Had several encouners with snakes here in far west Texas, but only one worth telling about. I was shooting on a rifle range in East El Paso. It's not there any more. We called it the 'pig farm' because it was near a pig farm and when the wind was wrong, dog fart was Chanel#5 compared to it.
I was shooting off a rest with a rifle, probably my old Model 70, 30-06, at 200 yards. I went down to check my targets,and there was a dead rattler at the entrance to the pits. He was about three feet long and ants were crawling all over him. I stepped over him. About the second trip to the pits, I unlimbered the S&W Model 39-2 I carried in a holster and shot him once. It missed him by a little bit, threw up a lot of sand and turned him over on his back. As I watched, and my eyes widened, he slowly turned over onto his belly once more. I emptied the 39-2 at him, and actually hit him a few times; a snake is a narrow target and hard to it, particulaly when you're excited. It did the job, and at subsequent trips to the pits, I'd put another round into him, but he never budged; the first treatment was sufficient. Don't remember what I was using, but at that time it may have been handloads using Cor-Bon bullets.
Wish I still had that first 39-2: the double action was better than my 38 S&W snubby revolver, and the single action was almost as good as my S&W 41. Wish I still had the M 70, too (the weapons I've sold would make up a pretty good collection now).
I was shooting off a rest with a rifle, probably my old Model 70, 30-06, at 200 yards. I went down to check my targets,and there was a dead rattler at the entrance to the pits. He was about three feet long and ants were crawling all over him. I stepped over him. About the second trip to the pits, I unlimbered the S&W Model 39-2 I carried in a holster and shot him once. It missed him by a little bit, threw up a lot of sand and turned him over on his back. As I watched, and my eyes widened, he slowly turned over onto his belly once more. I emptied the 39-2 at him, and actually hit him a few times; a snake is a narrow target and hard to it, particulaly when you're excited. It did the job, and at subsequent trips to the pits, I'd put another round into him, but he never budged; the first treatment was sufficient. Don't remember what I was using, but at that time it may have been handloads using Cor-Bon bullets.
Wish I still had that first 39-2: the double action was better than my 38 S&W snubby revolver, and the single action was almost as good as my S&W 41. Wish I still had the M 70, too (the weapons I've sold would make up a pretty good collection now).
