I take my daisy 880 loaded with wadcutters to the woods for squirrels each year... especially the early season when the leaves are still on the trees and shots are pretty close... 25 to 30 yds. being a “ long shot” that time of year.As you said I use both head and body shots out to about 30 yds. and drt is the norm.However, one shot kind of stands out from a couple of years ago.I shot one on the side of a big oak and knew when the trigger broke I was a bit high. Still, I expected him to drop on the spot.Instead, he headed straight up the tree, ran about 5 yds. along a limb and tried to jump to another tree.He made about 5 yds. on the jump, but hit the ground about 5 yds. shy of the tree he tried to jump to.When I got to him he was stone dead between the roots of a wild pecan tree that was full of holes on the trunk.... he definitely tried to get to his den!When I skinned him I found the pellet had hit the top of his shoulder breaking it and breaking the offside shoulder also.How he ran that far and fast with broken shoulders i’ll never know.... are they tough?You betcha!Also found a new respect for my lowly 880 and wadcutters... that shot was at least 25 yds.! Still broke both shoulders!
I plan to buy a higher powered 22 and a reasonably powerful 177. I will test the 177 projectile it likes in wet magazines to get a handle on likely penetration in squirrels. I know around 600 pages will give me about the penetration as the Prod and should therefore kill effectively. If it will do this with an expanding projectile it may even kill quickly. But maybe it won't be that different. That is what I want to find out. I want to kill a dozen or so to get a decent idea how it does. The Prod does not have the power to penetrate deep enough with expanding projectiles. But a higher powered 22 may.