All my shots are 25 yards and in. And really under 20 yards because I only use the HW30. I have a Hatsan 135 carnivore in 30! But I don’t need to hit a squirrel with that cannon. Lol
I think it is very possible to plant a squirrel at 30 with a body shot from a .22 HW30. If a .22 pellet can pierce a vegetable can, it can pierce the skin of a squirrel. At this range though, a pointed tip pellet like a predator or superpoint would give best penetration on impact. The problem of runaways lies with the shooter, not the gun. If a head shot isn’t possible, a properly placed body shot to the upper chest area which included the lungs, heart, and liver (the vital organs right in front or behind the arm) will drop them in short order. An improperly placed aim point of a ‘gut shot’ is a poorly placed shot, a shot not worth taking, and imo….poor judgement on the shooters part. 99% of the time I try to make head shots regardless of the gun or caliber because it is alot less messy when field dressing the squirrel.