[SteveM]

I just got back from my very first ground squirrel hunt in North Eastern Ca. I gotta tell you, it was a blast!!! I am hooked. I've got a Savage model 11 .223 Rem. I was shooting the Winchester "white box" .45 gr jhp varmint ammo I picked up at Walmart. I was impressed with their performance. (being that it was my first time, I really have nothing to compare them to) I'm going back up there in a couple months, after the first alphapha cut. I'm going to take my own handloads this time. I'm an experienced handloader, but I need advice on a good load. What's the most devastating bullet or bullets I can get. And what would be a good load for them. There is just something about seeing a squirrel expload that excites me :grin:

 

[KN]

25grs of H-335 with a 50-55gr Blitz King. They explode. I would guess that the Ballistic tips and the V-max will do the same. KN

 

[Ladobe]

Bullets: Any of the poly tipped (Hornady, Nosler, Sierra), the Hornady SXSP, Sierra HP or the Speer TNT are good choices for visual effects on diggers. I personally settled on the 50 TNT in my 222's and 223's for diggers after trying everything from 33-55 grains in them.

Loads: Will depend on what weight bullet you decide to go with, the bullet ogive and seating depth.

 

[BobMachus]

I use 28 gr H335 under 50gr Hornady SX in my Savage, but this is pretty hot start around 26 gr and work up. The performance for value of the SX is hard to beat, TNT is a great value too. I tend to shoot so often that it is not worth it to me to buy BT's or V-Max.