Shotshells - What Do You Guys Think?

[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.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

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.

Interesting. How about maybe someone who is "just looking for money" doesn't much mind killing you? Maybe you shouldn't carry a gun at all? Somebody might get hurt. Can't we all just get along?

P.S. Have you tested the shot against common eyeglasses? Do you know that you will blind the attacker? If you do, do you know what the result of his lawsuit will be? Remember, he's just looking for money, and you don't want to give him an easy way to get it.

 

[Navy1969]

It appears from the posts that shot shells are mainly for snakes, birds, small creatures. Not for self defense in the home for predatators. I have a new S&W 642 and found some shot shells for the 38. May go to the desert and shoot rabbits but probably out of range. Thanks for the input.

 

[Gripgrabber]

Wow this is weird, I'm expecting a shot capsule order from midway any day now! Just loaded some 44specials, waiting for 38&45lc. Over the last few years I dispatched 4 rattles, 1 timber rattler, first one I've seen in the wild, and 2 coral snakes,I did carry my gov. Around the place but recently got a charter arms bulldog 44sp. @ 20oz easy to tot around. I your in Florida there's snakes and gators nearby. My 3 chihuahuas aren't snake trained but I am!

 

[vigil617]

Yes, I realize this is a zombie thread.

But what the hey, it's an interesting subject.

I found some 45acp shotshells unexpectedly at a local pawn shop, and picked 'em up just for fun. I was surprised how expensive they were -- a bit over a buck a round for a 12-pack.

I took 'em to the range and tried them in my 625-2 4" barrel and my 4566.

The one I fired locked up the revolver, and I had to mess with it to get it open and extract the spent casing. No problem firing one from the 4566.

Results at about 7 yards on a corrugated cardboard target were pretty interesting. Lots of little holes, but none of them penetrated entirely through the cardboard, just the first surface. What was interesting, though, was the one big hole in the target from the 4566 -- apparently the plastic hull exited the barrel intact and with sufficient force to puncture all the way through.

I'd have to be pretty close to a snake to be able to use it effectively but I think it would do the job. I can't see using it on much else, though, and certainly not as an SD round on critters.

YMMV.

 

[lunger]

These from CCI look interesting. Loaded with #4

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxphDh9ydII[/ame]

 

[woodsltc]

Only thing I shoot with pistol shot loads is carpenter bees.........Although larger shot in larger calibers will kill a snake very dead....Bullets for anything bigger.

Same here....I like to sit on the back-deck and shoot the carpenter bees with a K-22 loaded with shot-shells. Great fun on a slow spring day.

Don

 

[Frank V]

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

Coming back to this thread.
fyimo do the shotshells work in your Sig P228 & function like an auto or do you have to work the slide manualy?
Interesting thread. I still carry lead SWC in the hills where we have snakes as we have wolves, Mt lions, grizzlys, as well as snakes.
Thanks.

 

[Redlegvzv]

Rattlesnakes are valuable and beneficial animals. We should celebrate their existence, protect them, and never harm them.

 

[fortyshooter]

Here is a test of my slightly larger shot shells!
45- 70 shot shell test. - YouTube

 

[Doug M.]

Re: Legal problems from shooting a snake. There are probably places where it would be an issue; in some places at least some poisonous snakes are protected species. We had one on the range at a Pat Rogers class in Great Falls some years back (2010?) and were told we could not shoot it for that reason. It went on its way ... but sure made me nervous walking about during the night shoot.

In more urbanized areas, I can see legal issues being more likely, too. The good news is that in most real cities, the snakes will be much less likely to show up by surprise. Although a lot of communities have ordinances about shooting in the city limits or some other such restrictions, there is usually an exception for defensive use, and frankly, the last problem about which I will GAF is some silly restriction of that nature. (I'm a prosecutor and know my way around a courtroom, and I'm not only not afraid to fight, I like to. I would scorch earth in a way that would make Sherman look lazy if someone came after me that way, but YMMV.)

Around here, I make a real practice of avoiding the known snake areas. I carry service ammo, period, and giving any consideration to using any shot load smaller than #1 from a shotgun for personal/home defense is a bad idea, so you know it is well beyond clownshoes to use the little shot in a handgun for anything other than snakes.