best caliber for gopher/ground squirrel

Don't get a 17hmr. unless you want one and have money to burn. 22mag would be way better. will give you better distance and splat factor. 17hmr ammo is so expensive for what little it does.
I grew up using a good old ruger 10/22 nothing funner than shooting running gophers at 50 yards free hand.
but this year i'll be taking my 10/22, 223rem and 6.5x55.(i'd rather spend my money shooting gophers than paper)
 
beaverfur said:
22 250 not big enough for deer or dogs should work for squirrels. 50gr vmax @4200 fps, should take the wind out of their sails.

Note: if going with .22lr get the pink one, their cute.
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Since when is a 22-250 not big enough for dogs?

Also, pushing a 50gr in this cal to 4200 fps is a bit of a stretch isn't it?
 
I still take my 22 out once in awhile but get tired of "bang flop" and feel the need to see the "red mist". 22-250 works well but you dont get to see your hits all the time, 222 works well but then you want to get out to 300yds plus and you run out of gas. got a 17 fireball last spring and its a riot to shoot but at 300yds its "bang flop" again. 204 arrived 2 weeks ago and I think that this will be the "red mister" I am looking for, cant wait for spring. By the way my HMR doesnt see any use at all any more, needs to have a new home.
 
If I had to have one gopher gun, it'd be a .22, since ammo is cheap, it's nothing to go through 500 rounds in an afternoon, and they are really stupid so it isn't hard to get within .22 shooting distance. What we usually do is my 10 year old takes his .22, he I will take them out to about 75 yards, I get the further ones with my .17. We sit on a dugout hill and don't usually have to move for hours. Looks like a warzone when we're done...can't think many better ways to spend an afternoon.
 
I bring 10/22 and BRNO #5, HP9 and 223.

Bring atleast 1000 rds of 22. 50-100 223 (if its a safe field) and 50-100 12ga (man its fun :))

Walk? I drive into the field, shoot until im out of ammo, or sunburnt, or thirsty, or its dark then go home.

God I love Alberta :D
 
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Use something bigger than what the squirrels use..,
 
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I really like the 17 hmr for it's laser beam like trajectory out to 200yds. I enjoy it enough to overlook the cost factor of the round. If you want soemething that you can reload or think you might want to smoke some coyotes while you're out, I'd step up to a .223 and keep the .22 handy for close ups.
 
mcpiper said:
I really like the 17 hmr for it's laser beam like trajectory out to 200yds. I enjoy it enough to overlook the cost factor of the round. If you want soemething that you can reload or think you might want to smoke some coyotes while you're out, I'd step up to a .223 and keep the .22 handy for close ups.
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Hmr's are fine for lower volume shooters but as for myself I fire between 2 and 3 thousand rounds/year at gophers, crows, etc... Capping off 250 rounds in an afternoon is nothing where I shoot. Sport is limited only by the amount of ammo one can load... and time I can allot for varmint control! Long cold winters here in Manitoba=plenty of time for loading!
 
.22 lr is all I've ever used. Wait!! No, I'm lying!! My buddy and I spent 2 1/2 hours shooting (notice - shooting, not hunting) gophers in a vacant farmyard last summer with 12 ga. shotguns. It was a riot, to say the least. I had a sore stomach from laughing. I used an older Beretta semi-auto, so recoil was not a problem. I used up a lot of oddball reloads.

With a .22 lr, I fire a lot of warning shots, but I have a ball anyway. It is a little unsettling having someone shooting a bigger rifle in the same vicinity. In the summer of 2007, I was out at Mankota shooting gophers, and I used my 22/20 ga. part of the time. 20 ga. Wal-Mart ammo is cheap, so I went at 'er.:p:p
 
Mainly use .22 rifle on the field varmints, out to 200 yards. Just for practice , I use my Savage .223 and Browning 270 . It has been fun though trying the old Winchester 25-20 which is surprisingly accurate to 200. Most are taken at short distances...50-100 yards. I reload all but the .22 so I shoot a lot.
 
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