Snake gun for Prairie Dog shooting ?

H

hawkeye58

Member
What would you suggest for a light carry gun for snakes?

We saw 14 prairie rattlers on our trip last week in South Dakota. The closest was at my feet.

Been thinking of a light 38 special or 44 special with birdshot.

Thanks,
Hawkeye58
 
My good buddy joghotrod brings a big derringer lookin thing loaded with .410 shotgun shells. Texas Defender ?
Anything less is only marginal as far as I'm concerned.
 
Just carry a .22lr pistol and you'll be good to go. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
My uncle has a Bond Arms Defender in .410 and 45lc but I dont like it.The pattern is way too wide and only a few pellets hit the target and usually you just have a very angry snake after you squeeze the trigger,once you get it squeezed that is.It has about a 10 pound trigger pull on it.I have a Snake Charmer .410 that I've killed quite a few snakes with though.The thing with .410's is that they are too expensive to be shootin dang snakes with especially if your in a dog town where you might find several in one day.Its cheaper to shoot them with a .22 and it aint as hard on your hearing that way either.And using a shovel is even easier on your hearing as far as that goes which is how I kill rattlers most of the time anyhow.
 
I've carried a 66 3" w/CCI birdshot on last three PD hunts.

May take OKRattler's advice on the .22..should help me with jumping straight up in the air from standing, LOL.
 
Hawkeye,

This is what I use. It's an amazing load as a snake getter. I shoot CCI 45 ACP shot loads. They cycle in the pistol (Kimber) which also amazed me. I didn't expect that. Taking a snake with that load is easy, but then I haven't tried it on rattlers, which are naturally larger than copperheads. It works great for copperheads though. The shot is #9 if I am correct. If you have a 45 ACP, then it might be worth a try.

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SnakeMedicine.jpg


SnakeLoad.jpg
 
I wonder if shot loads for the 357 mag would be efective?
After reading up on the mojave green rattlers, I feel the need to carry something that fires shot wilst calling.
According to what I've read last night the mojave green is the most venomous of all the rattlers, and the most aggressive. I can attest to the aggressivness. Mojave greens allways stand thier ground. I've killed a few, I can remember two that actually came toward me! Nasty critters.
I've seen them off the ground wraped up in the brush /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif You really have to keep an eye out for the little bastards. I guess from what I've read they can grow up to 5 feet in lenght. Not the biggest, but the badest. Grizz
 
GRIZZLYONE-My grandpa has some 38special shotshells that he has shot out of his .357 a couple of times.I saw that box of shotshells the other day and asked him if he had tryed any of them out on a snake.He said yeah I shot a few with em' and I had to ask if they worked good on rattlesnakes and he just said...."Killed em'" so I guess they work pretty good.He did'nt sound to inthusiastic about it but he also used to have a one gallon jar clear full of rattles that he had cut off of snakes that he's killed over the years so its kinda hard to impress him when it comes to that sort of thing I guess.He carries his Benelli Nova Tactical with him now.He said if they coil up that gun really splatters and scatters em'. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I use a 22 revolver loaded with birdshot. I spend a lot time in prairie dog areas and have always had good results with it.
 
I'll second the .45ACP shot loads.

I didn't think they would cycle but they did.

Be sure and check the point of impact.

HM
 
I have found the easiest way to deal with a prairie rattler is just walk the other way.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Normally I don't want the added weight of a handgun on my belt. And if I do, I want it loaded with hi-speed hollow points to ward off a charging wounded PD!

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If any of you have a 45 ACP and can get a round or two of the CCI loads I mentioned above, give it a try at a reasonable snake range ( a few feet ). I believe you will be impressed with the pattern.

I have tried the 38 special loads on paper and on snakes, from 2" snubs to 4" barrels. No where near as effective as the 45 loads from a Government model.
 
OK, I found some CCI 45ACP shot loads and ordered two boxes.

What I'll do is load two shot loads at the top of the magazines over six 200gr. HP's. That way I have the snake situation covered and should I have an attacking wounded PD I can shoot through two to get to the hi-speed hollow points.

I've got a solution and I'm happy.

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CB, I happen to know as a point of fact, that a hot loaded .45ACP won't part the hair on a charging rabid Hamster at 5 paces. You my friend may need to step up to somethin a little stouter....say like a .17HMR!


Chupa
 
He he he. The old "shoot yourself in the foot" trick. My son stepped on a copperhead last year. I would love to have been there with a video camera, and I'm sure he's glad I wasn't. His Kimber and 45 shot shell did the trick. He was very pale upon returning home. It was a small snake (he brought it home in a bucket), but it doesn't take a very big one to cause most people to jump straight up.

Like Halfmile said, be sure to check the point of impact on the 45 ACP loads. They shoot tight, but that's why they work so good.

Claimbuster, let us know your opinion about the 45 loads once you try them out.

 
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That is the other nice thing about the stick. You need a stick anyway to pick it up and show it off or throw the poisionous ones away. Copperheads can be very moody.
 
Quote:
My good buddy joghotrod brings a big derringer lookin thing loaded with .410 shotgun shells. Texas Defender ?
Anything less is only marginal as far as I'm concerned.



Hey Steve,

You are right, it is a Texas Defender made by Bond Arms. Those .22 snake shot rounds that Carl had looked like they would work also.

How are things going on the farm? How did the wheat harvest go? We are in Ohio at the Father - in - Laws place and as I type this there are 2 Whistle Pigs in his back yard waiting to be shot, but I didn't bring any rifles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Jimmy
 
After all this dialog, I'm wondering if this is what I need for snakes.

Shotgun.jpg


?????

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Quote:
After all this dialog, I'm wondering if this is what I need for snakes.

Shotgun.jpg


?????

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



Hey I used to have one of those! Looked just like that too, except mine had a trigger guard and a wood on the grip, instead of tape.

As I got older the fear of getting caught with such an item weighed on me pretty good. Several years ago I took my porta-band to it, completely destroying it. I then scattered the parts in the landfill, never to be seen again. I sleep better at night now.
 


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