Squirrels were food for the masses in all of the wooded States and Canada. Every rural home had at least two weapons, usually a shotgun for wild fowl and a small bore rifle. It's one reason why during the Revolution and War of 1812 the American irregulars/militia were superior to the British regulars in what was known as 'Indian Fighting', which referred to tactics, not the enemy. If you could hit a squirrel at 75 yards hitting a man at 400 yards was easy. If you couldn't hit a squirrel at 75 yards you and your family went hungry, so marksmanship was a must.
"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."