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Snake Shot

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Went out before the 4th to do a little copperhead hunting out back with the trusty Briggs & Stratton and one of the little rascals just flat refused to stick his head up. Got me to thinking that I should have had the '51 Sheriff model in my pocket. And that got me to wondering if folks are using snake shot in their percussion revolvers.
Anybody got a load technique worked up?
 
I believe Brush Hippy has done some experimenting with this, and he put a video up on youtube. Sorry I don't have a link handy!

-GB
 
Over the years I've come to the conclusion (many times) that shooting shot out of a rifled barrel is an exercise in futility. :td:
 
I'm not sure how this would work on a cap and ball revolver but it should not be a problem with a single shot pistol. Uberti, or one of the other companys makes one in smooth bore, or you could go up to a Howdah pistol, a 20ga SBS pistol would be impressive. In any case, my experiments with .357, .44 and .45 shot shells indicated that they are only good for about 5 yards, close enough for snaky creatures. Keep yer Powder dry......Robin :stir:
 
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Good idea, I would think a shot capsule of some kind would need to be used as I shoot Speer plastic shot cups in my .44 Smith 4 inch for grouse and they work well to about 15 feet with #7 shot.
My guess is a shot cup made on the order of a paper cartridge and felt wad in the chamber mouth would get the job done.
I need to try that. Mike D.
 
GoodCheer said:
No doubt a snakey load could be had. Hopefully someone has done the ground work...

Don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but Speer makes some blue plastic shot capsules, that you fill with your choice of shot and make your own shot shells in .357, .44, and .45. Midway USA lists them in their catalogue. One of these might work. You have to be careful not to use too much powder, or you will blow holes in the pattern. Keep yer powder dry.....Robin :doh:
 
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I don't like snakes--having tripped over one once and rammed my M-60 in mud. Get one like this (you can always USE another gun anyway) 16 bore 10" bbl. a real snake "charmer"... :hmm: Tom

 
Deputy Dog said:
...Speer makes some blue plastic shot capsules, that you fill with your choice of shot and make your own shot shells....

I used a whole bunch of those in cartridge guns back when I lived in serious snake country. I'm betting they're too long for C&B, but that's an educated guess rather than fact.

As for range, yeah, they're really good at snake ranges but not much further. But in my experience #8 shot was too course except in larger calibers and marginal even there. Better to go with #10.

Gotta tell at least one sea story, but in my one experience with #8 shot from a 357, I had the misfortune to discover a decent rattler coiled right between my feet, mid-stride. He was making noise and swinging his head back and forth trying to which leg to hit.

I slapped leather and popped off three rounds straight down. He got tired of the noise and dust, so slithered off a few feet. I was down to regular ammo in the cylinder after the three shot loads, so I dinked his head with one of those.

Skinning him out later for supper, I made an amazing discovery.... Three shots straight down from waist high, and I hadn't managed to put a single #8 into him! Glad to report that I somehow missed my feet too. :rotf:
 
Tom Knight said:
I don't like snakes--having tripped over one once and rammed my M-60 in mud. Tom

Must have been a mighty big snake to trip you. That M-60 should have been big enough once you got the barrel cleared.

Biggest one I've ever come across was a 5' 3" Eastern Diamondback rattler. It was larger around than my calf ... big enough to trip over if you get close enough. I used a 12 ga. with 7 1/2 shot. My bird dog was relieved.
 
Boy, you guys have made me curious! I have got to lay out some paper targets on plywood and see what kind of a pattern I can get at what distance in both .44 and .36.
I did note that using the shot cups in .44 that the long barrel gun scattered shot more than did the short barrel.
Seven and a half as opposed to 4 inch. I have no idea of why and need to test it again to make sure of my initial result.
I would have thought it would have been the other way around. Mike D.
 
Python in beautifull south viet-nam. Snake was long gone before I got barrel changed out. M-60 works real good on wild water buff's tho, real good. Uncle killed a rattler in south east Tenn. 6' foot and yes--bigger than a mans calf......Tom
 
Jeez, remind me never to go to Texas again nor South (or even North) Vietnam.

Thanks for going for us Tom.
 
This mite be more'n you want to do---but. Get another bbl. somewhere & have it reamed smooth--then it'll throw shot. ????? Tom
 
Tom Knight said:
...--then it'll throw shot. ?????

If you're using a capsule, you really kinda need the rifling to help break up the capsule.

For snake shot you're only talking about delivering a dense pattern to about 4 feet. My dinking around sezz that's easy to do with smaller shot. At such ranges you only get into thin pattern issues when your shot is too large. You have to hit them first. At pistol velocities and ranges, small #10 shot does a dandy job of penetrating snake parts. Never got around to trying #12 shot (takes a loooong time to go through a 5 lb bag of #10 shot), but I'm betting it would be even better out of smaller bores like a 36 or 31.

No frame of reference but instinct since I haven't done it, but for a C&B revolver I'd be tempted to seat a cardboard wad over the powder, pour in a measure of shot stopping just short of the cylinder mouth, seat another card, then smear on some tallow for "glue." Supposition, but I think a very good starting point.

The way my guns get nervous when I shoot snakes, a little pattern spread from the rifling might be a very good thing! :rotf:
 
We used to have a feller locally who enjoyed playing the hillbilly role to the hilt. He would bet tourists that he could shoot an asprin out of the air. He used some kind of C&B revolver, which he cleaned at least once a decade :shocked2: . He got that asprin every time. Load: bp, toilet paper over powder wad, shot, and toilet paper over shot wad. Worked for him.
 
I got a Colt Walker and thought with that big cylinder I could work up a load for some heavy brush grouse hunting.
I charged each chamber with 35 grains 3f and a wad .Then filled it with shot.
I sealed it off with melted wax.
To check how it patterned I stepped back from the barn door about 30' and let loose with a shot at center of door(barn door is two doors 4'x8'each)
I knew it would be a wide spread ,, but the only way to describe it is ,, to duplicate it you would have to put a tablespoon of shot in a wet paper bag and hit it with a ball bat! :shocked2:
The pattern was a at least 8' in dia.
Pretty much a waste of time for anything more than spitting distance away.
But,,, I got another barrel off E-bay that is going to be reamed to a smooth bore to see if it will tighten the pattern.
 
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