Squirrel Gun

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DOCSpanky

New member
I decided on and bought my new Squirrel gun today, unfortunately its raining like stink here in Florida and I can't go to the range :(

I got the Marlin 880SQ. It seems to blend everyting into one very well. I shot one another guy uses for shillouette shooting so its not a totally new setup to me. It fits me well and I am comfortable with it. I have already bore sighted the 3-9X40 Eurolux scope on it, and have mounted my Versa-Pod bipod. Needless to say with the bull barrel, blued action, black bipod, and black rubber coated scope, it has almost a menacing appearance. I will of course remove the bipod for actual squirrel hunting, but the bipod will help with those 100 yard shots at the rabbits in my garden. I do however have some questions.

1. Being a target style barrel, is there anything I need to do to properly break in the barrel?

2. I am having trouble finding a gunsmith who can work the trigger for me. It seems to be the rifles only flaw. Very herky jerky & stiff.

3. Does anyone know if any aftermarket companies ever made higher capacity magazines for the Marlins?

I know we Squirrel Assassins are few and far between, but I look forward to it very much. And the thought of silencing a rabbit in mid-chew on one of my lettuce heads is stimulating to say the least.

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DOCSpanky
"Walk softly and carry a big stick, perferably one of the 12 guage variety!"
 
DOC...

I used to squirrel hunt a ton several years back when I had the private land on which to do it. Sometimes I even got my limit of 10 a day!

Although it sounds like you got yourself a nice package, I've found that you really don't need all that much gun for accuracy on squirrels. What you need are a good set of binos, a good ear, and a stable rifle rest. My favorite squirrel woods contained several large hickory groves which seemed to get most of the squirrel population's attention early in the season. I would just sneek into the grove before first light, have a seat against one of the trees and wait. When the squirrels came out of their nests they'd head straight for the hickory tree tops, swishing the leaves as they lept from branch to branch. BTW, I wore total camoflauge including a face mask and gloves.

The key to my success was a stable rest and patience. As the squirrel plucked a nut and came down into the tree to hack through the outer shell, I'd rest my rifle against a tree trunk and put the crosshairs of my Remington 552 BDL w/4X Bushnell between the eye and ear and gently squeeze a round off. That rifle/scope combo was perfect for those woods. Later in the morning, I'd glass the lower tree branches for resting squirrels. My longest confirmed kill was one from 90 yards at a sleeping gray squirrel. I noticed his tail hanging down and glassed to find him sprawled out like a dog. That was a CM (center mass) kill.

I miss those days.

Anyway, you just need to shoot your rifle like you would any rifle. Find the best ammo for your rifle and zero for that particular round. For me it was CCI mini-mag HPs, and CCI Stinger HPs.
 
DOC, no barrel break-in is necessary with that caliber. Those Marlin's are great. I still have an old, completely refinished, Marlin 89D bolt action .22 (S, L, LR) with a 22" barrel and the tubular magazine. It was given to me by my father. I remember shooting it for the forst time when I was 5.

It's still a tack driver. :)

CMOS
 
My 880sq likes Eley Silhouex ammo as most accurate so far, havent tried anything more expensive than that. Also Eley Brown Label Standard, Winchester T22, Federal Gold Medal Target and CCI SGB. You will most likely find that, it pays to not clean the barrel. If you do, it takes about 10 fouling shots to get back to top accuracy. I worked the trigger myself, still a bit heavy, but smoother. I made a flush fitting magazine, hated the magazine hanging below the bottom of the gun, ruined the lines. It only holds two cartridges, but thats enough.
 
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