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Posted: 5/15/2020 9:01:46 PM EDT
[#1]
My own experience: with #7 shot from a 2" S&W J frame: they behave poorly. The rifling spreads out the shot too much. Maybe a longer barrel would help.
I had a Mojave rattler just outside my front door once. I loaded up the 640 with some homebrew shotshells and it took 5 rounds to put it down. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 9:19:58 PM EDT
[#2]
In my experience, the 9mm isn't worth a shit but the .45 ACP is great if it cycles.
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Posted: 5/15/2020 9:23:50 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My own experience: with #7 shot from a 2" S&W J frame: they behave poorly. The rifling spreads out the shot too much. Maybe a longer barrel would help. I had a Mojave rattler just outside my front door once. I loaded up the 640 with some homebrew shotshells and it took 5 rounds to put it down. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 9:25:21 PM EDT
[#4]
22lr shot shell from single six
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Posted: 5/15/2020 10:17:30 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms: My own experience: with #7 shot from a 2" S&W J frame: they behave poorly. The rifling spreads out the shot too much. Maybe a longer barrel would help. I had a Mojave rattler just outside my front door once. I loaded up the 640 with some homebrew shotshells and it took 5 rounds to put it down. I have dispatched many rattlers with CCI shot shells from a S&W 640. I have used CCI in 45acp, they won't cycle the action but are effective one shot kills. I have killed rattlers with CCI 22lr shot shells, and CCI 44 and 45 Colt shot shells. The larger calibers the more shot but they have all worked for me. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 10:36:11 PM EDT
[#6]
I killed a water moccasin with 1 shot of regular .22lr... never remember to take the shotshells with me
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Posted: 5/15/2020 11:20:16 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Freakinout: I killed a water moccasin with 1 shot of regular .22lr... never remember to take the shotshells with me That is interesting as I was told to stay away from any 22 for snake defense. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 11:24:20 PM EDT
[#8]
I mainly use the 22lr and 38 shotshells.
They all work perfectly well. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 11:47:30 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tayous1: That is interesting as I was told to stay away from any 22 for snake defense. My wife killed a rattler on the back step with a 4" S&W revolver and CCI shot from about 8 feet. I've shot a bunch of them too, but closer. |
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Posted: 5/16/2020 12:04:35 AM EDT
[#10]
When I was a little kid I killed a dump truck load with .22 shotshells and still use it if they are under the porch steps or a vehicle.
Since then I've used .38's, .45 ACP's and .44 specials and they all work fine. The old Remington(?) 45 ACP's that didn't use a plastic shot cup but instead crimped the brass into a round nose shape were all I used in .45 but I shot quite a few of them. Good practice for solving FTE, every once in a while, one would cycle the action fully. I use .44 Specials in a .44 mag these days most often and they are more quickly terminal but I would feel just fine with a .22 and in snake season I keep an old K-22 full of shotshells for anybody in the house to use. .22's, .38's and .44's all thru revolvers. .45's all thru several different 1911's. ETA: pattern them at different (short) distances so you know what it's doing in your particular gun. |
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Posted: 5/16/2020 12:32:24 AM EDT
[#11]
Just use your normal bullets
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Posted: 5/16/2020 12:50:03 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tayous1: That is interesting as I was told to stay away from any 22 for snake defense. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tayous1: Originally Posted By Freakinout: I killed a water moccasin with 1 shot of regular .22lr... never remember to take the shotshells with me That is interesting as I was told to stay away from any 22 for snake defense. Pretty much anything works if you shoot them in the head. Marksmanship is key to success |
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Posted: 5/16/2020 1:17:29 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 03RN: Just use your normal bullets I've done that too. Sometimes they will be moving their head, shot capsules allow for that. |
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Posted: 5/16/2020 6:18:13 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 03RN: Just use your normal bullets In NW AZ it's not uncommon to hear the snake but not see it. They disappear quickly in very very little bushes. And when/if they decide to squiggle out of Dodge it becomes a much harder target. I prefer to launch a small, light shot charge right next to my house, vehicles/tires, outbuildings, livestock, etc. over a bullet. And the big one.... I couldn't hit anyone on neighboring property with any size shot charge. I've shot quite a few with normal bullets but have to be much more concerned with the potential background, even at steep angled shots. So shot works very well for us. |
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Posted: 5/17/2020 6:09:27 AM EDT
[#15]
I just watched a You Tube test of the 45 CCI shot shell.
