Hello all! these are great forums, and now for my first question: Getting ready for my vacation at our cottage in the North Carolina mountains. I always carry my S&W 686 when we're out on the trails in case we encounter snakes or any other species with a bad attitude. I picked up a couple boxes of .357 shot shells for this purpose, but started wondering if I can damage my bore by using them? any advise?.....thanks!

Hello Marko, and welcome.

I've never seen or heard of any damage caused by using shotshells in revolvers. I've used them, but not what you would call "extensively". You have to get real close, like ten feet or less, for them to be effective with #12 shot. I've only seen them in 38 special, not 357 magnum?

Load up that 686 and fire away....

Enjoy your vacation,

Bill

Thanks a bunch Bill! I always carry a few "more potent" loads with me but the shot shells seem appropriate for Hiking and 4-wheeling out in the woods. I'll have to take some random shots at something where I can see the pattern so that I'll know what I'm dealing with.

Just poped a rattler at about 7 feet with a 9mm shot shell worked just fine one dead rattler. Shot some rats ect with them about 10 12 feet in the best. but then if a snake is more the that away no reason to shoot him. They well not hurt your gun.

Hey Marko;
Don't worry; they wont hurt your gun....think about it for a moment: they are plastic and lead...both are softer than steel.
I experimented with the Speer shot capsules for handloading out of my 6" Colt Trooper MkIII. The main problem is that the shot follows the rifling in the barrel and the patterns (if yo can call them that) go to hell in a hurry at all but the closest ranges. I loaded mine with #9 shot for a little more "oomph". Never shot a snake with them....just pattern targets and tin cans. Good luck and I hope you don't have to use them.

I read in a wilderness medicine book that you're 17 times more likely to be bitten by a poisonous snake in North Caroline than in Arizona. I've been thinking about making up some shotshells using .351 Win SLR or .357 Max cases, running the case right out to the face of the cylinder for maximum capacity.

That's an ominous thought,"17 times more likely in NC than AZ". I think I'll buy an extra box of shot shells!

I know that most western states in U.S have large population of poisonous snakes,and I wonder any of you guys have thought about smooth bored revolver.If I were living in such place ,I would have bought old,cheap revolver and sleeved its barrel for smooth bore liner.I think it will make dandy gun for fishermen and campers.Even cheap o/u darringer in smooth bores is cool choice.
What do you think.....

Sorry RAO, I'm not going to try it over here in the US. Any smoothbore barrel less than 18" long on anything (even derringers) is a big no-no....

Maybe in Pakistan?

Bill

I've loaded them in 9mm, 38/357, and 44mag. The factory loads I've seen are very weak so I load my own. I use the Speer shot capsules with #9 shot, and I load them as long as the gun will handle. If anyone wants my load data let me know.

I live in the southwest and rarely come across snakes, when I do they are usually rattlers. I've only seen one when I had a gun with me. I sat on a grassy mound, shot some wood, and inspected the damage. When I went back to sit on my flattened grass ass print, the back half of a 2' or so rattler was across it! It took a moment to realize that I had crushed it. I played with him for a bit to see how bad it was, he seemed to be in shock. I guess that's why he didn't bite me? I let him go and he slowly slithered away. I should've killed him but I felt bad about the whole thing and thought he might be ok, but he probably died a slow death.

I read a news article a few weeks ago that the US was dangerously low on anti-venom, low enough that your nearest hospital may not have any.
But the only time I've ever seen a snake biting is when the were being fu@#ed with. And I've never seen/heard of a snake move toward a person.

Shot a rattler in Arizona (Kingman) a few years back with CCI shotshells out of a 2.5" S&W M-19. Did the gun no hard. Did the snake a lot of harm.

Bill M;
Isn't T/C contender in .410,available in barrel lengths of 10" to 16".I mean is there some legal problem with smooth bored handguns in St.Louis.
As for performence,I have small .36 cal muzz-loading pen pistol with 3" barrel and with careful loads of #8 shot,it gives neat patterns at ten yards and although I have never shot snake with it,few house sparrows and sterlings were no problem for it.

RAO the TC 410 has speical rifleing in the barrrel and a speical choke to take care of that. Any smooth bore with a under 18 in barrel is considered a saw off shot gun in the states a big no no. Just one of are stuiped gun control laws. They were readlly available before the law was past in 1934. A muzzle loading one would be legal as muzzle loaders are not classified as fire arms in the states.

Pdogshooter,

Thanks for the information. I was not aware that it contained a "special" rifling, I thought it was just a long chambered 45 colt barrel with a choke tube at the muzzle. I also did not think about the muzzleloader "exemption".

I once considered having a 45 colt/454 Casull/410 shotgun barrel. I figured if they had 45 colt/410 barrels, and you could shoot 45 Colt in 454 Casull, why not 45/454/410 barrel? T/C said it wouldn't work, though I still do not understand why?... I suspect that the 454 Casull will chamber and fire out of a 45 Colt/410 barrel, but they don't want to admit that they may have a Contender problem waiting to happen out there!

I also believe that you can shoot 410 shotshells in any 45-70 chambered gun.

RAO, it's not just St. Louis - less than 18" smoothbore barrel prohibition is Federal law. Same with less than 16" rifle barrel.

Best regards, Bill

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[ 07-02-2002, 19:55: Message edited by: Bill M ]

i like shot loads ouy of my mod 27 6in. i load the capsules with no 6 an 7 shot ive recovered from old shotgun shells. i like the bigger size shot appearers to do more initial damage to targets.true theres less projectiles per load but with a revolver you have 5 backups if the first shot dont take em down. i load mine over 5gr of bullseye seem to be enough powder charge to make em work.

I take down minks on a regular basis with my S&W 686 using CCI:s shot shells. The whole thing goes like this; without a shotgun it's near impossible to hit one of them, but you can scare (chase) it to take cover under a rock, and then you just wait outside for a few moments until it sticks its head out to have a look. The use of handguns when hunting is illegal here, unless the animal is trapped, wounded or in a burrow.. Under a rock is close enough legally.
Since the range is usually between 2-3 meters it's quite enough.
Tried it once with a .22, but of course the ricochet was more than enough to change my plans