Author Topic: The 30-06 squirrel gun (Read 4522 times)

IMshooter · « **on:** November 11, 2006, 05:02:55 AM »

Guys,

I've been casting pistol bullets and muzzle loader bullets for years. But now I have found a new and fun past time.

A few years ago I bought a Lee, 200 grain rifle mold, and tried some 30-06 loads with Unique gunpowder. The results were dismal. But my father-in-law gave me a pound of old IMR 4350 and I decided to retry the experiment.

I found that 30 grains produced a tack driving load load at 50 yards. I fired 10 rounds into a one ragged hole that could have been covered with a quarter. Velocity averaged 1327 fps and there did not appear to be any leading. Recoil was hardly noticable.

I can't wait to use this 30-06 load on squirrels!

buffermop · « **Reply #1 on:** November 11, 2006, 08:28:31 AM »

A 30-06 for squirrel

Get real, might as well hunt them with an RPG.

handyman06 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2006, 08:44:29 AM »

Is that a quiet load? What part of MO are you from? I'm in the Branson area.

jvs · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2006, 08:50:24 AM »

Quote from: buffermop on November 11, 2006, 08:28:31 AM

A 30-06 for squirrel Get real, might as well hunt them with an RPG.

Perhaps you didn't notice he loaded them down quite a bit. I saw a guy at the range once that was shooting .30-06 loads with 18 gr of powder. It sounded like a cap gun but it held a decent group at 100 yds.

Obviously, he doesn't use a full powder charge for squirrels. No one down range would be safe if that was the case.

Golsovia · « **Reply #4 on:** November 11, 2006, 08:57:26 AM »

Yep, cast bullets, moderate velocities, and big cases; the perfect recipe for small game hunting.....and more. It is truly amazing what high power CF rifles will do with some rather odd powder combinations and cast bullets. I "discovered" Blue Dot with cast bullets in an old lever 30-30 last weekend - sub 1" grouping with iron sights- I don't think my age affected eyes will do any better with irons.

With your load, I might be a bit concerned about using that "slow" a powder in that small a charge in the '06 case.

OhioCruffler · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2006, 11:01:53 AM »

I have hunted squirrel and such with the 8x57 mauser caertridge, using a cast bullet and 3 grains of Unique. Nearly silent, and accurate to 40 yards.
There is almost no meat damage except for that .32" hole throught them, either.

The biggest thing to remember is to be sure of your backstop. Cast bullets like to richochet around if they hit something a glancing blow, and the squirrel's body didn't slow that 180 grains down a bit.

Larry

IMshooter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2006, 10:09:13 AM »

I read somewhere about using OO buckshot(one pellet) in 30-06 cases with maybe 4 grains of pistol powder. Has anyone tried this and what were the results? Could the cartridges feed through the magazine w/o problems? I like the idea of using my 30-06 for small game. It should be a great way to become a really good rifle shot.

Nighthunter · « **Reply #7 on:** November 16, 2006, 11:12:34 AM »

I can vividly remember being told when I was about 10 years old that a 30-06 would kill anything that walked, crawled or flew. It is still good advice nearly half a century later. You can load an '06 up or you can load it down. There is definately a combination of bullet and powder to fit any situation. I have personally shot a large number of Pa. groundhogs with a 120 gr fngc bullet with 12 gr. Red Dot to fill the back of a pickup truck. I have also shot enough deer to fill at least 2 pickup trucks with a 165 gr bullet and 4350 powder. I would not be afraid to say that the 30-06 is about as near perfect as we are gonna see in our life times.
Nighthunter

threepdr · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2006, 07:59:59 AM »

I have very good luck with a 200 grain gas check cast bullet in my 1903. I use 15 grs of 2400. Very accurate at 100yards. The squirel hunting idea is interesting. I remember a friend of my dads back in 60s who said he hunted with 30-06 with buck shot and a couple of grains of pistol powder.

I have some 100gr lead .32 cal pistol bullets that I have resized to .309. I wonder how they would do against tree rats with about 3 or 4 grains of Unique?

Here is another option for taking small game with a high power rifle. Sounds like fun:

http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

RaySendero · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2006, 11:27:03 AM »

Quote from: buffermop on November 11, 2006, 08:28:31 AM

A 30-06 for squirrel Get real, might as well hunt them with an RPG.

buffermop,

What a great idea! - I'm swamped with squirels this year.