Yes they work, But they open up fast, so 6 feet is about your max range. Along time ago I heard that a gun called the "Snake Charmer" was very popular in Texas. It was a single shot .410 |
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Posted: 5/17/2020 10:32:05 AM EDT
[#16]
Six feet is enough for a rattler, at least the ones around here.
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Posted: 5/17/2020 5:57:22 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Durango100: Mojave rattle in ID? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Durango100: Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms: My own experience: with #7 shot from a 2" S&W J frame: they behave poorly. The rifling spreads out the shot too much. Maybe a longer barrel would help. I had a Mojave rattler just outside my front door once. I loaded up the 640 with some homebrew shotshells and it took 5 rounds to put it down. Yeah, one of those liberal California transplants. I only wish I'd had more bullets to shoot at him! Actually, that was when I was in Nuevo Mehico. |
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Posted: 5/18/2020 7:44:51 AM EDT
[#18]
Dont know about revolvers....but 9mm is only single shot and will not cycle (worthless) while 40SW and 45ACP cycles and works well within 10 feet or so.
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Posted: 5/18/2020 1:22:08 PM EDT
[#19]
When I'm out in the woods or around the farm I either have my Kel-Tec PF-9 in a pocket or my M&P9 2.0 full sized on my belt depending on what I'm doing. Typically I have the first round in the mag be a shot shell. Around here I'm dealing with coyotes, owls and hawks (latter two like to eat my fowl the fist goes after everything including the dogs when the pack is large enough). Bears, are not a problem, you can literally run them off with a bunch of yelling and a brief chase. Most things just need to be scared off and the noise and sting are usually more than enough. Follow up rounds are hollow point if things need to get more serious.
I have noticed though that if I chamber one of the shot shells, the act of doing so breaks off the plastic cap and I either have to use the shell for just waste it. You can't pull them out and re-insert them in the mag. All the shot just falls out and the plastic cap is stuck in the barrel. Both guns cycle just fine with the 9mm shot shells. Never tried them in my 45. Might give that a go out of curiosity. I strongly doubt these, in any caliber, are good for killing anything larger than than rats and snakes and at very close range. |
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Posted: 5/19/2020 8:36:31 AM EDT
[#20]
For years I've shot grouse with the .44 mag and .45 Colt shotshells, both CCI factory loads and ones I loaded with Speer capsules. If you can get within 15 feet they work.
Now that I've moved to Arizona, I still carry a Ruger Flattop Convertible, usually with the .45 Colt cylinder. I also have a .45 Shield and have been carrying it more and more, so I decided to do some testing of the Speer capsules. I had my doubts if they'd feed, or how much power they'd have compared to .44 Mag or .45 Colt. They feed great and eject and load the next round, and power is no problem either. For snake use, 3 to 6 feet, they pattern well out of the 3.3 inch barrel of the Shield. With the .45 ACP loads, there is no plastic shot capsule sticking out of the case like the 9mm shot shells have, the aluminum case has a slight bottleneck, and a heavy roll crimp to hold the plastic overwad in. Pattern at 6 feet:  A steel Progresso soup can shot at 3 feet, blew a hole through both sides and none bounced back:  |
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Posted: 5/19/2020 10:44:08 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Freakinout: Pretty much anything works if you shoot them in the head. Marksmanship is key to success It's pretty easy to shoot full grown snakes. It's the babies and adolescents that are harder to hit. My dog has a nose for baby rattlers, on them the head may be a 3/16" target and being so small, they wiggle a lot. In fact they are just hard to see period what with that jamup camo they wear. |
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Posted: 5/19/2020 10:53:15 AM EDT
[#22]
20 years ago I was up in the Table Mountain Wilderness camped at ten thousand, I decided to take a quick hike to the top of the ridge. I was carrying a model 19 Smith with a handloaded shot shell that my old friend JRoy had given to me. Near the top I approached a group of boulders and saw a marmot pop out of a hole. It went back down and presently stuck it's head out of another hole and then another. I waited at one and eventually it stuck up it's head and I dropped it with that 38 shot about six feet.
