Loading Buffet Style

[617fan]

Anybody load their carry gun "buffet" style?

As a forester I have encountered a wide variety of uncomfortable situations. Aggressive cottonmouths, meth labs, booby trapped marijuana plots, and quite a few unsociable large dogs. I never carried when working in the woods, but sure would of felt better in all the above situations if I would of had more than a biltmore stick to rely on.

Now that I have a ccw, I was thinking that a round or two of snakeshot should be in the Model 60 for woods carry. I think the snakeshot would prove to be an attitude adjuster without having to kill someones dog.

Where the threat is primarily the two-legged variety, I could see where a round or two of .38's followed up with .357's could have some merit?

 

[617fan]

Anybody load their carry gun "buffet" style?

As a forester I have encountered a wide variety of uncomfortable situations. Aggressive cottonmouths, meth labs, booby trapped marijuana plots, and quite a few unsociable large dogs. I never carried when working in the woods, but sure would of felt better in all the above situations if I would of had more than a biltmore stick to rely on.

Now that I have a ccw, I was thinking that a round or two of snakeshot should be in the Model 60 for woods carry. I think the snakeshot would prove to be an attitude adjuster without having to kill someones dog.

Where the threat is primarily the two-legged variety, I could see where a round or two of .38's followed up with .357's could have some merit?

 

[Pisgah]

I see nothing wrong with loading a round of snakeshot -- if snakes are a concern. But, I hesitate to endorse the idea of using any round you might consider "non-fatal".. The fact is, in a defensive situation I am not going to shoot unless my intent is to stop the percieived threat -- and "stopping" translates into "killing", if I'm really going to be serious about it. I look at it this way -- if a dog attacks me with enough ferocity that I feel compelled to shoot it, then I really don't concern myself with the owner's feelings. He's going to feel you've tried to kill his dog whether you have killed it or only peppered it with shot.

 

[Wyatt Earp]

Carry two guns. One with snake shot and the other with defensive loads. Some dogs just won't take no for an answer.

 

[GatorFarmer]

It used to be called "Dutch loading". I don't why come to think of it. Anyway, it used to be common during the days when JHPs were a fairly iffy proposition to alternate FMJ and JHPs in a magazine. At least some gun writers wrote of the practice anyway.

I used to keep the last two rounds in my glovebox Model 19 as deep penetrating FMJs while the rest were JHPs. That too used to be a somewhat common (or at least not totally unknown) thing to see in the revolver days.

 

[jkc]

I used to carry first and second up rounds of snake shot, followed by HPs, until I wised up about this procedure, when I came eventually to realize that I never found myself in any situation where snakeshot was of any defensive use. If you're paying attention, you won't usually get close enough to a venomous snake that there's any point in shooting it. In the rare circumstance when you do get too close, using a gun is probably the least desirable of all other alternatives --- the most desirable is to just move to a safe distance. If for some reason you can't pay careful attention, wear protective gear such as snake chaps (the new ones made of Kevlar fabric are vast improvements over the old bronze mesh or plastic versions). And I wouldn't shoot an aggressive dog with snake shot --- the shot charge can barely kill a small rodent, let alone a dog large enough to warrant shooting it.

 

[flop-shank]

Originally posted by Wyatt Earp:
Carry two guns. One with snake shot and the other with defensive loads. Some dogs just won't take no for an answer.

A NAA mini in a front pocket would be perfect in that capacity.

 

[jaegan]

When working outside around the place doing yardwork, I usually carry one gun with shotshells (either a model 10 or my sigma 40ve) and the BUG in my pocket always has a more usual defensive load. There's certainly something to be said for mixing or alternating rounds, but IMO practically speaking, it's probably just going to insure that your first round up is the wrong one for whatever you end up needing to shoot. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Andy Taylor]

Back when I carried a sig P220 I would have hollowpoints in the gun and in one spare mag. My second spare mag had FMJ.

 

[walnutred]

In my smaller semi autos I often have a hollowpoint in the tube and they mag full of FMJs.

 

[gatorhugger]

There is a difference in stacking FMJ and HP.
A lot of people do that.

