Author Topic: #4 shot for small game (Read 3858 times)

catdaddy · « **on:** December 29, 2007, 08:28:33 AM »

2 weeks ago ihad shot my first huge fox squirel, i had hunted all day to find it, ishot him about 20 yards away with 6 shot,he went down,got back up and took off, iam sure wasnt too far away but i looked for ever and never found him, is 4 shot better for squirrels than smaller shot

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** December 29, 2007, 11:06:53 AM »

I think you likely just made a poor shoot and failed to put enough shot in him or in a vital area of him. Back when I used a Savage M24 O/U with .22 Mag on top and 20 gauge beneath I used 3" 1-1/4 oz of 7-1/2 shot and it was deadly on squirrels. So #6 is plenty large enough IF you put the pattern in the right place. The #4 will work fine but the pattern can be kinda thin with such large shot unless you use 1.5 oz or more of it. I love loads with 1-3/4 oz or more of #4 shot on larger critters but squirrels can be readily taken with shot as small as 7.5 and 6 is more than adequate.

Mohawk · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2008, 05:11:53 AM »

I have always used #4 shot on small game. Squirrels have pretty tough hides unlike say, rabbits. While hunting fox squirrels I have found smaller shot imbedded under the hides before. They won't shake off #4 if you range is reasonable.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2008, 12:54:57 PM »

At 20 yards #6 should work OK but #4s will penetrate better. If you switch to #4s make sure your gun patterns them well enough. I like #5s in my 16 ga but they're hard to find now. Ounce for ounce a squirrel is one of the toughest game animals IMHO. You didn't say what gauge or choke you are using. IC is too open for squirrels unless you are really close.

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2008, 06:08:27 PM »

You guys must be hunting tougher squirrels than we have in Alabama. Down here one .177" air rifle pellet properly placed does a fine job. The 5mm and .22 pellets smack them down with authority and #7-1/2 shot from a 20 gauge stops them like the hammer of thor. Sure glad I don't live where they are so tough like you do. I'll bet you need at least a .458 Magnum for deer there.

Mohawk · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2008, 01:41:03 AM »

I think we are talking about two different species. The smaller eastern gray squirrels, which we don't have here, unless you hunt if far east Texas. Only hunted them once. The fox squirrels that we have here are much larger and they are rather tough. Both are good eating though.

navylawdog · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2008, 12:54:12 PM »

Quote from: Mohawk on March 11, 2008, 01:41:03 AM

I think we are talking about two different species. The smaller eastern gray squirrels, which we don't have here, unless you hunt if far east Texas. Only hunted them once. The fox squirrels that we have here are much larger and they are rather tough. Both are good eating though.

I have shot several fox squirrels in Kansas with all sorts of guns from BB guns on up to .22 mag and I have never had one that was all that tough. I think if a Red Ryder BB gun can kill one then just about anything can including a slingshot. Also the gray squirrels I used to shoot out of my window with a pellet gun in Brunswick, Me were larger than any fox squirrel I could have ever imagined back home. Its the red squirrels that are tiny.

Navylawdog

Dave in WV · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2008, 02:25:58 PM »

Fox and red squirrels are a different species. We have red,gray, fox, and black squirrels here.

DCRthe3rd · « **Reply #8 on:** April 01, 2008, 05:48:36 PM »

In Pa we have fox squirrels , they are no where near as abundant as the grays , but I've shot them and number 6 in the 12 is as large as I go for small game and I reckon at 20yds with a 12ga load of 6's you should have knocked his behind over with a good shoot , the last few years I have used 7 1/2's instead of 6's and if the squirrel doesn't drop at 20yds its cause I missed , very often my choke is a imp mod , now with the ol ladies 20's ga , she does use full and a load of 6's or 7 or is it 7.5's in the 20ga <scratching my head> cuz with the mod choke on the 20ga too many tree rats were finding holes in the pattern , either that or she can't shoot or tries to shoot to far , who knows

Mohawk · « **Reply #9 on:** April 02, 2008, 07:46:36 AM »

The only negative with the squirrels is the they are tough to skin. I settled on rabbits. More meat and much easier to dress.

