When rafting around the west snakes can be an issue in camps. It looks like CCI quit selling shot shells for 38/357 (my only stainless revolver) and I'm out.

Anyone know of an alternative source of snake shot or do I need to buy dies and capsules?

Thanks!

If you do start reloading them yourself I recommend loading them with the #12 shot used in 22LR and 22 Magnum factory shot shells.

The 38 and 45ACP factory rounds have #9 - the "cloud of dust" that #12's create is my choice for handgun shots hells. I load them 45ACP and 45LC.

What he said - #12 works mo' betta'

Mark

Mo' Betta' indeed.

I use a lot of 38 special rat shot on bulls. I load my own. You can buy the capsules through midway or most reloading supply places. I use #10 or #12 shot. I have used 7 1/2 shot but not the coverage as the smaller shot.

I like #8 shot myself, but have not tried #12. I've killed snakes and quail with #8, no complaints.

Looks like bass pro has some in stock:
CCI Shotshells

I tried this

http://www.castbullet.com/reload/44shot.htm

with .38 Special.

I bought a box of factory shells in #8 to mine them for shot. I found that I quickly ran out of pattern. I was shooting empty, ah, adult beverage cans to scientifically measure penetration and pattern.

My personal conclusion is that I gained no range over what I can achieve with 158gr hollow point at .38 Sp velocities.

If I was going to do this seriously, I would use the smaller shot and use .357 brass or the capsules.

Incidentally, a mix of lead shot and dry corn starch provided the best pattern and penetration. I think I lost a lot of pressure because the cardboard functions poorly as a wad.

And so where do you get your #12 shot. Been looking for it for years and still haven't found anything smaller than #9. Guess I've been looking in all the wrong places.

Instead of capsules, couldn't a guy use gas checks or home made wads from a milk cartoon? I haven't been impressed with the cci shot shells on paper. The closer the better, the farther away it seems like a donut pattern appeared on paper.

I've done that. I used corn cob media over the pellets as a buffer instead of wads, and sealed the cases using paraffin or the wax stuff that they use for cooking. #12 shot is dangled hard to find. I got a bunch of old # 9 shot from some of my buddies that used to shoot skeet. Worked great on West Texas Rattlesnakes.

I think Ballistic Products still sells #12 shot...if you want 5 lbs, which would last me about 25 years.

Rifled barrels and tight patterns are mutually exclusive.

This is what I load. Two gas checks is all you need.

FWIW - My son shot a snake twice at a distance of eight feet with a CCI 38 special snake shot load and it slithered away. I finished it off with a 22 rimfire to the head.

Chop-shot, cut from soft sheet lead. I use old x-ray room wall lining, but you could pour molten lead really thin, I guess.
Mixed shot sizes, say some #12 & some #9, also help, but nothing
I've found beats the chop-shot. Ineffecient shape, sharp corners,
edges- each little piece does more damage than a sphere.
In .44 cases, without plastic capsules, these have many times torn a pop can nearly in half at 8-10 paces. Very good snake load, and the same system works best I've found, in smaller cases. Capsules, of course, are better yet. Over-powder wads
can be pre-cut wads for cap & ball guns, top with light cardboard wad, run a fair crimp w seating die, top with liquid alox and let it cure.

Cool . Looks like I looked everywhere but there.


Thanks a bunch!

-Steve

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Chilled-Lead-Shot-12-13mm-10_bag/productinfo/02612/

Got mine from BPI.

Looks like BPS has them on backorder. We'll see if the order actually gets filled before floating through snake country.

Update: They're supposed to be here tomorrow. Rattle snakes in camp this summer had better watch out!

okay, you fellows that rolled your own,
What velocity worked well for you?

What propellent worked well for you?

thanks!

No one wants to share their recipe for success?

I think it was #9 that I use. For the .357 I used 5 gr of Blue Dot behind the shot capsule and it's worked well...it's all I've tried in .357. All of the cotton mouths have required 2 shots to completely kill them. Copperheads have only needed 1. Haven't had to use it on a rattler yet. They work great on rats as well.

