Will a well-placed 500 fps .177 pellet........

I have .177 pellet guns, they are ice picks and I just won't use them for anything but plinking, squirrels are not like sparrows.

My old school QB57 .22 pushes pellets pretty good, for rodents I only will use .22 pellets NOT .177 pellets this picture shows the difference which equates to energy transfer and the Predator pellets ensure getting thru the pelt. It's all about being humane and safe, if shooting in town with a pellet gun you could have a very unfriendly visit if seen....


 
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Instantly? No, unless it's a headshot and even that's not a guarantee.
Squirrels are hardier than they look.

More squirrels have been killed by .177 pellets from crappy air rifles than anything else on the planet, but there are better ways to do it.
If you're doing it for pest control you have a responsibility to do it humanely. IMHO a .177 pistol is not the right tool for the job.


With squirrels often it's more effective to get rid of the bird feeder or whatever it is that's attracting them in the first place, or another will just take it's place in short order.
 
I have a cheap .177 handgun from crappy tire. Had big black squirrels around my old place, twice was able to kill at 20 feet with headshots from it. It was CO2 powered, not sure what kind of speed involved.
 
Pepperpopper said:
The Benjamin 20 cal pellet is one of the most potent slugs there is for the original cost, weight, accuracy, shootability, and power it has.
Click to expand...

Agreed the Cylindrical .20 pellets are quite heavy for caliber and deliver excellent penetration.
My .20 Sheridan CO2 pistol shoots them at about 415fps and has claimed many squirrels.
 
JSB made (maybe still makes) a .22" pellet called the 'Monster' weighing in at 25 grains. Thing shot like utter garbage out of every .22" airgun I tried. Still have half a tin, as they were useless. My guess is that they were designed for much higher velocities - fastest I shot one was about 700fps, from an LW barrel, and at 7 yards I was lucky if I could make a 2.5cm group. For comparison, same PCP air rifle puts every single JSB 16gr or 18gr round nose pellet inside an 8mm hole at 10 metres, where the light 13.5gr tend to open up to around 11mm. The 'Monster' may as well be a slug, though it has a slightly hollow tail. It's just a long, round-nosed piece of lead with a few slightly raised bands.
 
I use 100o fps with .22 pellet. I have no problems. But, I would say if you are close enough, a 500 fps .177 shot on target would do it. My gun is way overkill. Also, I am usually shooting within 10 yds and 5 yards often. The squirrels climb a tree right beside my back porch.
 
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