Sweetwater · « **Reply #10 on:** April 02, 2008, 08:10:34 AM »

Navylawdog-
were you stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station? The only people I knew in Maine who ate squirrel came from somewhere's else.

The only Grays we had either in the Bangor area or the Calais area of Maine (I was born in Bangor, raised in Calais) were in the town park and in the church yards. They were pretty citified. Normally the only ones we saw in the wild were the noisy little Reds, and we shot them as a nuisance. The foxes liked them. Never paid much attention to it, they were just dead. The 16ga full-choked single shot Stevens put them down with authority - I remember using #6magnums - that old straight stock really pounded me. 71/2's were more shooter-friendly in that shotgun and the Reds were just as dead.

Here in North Idaho, we have what the locals call 'rats in tuxedos' - look like Reds, but they have a lot of black on them - my color perception isn't the greatest - I just know they are the same pests around a camp or home as the Reds were back in East. Probably are other species here also, but not that I've been made aware of in these past 3+ years.

navylawdog · « **Reply #11 on:** April 08, 2008, 11:02:39 AM »

Sweetwater,

Yes I was stationed at NAS Brunswick for two years. That is were I seen the greys. I had a school yard right behind my house and a line of trees that ran along the fence line and it was like a grey squirrel highway. Not to mention the guy next door fed them. I don't mind him helping me with the bait though. I am with you though the only thing I have ever seen out in the wild up there is the little reds. Annoying little guys but you never have to guess where they are.

Navylawdog

mike65 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2008, 04:47:12 PM »

I've hunted big fox (not red, which are smaller) squirrel in OH for a long time. I use a 20 ga. full choke w/ #6 shot. I'd never use larger than 6 as too much lead tends to ruin the meat. My son killed 2 this past fall w/ his trusty single-shot .410 and #6 shot. If anything, the 20 is too much gun on closer shots.

lil_hunter12 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 27, 2008, 08:14:37 AM »

ive killed them 50 or 60 yards with #6 shot in a 12 gauge but it is nessecary to know how your gun patterns. whether it be with #4 or #7.5 what your gun shoots best is what to use.

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #14 on:** June 27, 2008, 08:23:39 AM »

Everybody knows that a .22 rifle is the only way to hunt squirrels. You have to be stealthy and a marksman with a rifle, anybody can use a shotgun , there is no skill required

LHitchcox · « **Reply #15 on:** June 27, 2008, 08:38:52 AM »

For many years, I have used #5s for small game. I reload and I found that #4s bridged in the loader. also, my patterns with my Ithaca 20 ga. were spotty. The fives were the largest size that fed reliably through my MEC and gave good patterns. I only use #6s when I may jump birds as well as rabbits and squirrels. Overall, I prefer larger shot with fewer holes in the game.

Leon

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #16 on:** June 27, 2008, 10:19:44 AM »

I killed most of the limb rats with # 8 shot as i did it while bird hunting , collected a pot full for an uncle that loved eating the rats . I must side with GB , what kind of plating do ya'lls tree rats have ?
Alot of folks kill turkey with #6 shot . I would check the pattern of your gun as it may be so wide that you just aren't getting enough hits on the target .

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #17 on:** July 01, 2008, 03:07:29 AM »

Graybeard,
I still own a Savage model 24S-E but it has been out of service for around seven years now. I cleaned it up for the Son to use after a 15yr lay-off as it was kind of gritty with hard to open barrel release switch.
This was quite an experience cause when I knocked the pins out of the trigger\action housing and pulled it, the springs and everything else hit the walls & ceiling

I found everything but then found that I had to put all the innards back into the frame outside of the reciever using whittled down wooden dowles that I cut off flush so as to be able to slip the action back into the trigger housing slot. Once this was done, I used the metal pins to knock out the wooden ones to secure the action to the reciever and everything was well.

