doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT: .22 cal birdshot ammo

A lady I know wants to carry a small .22 revolver around her horse property in the foothills as she is coming into contact with rattlesnakes on a regular basis. I've shot some CCI .22 cal birdshot loads and was notat all impressed. Has anyone used an effective load ? At this point the lady is trying to kill the snakes ( I'm not taking a position on whether this is the right or wrong thing to do, mind you) with rakes, pitchforks, and the occasional cinder block.
Thanks for your help !

I've found it reasonably effective at close range. If she is willing to go mano-a-mano armed with a rake, a load of .22 shot should be an improvement, several loads on the same target (target saturation) is an option worthy of consideration. However, a load of .38 Special shot will be even more effective. She might even consider developing the skill to use a solid; at short range, a head/neck shot is not such a high level of skill as it might sound. Be sure she understands that these loads may not kill "ze serpeeent" graveyard dead, so any handling must be done with the rake until proven beyond any retaliation.

I'm with Rocketman here and 22 shotshells are iffy on rattlers. The 38spl loads are a lot more effective. I'd suggest she get a 38 snubbie as these are just as easy to carry as a 22.
Jim

Guys, thanks for your thoughts on using a .38 cal load. What size shot is available ?

I just took a CCI 38 shotshell out of the box and from what I can see looking through the blue capsule at appears the shot size is number 9. The box states that there are approx. 135 pellets per load.
If I remember correctly the 22s are loaded with shot size 12.
BTW: Snakes are a constant concern here while hiking around the desert. I usually carry a revolver with the first chamber loaded for snakes and the rest loaded for 2 legged vermin.
Jim

I've got an old Ruger single six that has shot so many snakes with .22 shotshells the bore is leaded up enough to make it a smoothbore...Never a problem with killing them stone cold dead. Used to shoot them with a .22 rifle. If you point the barrel at them from 3-5 feet away they will look right up the bore and you can hit them in the head shooting from the hip every time. Problem is they tend to thrash around something fierce for awhile when shot in the head with a .22 solid or hollowpoint. Shot with the birdshot they barely quiver, which is why I prefer it for snakes.

I like the Speer/CCI .44 shot load in a Colt SAA .44 Spl., 3/8 oz. of #9 shot seems to work well on the buzztails with almost no recoil. Also, the same load has dispatched a couple possibly rabid skinks with no ill-effects other than the death of the skunk.

The same brand .38 Spl. loading is OK, but I'm with Rocketman and Italian SxS on the .22 loads. They're minimum, at best. As Ruark said, "Use enough gun." -- Ed

I have had zero results with shot loads in firearms that feature rifling. It is my belief that after pushing through whatever is holding the shot in the shell, the shot just follows the rifling to a very short range oblivion.

Now, a smoothbore .22 rifle behaves much different when loaded with shot, and a snake doesn't stand much of a chance with this combination out to maybe twelve short paces. When I was a kid, .22 smoothbores were cheap when you stumbled on them-now they cost more.
Best,
Ted

Stop by Gunsport and talk to Ross,
he should be able to help you out. We carry a wide assortment of shot shells for pistol cartridges and he may have other sugestions for you. I always like to meet other sxs folks, but I'm off to hunt deer for a couples of weeks with my smoke pole. Stop by around the last week in october and say hi. I'm the gunsmith downstairs, I'm Steve. Hope to see you sometime,
Steve

If she has or can get a revolver convertible to .22 mag, those loads are much better.

I brought back a kilo each of #10s, 11s and 12s from Italy years ago. 11s in a .38 sp are deadly. I don't know whether or not 11 shot is available anywhere as a component in the US today.