Where can I get me one of those RPGs?

buffermop · « **Reply #10 on:** November 17, 2006, 06:14:19 PM »

Ray You can obtain one by listing in the US Armed Forces.The training on them is free. Lots of squirrels in Iraq.

OhioCruffler · « **Reply #11 on:** November 17, 2006, 07:38:57 PM »

Quote from: RaySendero on November 17, 2006, 11:27:03 AM

Quote from: buffermop on November 11, 2006, 08:28:31 AM
A 30-06 for squirrel Get real, might as well hunt them with an RPG.

buffermop,

What a great idea! - I'm swamped with squirels this year.

Where can I get me one of those RPGs?

"Kaboom squirrel?"

(name the movie allusion for 100 points...)

Larry

RaySendero · « **Reply #12 on:** November 18, 2006, 06:47:00 AM »

Quote from: buffermop on November 17, 2006, 06:14:19 PM

Ray You can obtain one by listing in the US Armed Forces.The training on them is free. Lots of squirrels in Iraq.

Free room and board with squirel gumbo - Where do I enlist?

speedwayrobert · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2006, 03:40:30 AM »

A very long time ago a friend gave me two sub caliber adaptors for the 30/06 that allowed 32 acp's to be shot. I think they were made by Marbles. He said that the purpose was to allow the hunting rifle to be used to shoot small game for the pot while in the field. The Lyman 3118 bullet has been loaded effectively for the 30/06 and others for small game for a very long time. An article by a Mr. Johnson claimed that a "heavy for the caliber bullet" with a light load of fast powder was almost silent. Sounded like an excellent squirell load.

rockrat · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2006, 02:38:21 PM »

Used to load a cast bullet for the 32 acp with about 3.5 gr of Bullseye. Tackdriver out to 40 yds or so and real quiet.

Sir Charles deMoutonBlack · « **Reply #15 on:** November 22, 2006, 06:58:02 PM »

No 30-06's yet, but I've loaded lots of small game rounds for .30-30, .308, 7 x 57 and 7 x57R. Cast bullet, no gascheck, not sized, wrapped in one turn of Teflon gasfitters tape. Powder is something like Unique (Universal, Herco & Unique are the ones I tried.) 7 to 12 grains with a pinch of teddy bear guts on top. I use Teflon tape as it doesn't interferfere with, or get interfered by, copper jacketted fouling. At 25 X the group is just about right on the lower post of a Duplex Retical set at 4 X. Group size @ 25 X is seldom over an inch.

4895 is a great mid-range powder, at about 3/5ths of a full load. Highly recommended by the NRA tech crew from quite a while back.

rickyp · « **Reply #16 on:** December 17, 2006, 03:28:02 PM »

I have never seen it but have read about troubles with using fast pistol powder in a large case it has been know to blow up nice firearms and it is very easy to double or triple charge a large case and create a very very high pressure round.

I have used a .375 round ball in my 375 JDJ and it is a very accurate load no reoil and quiet. it has shot trough a 1/2" branch at 20 yards.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #17 on:** December 17, 2006, 03:50:47 PM »

Been working with 7.62x39 and #0 buck shot (about .32 caliber). So far at 25 yards does better than Winchester white-box. (Ok, small praise, but I'm working up handloads in cast that should do much better.)

Larry Gibson · « **Reply #18 on:** December 20, 2006, 04:50:48 AM »

I use well fire formed cases with the flash hole drilled out with a #28 drill (prevents the case shoulder from being set back with these very light loads). A Lee TL314-90-SWC lightly lubed with LLA and sized .312 is loaded over 3.2 gr of Bullseye (no wad or filler needed). Velocity is 800-900 fps depending on barrel and they shoot into 1 inch or so all day long. No recoil and very minimal noise. They are very good killers of squirrels, rabbits, grouse and other similar sized critters. Also are great for just plinking. The store bought Hornady .32 cal swaged lead pistol bullet works as well with the same load.

