While I have killed smaller snakes with 22Mag shot shells. 4 rounds at less than 3 feet just pissed this one off. When it drew back into a tight S shape and pointed itself towards me I said fuckit and pulled out the G20 I carry stoked with 200gr DoubleTap HP. One shot stop. Another step or two and I would have stepped right on it. I am 6'3" and am wearing western boots with a 2" heel.

A good size snake killed one about that size while hog hunting a 315gr WFN hard cast at 1280fps.

On the tip of his nose did the job.

About the same size of a timber rattler I killed with a Kysher blade on a survey job.

That's a mighty big buzztail by Oregon standards. A five-footer here is a toad.
I killed one about 3 1/2 feet long with a single CCI .22 LR shotshell at six feet a while back and he didn't move.
I think I'd have wanted a .38 or .44 shotshell at minimum for that bruiser. Did you save the skin? It would cover both limbs of a self bow!

Nice job. Now there is some fine eating!

I had seen the pics in the ranch house, but had not paid much attention until this incident. I will definitely pay more attention where I walk.

I, like you, have found that the .22/.22Mag bird shot loads are a dismal failure on big snakes. However, not all is lost, as they are dynamite on bees and butterflies.

I've shot 4 or 5 big snakes with .22lr shot shells multiple times and it only seemed to piss them off. Lately I've found 1 oz of #7.5's from a 20 gauge at 12-15 feet makes heads disappear !!!

I don't like getting as close as the .22 shot shells require or having to fire so many rounds and hoping that the snake doesn't strike out during the volley.

I've also found, again like you, that 180g .40 slug will makes heads and body parts vanish with one shot !! The double barreled 20 gauge does have a greater margin of error in the sight picture required.

I can only report my personal experience with handgun shotshells.

I have killed a LOT of snakes, including some big ones with handgun shotshells.

I have used the 22LR, 22Mag, 9mm, 38 Special, 44 Mag/Special, 45 ACP, and the 45 Colt.

I have never had to shoot any snake more than twice, except for a 62" Diamondback water snake that got into the wives chicken pen.

She grabbed it by the tail and "flung" it out of the pen. When it hit the ground, it took off like lightening, and I was right up on it. I fired 4 shots from a SA 45 Colt as it went past me, but I was too close and the pattern was too small. I backed up a little and shot it from about 10 or 12 feet, with my last round.
It was DRT.

I have killed several big rattlers with the 22LR and 22 Mag.

One of my biggest rattlers was a 54" one I killed after dark in deer camp with my S&W Mod 34 2" Kit gun.

I have killed a whole bunch of big snakes with my Freedom Arms 22 Mag,1.2" Mini revolver,never more than 2 shots...

PS, Rattle snakes taste great fried up in Olive oil.

Got a five foot timber rattler the other day on a job with a Kysher blade. Not as much fun as the .38, but a much quieter.

Shot rattler once with a Lama 380 auto killed the snake but don't recommend the gun sights were lousy but it pointed well.

I have only seen a couple in my life that big. The biggest was on the southern tip of the big horn mts. I was leaving 10 Sleep early in the morning. The snake was stretched clear across the road. I ran over it with both front tires. I went back to shoot it but it had got to the side of the road into some tall sage. I didn't dare go in after it.

Thank God! We don't have snakes up here. !!!!!!!

I've never seen a rattler here in eastern PA, but after my brother moved to Wyoming he asked me which pistol shotshells worked best I t9old him whatever pistol would load 1-1/8oz of #7-1/2 or #8 12ga shotshells... he finds them effective on his rattlers, but I'm still mystified why he asked me, all I ever see in snakes that I'd consider shooting are copperheads and frankly I only ever see them after my domestic cat decides to use them as playtoys.

MY cat seems to know what he's doing so I don't interfere