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Posted: 5/23/2020 6:51:42 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In my experience, the 9mm isn't worth a shit but the .45 ACP is great if it cycles. The 45 functioned reliably in my P90 and patterned well enough to kill nuisance birds out of treetops. |
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Posted: 5/24/2020 7:55:21 AM EDT
[#24]
I've killed water moccasins about 20' away (in pond) with a .44 spcl shot shell. .38 spcl has also done the job (but this was close range on land).
I had considered getting a lever gun for snake shot (always wanted a lever gun, and thought would be good excuse) but CCI said they only recommend them in revolvers. Concern is in tube mags the cap can come off and the shot falls out all in the mag, and in autos they can be hard to feed and/or the cap gets deformed so they recommended using them as single shot. Based on that, I'd get a revolver. |
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Posted: 6/1/2020 5:10:37 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That is interesting as I was told to stay away from any 22 for snake defense. The .22 LR shot shells have a VERY short effective range, especially from a rifle. The rifling gets the stuff spinning pretty well and past a very short distance leaves a ring of shot on the paper with very little central filling. If you use a regular lead bullets and are accurate enough to hit, the snake will be very dead with a head shot. A snake that has not started moving is an easy shot. Moving is a lot tougher. The problem is that it often takes eagle eyes to spot them before they have alarmed and started moving, most often away. |
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Posted: 6/1/2020 6:22:24 PM EDT
[#26]
They will all kill snakes at close range.
When I was about 9 years old my Dad gave me a German .22LR SAA clone revolver, a holster and a cartridge belt. He kept me in ammo and I had 100 acres to roam with 3 stock ponds and many, many snakes. He would check with me that I still had enough shot shells from time to time and my little task was to kill the bad snakes on sight. My first, and best job ever. A .22 pistol (I never shot a shot shell out of a rifle) will kill a LOT of snakes. I've used several other calibers since then and for sure a .44 Spc is quicker to make the snake quit squirming, a 12 ga is the REAL final answer to squirming  but the lowly .22 stops them really just as fast as the .45acp and .44 Spc do, they just flop around while dying a bit more. I still go and get a .22 even if I have a .44 on me, when the snake is right up against the house, under the porch or under a vehicle (they love to snuggle up against a tire. Just to limit collateral dings and dents. |
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Posted: 6/1/2020 6:38:26 PM EDT
[#27]
I'll add that I've seen many snakes shot lethally multiple times with bullets, not shot shells, continue to be belligerant and dangerous but even in .22 never one that continued to want to fight when hit with a shot shell.
