When buying a pellet gun for small animals, your choice should be based on the size of animal you are hunting. Birds and chipmunks are the smallest, with squirrels taking the middle spot, followed by rabbits, then raccoons. To ensure a good, clean kill, you need to get the rifle with the proper muzzle velocity and the right caliber and type of pellets for the animal you are hunting. It may cost a little more now, but buying a high quality pellet gun can last for years.
There are two types of pellet rifles, the break barrel gun takes only one fast pump to be ready to fire, while the other type has to be pumped 10 times to build up the air pressure it needs to be able to work. This not only gets tiresome, it also wears out faster, as it will start to lose pressure after awhile. The Daisy pump gun has a longer handle, making it easier and faster to pump up if you select this type.
Squirrel hunting may use a .177 caliber pellet or a .22 caliber pellet, so this is serious hunting. A lot of fathers start their children out with pellet guns and it is a good opportunity to teach them to hunt. But some parents think of a it as a toy and not a weapon. If you are buying this gun for your children, both of you need to follow the same rules you would with a higher caliber rifle, they need to be supervised and taught proper hunting etiquette.
Squirrel pellet gun hunting may be regulated by state laws, so be sure you check before you go. Most of the time you are not required to buy a special tag for the smaller animals, but you may have to have a license. Other states put no restrictions on small animals such as these when hunted with a pellet rifle.
