A recent post mentioning snake loads promted me to ask this. Has anyone ever found a legitimate use for them? I've tried them in .22LR, 9mm, 40 S&W and .44 Special/Rem Mag. The .44s had #9 shot, the rest had #12. I patterned them all on fresh cardboard and once I got more than 2 or 3 feet away there was enough room fo a cat to get through. Even at point blank range it doesn't look like they're worth the bother.

In a Contender barrel with the straight "rifling" tube at the end they (45 colt) work like a little .410, pretty neat. I've heard of equally good results in smooth bore .22's. I think Marlin made a smooth bore "Garden Gun" at one time. However my personal experiance with any rifled bores is similar to yours, absolutely worthless. I think the spin makes the pellets fly apart pretty fast.

I load my own for a .44 Special. Have never pattered them at 20 yards, but in my 20' long barn they are surely deadly on things such as mice up to warf rats. Good on rattlers at half that distance.

I use the CCI loads in my 45 Colt and it has worked well on the few Mohave's I have encountered. These are not meant for a distance shot, but within the usual range where you will encounter a rattler, 3-6 feet, they work well.

I load my one in 45lc using speer capsules and 7 1/2 shot very effective.Much better than the 9 shot in the CCI,s.w/regards

There are approx 135 #9 pellets in a .357 shotshell. The Rattler in my driveway thought they were very effective at 5'

When the SW 500 first came out I worked up some loads with #4 and 00.I even had a mould made for a .500-260gr RN and seated this on top of #4 and 00,also tried some dual (2)- 260gr RN loads.
The 260gr over the 00 load,this load used (7)-00 buck over the 260gr cast at 7 yds the pattern was 12", NOT good.
The 260gr RN over #4 shot patterned OK at 7 yds with the 260 in the 10x ring but at 10 yds hopeless.
The (2)- 260 gr RN in a case actually shot pretty good out to 25 yds.
at 7 yds the 2- cast 260gr were 2" apart
at 10 yds they were 4" apart
and at 25 yards 6-8" always on the target ,always at a 10 and 4 o'clock pattern.

Sean

quote:

Originally posted by Taurus Bill:
A recent post mentioning snake loads promted me to ask this. Has anyone ever found a legitimate use for them? I've tried them in .22LR, 9mm, 40 S&W and .44 Special/Rem Mag. The .44s had #9 shot, the rest had #12. I patterned them all on fresh cardboard and once I got more than 2 or 3 feet away there was enough room fo a cat to get through. Even at point blank range it doesn't look like they're worth the bother.

Well they are snake loads aren't they? How many snakes do you shoot at 20 yards? Not very many, heck most of us don't see snakes that far away. They are made to shoot snakes only a few feet away or closer. They work fine then. I have made my own snake loades in 9, mm, .38/357, .41 mag, .44 Spec/Mag, .45 ACP/AR and .45 Colt. All worked "as advertised" at "oh s**t it's a rattlesnake" range. Seemed like shooting ole "jake no shoulders" at my feet was a "legitimate use" at the time anyways.

Larry Gibson

I've killed two snakes with 45acp loads I made with cobbled up homemade dies and one squirrel with homemade 454 shotshells. Both snakes were only about 2-3 feet away and probably non-poisonous. The squirel was about 10 feet away and poking his head around a tree.

I have shot pigeons out of the top our hay loft on numerous occasions,which is about 20ft.I have killed gophers as far away as 15yds.w/regards

I shot and seen shot a few snakes with 9mm snake loads, The snakes were very dead at a few feet.

I found 22 shot shells ver efective from my Marlin 22 across the garage. Dead squirrels every time 20 feet or so. I think the Micro cruve rifling helps the pattren.

I have used them quite a bit.

I used to load them in 44 Mag, but when Speer made them a factory item I staarted using them.

My wife and I have killed quite a bit of small game with them in 44 Mag. Including grouse quail rabbits squirrel and of course snakes.

I have done the same with the 45 ACP shot shells.

I have killed snakes with the 9mm and 38 Special Speer shot shells.

I always carry them with me on any trip to the woods.

I have found them most effective and useful, in fact I have killed a lot more game with them in the last few years than I have with regular pistol ammo, in fact I cannot remember the last time I killed small game with anything else in a handgun.

In Texas on the deer lease we always load 2 shot shells up first, followed by 4 regular loads. We see copperheads, water mossicasins, and rattle snakes on a regular basis.

