Rimfire Accuracy In Squirrel Hunting

For the most part, squirrel hunters fall into one of three categories based on their firearm of choice: shotgun hunters, airgun hunters, or rimfire rifle hunters. Although I squirrel hunted with a shotgun as a teenager, I’ve gravitated towards using a rimfire rifle, and that’s my preferred weapon these days.

As I peruse various forums, I see several different questions being asked about squirrel hunting accuracy, so I wanted to offer my thoughts on rimfire accuracy as it pertains to squirrel hunting. Remember, these are just my opinions and thoughts on the matter, so take them as you please.

The types of questions I see are ones like this:

• Is a stock 10/22 accurate enough to hunt squirrels?
• Is a Marlin 60 accurate enough for squirrels?
• Can I hunt squirrels with a rifle that shoots 1 inch at 50 yards?

I could list more examples, but I’m sure you get the picture.

Defining Squirrel Hunting Accuracy Levels

For starters, several factors directly determine if a rimfire rifle is “accurate enough for squirrel hunting.” Keep in mind that, to a certain degree, the accuracy level necessary for hunting squirrels is a personal one determined by the hunter, as there isn’t really a universal accuracy standard in squirrel hunting.

Those factors include the following:

• The average shooting distance to the target
• The aiming point on the target squirrel
• Skill of the shooter
• Capability of the rifle & ammo combination

Let’s take a second and discuss each factor in greater detail:

The average shooting distance to the target

The average shooting distance to the target will determine the necessary level of accuracy. Because the target is farther away, longer shooting distances require a higher degree of accuracy compared to shorter-range shots.

For example, a friend of mine is an avid fan of squirrel hunting with dogs. That style of hunting typically sees more shorter-distance shots as the squirrels are generally locked down in a tree. Most of his shots rarely exceed 40 yards, so he sights his Ruger 10/22 at 35 yards. His rifle shoots groups averaging ½” at 35 yards, using less expensive ammo. He’s perfectly happy with that level of accuracy for his preferred type of squirrel hunting.

I prefer the sit-and-wait style of hunting, so my shooting opportunities are sometimes over 50 yards away. Given those distances, my friend’s ½ an-inch at 35-yard groups wouldn’t work for my hunting style. I’d miss far too many shots for my liking.

As the shooting distances increase, the accuracy expectations will also need to increase.

The aiming point on the target squirrel

Another factor impacting accuracy expectations involves where the hunter aims for a squirrel for an ethical and humane kill. Most squirrel hunters are either head shooters or body shooters.

I’ve never really considered myself an accurate shooter with a rifle (and I still don’t). When I first got back into squirrel hunting, I went back to using a squirrel’s shoulder as my aiming point. When I do my part, it’s an ethical kill shot, but it also has some room for error. A lousy shot means a squirrel gets hit farther back in the stomach or lower abdomen (which I hate doing).

A few of the guys I hunt with are excellent shooters (much better than me), and they only go after headshots. When I first tried this approach, I failed miserably and became extremely frustrated with my poor shooting skills.

I decided to focus on improving my shooting in the field, and after some months, I felt more comfortable trying headshots only again.

These days, I try to take headshots only as my first choice, but I will still take a shoulder shot if that’s all that’s available.

Skill of the shooter

The shooter’s skill level also plays a big role in determining an acceptable level of accuracy in the squirrel woods.

One of my buddies is a hardcore deer hunter who only comes out to squirrel hunt with me a few times a year.

By his own admission, he’s not a great rifle shooter and struggles to consistently hit squirrels with a rimfire. His preferred rifle is a Savage 93R17 bolt action in 17 HMR. I helped him sight that gun in, and it shoots very good groups at 50 yards, around 1/4″ of an inch.

Even though his rifle/ammo combo is accurate, his shooting skills at small game offset the rifle’s accuracy. And, to be clear, I’m not knocking his skills, as I’m not a great shooter either. I’m just saying that the shooter’s skill level can play a significant role in someone’s perceived or expected level of squirrel hunting accuracy.

On the other side of the spectrum, I have a buddy who can shoot just about any firearm well. Pistol, rifle, shotgun—it doesn’t matter, as he can shoot it pretty well.

He and I hunt together regularly, and he’s a stickler for accuracy. That being said, I believe he’s a good enough shooter to take a rimfire rifle, shooting an ¾ inch group at 50 yards into the woods, and still be reasonably successful. He’d be cussing about all the misses, but he would still be able to harvest some squirrels.

Capability of the rifle & ammo combination

The other factor is the accuracy capability of the rifle and preferred ammo. I previously mentioned a question I saw about where someone was asking if you could hunt squirrels with a rimfire rifle, shooting groups of 1 inch at 50 yards. In my opinion, the answer is no. That’s a terrible grouping for a rimfire at 50 yards.

If the rifle/ammo combination selected for squirrel hunting doesn’t shoot well or group well, then you’ll need to do one of the following:

• Lower your accuracy expectations in the woods.
• Try different ammo until you find a better performer.
• Try a different rifle

My point here is that the rifle & preferred ammo will play a significant role in the overall accuracy expectations. You can’t expect a .22 rifle shooting a 1-inch group at 50 yards to be a good squirrel hunting gun.

What is an Acceptable Level of Rimfire Accuracy for Hunting Squirrels?

For most people, I’ve always felt that a rifle that will group ½” at 50 yards is acceptable for squirrel hunting. There will be some margin for error in that group size, but it should be sufficient for most squirrel hunting.

I’m a bit of a stickler for accuracy, so I prefer a rifle shooting closer to ¼” at 50 yards for my squirrel hunting. I’m trying to shoot as accurately as I can (on a reasonable budget), so having a rifle shooting ¼ of an inch or less at 50 is a great starting point.

Remember, these are just my opinions on the topic, so take them as you will.