I killed a pink Mohave once that only had about 2" of neck left, only skin connecting the 2" to the rest of the 3' body (.45 acp), the marvelous guy was trying to rear up and strike in that disabled condition. My Wife was amazed and I was too a bit. Snakes moving away from you rapidly thru brush are an extremely hard target to hit with a bullet, people who've never done that really should try it. It doesn't take but a tiny projectile to the brain to zero out a snake, but they can take massive body damage and still try to kill whatever just hurt them. ETA: if your dog is with you, the shot vs. bullet thing really matters, a "dead but doesn't know it yet" snake, working his jaws (they do that a lot as the light grows dim) can kill your curious dog as fast as a full on live snake. And it can be really hard to keep a protective dog away from them. |
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Posted: 6/3/2020 4:58:44 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: They will all kill snakes at close range. When I was about 9 years old my Dad gave me a German .22LR SAA clone revolver, a holster and a cartridge belt. The shorter barrel on a revolver is not as bad at spinning up the shot as a longer rifle barrel. I have never managed to get any shot shell to cycle a full size 1911. The shot is just not heavy enough. |
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Posted: 6/4/2020 1:42:02 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The shorter barrel on a revolver is not as bad at spinning up the shot as a longer rifle barrel. I have never managed to get any shot shell to cycle a full size 1911. The shot is just not heavy enough. I've never shot one out of a rifle barrel so I'm believing you. I've very rarely had one cycle a 1911 and it was a suprise. People have posted on here before that they cycle their non 1911 guns, I have no experience with that either but evidently it's possible. |
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Posted: 6/7/2020 10:22:55 AM EDT
[#30]
45 acp is the best shot cartridge I've found. They cycle and feed in my Springfield 1911 and shoot like a .410. Far better than any other shot cartridge I've tried. Shell contains 1/3 oz of shot. I think it was #9 but may have been #12 I'm using CCI cartridges.
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Posted: 6/8/2020 10:37:39 PM EDT
[#31]
I shot one today that was by my truck at a river access parking lot. I had seen about 12 groups of people going down to the water as I was leaving, some with kids and some with dogs.
I wasn't going to leave him there to maybe bite someone returning to their car. I shot him at about 4 feet, and he just died, no squirming around or twitching. I've never seen one die so quickly. I couldn't see many wounds in the neck but his head was pretty messed up. 
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Posted: 6/27/2020 5:31:44 AM EDT
[#32]
Been shooting and reloading for shot shells for decades. Couple posts have hit on what destroys pattern/accuracy. First is the RIFLING! The rifling spins the shotcup and throws the pattern, giving you the donut effect. IE hole in center of pattern. Hence shotguns are smooth bores. Second is velocity. Push the shot cup too fast and pattern opens up.
My EDC while home is a Smith 442 .38 SPL in the pocket. First round is a handload CCI/Speer shotcapsule for the copperheads around the house. Dog has been bitten at least once. Now my woods roaming gun is a old 3" CA Bulldog in .44 SPL. First two rounds are shotcapsules followed by 3 rds of 240 gr hardcast SWC. All under a dose of Unique. Lots of water moccasins, gators and black bears in the swamps I roam. Both of these shotshells are effective within 6'. Dedicated hunting use. I also have a older TC Contender .357 Magnum 10" Hotshot bbl. I use the same .38 load shooting squirrels at 15-20 YARDS! While the first 9" or so is rifled, the last part is thread for a choke. This choke STOPS the spin of the shotcapsule (looks like straight rifling in choke). TC also offered this in .44 Magnum and with longer, hence more shot shotcapsules. So my Contender is keeping a 6 INCH pattern at 15 yds where out of the Smith J frame is only 2 yds. CD |
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Posted: 7/2/2020 8:47:37 PM EDT
[#33]
I've used the CCI shotshells out of .22LR (rifles) and the .38's and .45's out of revolvers. 10'-15' is about max range. They all kill snakes at those ranges for me the larger calibers just have more payload. Still havent ried the newer loads with heavier shot yet.
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Posted: 7/8/2020 11:55:22 AM EDT
[#34]
Picked up a couple boxes of the cci 22lr and 357/38spl when they were clearanced out at Walmart for $2.50 each box. Have a NAA SideWinder in 22lr that is always in my pocket for snakes and spiders
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Posted: 7/8/2020 12:21:28 PM EDT
[#35]
 Attached FilePack rat killed with homemade .44 mag shotshell at around 20 feet . Case was full cylinder length made from .444 Marlin brass. Brass can also be made from .30-40 Krag but it's a real pain in the ass;involves turning the rim down. I experimented a little with .357 Maximum brass in .357 but never followed up. |
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