What's the quietest air pistol for squirrel hunting?

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ViktorSmash

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Hey guys,

I'm looking for an air pistol that I can use to shoot/hunt squirrel while hunting deer out of my treestand. Ideally it needs to be lethal enough up to 20 yards, as quiet as possible and relatively small. I'm new to air guns so I'm completely open to recommendations.

Thanks,
V
 
Personally, I would recommend a light weight 22 rifle and 22 shorts. They are almost silent outdoors. I have one of those old Duetche Werke 22's that belonged to my father. When I have shot tin cans outdoors with it using shorts, I pretty much only hear the plunk when the bullet hits the can.
 
Any air gun over 500 fps requires an Rpal and the same rules apply ( you can't hunt with it, range only )
Most air pistols fall into the under 500 fps and are not really suited for hunting squirrels, not humanely anyways.
 
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Couple of things....generally speaking the shorter the barrel on an air gun the louder it's going to be. Also, high-pressure air or CO2 guns are louder than spring-powered guns. Given this, I'd recommend a longer-barreled spring-powered rifle rather than a pistol.

Alternately, since you've already got your PAL, CCI Quiet-22 or similar out of a long-barreled manual action rifle is going to be pretty quiet too.
 
mad_mardigen said:
Any air gun over 500 fps requires an Rpal and the same rules apply ( you can't hunt with it, range only )
Most air pistols fall into the under 500 fps and are not really suited for hunting squirrels, not humanely anyways.
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Kids, people been shooting squirrels with sub PAL airguns for eons.

My Artemis PP700SA is quite quiet. Mines only 177, but cant imagine the 22 version would only be slightly louder. They say you only need 4-4.5 FPE for a clean kill. Some even saying as low as 3 FPE. I would go with 22 if I was going sub 500.
 
I had a .22 with a 27” barrel. Shooting .22cb it sounded the same as dry firing it.

Truth is, any additional gun that’s going to be convenient enough to carry, isn’t going to be quiet enough to shoot for your purposes. A quality slingshot or pocket rocket, along with hours of practice might serve your needs best.
 
I've shot squirrels and birds, even a couple others with a Webley Alecto in 22. That said, I don't know how hard they are to find anymore.

Anything that pushes the 499.99fps level with a 22 is going to be fine, just finding one accurate enough for a lower price is the trick.

Beeman P1, Crossman 2240 are 2 options at different ends of the price spectrum.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm not opposed to bringing a longer spring powered rifle in with me, it's just not as convenient, especially when it comes to finding a place for it in my treestand set up. I've already got a Crosman Phantom but it's too loud for what I'm trying to use it for.
 
You want an underleaver Springer pistol with a longer barrel for noise reduction and accuracy. . CO2 is unreliable in cold with massive pressure differentials. I have a Gamo Falcon in the EE that fits the bill
 
I bought a Crossman 1322 pellet pistol from Walmart.ca (don't appear to have anymore but Cabelas.ca has them). 460 ft/s in 22 calibre. I take it with me while deer and bear hunting for small game. I'm in Ontario where, according to what I read in the regulations, pistol hunting (less than 500 fps) is legal.

https://crosman.ca/cen/shooting/airsofts-airguns/airguns/air-pistols/p1322-american-classic-pistol-synthetic-multi-pump-pneumatic-pellet-22-cal-460-fps.html
 
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ViktorSmash said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm not opposed to bringing a longer spring powered rifle in with me, it's just not as convenient, especially when it comes to finding a place for it in my treestand set up. I've already got a Crosman Phantom but it's too loud for what I'm trying to use it for.
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Your phantom’s a nitro piston, right? That’s already way quieter than any spring gun. So you’re looking for silent.

Try this The Pocket Shot Mossy Oak Ed. Original Bottomland Camo https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07FTZBN6R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_smmNDbR3QNJ01

Or this The Pocket Shot Arrow Kit https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01N0KT01V/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VnmNDbVKVPWHR
 
wasa said:
I bought a Crossman 1322 pellet pistol from Walmart.ca (don't appear to have anymore but Cabelas.ca has them). 460 ft/s in 22 calibre. I take it with me while deer and bear hunting for small game. I'm in Ontario where, according to what I read in the regulations, pistol hunting (less than 500 fps) is legal.

https://crosman.ca/cen/shooting/air...lti-pump-pneumatic-pellet-22-cal-460-fps.html
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Ah, the good old 1322:

Step 1. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK
Step 2. Aim
Step 3. Miss
Step 4. CLACK CLACK CLACK...
 
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but maybe a Chiappa with.22 shorts or sub-sonics. Light weight, wire frame so easy to hang, better reach than air. Sorry to derail.
 
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