Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Ruger Bearcat

LarryfromBend: I would certainly take your experiences into account - and I am quite "sure" about that.
But I do not agree that Rattlesnakes die easily.
I have killed a few hundred myself and I have seen them take a lot of injury until they loose their ability to strike!
In fact last year my Hunting partner and I killed one on November 7th up in your neck'o the woods (north side of Ft. Peck) - we used MANY rounds of 22 L.R. hollow-point ammunition from a Ruger MkIII (full clip and probably six or seven were hits!) and then numerous shale rocks to render that snake still!
I have seen Rattlesnakes run over by semi-trucks (and farm tractors) and still have lots of vim and vigor left in them!
Yeah, I am impressed by your killing 24 Rattlesnakes in one day, with a 22 Pistol and using only one shot apiece!
And if you told me exactly where that was I would be sure NOT to go there.
I would find a different place to go/recreate!
I (we) killed 8 Rattlesnakes in one day while working the hay fields of eastern Oregon - my two man crew and I used a 410 shotgun that was kept in the hay truck for such incidents.
Several of those snakes were shot more than once by the way.
We always shot until they were "still".
I have my Model 63 all loaded with "bird-shot" and ready to go on a Varmint Hunt, that starts tomorrow here in Montana - I'll let you know if it brings to bag any more Rattlers.
Theres a couple of things that may partially describe the differences in our experiences with snake loads from a 22 L.R. - I do not like to get within "5" feet of a coiled Rattler!
A few more feet back, is better for me.
And "bird-shot" 22 L.R.'s do loose energy quickly and disperse their "pattern" even faster.
And this, I also often "double-tap" on the first shots at a Rattlers head.
Those of us who actually HAVE been bitten by a Rattlesnake know that we NEVER want to go through that amount of pain ever again - thats why I am intent on rendering said snakes quickly "still"!
If circumstances are right the next Rattlesnake I shoot will get ONE carefully aimed shot to its head - and then I will observe that snakes reaction/demise.
If its not dead in 20 seconds I will, though, shoot it some more to put it out of its misery.
Be careful out there, wherever you are.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Anybody that "blows off" rattlesnake bites should look into the COST of treatment! Even once the physical pain is over, the financial "pain" is very considerable.

I don't shoot rattlers any more unless they are near a place where there are likely to be kids or unleashed dogs. If I did, I'd be doing more shooting than working. And in many of the places I work, snakes are protected and carrying not allowed.

Our most common rattler, the Southern Pacific Rattler, is especially non-aggressive. But the bite is as bad as most rattlers; nothing to mess with.

(FBI "Uniform Crime Report" notes that about 80% of poisonous snake bites are "alcohol related," BTW. We all KNOW that beer makes one's judgement better and one's reactions lightning fast, don't we?).

Are you accusing VG of being a 80%er?

My Bearcat shoots as well as my M63 and is dead on the sights at 25 yards using CCI Mini-Mag's. Great little guns.

No, but, as the philosopher saith: "If the Foo -----, wear it!"

I heartily endorse the use of a .410 for snake control, tho. "Comprehensive coverage" at close range.

I have an old .410 handy during snake season and it surely does the job. When we hunt dens though, we've "outlawed" anybody using anything other than 22LR, 22Mag or 38 shot cartridges because of the flying-snake-parts problem.

Mine is a shooter of patterns rather than groups. If I bare down I can get groups at 25 yards off a rest to come in at 6-8".

It's a cute little stinker and I wouldn't sell it but it gets very little shooting.

I've got a stainless Bearcat... shoots 1 1/2" groups at 15 yards, BUT they are 3 1/2 inches to the right with the elevation right on. Tried several varieties of .22LR with the same results. Would really like it if it hit POI or near enough to regulate it.

Jerry

This Prairie Rattler was trying to ring the kitchen door bell one morning last week --- At the same time my wife was watering the plants on the steps. 1/2 oz of #9, out of my old full choke .410 @ about 15 feet --- after I finally got it away from the house with my snake stick.

I�ve bought 3, still have 2. All of them have acceptable to very good triggers out of the box. The first one I bought, a stainless model, is still one of the most accurate 22s I�ve had (out of many dozens) and shoots right to point of aim. Gave it to my nephew for his first handgun when he was 9��.can�t think of any other situation that would have had me letting go of that one.

The 2 I have now, a stainless and a blued old model, are both very good guns. The stainless needs some smoothing up but shoots very close to the sight. I need to try different ammo with both of them.

Yes, they don�t have S&W triggers but what other six shooters do? I�ll be keeping mine.

Dennis.