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Bird shot in an M&P 22 compact
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Bkreutz
US Veteran
If you put the bird 6 inches in front of the muzzle, you might hit him. (whether or not he's injured would still be in doubt)
The best birdshot .22 I saw was a rifle that my Uncle made for killing rats in the barn. He took an old bolt action .22, had the rifling bored out and a smooth bore liner installed. It worked great. He told me that the rifling turned the birdshot into powder.
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Running shot down a rifled barrel of any length imparts spin to the shot wad. As soon as the wad and shot exit the barrel, centrifugal force opens the wad, slowing it down so the shot comes out. But the shot is spinning also, spreading rapidly. The shot in a .22 is really small and does not have much energy beyond 6-8' and it has spread so wide then that pattern density may not be effective.
IMO .22 shot cartridges are at best a novelty, especially when spun out of rifling.
If you want, buy some (they are expensive) and pattern them from your gun at 5, 10 and 15 feet on paper. You may find a ring pattern with very little shot in the middle and more out on the edges because of CF.
From shotgunworld.com:
"when fireing .22 lr shotshells out of my little smith n' wesson model 22 with a 4" barrell, it has a very wide pattern of about 2 1/2 feet at 7 yards. i killed a copperhead with that pistol last year, so it works just fine for that purpose.
i have also fired the shells from remington, sears, and marlin rifles, and even with a longer barrell, the pattern is still pretty loose, but still tighter than with the pistol.
edit... i would stay away from the crimped shotshells. i bought some federal crimped 22 lr shotshells, and every one of those i fired jamed up really bad. the crimping opened up, and lodged the shell in pretty bad. also, the shot deforms really bad on the crimped shells, so the patterns will be even worse."
IMO .22 shot cartridges are at best a novelty, especially when spun out of rifling.
If you want, buy some (they are expensive) and pattern them from your gun at 5, 10 and 15 feet on paper. You may find a ring pattern with very little shot in the middle and more out on the edges because of CF.
From shotgunworld.com:
"when fireing .22 lr shotshells out of my little smith n' wesson model 22 with a 4" barrell, it has a very wide pattern of about 2 1/2 feet at 7 yards. i killed a copperhead with that pistol last year, so it works just fine for that purpose.
i have also fired the shells from remington, sears, and marlin rifles, and even with a longer barrell, the pattern is still pretty loose, but still tighter than with the pistol.
edit... i would stay away from the crimped shotshells. i bought some federal crimped 22 lr shotshells, and every one of those i fired jamed up really bad. the crimping opened up, and lodged the shell in pretty bad. also, the shot deforms really bad on the crimped shells, so the patterns will be even worse."
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The .22 shotshells may also not cycle the slide, in addition to jamming the brass in your chamber. Best to practice before needing them and bringing a range rod to clear any jams.
robvious
Member
Remington has made a smooth bore pump 22 over the years off and on... 572 SB... also older models... they work pretty well for what they are... but have become expensive for what they are... limit anything to about 25 feet to be really certain... and worthless on anything bigger than a can of soda.
I tried .22 shotshells in a PT.22 and concluded I did not want to stick my hand that close to a prairie rattler to be sure the shotshell would be effective. I can easily hit a rattler's head from "more than safe" feet away with a solid bullet. The PT .22 has even less rifling than the M&P .22, but shreds the pattern.
Lee in Quartzsite
Member
If you want to use shot shells get a revolver, preferably a .38 or larger. .22's have minimal shot, plus they won't cycle a semi-auto....makes it a single shot gun. I use a 642 with a CT laser and it's effective out to about 5 yds for rattlers.
ajgunner
Member
I have used them a few time on snakes out of a little tiny North American Arms 22 revolver. They are plenty effective and the best part is they don't tear up the hide if you were planning to make something out of it.
Rpg
Member
I've never found 22 birdshot ammo good for anything except shooting dragonflys.
That's fun.
Beyond that, they're junk.
That's fun.
Beyond that, they're junk.
Ranger514
Member
Not sure I'd want to use 22 shot on anything like a poisonous snake, however, I've taken several rattlers with .38 shot. Rats might be a different story
gman51
Member
22 shot shell ammo is not made for auto loaders and will jam most auto loaders. IMO it is best to shoot them through a revolver or single shot rifle. The shorter the barrel the less effective shot shell ammo is. Even then you need be really close to the intended target.
I know for fact, by experience, that shooting a snake in a tree with 22 shot shell in a 6" revolver can take a lot of shots fired to drop the snake out of a tree. Now a 12 gage with buckshot will definitely do the job.
I know for fact, by experience, that shooting a snake in a tree with 22 shot shell in a 6" revolver can take a lot of shots fired to drop the snake out of a tree. Now a 12 gage with buckshot will definitely do the job.
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Bird shot in my Ruger 10/22 took down squirrels in my attic from 60-ish feet just as well as any 50 BMG could have. But the brass did not extract and had to be pried out with a pocket knife. Both of these facts surprised me.
Gomez93
Member
I have the same experience as several of the others;
.38 and .45ACP shotshells are quite effective on snakes, I have 3 in the freezer that fell victim to a 45 from 20 - 25 feet.
On the other hand, I once emptied a 9 shot revolver into (at?) a rattler from less than 10 feet with no effect, and I don't want to be any closer than that.
.38 and .45ACP shotshells are quite effective on snakes, I have 3 in the freezer that fell victim to a 45 from 20 - 25 feet.
On the other hand, I once emptied a 9 shot revolver into (at?) a rattler from less than 10 feet with no effect, and I don't want to be any closer than that.
I have found birdshot from a .22 pistol surprisingly effective, with good pattern and penetration out to 15'. I truly did not expect it.
Like said above, you will likely have to operate your pistol as a single shot.
I like Winchester 22LRS 'Pest Control', with the crimped mouth vs shot capsules.
While I have seen good penetration, remember that #12 shot isn't much bigger than a cosmic ray, so effect on a critter may be less than dramatic. Like it may not die til tomorrow.
Like said above, you will likely have to operate your pistol as a single shot.
I like Winchester 22LRS 'Pest Control', with the crimped mouth vs shot capsules.
While I have seen good penetration, remember that #12 shot isn't much bigger than a cosmic ray, so effect on a critter may be less than dramatic. Like it may not die til tomorrow.
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CBStuard
Member
Tried .22 shot in my Buckmark and like the rest, it became a one shot gun. Tried it once in a bolt rifle and was surprised how many shots it took to kill a small snake.