I think that we all used a shotgun at one time but then graduate on up. I know one gent who has been using the #6 out of his .410 for years now. He always gets his limit and when you inspect his kills, most just have a few pellets
Under the chin or from in front of the eyes to the nose. Nothing like knowing your weapon and it's pattern and the range to do the shooting at.
After I got through my (shotgun years) I went with a scoped .22rf...after this I was using a scoped WMR bollt action rifle with my first 1" scope tube in a 4x32. That WMR will knock a Squirrel outa the tree for you!
After the WMR, I was using the .50cal black powder rifle with a patched ball and doing head shots only from the 30yd or under range. I was shooting the primitive black powder circuit at this time and was averaging my five squirrel limit for every seven shots.
I have left that BP rifle at home for a few years now and my all time favorite has been my old H&R model 649 revolver with the L.R Cylinder within the 25 to 30yd range. I have been toying with the idea of taking my Single Action revolvers in the .45 Colt

These are capable of all shots touching at the 15yd range or a 1.3" five shot group at the 25yrd range and I would impliment the head shot only thing again.

Don't be scared to slip up on those Squirrels as they are the ultimate for practicing your Still-hunting skills. If you pop a twig you can give yourself a 5min time out and be ok but eventually you will learn to lightly brush the ground with your toes for objects then settle the ball of your foot just ahead of your heel without even looking at the ground. You will also learn to pick up your feet with the thigh muscle and never push off with a foot.
This can be of a great benifit for Deer when you get down to the last day's of the season with an unfilled permit and know that the Deer are there but have gone nocturnal.

Ranger J · « **Reply #18 on:** July 01, 2008, 02:21:04 PM »

I may have shot a few squirrels with #4s out of my savage o/u but only because they were all the bullets I had. When I was a kid I often had to scrounge for ammo. A lot of the time I only had 22s for the top barrel. Most succumbed to a 3 inch load of #6s or more often a 22 short out of the top barrel. We had both gray and fox squirrels in Illinois. The foxes were found in woodlots and around the edge of woods and the grays were in the deep woods up in the rivernut trees that were so tall they had to wear oxygen masks to cut the nuts.

RJ

AlbanyCO · « **Reply #19 on:** August 29, 2008, 01:58:04 PM »

Go with the 4's. I've never had any luck with the smaller shot sizes. My shotgun is a hand me down SKB over/under in 20 gauge. It's choked MOD and IMP so it's much more suited to an upland bird gun than squirrels. Be that as it may, any squirrel I've shot with 7 1/2's never have dropped dead on the spot. They'll come tumbling out of the tree alright but I've had to dispatch them on the ground. Needless to say, I use the #4 shot now and it kills em just fine. One of these days if I can find a good gunsmith I'll have him measure it and put a recoil pad on it then thread it for screw in tubes. I hate having fixed chokes

bilmac · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2008, 03:49:38 PM »

We used to shoot lots of jackrabbits to sell. Got around $.30 for blactails and up to $.50 for whitetails. Shot enough to buy a keg of surplus 4831 powder one winter. Since we were shooting out of the back of a moving pickup at running jacks we used shotguns. We shot this load and that load but finally settled in on #5 as the best killer.

rickt300 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 30, 2008, 06:42:59 AM »

I like the #4 shot myself but have killed far more tree rats with #6 shot. My rabbit/squirrel shotgun is an old Ted Williams model 300 in 12 gauge which is a sort of model 1400 with some differences. It has an adjustable choke on it. I found it patterned way tighter using the modified setting with #4 shot than at the full choke setting where #6 really made nice even patterns with the choke set at full. With both shot sizes I try to hit them with the edge of the pattern if they are less than 30 yards away to reduce the number of pellets in them. I have run into a couple of squirrels that though they were way too tough but I figure I didn't get enough hits on them. The real reason I like #4 shot though is the pieces of shot are easier to find in the meat and will often penetrate fully or are found under the hide on the far side of the squirrel.

