Author Topic: Let's see your squirrel rifle!!! (Read 381174 times)

wattlebuster · « **Reply #150 on:** March 14, 2015, 12:32:52 AM »

My .40 likes 30 grns of fffg puching a .380 self cast ball wrapped in a 018 pillow tick patch. Bear grease or deer tallow for lube. One works just as good as the other. Im waiting on a pistol build from Joe. Let us know how yours shoots

wattlebuster · « **Reply #151 on:** March 14, 2015, 12:41:43 AM »

Just looked. Fine looking rifle iloco

Dennis Glazener · « **Reply #152 on:** March 14, 2015, 01:48:59 AM »

Quote

Can;t wait for the rain to stop so can shoot it.

Actually Iloco there is a little known law, in your part of Virginia, that you can't shoot a 40 flintlock after March 12 until after Nov 1. Guess you will have to ship it to me and I'll check it out for ya

Nice looking rifle.
Dennis

iloco · « **Reply #153 on:** March 14, 2015, 02:05:38 AM »

Quote from: Dennis Glazener on March 14, 2015, 01:48:59 AM

Quote
Can;t wait for the rain to stop so can shoot it.
Actually Iloco there is a little known law, in your part of Virginia, that you can't shoot a 40 flintlock after March 12 until after Nov 1. Guess you will have to ship it to me and I'll check it out for ya

Nice looking rifle.
Dennis

I didn't know they had laws in my part of the woods. I thought it was open season anytime. That is when I was much younger.
All the hunting I do now is at the local range shooting paper targets. Getting to old to climb those mountains.

UPDATE: Got to the range and had a lot of fun shooting the 40 caliber.
I was using 35 grains of 3F with .390 and some .395 round balls. I could not tell any difference between the 2.
Started out shooting low at 25 yards so filed the front
sight down to where its dead on at 25.
Will be going back later in the week to see how it does at 50 yards.
I like the Rice barrel a lot. I wish I had Rice to cone the barrel for me but I can make out with out it.

I want a 32 caliber rifle using the same barrel. It will be coned. It will make the small ball a lot easier to load.

bob in the woods · « **Reply #154 on:** March 18, 2015, 08:14:26 PM »

With all these beautiful squirrel rifles around, does anyone have a good recipe for squirrel ? I only ever had one, and it was tough to skin, and even tougher to eat

Something close to how I imagine a bicycle tire would cook up

iloco · « **Reply #155 on:** March 18, 2015, 08:19:32 PM »

We at my home fry them in a big cast iron skillet untill a crispy brown color. Sometimes roll them in flour.
Thats only way I know. Very tasty when done this way.
I guess a person could boil them and then brown them in a frying pan or oven.

Robby · « **Reply #156 on:** March 18, 2015, 09:20:43 PM »

Bob, I cook them twice. Parboil them, let them cool to room temp, refrigerate till I'm ready to cook, then pan fry like Ilco. Sometimes I grill them with a few chunks of hickory thrown on the charcoal. Tender as can be.
Robin

Daryl · « **Reply #157 on:** March 19, 2015, 02:37:51 AM »

A squirrel (black or grey or fox) stew is good. I've also soaked them overnight in a milk bath, or salted water bath in the fridge. Then floured and fried. Yes - the squirrel's hide is very strong, especially at the back of the neck and down the back. Been a long time, but seems to me there are 2 scent Kernals (glands) that need to be removed off the back legs - or is it the fronts? Long time, as I said - 40 years ago.
If fried and the left overs are frozen- keep the leftovers from pheasant, grouse, squirrel, rabbit and groundhog - then once you get enough stock piled, chop them up fairly small pieces and make a big loaf of head-cheese out of them with a good thick ring of salty gelatin all around - delicious in sandwiches- HA! - I was in elementary school last time I had this and my mouth is watering just recanting it. GET SOME!

LH · « **Reply #158 on:** March 19, 2015, 05:29:50 AM »

We always cook em in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes then batter and fryem in a skillet. Pour in a little milk for gravy and simmer an hour or two after frying. When I was a kid, we never cut the heads off either. Tongue and brain is mighty fine eatin.

Kermit · « **Reply #159 on:** March 19, 2015, 09:00:44 AM »

Where I was dragged up there was a dearth of skwerrels, so I learned to head shoot roosting grouse. Wish I still lived in grouse country. My mouth's watering.

Robby · « **Reply #160 on:** March 19, 2015, 12:35:28 PM »

Just my opinion, but ruff grouse is the best game bird I've ever eaten.
Robby

iloco · « **Reply #161 on:** March 19, 2015, 04:52:52 PM »

Ruffled grouse and quail are both good to eat.
Raining again so will have to put off shooting the 40 till weekend or next week.
Any one have squirrel rifles that have not been shown. I like to look at them.

Daryl · « **Reply #162 on:** March 20, 2015, 04:22:12 AM »

Spot-on, Robby - a feed of Ruffed Grouse (Willow Grouse) is a treat. Last fall, while attempting to recuperate from a knee replacement the previous month, I went for a drive and shot a couple grouse. I then made the mistake of stopping in at my daughter's house on the way home and she made me give them to her. Oh well. Next year, perhaps I'll feel like going out for more- for both of us.

