I just finished eradicating 15 ground squirrel on my mom's property with an RWS 350 .22 caliber Magnum and a 4x32 RWS scope. While I've used the Crossman Premier 14.3 gr pellets at the range this was my first outing with the Premiers in the field. All I can say is wow... from 15-50 yards my 350 Magnum and the Crossman Premiers flat bowled them over. While I had found the pellets to be very stable and accurate in my RWS springer I had no idea how they would perform on small game. I'm a believer in the domed pellet for small game after this outing. If you haven't had the opportunity to give them a try it might be well worth you time.

I used to use them but have switched to the JSB's because they feel like softer lead. Plus I understand they stopped making the bowed Premiers. Now they just come in the small tins. But they shoot well. JSB's seem to shoot the best in my air rifles. Good job on cleaning up the squirrels.

Thanks, but 15 barely puts a dent in the local population. I can have a field day on my mom's property, but the neighbors land is teeming with them as well. I'm sorry to say I could shoot daily during the spring and summer months and come nowhere near eliminating the pests. Actually that's not a bad thing is it? They do threaten foundations and other man made structures by undermining them. I'll have to give the JSBs a try if I have problems getting my Premiers. They just work so well with the rifle I really don't want to switch. I'm a creature of habit... fortunately so are the pesky ground squirrels. My brother should be taking a crack at them in a few weeks and then my brother-in-law will have a go at them. Not sure when I'll be getting back down to visit. It's a 650 mile drive for me.

Bought a passle of those 14.3 boxed grainers and they're so accurate in my Career 707 that it's just plain spooky. Sorry to hear they've been discontinued. Trouble with tins is that it's so much easier for them to be deformed by hard knocks. We have ground squirrels in Wyoming, sometimes called "picket pins" for standing tall and taking it on the chin. Also called "prairie dogs" but that would make them miniature dogs. They definitely respond to domed pellets with eye-popping enthusiasm. Their eyes, that is. If I become any worse in this life, maybe I'll come back as a ground squirrel burrowed in next to your place. Look for the twinkle in my eye and ease off of that trigger, will you?

I just ordered some 625 count boxes of the buggers from Pyramid Air and my order was processed. I can only assume they still have them in stock. As for coming back as a twinkly eyed ground squirrel you might be in trouble.

Good news about your order, Shakey Mine's right behind it. From what you said, I think I'll be the only reincarnated ground squirrel with sunglasses. Shatterproof ones.

Just placed my order for .22 Premiers with Pyramid. Thanks for your availability info. BTW, they're offering buy 3 boxes, get one free. Four boxes total cost with shipping was $69 bucks.

Just as an after thought on the Crossman Domed Premiers. The one thing I noticed is that the pellets didn't over penetrate unless very close to the ground squirrel. Three of the little bushy tailed rats were head shots, but the rest were through the lungs, or heart. They would just flop and twitch for a moment before dying on the spot. These pellets seem to create a lot of damage for being domed and not HP, or flat. My RWS was putting them down the pipe with enough force to bowl them over when hit. There was an audible thwack sound upon impact. I always knew I had hit the intended target. I like the fact that the pellets were laying the critters out quickly and cleanly. These are effective hunting pellets as well as accurate for target shooting. There were only two cases I missed my mark and had to wait for the squirrel to sneak back out of its burrow and they were both fairly long shots at about 60 yards. I try to keep most of my shots at 50 yards, or under when hunting around livestock and out buildings. The closer you can get in on them the better in my book.

Agreed. Those things aren't only accurate, they dump the energy fast. I've noticed just what you described. The ground squirrels really knock back when hit, not like they do with a pointed .177. You got me thinking. Maybe the killing power is due to tumbling. The round, hefty dome could act like a ball bearing, putting spin on the pellet as the skirt flicks around to one side or the other depending on what deflects it inside the animal. Once the pellet spins end for end, that's all she wrote. Anyway, a person might be able to see whether this happens by firing them into gelatin with some chunks of hard taffy or something in it. The difference between straight through and taffy whackers might show an oblong cut about pellet length after hitting taffy. Just might try it if I have some stale taffy laying around. Have you had occasion to see the pellets still inside? If so, are they ever NOT smashed skirt into head? This would be consistent with them stopping due to spin loss of energy rather than straight ahead impact with something hard.

To be honest with you these little vermin carry so many diseases and are so flea infested that I don't handle them directly. I usually get a shovel and either bury them in their own burrow, or toss them out into the back pastures and let the scavengers pick them clean. The way they bleed though I would expect the pellet's dome either collapses onto the skirt, or perhaps the pellet does tumble. They definitely don't move much after getting whacked. Between 15 and 35 yards they flat do a flip when hit. From 40 to 50 yards they kind of do a jump and fall where they stand. Either way the pellet delivers enough energy and penetration that it's a clean kill. Bushy tailed rats, or not I like to make a clean kill on them. Hunting ground squirrel is the best way to control these things IMHO. Poison is a long slow death and can cause collateral damage to other critters and paying for professionals to use baited traps costs a bloody fortune. With a pellet in the gourd, or chest cavity it's a quick kill and you're only hitting what you're aiming at. If California were smart they'd encourage more hunting to control the hoards of ground squirrel that plague the state. Good hunting and safe shooting.