Catfish · « **Reply #22 on:** August 30, 2008, 08:08:40 AM »

I don`t shoot any thing but 4`s for squirrel. Years ago I tried high brass 6`s in a 12 ga. and would lift the squirrels 6 ft. off the limbs, but they would hit the ground running, and the ones I did get were so full of shot you could pick it out and load a .410 shell. With 4`s you get alot less holes and more dead squrrels. I don`t use much but a .22 any more though.

rickt300 · « **Reply #23 on:** August 31, 2008, 04:58:21 AM »

I may have ruined my old shotgun. I thought I would pattern it on some paper plates to see how effective the adjustable choke on it is. First I found the cheap 7/8ths ounce load in the cheapo Winchester dove ammo they loaded to 1450 fps is junk! tried it in three shotguns and the only one that it was even slightly useful in was a cylinder bore. Went out and bought some Winchester shells loaded with 1 1/8 ounces of 6 shot. This ammo patterned well out to 30 yards with the choke positioned either at Improved cylinder or cylinder, then got tight at modified and full blew the patterns to a degree I previously thought impossible. First time I ever tried patterning but over the years I had kept the gun set on cylinder for birds and modified for squirrels. Has anyone noticed that finding lead #4's isn't as easy as it used to be unless it is in a heavy high brass loading?

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #24 on:** September 08, 2008, 08:29:07 AM »

Can't remember ever seeing low brass # 4's . in plastic shells anyway .
ya'll must have tuff limb rats , we hunt ours with .410's alot !

Mack in N.C. · « **Reply #25 on:** September 08, 2008, 04:26:08 PM »

fox squirrel is my favorite animal to hunt..here in nc we have 2 subspecies.....1 tha lives in the easten part of the state and 1 that lives in the ne corner.......1 in eastern nc in can be black about 1/4 of the time and the the other percentage s can be almpst any color, except all will jhave black head with white ears and nose......the fox squirrle in our mts is sometimes called a red squirrel because it is normally a reddish color but this is not the liitle red squirrle found in the high elevations in nc...........anyway the fox squirrel in eastern nc prefers longleaf pine habitat, and also big loblollys that are burned ...........i carry 6's or 5's in my gun but if you find one way up a 100 -120 ft tall loblloy you had better not have 6's..sure 6's will kill em but i have better luck with 4"s...fewer pellets but the ones that do get em.....full choke..........to many pellets stuck in the hide with 6's........i carry 3 inch # 4's for those case. and these squirrels are tough buggers.....i have 1 mounted that is 17 inches long from its tip of nose to base of tail and the tail is 17 1/2 inches long...............mack

russianblood · « **Reply #26 on:** December 06, 2008, 04:11:28 PM »

I really liked using #4 shot out of my 20 gauge full choke when I hunted Fox squirrels with a shotgun here in Michigan. I too have had a lot of squirrels fly out of the tree only to run away with #6 shot. In Michigan, a Fox squirrel's hide is very tough. Rabbits on the other hand seem to die from just the concussion of the shotgun.

catfishfiend · « **Reply #27 on:** January 15, 2009, 08:17:47 AM »

i use light #6 loads for squirrel and rabbits. for the rabbits in heavy cover i will use the ic choke, and for out on fencelines and in the squirrel woods i shoot a modified choke. this is out of an 870 shotgun, and it patterns them really well. i do this because i can kill quail and pheasants with the same load, in season.

jenkst · « **Reply #28 on:** January 15, 2009, 03:33:19 PM »

Catfishfriend and Everybody; Hear in S.E. Missouri the reds can be tough to kill and eat. I like to use a 22. but ain't above useing my 12 ga. 870 Rem. with one ounce of six's and get this, a extra full choke. Just gota aim a little forward of his nose. Also got a good dog. Ain't nothing like hearing him treed. He treed two fox squirels and one gray the last time out. Just waiting for this cold weather to pass and get back out again. Jenks