Seared, then cubed and simmered in an onion soup mix makes a terrific sauce over rice or noodles.

Don Adams · « **Reply #163 on:** March 20, 2015, 04:36:30 AM »

I love ruffed grouse - I think it is the best tasting game bird there is. The wife used to fix it with gravy from the drippings. Sure do miss hunting them. The population of grouse here now a days is just pitiful.

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #164 on:** March 20, 2015, 06:02:23 AM »

I always keep a sack in my pocket and skin the squirrels as soon as I shoot them then put 'em in the sack. They are a lot easier to skin warm and it only takes a few seconds. Then when I get home I don't have a half a dozen hard stiff squirrels to deal with. Only the rifle to clean. I dump them in a pot of salted water overnight. I usually parboil them if I am going to fry them. Roll in flour, salt and pepper and brown them good. Make gravy in the skillet afterward.
Big ole red squirrels are tough some times. Boil them till the meat is falling off bones and then bone the meat out and make a cream gravy on it and eat on hot home made biscuits. My grandmother didn't like it when I hunted them with a rifle. She considered squirrel brains a delicacy. She cooked them head and all and cracked them open like a nut with an old butter knife handle.

bigsmoke · « **Reply #165 on:** March 21, 2015, 02:30:55 AM »

Grouse and noodles - tough to beat!!

Hungry Horse · « **Reply #166 on:** March 21, 2015, 06:57:26 AM »

I soak them for a few hours in buttermilk. There is an enzyme in buttermilk that breaks down the connective tissue, and make them tender. It works on pheasant, wild turkeys, and grouse, as well. I either flour them, and fry them, or cook them low, and slow, in my smoker with apple wood chips.
Back in the hills my great uncle made shoe laces out of squirrel hide because it was so tough, he said you could't break it. But he proved himself wrong one day. He was running bullets for a little Wishom squirrel rifle, made in Newton County Arkansas, and dropped a fresh cast ball into the top of his boot, that was only half laced up. He ripped those laces out like they were made of straw.
Hungry horse

Kermit · « **Reply #167 on:** March 21, 2015, 09:10:54 AM »

I used to take flour, butter, and a bottle of good white wine when grouse hunting. Skin and split them, brown in the butter, pour in about a quarter of the bottle, cover and slow simmer. Eat 'em and drink the rest of the wine.

Squirrel rifles sure are useful tools.

iloco · « **Reply #168 on:** March 21, 2015, 04:17:07 PM »

I think we need to open a thread on cooking squirrel and wild game. We have gotten off track of what this thread was suppose to be, Let's See Your Squirrel Rifle.

bob in the woods · « **Reply #169 on:** March 21, 2015, 04:35:06 PM »

Yes, a separate thread would be a good idea. Thanks for all the cooking advice

Maybe I just had a tough old squirrel.
Let's see some more rifles !

Kermit · « **Reply #170 on:** March 21, 2015, 06:34:59 PM »

Mark Herman (Smokinbuck) sent me these photos of his .29. Second rifle down on the wall, I believe. I think I'll let him tell the story. Might get us back on topic. Mea culpa...

smokinbuck · « **Reply #171 on:** March 21, 2015, 06:50:50 PM »

Thank you Krrmit, I appreciate your help. The rifle has a 41.75 X .75 inch barrel that Mikes out at .29 caliber. The barrel is marked W.M. Large, no J's, and has a capital L on the bottom muzzle face. The lock is home made and functions like a new one. Whoever built the rifle took it to about 85% but knew the basics, it appears he also cast the trigger guard. I inherited the rifle and the gentleman I got it from couldn't tell me who the builder was, only that he got it in the 50's. It will scramble squirrels brains out to about 40 yards with 20 grains of FFFG and a .285 round ball with .015 patch.
Mark

hanshi · « **Reply #172 on:** March 22, 2015, 02:44:13 AM »

I love these threads on squirrel rifles and there have been a lot of beauties posted here. Won't hurt me iffin it continues.

My grandmother, who raised me, parboiled squirrel then fried it; all that was added at that point was a set of teeth.

Squirrel tongue??? Hmmm...I prefer deep fried chicken lips to that. Oh, and brains are for zombies.

Dewey · « **Reply #173 on:** March 22, 2015, 04:23:30 AM »

Quote from: gunmaker on February 02, 2015, 09:10:00 AM

My .32, sort a Indiana ?? style 36" bbl. Right deadly little rascal.....Tom

Mine, now !!!

Don Adams · « **Reply #174 on:** March 26, 2015, 03:57:15 AM »

I asked Iloco to post some pictures of my squirrel rifle. It is a .32 caliber Tennessee style rifle, browned hardware. 13/16 x 42" barrel, L&R Manton Flintlock. Davis double set triggers, trigger pull is 13 7/8 to the front trigger. Feels good in the hand, just enough weight on the front to hold it steady. Accurate and very fun rifle to shoot.

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Author Topic: Let's see your squirrel rifle!!! (Read 381174 times)