Good snake gun?
- Thread starter RichJen
- Start date
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Snake Charmer abbreviated .410 shotgun.
I have a Bond arms and do not recommend it. The trigger sucks. I had mine upgraded to the new version and if you remember to squeeze the trigger in the *correct * spot it is barely OK. It will work but I’m disappointed..
Now a semi auto 22rf with a suppressor! That’s just plain fun! But yes a stick works fine
Now a semi auto 22rf with a suppressor! That’s just plain fun! But yes a stick works fine
I agree, a .22 snub would be light weight and works great with snake shot. I carry a Smith & Wesson Airlight .22 whenever I am on my Uncle’s ranch in Waller County, TX.
Danny Abear
Well-Known Member
A ruger sr22, 22 call, semi auto handgun is a great plinker and snake gun...
LOL! You just triggered an old memory from my childhood. I killed a snake for the first time when I was 13 years old with one of my Grandfather’s shovels. It was one of the shovels I used to till soil for his vegetable garden every summer since I was 7 years old. It was a really messy affair that attracted the attention of several neighbors. Those people quietly backed away after seeing what was left of the snake and the mean expression on my face.
I had a 22lr snub nose Taurus 9 shot. The pattern would open up to about 2 feet wide past about 6 feet. It was actually useless for snakes in my opinion. I upgraded to one of those Heritage revolvers with the loading gate and a 6 inch barrel. Makes all the difference and relatively cheap.
Over the years I’ve made a 4* barreled .22 revolver with rat shot work for snake killing. A 6* barrel might give you a couple more feet and an effective range of about 8-10 feet. That’s longer than most garden tools and you only need one hand, which works out well if you’re wrestling an overzealous pet with the other hand. It’s super easy to test the effective range on a paper target or old box. It only takes a couple of #12 shot through the head to incapacitate a snake as they’re relatively easy to kill. Snakes under 16 inches or so just get my boot unless they’re not in the open enough to stomp them. A snake head is very soft. I generally kill every poisonous snake I run across but it’s rare I’ll kill the non poisonous unless I catch a big chicken snake (Texas Rat snake) actively hunting my chickens.
I’ve found the best shot shells are the Remington loaded with #10 shot. They’re crimped like the Winchester loads but the 10 shot makes a better kill at better range. They can also be fired in semi auto pistols and rifles whereas the CCI loads with the blue plastic capsule will make a mess eventually. If you can find 22 mag rat shot it is slightly more effective. If you can find a Marlin garden gun (smoothbore 22 mag bolt action rifle) you will have found the outer limits of ratshot kill power. I load my own in 44 magnum (you can buy the blue capsules) and have found 6 or 7.5 shot to be the ideal.
A more effective but less handy alternative is one of the snake charmer type .410 mini shotguns made to fire one handed. I like keeping one close by at times for dispatching most any nuisance animal and snakes. The cheapest target loads can decimate any snake you’ll run across and you can shoot up to 3 inch 000 buck or slugs if you’re into that.
Everything I’ve posted here is from my own experience over the years. Good luck in your endeavor.
I’ve found the best shot shells are the Remington loaded with #10 shot. They’re crimped like the Winchester loads but the 10 shot makes a better kill at better range. They can also be fired in semi auto pistols and rifles whereas the CCI loads with the blue plastic capsule will make a mess eventually. If you can find 22 mag rat shot it is slightly more effective. If you can find a Marlin garden gun (smoothbore 22 mag bolt action rifle) you will have found the outer limits of ratshot kill power. I load my own in 44 magnum (you can buy the blue capsules) and have found 6 or 7.5 shot to be the ideal.
A more effective but less handy alternative is one of the snake charmer type .410 mini shotguns made to fire one handed. I like keeping one close by at times for dispatching most any nuisance animal and snakes. The cheapest target loads can decimate any snake you’ll run across and you can shoot up to 3 inch 000 buck or slugs if you’re into that.
Everything I’ve posted here is from my own experience over the years. Good luck in your endeavor.
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I carry a semi auto with suppressor and I agree, I don’t use rat shot. Regular 22 ammo works fine and gives you more in case bigger critters are encountered.
I beg to differ, unless you feel the need to be more than 10 feet from a snake. I’ve killed plenty of them with it, big and small. One of our members sent me video dusting a big cane break off the Ramah levee. I was not one bit surprised. He was using a 6 or 8 inch Heritage pistol.
If it were useless people would have eventually forgotten it.
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