Shotshells - What Do You Guys Think?

[ironhead7544]

I have used the shotshells on a number of critters and they worked well at short range. Be aware that sometimes the shot can come out the side of the cylinder, so keep clear of that. Also, the shot can bounce back at you.

The shot patterns are better from a 2 inch barrel. Seems to give less spin to the shot load. Try the pattern from your pistol. The 9mm shot loads work the action of my G26.

For a handload, the smallest shot is best. If you can get #12, use it.

A dedicated shot revolver could be made. You could put straight rifling in it. I would check with ATF first but I believe it has been done. Still will be very short range. Some revolvers have been made with a smoothbore.

Noise is about the same as a regular round as the velocity is around 1000 fps or so.

 

[Big Cholla]

A few years ago straight rifling in certain shotgun barrels and pistol barrels were available when wanting to shoot shotshell thru barrels less than 18" in length. No federal law has ever said that "barrel rifling" has to make a twist down the barrel. In the late '50s the gunstore I worked at had a low volume specialty in making shotshells for .38 special for pre model 10s with the rifling bored out. They were being bought by the fishermen going to fish 'Rattlesnake Creek' on the Calif/Nev. border. A very aptly named place. The ATF found out about it and told the owner to stop that as that made the .38 pistols to be short barreled shotguns. He also had to recall all the pistols and rebarrel them with barrels with rifling. The ultimate solution was to cut some of the rifling out, leaving faint signs of rifling in the pistol. We also sent a 20 ga. Ithaca double barrel to some shop in Texas to be relined to 28 ga. that had straight rifling. The owner then got the ATF to approve it for a pistol conversion. Then he cut the stock down to a grip and the barrels off to about 12". He carried that rig with a sling on every fishing trip to Rattlesnake Creek. I don't know if anyone in the Reno area is still making conversions like that or not. ............. Big Cholla

 

[H Richard]

I've loaded ans shot "shot loads" for over 10 years. Mainly for snake protection. I normally carry a 3" 24-3 44 Special, #12 shot. I have also tried the 45 acp factory loads, and not good. I fired one, and a second one lost it's cover and dumped the contents inside my 1911. Took me quite a time to get it apart and back to functioning. I threw away the rest of the package. With the Speer shot capsules they work good, but the shorter the barrel the better as the spin on the capsule "opens up" the pattern.

 

[eyegots2no]

Aw come on! No reasonable cop will ticket you for offing a venomous snake. Loose your CCW permit? Only in socialist states like NY, MD and CA maybe.

Venomous snakes have NO right to exist in residential areas. Those who whine that they're part of the ecosystem can pound sand. KILL them.

I like non venomous snakes, they're useful, rattlers, cotton mouths, corals etc will be killed on sight if I have anything to say about it.

I've used all calibers of the CCI shot shells. The .40 S&W and .45ACP worked well in my Glocks. The 9mm fires but doesn't cycle in my Ruger SR9C. The .45ACP will tear a snake apart.

I reload shot shells for my .500 Mag. They're a bit inconsistent but at their best are pretty potent. Don

Sorry Don---don't fool yourself about the loose your CCW thing----I know ---I know---you are in Texas just like me. Don't count on a local city NOT looking for any reason to put it to you----local chiefs and what not think like Californians.


I know a guy whose 15 year old (heavily trained and a competition shooter himself) chased off a home intruder when he was home by himself one day and then called the police. The police asked the young man to call his dad and ask dad to come home. When dad got home----they put him in handcuffs---took him to jail-----violation of Youth Handgun Safety Act.

 

[JayFramer]

I carry CCI .357 shotshells in my airweight. Excellent stopping power, no not as much thump as a 158 LSWCHP but the stopping power comes from blinding the attacker. The spread effect also makes it far easier to hit, but also less likely to kill. I think of it as a modern, far more effective version of the ninjas using ground glass to blind there opponents. I would much rather NOT kill someone whom most likely is just looking for money.

Also works on snakes to, as you might imagine!

 

[DonD]

Sorry Don---don't fool yourself about the loose your CCW thing----I know ---I know---you are in Texas just like me. Don't count on a local city NOT looking for any reason to put it to you----local chiefs and what not think like Californians.

Guess I won't argue with that. My son recently retired from a fairly big city police dept. The last several police chiefs reflected what most big cities are infected with, butt kissing chiefs who owe their jobs to the mayor and willingly throw their street officers "under the bus." All too possible to get crosswise with some politically correct police chief wanting to curry favor with his boss. Don

 

[Doug M.]

For snakes - shotshells. I have a 629-4 MG and if I were hiking around here, I would likely load the first 2 chambers with shotshells, the rest with the .44 Special Gold Dots I have for social use. Other than snakes - hell no. Real duty ammo for anything other than snakes. Smaller animals, dogs, offenders? Shot shells are the pits.

 

[GF]

Killed a bird with shotshells in a 629-3 at 100...

...inches.

GF

 

[DonD]

Excellent stopping power, no not as much thump as a 158 LSWCHP but the stopping power comes from blinding the attacker. The spread effect also makes it far easier to hit, but also less likely to kill.

I think you'd better rethink your approach. The only time you have legal justification to shoot someone is if you're at risk of terrible injury or death. If you're in that situation, you'd better be using something very lethal.

Shooting someone and blinding them which is all a handgun shotshell can do is, in my opinion, asking for a prison term and a massive payment to the blind person. Do as you wish. Don

 

[Chukar60]

Out at the ranch we manage, we have rattle snakes. My grandkids come out and spend time there and the buzz worms seem to like the shade and flower beds around the house. 22 snake shot loads are the ticket. One shot is all I have ever needed. When I am hiking the place, 38 snake shot works very well. Would leave them alone but I have three pointers and even though snake trained, I don't take chances.
I have shot a lot of forest grouse with 45 ACP shot loads out of a 1911. hand loaded with 71/2 shot. the factory loads contain too small of a shot size to produce reliable humane results.