Have used the same #9 and 5 gr of Blue Dot in 10mm cases with a thin cardboard seal on top of powder and on top of the shot (thin bit of glue on top of last one). It has worked well in a 10mm revolver, but may come loose if you fire 10mm rounds with it in a different cylinder. Would guess the same could happen with .357 (maybe max?) brass sealed the same way.

Don't have any pics of the .357 shot capsule loads, but here are a few of the home-grown 10mm shot shells:

that's been my experience with the .357 CCI shells....they just don't pack a whole lot of whompus on big snakes or rats or anything else much beyond "Oh, chit I stepped on him" range.

.44s and .45s are about minimum to get a significant pattern at any range beyond the length of your leg.

Years ago I bought a bag of #10 shot and reloaded .45 Colt, .41 Mag., and .357 Mag. with the shot. I guarantee # 10 shot will put the "big hurt" on a rattlesnake.

L.W.

SD, been a long time, but I used an Al Miller load from an OLD issue of Handloader. It was a very informative article.

Mark

I make my own with wads cut from common heavy card stock. The stock on the back of a desk calendar works fine. Since pack rats had shredded the wiring harness in my Gladiator I had a score to settle. So,,, a wad punch was in order.

You may not need as many as I so a sacrificial case chamfered on the outside will work. Just put the card stock on an old magazine and give the case head a whack with a mallet. You'll need a length of wire to push through the primer flash hole to knock the wad out.

It goes without saying to size and prime, but to help retain the overshot wad I give them a light, very light, crimp.
Since I have a 357 that's the brass I use. The shot charge I wanted was 158gr or as close under as I could get so I chose a low-moderate velocity charge of Universal which a .5cc Lee dipper gives.
Drop your powder charge and tip the over powder wad into the case and press it down onto the powder.
What I ran into was a 158gr shot charge overfilled the case so I picked out enough to leave room for the overshot wad and then weighed it. It came out to just over 150gr. I then found the Lee dipper that held just that much shot even at the top of the dipper. Add the shot charge and press an overshot wad into place. It should be just inside the light crimp. I then add a thin bead of super glue around the edge of the wad to help hold it against recoil.
If you find you have excess case space add wads over the powder to bring the shot up. In this case you need to weigh shot and wads together. Your payload weight Cannot exceed max bullet weight for the powder charge used.

So long as you stay at or under max payload weight, shot and wad weight combined, for your powder charge your pressure will be safe.

I use #12 shot in .38 or .357 cases and the CCI capsules. For powder, I use 3.0 gr of Titegroup. #12 shot works much better. My son has dropped rattlers DRT with barely a wiggle with a head shot, even from .22 crimped shotshells. In a .44 or .45, there is really quite a bit of #12 in each load. In the .44 or .45, I use 4.5 gr of TItegroup under the capsule.

I don't use them often enough to make handloads, but I did test .22, .357, and .44 shot loads some years ago, on tin cans. At 10 feet or so the .22 annoyed the can, the .357 sorta poked a few holes in it, and the .44 shredded it. I've never bought anything but .44's since.

JCMCUBIC, tell me a bit about that 10mm, that's a cool looking revolver. Custom sights? thanks.

Dunno why this is, but when I tried .38 Spl. shotloads,I got my best patterns from my S&W M60. The 4" and 6" .38s didn't give a good a pattern as the snubbie.
My preference when hiking out in the desert is a 4 5/8" Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum and 7 1/2 shot. We get some big Western Diamondback rattlers and some sub-species of rattlesnake get downright aggressive, especially the Mojave Greens. here may not be as much shot usinging 7 1/2 but the heavier shot does a nice job at p close and personal ranges.
If I spot a snake, I try to give it it's space and go around. I see no need to shoot one unless it's getting aggressive in which case he's sealed his fate. Most of the time when I do see a snake, he's headed as afar away from he as he can quickly slither so I just leave them alone.
The gun has a standard Blackhawk grip frame which is a bit smaller than the Super Blackhawk frame which helps keep it out of the was but recoil is much harsher with full power .44 ammo. I usually have two snake loads lined up to go first and 4 full power loads in the cylinder. Works for me.
Paul B.

It's S&W's 310 Nightguard in factory form. The sights are XS up front and Cylinder and Slide in the rear. It's a fun little gun.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/..._757751_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y