But to load snakeshot in a Defensive weapon is not a great idea. What if your first shot is the only "good" shot you get? You ain't gonna hit em all, in fact you will lucky to hit one or two with adrenaline, and it probably will be your first or second shot.
I sure wouldn't want the only round to hit being #9 shot!

 

[Goldstar225]

When I'm out "woods bummin" I'll have either my 3" model 60 or 4 5/8 Blackhawk .45. During snake season the first two chambers have snake loads. Any other time or place my various guns will have nothing but high quality hollowpoints.

 

[TN RAT]

You could carry the first chamber loaded with snakeshot, and then load the other chambers with a defensive load. In the event you have a self defense situation simply double tap, but remember the first round will have no effect.

 

[tmbrcruizr]

As a forester I have encountered a wide variety of uncomfortable situations. Aggressive cottonmouths, meth labs, booby trapped marijuana plots, and quite a few unsociable large dogs. I never carried when working in the woods, but sure would of felt better in all the above situations if I would of had more than a biltmore stick to rely on.

617 fan, I am also a forester, I carry a 340 in my front pocket loaded with 2 mangus LSWHP loaded to 900'/s, which expand to about .60 cal., as the main course, followed by three speer short barrel 135 gr, loaded to 1000'/s, as desert. The reason for the two lead first and the jacketed loads second is because of bullet jump; have no problems with bullet jump when the first two shots are lead.(I mark my first jacketed bullet to make setting the buffet up easier). I wear carpenter pants and carry a NAA 22mag in the ruler pocket for back up.
As for cottonmouths and rattle snakes the brass tip on the biltmore stick will dispatch them with a light tap on the head.
I worry most about all the fools in the woods with guns during deer season, they disapprove of logging during their time away from the misses.

 

[sargespd]

Many years ago I carried a Beretta M84 .380acp as an off duty gun. I loaded the mag with 6 Glaser Safety Slugs, followed by 7 Winchester Silvertips, with the spare mag full of Silvertips. The Glasers came 6 to a package and were pretty expensive, thus only 6.

 

[coach22]

My 640 (38) is loaded this way.
First 2 are Buffalo Bore Standard Pressure 158's.
Next 3 are Buffalo Bore 158 +P's.
This allows me to get the first 2 off much faster
and kind of warms me up for the last 3.

 

[KeithCarter]

Back in the 60's, as a boy I spent a lot of time in the swampy areas with my dog and a .22 revolver. Lots of revolvers made then carried 9 shots (S&W's only carried 6). I carried Long Rifle solids and hollow points, Shorts, and Shot Loads in the cylinder all at the same time. At one time or another I used 'em all.

Those old guns were not inaccurate. I often shot feathers off birds circling overhead, but never shot one out of the sky.

 

[Rich S]

i don't understand snakeshot, how large/dense is the pattern? how determined are snakes as adversaries? i have to figure that if i was thinking a snake was going to use deadly force against me and was able to bring my gun to bear wouldn't the blast/and upset(shock&Awe?) of a .40 cal near miss(or hit)sort of change the little beasties channel? how about a few shots in quick succession?
i just don't think i'd give up the first shot/shots even with my 11 shot capacity, i'd feel even less inclined to do it with a revolver.
educate this city boy.
Regards,
Rich

 

[tmbrcruizr]

e and was able to bring my gun to bear wouldn't the blast/and upset(shock&Awe?) of a .40 cal near miss(or hit)sort of change the little beasties channel? how about a few shots in quick succession?

Sorry, have never shot snake shot, but rat shot stings like hell.
Cottonmouths will become more agressive and charge.

 

[Forester]

617fan and tmbrcruizr, nice to see another couple of foresters on here. There are a couple more also. Cordwood is another.

Anyway, I usually carry a 642 while in the woods. A Model 65 3 inch 357 in colder weather. I don't believe in shot rounds. We don't have any snakes here worth worrying about. If a dog is feet away and threatening, I don't want to rely on snake shot. I don't go in to the woods anymore without a gun. Too many variables. I don't worry about hunters. I have had more bad dog experiences than anything else, especially when I wasn't carrying in the past. For what it's worth, a biltmore stick across the nose was a good attitude adjustment for one old mutt I met one day.