Larry Gibson

ihookem · « **Reply #19 on:** December 23, 2006, 12:18:40 PM »

I have always thought about this but never tried it. I also have a small kid that wants to hunt in a few years but was worried about recoil. This should work for him. Also, rifles for small game? why not? I shot a snowshoe last week at 60 yds not much damage.

josie wales · « **Reply #20 on:** December 28, 2006, 03:55:36 AM »

30-06 squirrl gun! This is great! I thought I was the only one out there that tried this. I bought a Remington 700 BDL 30-06 in 1965 I think,i was 14 years old. I loved hunting rabbits.deer,well just about everything that walked or flew in the woods. Every Sunday my Grandmother would have a huge feast with what I brought home. My Dad showed me how to load my 700 for sguirrls. Take apart a 12 gauge #1 buckshot load,use a empty.sized and primed 30-06 brass and put in 3.5 grains of Bullseye. Paper patch the #1 buckshot in the brass. I shot a lot of squirrls with this load and it was a great way to learn my new gun. Oh and by the way DO NOT try and shoot down with this load, make sure the barrel is pointing up in the tree.

scout34 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 14, 2007, 12:41:38 PM »

Check out the Lyman bullet casting manual. There are all kinds of reduced loads for cast bullets in there.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #22 on:** January 15, 2007, 04:27:26 PM »

Quote from: josie wales on December 28, 2006, 03:55:36 AM

30-06 squirrl gun! This is great! I thought I was the only one out there that tried this. ...

Last time I went squirrel hunting (other than in the back yard with my cats) I took my M1A loaded with cast.

I picked up a Rem 700 BDL in .30-06 Left handed and had a friend build a pistol stock for it - just for squirrels.

ds7418 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 20, 2007, 12:21:02 PM »

Quote from: threepdr on November 17, 2006, 07:59:59 AM

I have very good luck with a 200 grain gas check cast bullet in my 1903. I use 15 grs of 2400. Very accurate at 100yards. The squirel hunting idea is interesting. I remember a friend of my dads back in 60s who said he hunted with 30-06 with buck shot and a couple of grains of pistol powder.

I have some 100gr lead .32 cal pistol bullets that I have resized to .309. I wonder how they would do against tree rats with about 3 or 4 grains of Unique?

Here is another option for taking small game with a high power rifle. Sounds like fun:

http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

I ordered one of these caliber reducers in a 223 Rem... I will let u guys know how it works after i receive it.
Dewayne

pathfinder · « **Reply #24 on:** January 21, 2007, 04:31:39 AM »

I Loaded up some (~.315") buckshot over a 22lr shell worth of Bullseye and loaded into my 30-06 BDL. Standing 25 yards away, it shot pretty well

http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/onepic.jsp?id=1211593

30+ years ago my Scoutmaster used to let us load and shoot these in his yard... Those were the days. The powder scoop tool in the picture is one he made for us. I learned a lot from that man.

tomf52 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 22, 2007, 05:01:22 PM »

RickyP - I think you have it backwards, no? I think I've heard that SLOW powders were the danger in a large volume case. Some reading in the Lee Second Edition about that.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #26 on:** January 30, 2007, 04:05:29 PM »

I am re-thinking the whole concept of using a .30-06 for squirrels.

NO WAY.

But only because I just picked up a Savage 99 in .358 Winchester. THAT's going to be MY squirrel and dear rifle!

Mikey · « **Reply #27 on:** February 01, 2007, 01:20:43 AM »

Aw c'mon guys, you ought to try a 444 with 240 gn borelapping loads using 4 or 5 grains of Unique. Squerwrels twemble at the sound of my lever..............Mikey.

blhof · « **Reply #28 on:** February 02, 2007, 09:43:56 AM »

I was at the range a few years ago shooting my hand cannon, when the guy next to me wanted to see what I was shooting. I showed him my DW 357SM. He was impressed and I let him shoot a few rounds. He returned the favor by letting me shoot his stock gove Moisen with 7.62x51. I had shot one before and wasn't too thrilled about the recoil from the iron butt plate. The first shot was 4" high(I flinched) but no recoil; he had loaded cast bullets with only 1/4" semiwadcutter sticking out of the case, I didn't get his powder load, but it was very light and quiet. The next 4 shots were touching at 25yds in the center ring, not bad for a $50. stock surplus weapon. I've also loaded down 38's in my DW revolver for squirrel. Using wadcutters and starting loads on the load chart. They are relatively quiet and very effective up to 20 yds.

wncchester · « **Reply #29 on:** February 02, 2007, 01:07:15 PM »

In the late 60s, before I put a heavy barrel on my 03-A3, I loaded it with 205 gr. cast, #311299, with light loads of 4895 for practice. Worked great. As a lark, I took it squirrel hunting and found it to be effective and lot of fun!

My velocity and trajectory was a little better than .22LR. It did very well with head shots, no walking wounded, and it punched through 3" limbs to take them out like AP! Later I switched to the .243 with hard cast 85 Gr. GC pills and 2400 and that worked about the same.

The hard cast, low velocity bullets work on squirrels, from either caliber, about like hi-speed hollow points from a .22 RF.