how much energy to kill a squirrel cleanly with an accurate chest shot?

i will go for head shots when i can, but the od time, i'd try a body shot with my .22.

Probably 5 or 6 fpe will do the job with a solid heart&lung shot, but they are tough critters. I've seen them move quiet incredible distances, even with what I later found to be ruined chest cavities. More power is better, I'd say 12 fpe is about perfect for mid range thumping in any caliber, with 16-18ish good for those 40 -50 yard plus shots, depending on your BC.

i will go for head shots when i can, but the od time, i'd try a body shot with my .22.

As anyone who's hunting them with a .22RF can tell you, if you hit them wrong with 100 foot pounds they just hump-up and scamper. Hit them right with 5 or 6 foot pounds and they fall out of the tree dead. Nothing is going to make up for bad pellet placement.

Well put.

You can't expect to buy your way out of a bad shot. A skull pass through and a chest pass through aren't much different in terms of energy needed, it's all about placement. You have it, or you don't.

Doug Owen

..last of my father's shooting buddies, still shooting airguns at 90:
"Making the pellet come out the other side FASTER don't do S##T."

Got caught up in the power race anyway for a time, but it turns out he was right.

i will go for head shots when i can, but the od time, i'd try a body shot with my .22.

.

..are taling about 5-6 foot pounds at the point of impact.

To get that amount at 40yards, would need to start a good pellet (one with a higher BC) faster.

.177 (lets call it 8grains) needs to arrive at 40yards going about 580fps/6 foot pounds...so it's got to start out at at at least 725fps if you pick a higher BC pellet (will use .0225 as a base number). IF you picked WC pellets, would need to start them out at a bit over 900fps (they shed vel. mighty fast with a BC of .01).

A .22 (14gr.) pellet needs to arrive going about 440fps to have the 6 foot pounds...which means high BC (something like .0225) pellet needs to start out at at least 550fps. IF you pick WC pellets, better make that starting speed 725fps.

you have answered several questions of mine, regarding hunting and those answers help allot. I've certainly done my homework on my range and velocity, fpe... experianced hunters like youself let me know what energy is needed for certain game. I will be getting my rj breach this week and put my scope on it and a poly seal, than i will get my accuracy tuned. Then i will be hunting squirrel and rabbit with confidence! i will get an idea of what fpe will pass through and change my pellets accordingly at those closer ranges, if i need it. i will be doing more mods to my gun.
thanks again

..last of my father's shooting buddies, still shooting airguns at 90:
"Making the pellet come out the other side FASTER don't do S##T."

Got caught up in the power race anyway for a time, but it turns out he was right.

"Making the pellet come out the other side FASTER don't do S##T"

Thanks.

Doug Owen