!


 Be safe, don't take any chancy shots and DONT TELL anyone!!  You will be fine.

CW

[Glanceblamm]

cwlongshot, Good Story!

[bkraft]

Live trap and a tub of water. Ole Mr. Bushy Tail will be backstrokin in a pan of gravy and the neighbors will never be the wiser. nyone asks about the live trap tell 'em your gonna let the critter in question visit his country cousins.

[dakotashooter2]

FWIW in many communities even the lowley pellet gun is considered a firearm and thereby illegal. I'm not condoning the use of a firearm when deemed illegal (likely cause of some idiot) but the Aguila Cobrei shells are THE QUITEST I have found. The only sound you will hear is the drop of the hammer. Subsonics are not that great unless fire with a suppressor. I know someone in the same situation that is using them (though they live on the edge of city limits).  The problem is they have been hard to get lately.

[SHOOTALL]

think box trap ?

[Varmint Hunter]

Live trap and a tub of water. Ole Mr. Bushy Tail will be backstrokin in a pan of gravy and the neighbors will never be the wiser. nyone asks about the live trap tell 'em your gonna let the critter in question visit his country cousins.

IMO - this is the best advice. Forget about shooting any animals with any type of firearm within the city limits. It's only asking for trouble.

[SHOOTALL]

 keep a low profile in hostile areas !

[Old Syko]

Everyone is making this much more difficult than it needs to be.  I understand wanting to use a firearm to eliminate the tree rats just for the sport but if the real goal is to get the critters to stay out of the garden just sprinkle a goodly amount of cayenne pepper in and around the garden and they will leave on their own.  It works well on tree rats but cats play the trump card.  They try to turn your garden into a crapper and after doing their business and covering it up they step out to clean themselves up.  The last you see of them is a roiling bunch of fur headed away from your garden never to return.  It works and is city legal.

[iiranger]

#1). You can get the Crossman rebuilt, probably. That would improve things much. And there is a wide assortment of pellets of different weights to add "thump." .177 at close range thru the chest will do it. .20s and .22s add range but slower, more drop, etc. Most big cataloges stock. If you are super cheap, get a bag of BB lead shot but you have to sort out the big ones. They stick. (Approx. .180.)
#2). As said, there are an assortment of BB and CB caps (Ball Bullet and Conical Bullet) that use primer or hot primer to drive a light bullet QUIETLY, ... CCI is one source. The Colibri is, I think, Remington out of Mexico, although something similar was available from Italy. CB cap shorts will cycle in the old Remington 550 semi auto. CB cap longs will not. Covers the chamber insert gap. "Floating chamber" by Carbine Williams.

#2)b). I was shocked the first time I fired STANDARD velocity long rifle out of a long barreled target rifle. I swear my pump gun (Benjamin) is louder. Plenty of power there if you can hit but plenty of danger with a missssss...

#3). Since the tree rats are rodents and a possible vector for disease, the city's lack of control is a possible source of a law suit. Try to find a lawyer for that one. Too "dignified?" I prefer "cheap and chicken."
#4). Harbor Freight has live traps for as little as $6.00 (plus tax)... The cheapest peanut butter you can find and they will come running. I find mice will NOT touch the peanut butter with soy in it. That surplus pe4anut butter they give poor people is unbelieveably good. (Trade them the squirrel remains? Protein.)
#5). If you want to "run with the pros" wildlifecontrolsupplies.com has the equipment. You can bait "back breakers" with corncob or ?? and when the furball feeds... Whack! Then there is the "tube trap" snare that attracts them, they love holes, and the snare "turns them off" ... Or get some "rat traps" and bait them with peanut butter and scare the stuffens out of them when it hits them on the head. Kill? Probably not. Full growed. Live traps too. More costly, but more quality. LUCK.