how many use snake loads for 1858 ?

Here is south central West Virginia we have allot of timber rattlers, cooperheads and Bear and I spend allot of time in the woods. About 5 years ago I was talking to an older gentleman ( 85 back then) in the barber shop about my 1858 and he asked me if I ever ran any snake loads through it. He has an original Remington that belonged to his dad and went on to tell me that his father always loaded the first two chambers with about 25g. of powder, then a wad and then he used the powder measurer to ad the same amount of #7 birdshot for snakes and another wad on top to hold the shot with a little grease on that .He told me how well it worked on them. He was right!!
Got home and opened a 12 gage shotgun shell with #6 in it and tried that. I shot a coffee can with it at 5 paces and it turned it into a watering can,Lol.
Since then I have killed 5 cooperheads and 2 rattlers with the same load.Now before any snake lovers get on me I don't kill snakes just for the heck of it but if they are to close for comfort they are going down. We have enogh snakes in this state that if anyone wants a few you are welcome to them anytime, the sooner the better. :)

I lived in the mountains of North Carolina for 5 years and I know what you're saying. A friend had a hobby of snake hunting and used to get big Timber rattlers and Copperheads right near where we lived. Growing up in Wisconsin (no poisonous snakes east of the Missisissippi river) it was a little different watching where you planted your feet, LOL. Sounds like fun. I'll have to try that "snake load". Wait! I'm back in Wisconsin with no snakes. I'll have to shoot cans.

WBL, No snakes! That's OK it works great on rats too. I'm sure you have a few of them in Wis.,LOL. Just kidding.
One thing I want to warn you about is to be careful where your shooting and what your shooting with the lead shot. The reason I say that is because it can bounce back if you hit something hard like a rock. I always wear my shooting glasses for plinking anyway but not in the woods. I'm just careful where I'm shooting. Have fun, it really is a BLAST! HA!!! :D

Not many rats in Wisconsin (at least where I live)!! Always shoot into dirt backstop when I can. Maybe you could pheasant hunt with it!!

Don't think it would work well on Pheasant but maybe quail or dove if your fast enough. :D

I just use trap loads (7's) on pheasants and they work fine. That's why pheasants came to mind. Could try on rabbits etc. also maybe.

My thinking is that it holds a very small amount of shot and due to the short barrel it spreads the pattern real wide in a short distance. Never tried it on birds or rabbits but that don't mean it wont work :)

Probably wouldn't be worth a darn for pheasants but I've been known to do some stupid things in my day, LOL...

WBL, Well, that makes two of us,Lol.Mike

I live in Alabama and have done the same thing. When wading through swampy areas I like to have my '58 Remington repo. loaded with shot. It works excelently--I have killed one smaller cottonmouth-- I envy you Wisconson folks because I hate having to watch my feet the whole time I'm in the woods.

rlltdjpr, Your right there! The Wisc. boy's have it made when it comes to snakes. They have great hunting too. I love WV but I get so tired of the spiders and snakes in the summer. Killed a large cooperhead in my yard the other day. They are really hard to see in the leaves and dirt and the timber rattlers are worse and a whole lot bigger!. Mike

Beartracker, the way I look at is at least those timber rattlers give you some warning--we've got big diamondbacks here, but above all else, these cottonmouths are down right scary.

We are lucky that we don't have any cottonmouths here but I killed many of them in the Florida Everglads. Lived on Marco Island a long time ago and we hunted the swamps all the time. I don't like any of them! :uhoh: Mike