 

[NE450No2]

I have extensively used shotshells in handguns, as has the wife.

Back in the day I bought the Speer yellow plastic shot capsules and loaded my own. Since CCI/Speer started loading them as a factory item I just buy them.

We have killed many, many snakes with them in 22LR, 22 Mag, 9mm, 38 Special, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP. I have never had to shoot a snake more than twice with one, no matter the calibre. And I have killed several large snakes. Even some in Zimbabwe with the 44 Mag.

Also the wife and I have taken a ton of small game, like rabbits, squirrel, mountain grouse, as well as feral varmints like skunks, raccons, possums, porcipines, etc.

We have found them most effective. Here on my place I carry a Freedom Arms 4 shot 22 Mag mini revolver with shotshells in my pocket 100% of the time. I have killed several snakes with it. I have killed several large rattlers, and copperheds on my deer lease with it and also with a S&W Mod 34, 2" Kit Gun, as well as with the larger calibres.

I never go into the field with out a bunch of shotshells.

I have found the 45 ACP, the 44 Mag, and the 45 Colt to be the most effective on small game for the pot.

My wife has killed squirrels and cottontail rabbits with her 44 Mag and shotshells at distances that I would not have shot at them with a 12 gauge shotgun... They are very effective.

 

[NE450No2]

Let me add that I do not recommend them for self defense.

Several years ago a friend of mine, and his wife, that owned a gun store, were robbed by a young black male with a handgun.

He confronted the wife and the register with his gun, and demanded money. She produced her S&W Chief Special, and shot him point blank in the chest with the CCI/Speer shotshells. It stunned him, but did not disable him, and luckily, he ran out of the store with out shooting his gun...

Even if hit in the face/eyes, a suspect might be able to shoot their gun until it was empty...

 

[Coaltminer]

I shot a young copperhead in our house once. I was at the loading bench in the utility room, had a terrier mix that liked to bark, A LOT, so I didn't pay much attention as he carried on one day in the hall by the front door, leading to the living room. Finally went to investigate. Couldn't believe it. Dog would lunge, barking, toward snake, snake would strike towards dog, retreat. Got a Ruger Mark II Target Pistol and a couple of CCI shot loads, 1 shot blew snake into the living room, quite dead. No damage to carpet, nearby chair. Dog quiet, ears ringing, wife at work, thank God! I have no idea how it got into the house. Praised dog for barking, first time in his life! And, no, I didn't make this up!

 

[ironhead7544]

I know of a woman who was bitten 3 times by a copperhead. She was reaching for a towel in the linen closet.

 

[ironhead7544]

A few years ago straight rifling in certain shotgun barrels and pistol barrels were available when wanting to shoot shotshell thru barrels less than 18" in length. No federal law has ever said that "barrel rifling" has to make a twist down the barrel. In the late '50s the gunstore I worked at had a low volume specialty in making shotshells for .38 special for pre model 10s with the rifling bored out. They were being bought by the fishermen going to fish 'Rattlesnake Creek' on the Calif/Nev. border. A very aptly named place. The ATF found out about it and told the owner to stop that as that made the .38 pistols to be short barreled shotguns. He also had to recall all the pistols and rebarrel them with barrels with rifling. The ultimate solution was to cut some of the rifling out, leaving faint signs of rifling in the pistol. We also sent a 20 ga. Ithaca double barrel to some shop in Texas to be relined to 28 ga. that had straight rifling. The owner then got the ATF to approve it for a pistol conversion. Then he cut the stock down to a grip and the barrels off to about 12". He carried that rig with a sling on every fishing trip to Rattlesnake Creek. I don't know if anyone in the Reno area is still making conversions like that or not. ............. Big Cholla

Interesting. So then a factory short barrel 410 ga could be made as a pistol as long as it had straight rifling and a pistol grip only, no stock. No tax stamp needed. I wonder if it would sell?

 

[Big Cholla]

There are several versions of the .45ACP/410ga. pistol out there. I thing re-barreling an existing .410 shotgun with a barrel with straight rifling would be as expensive as just purchase of one of those existing pistols. So, I don't think it would sell. And going the other way; re-barreling a .45ACP/410ga. pistol with a straight rifled barrel would destroy what accuracy the handgun could have with the .45ACP slug. Personally, I will just stick with my Ruger Mk II/3" bbl. and lots of practice. ............... Big Cholla

 

[Frank V]

I have used shotshells in handguns & am not fond of them. They have been spotty for me at best. I'd carry a good handgun with whatever defense load you choose. For me it's always factory for defense because of lawyers.
Since your walks take place between 11pm & midnight, I'll guess it's dark & even if it's hot you can wear a shirt untucked, this allows a lot of guns. I'd carry what I usually carry for defense & try very hard not to have to use it.

 

[fyimo]

I carry 9mm shot shells in my Sig P228 when I'm clearing my shooting lanes around my Deer stands as we have large rattle snakes on the lease. I wouldn't use them for personal defense against any thing else though.

+ snake Gaiters

 

[Old cop]

I keep one of my 442s loaded w/snake shot b/c there are a fair number of copperheads in our area. I tested this stuff at the range, 3 yards out, and it makes one hell-of-a hole. So far I have not had to use it for real and hope my luck holds out. Besides, cold weather is coming.

 

[dynamike]

I have killed a few water snakes at the lake with some factory loaded .38's fired from my 442 fired out to about 10 yds. Snakes turned belly up in the water instantly. I just bought some .44 shot capsules to handload some for my new truck gun...a Rossi Ranch Hand in 44 mag.