I would not like to be with out them.

I love the 22LR (CCI) for shooting those pesky carpenter bees that are huge & drill holes in your wood beams. I use a Colt SA & get good wing shooting practice while getting rid of the varmit.
I carry a S&W 36 3" HB 38 with shot in it (shoulder rig) while bush hogging the pastures. Great on the rats that wait til the last row & scoot out from under the tractor onto the mowed ground.
I did kill a mallard with a contender 44 mag hotshot @ 10 yards. Well,I knocked him down & had to get close to finish him with another one )
I never shot a snake with one. Though I knock one off here in the N FL swamps once in awhile. I use a stick. Mostly I leave em alone (even the poisonous ones)except those near
my stand that I'll be coming to in the dark

Mike Venturino has written a couple of articles about loading snake loads, and claims he kills about two rattlers per year in his yard. He doesn't hunt snakes, but doesn't allow them on the porch either.

Anyway, MV recommends No. 12 shot, says it kills snakes better than No. 9 or no. 7.5. Never tried it myself - but you can order the shot from Ballistic Products.

Brayhaven,
Last year, I got tired of swatting at those carpenter bees with my tennis racquet and was wondering how effective 22 birdshot would be using a pistol. I'm afraid I'd get carried away and shoot out a window in my cabin.

I also carried a nickel plated 36 S&W for snakes til I lost it in the woods last year. That, loaded with birdshot was deadly on rattlers around the cabin.

So now to keep the wife happy,(it was hers) I'm hunting at gun shows for another one.

I found the 22 shot cartridges very sufficient to dispatch two rattlers I found inside my shop two days in a row.

I have loaded the shot capsules for both .357 and 44 mag loads. I used several shot sizes since I had left overs from my shot shells. I found that the 7 1/2 up to 4 worked the best with the heavier being tops. I have taken several snakes, rabbits, and other similar critters with them and they generally stopped on the spot. The small pellets are the best for coverage in a short area, and have less of a chance of ricochet, but the bigger stuff to me has better results.

I also loaded some Hornady round balls which would fit two just inside the .44 capsule on top of two felt wads. These would shoot great out to 20yds and hit within a couple inches of each other.

I had to do it! The carpenter bumblers are out in force so I took out my Winchester .22 smoothbore and a pocket full of Rem shotshells. I smoked a bunch but it sure will get expensive. One thing I found is I can't shoot close. The pattern is so tight it is like shooting a bullet. I hit a bunch of close ones and they just vanished.
Looks like I will be loading shot shells for my revolvers too.
Can anyone tell me a good load and the procedure for the .44 and .45?

quote:

Originally posted by Herb D:
Brayhaven,
Last year, I got tired of swatting at those carpenter bees with my tennis racquet and was wondering how effective 22 birdshot would be using a pistol. I'm afraid I'd get carried away and shoot out a window in my cabin.

I also carried a nickel plated 36 S&W for snakes til I lost it in the woods last year. That, loaded with birdshot was deadly on rattlers around the cabin.

So now to keep the wife happy,(it was hers) I'm hunting at gun shows for another one.

Mostly I shoot the bees outside around the shop & barn, on the fly, with a colt peacemaker 22. It has a surprisingly good pattern @ 15ft.
My wife borrowed my Beretta 22 to shoot some ptarmigan in AK and liked it so well, she refused to give it back. I had to go hunting at gunshows to find myself another one.
Oh well, gotta keep a woman who loves to mow, happy

bfrshooter;Buy the Speer capsules/w wads and all the insructions are on the box.w/regards

Opps..i killed most of my snake encounter with my Parangs!

brayhaven, you're absolutely right.
Well,I guess I'd better get ready for opening bee season in a few weeks.

I once tried those CCI shotshells out of a Win94 in 357 mag.

On the odd occassion the plastic cup will fail to fracture and release the pellets so the whole deal goes flying off downrange intact and will probably cause some damage.

Don't ask how I know this.

Be carefull with those things, they are like bullets if they don't open up.

I would prefer to not buy anything and just load them myself. I have shot, just need some loads and what anyone has found to make good wads. I don't want to use gas checks either because of danger and damage. I have a lot of .060" LDPE I can punch wads from.
The stores here don't stock anything. I have trouble finding .22 shot shells.