[shiftyer1]

I have recently moved to a new place and have seen several copperheads. Is .22 ratshot the answer? Is it potent enough? I bought some but as yet have not tried it. I've seen them mostly near the end and in the middle of my driveway and not near the house, my driveway is 2 miles long but i'm sure they are around the house also. And also any tips or tricks to keep them away? Since then last question isn't gun related pm's are ok.

[Woodstock45678]

I think a pet mongoose would be the best deterrent.

I've never had to shoot one but big sticks do wonders:D. I would think that rat shot wouldn't have enough power and that a .410 would be best. You can actually buy a .410 Snake Charmer, so going by the name I'd assume a .410 is the best snake gun/round.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/32500

[xbox360]

any gun can kill a snake... Just dont use a single shot firearm. if you miss it might get mad and strike at you.

[scythefwd]

I've only had to deal with 18inch and less copperheads here. Yes, a couple of .22 shot rounds will do the trick, aim for the head.

[DoubleTapDrew]

.22 shotshells would probably work. I'd be a lot more comfortable with a Taurus Judge loaded with .410 shells...hey...a use for that thing!
If you can't find a judge, arm your mongoose with a handgun loaded with 22 shotshells.
What are you shooting these out of (ie, can you use .22 mag)?

[allank]

If you have seen a few on the drive then there will be plenty more that you have not seen. Remember they are part of the local food chain, and if you kill the snakes off then whatever they are eating could get out of balance. Personally I'd leave them alone unless they are around the house.

[xbox360]

if there are kids near by, snakes should go..... kids more important than a snake

[stevelyn]

If you have seen a few on the drive then there will be plenty more that you have not seen. Remember they are part of the local food chain, and if you kill the snakes off then whatever they are eating could get out of balance. Personally I'd leave them alone unless they are around the house.

Alaska's managed to get along just fine without them. :D

[memphisjim]

what other pistols do you own cci makes shot shells for many calibers i have some in 44 spec
but yes the 22 shoud be adequate

[shiftyer1]

I have a .410 but I think thats a little much. And price is high in compaison.

I have a couple cats that should even out the food chain part. Also I have 4 kids which make it more of a concern.

A mongoose is the last thing I need. lol

And i'm firing them out of a h&r revolver but do not have the mag cylinder yet

[xbox360]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRTi_qw5yt4 :rolleyes:

try that :D

[shiftyer1]

Although if you have a mongoose trained to shoot at specified target for a very small rehoming fee.........i'll take him

[Carne Frio]

I would trust the CCI shotshells in 44spl. Bang! One shot and your done. We only have snowsnakes up here, and yah don't want to know about them.:D

[runrabbitrun]

I've used a Crossman 760 BB gun.

Pretty much had to as they were in my shop
and to shoot a firearm in there would of been a bad idea.

Most recent was two snakes wanting to nest.
I didn't know at the time there were 2 snakes but after killing one.
The other creped out of her hiding spot.

I hit her with one shot to the head and she slinked on out
down the wall (freaked me out too) and that was it.
Thank god she did peek out. I didn't know she was there.
I got her before she laid her eggs.

Pellets work effectively too.

[Pack]

+1 on the CCI shotshells. When in the woods, there's an extra magazine for the 1911 in the kit, loaded with their 45 ACP shotshells. Snake vaporizers.

[Myles]

Be careful.

I once shot out all of the snakes on a couple acres of my property, those nearest my house, after my dog was bitten (but, not envenomed, thankfully.)

.22 ratshot worked at close range - so did Stingers, 12 gauge, a machete, and the weed whacker.

No more snakes. Yay?

Not so much. I had never seen a rat on my property before. The rat population EXPLODED, and it took more than 2 years of fighting them more vehemently than I ever had the snakes.

.22 ratshot didn't even make them jump. Just kept on running. Had to move on to firmer methods, many times over, and again, and again, and again. Took what felt like ages of battle to get rid of them.

I have learned that even a small stretch of property maintains it's own natural balance within it's own micro-ecosystem.

Now? I love my reptilian friends.

[thesolidus]

I can tell you from experience,

First, practice. I tried 22 ratshot at 10 and 20 feet into cardboard. Okayunder that but at 15-20 feet spreads out and won't kill a woodpecker.
A CCI shotshell in 40S&W works under about 10 feet. After that the pattern is a few feet wide and so thin it'll miss everything.
One morn. Camping I was sitting Indian style and heard a snake. He crawled to me smelling the air. A just over an arms length I popped him. Snapped his head back and several pellets in head and neck. Cracked his skull and went through the throat.
Nice little 3-4 foot rattlesnake! Now hanging on my wall.

Always load my block with a CCI first, then HP, then a jacketed round. Stagger HP and penetrating for a variety of critters. Can snakeshot coseor waste one, then double tap should stop anything but bear, and I still have 7 left!

Whatever you use, only as good as you practice.

[TravisB]

Snake shot vs. cardboard snake:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot30_2.htm

[renegade1alpha]

I've used .22 shot shells and they work fantastic on snakes. Of course the bigger the caliber the better.

No need to buy anything extravagant. The CCI encapsulated shotshells work best in my opinion. Just stay within 5-8 feet and aim for the head and you should be fine.

[loop]

I have a lot of experience with rattlesnakes. Where we live now we have Mojave greens that are the most deadly snake in North America. We're far enough from town that if you get bit you may as well sit down and relax. You probably won't live long enough to make it to the hospital.

In open ground I use a 12 ga. In an area near livestock, buildings or fixtures I use CCI .45 ACP shotshells. Near the house or other things that make a gun too risky I use a shovel.

I have a long handle on a shovel that is flat across the blade. I forget what its called, but when I saw it I knew it would be a perfect snake shovel.

I wouldn't trust the .22 rounds. For that matter I don't trust anything smaller than the .44 shells. You have to get pretty close with the 45 shells. Remember, a viper can strike up to two-thirds of its body length, even when it is not coiled. I've killed Western diamondbacks that were more than 10 feet long.

I learned a little trick to get rid of the snakes around areas on the property where I go frequently. Wait until a really hot day and take bags of ice and drop them around the house. Go about 8 to 10 feet from the house and drop a bag every 30 feet or so. The snakes will sense the cool spot and go to the bags. I do this every year around my house and outbuildings and almost always net a half dozen.

Also, get yourself a rat terrier. They will kill 10 times as many rats as a cat. When the food supply diminishes the snakes will find better hunting grounds. Keep in mind that they won't go very far so areas of dense vegetation nearby can become havens for numerous vipers.

The only problem with rat terriers is that when they kill something big they like to bring you the prize. About once a week we find some sort of dead critter in the house. My little 10-pound rattie brought home a 15-pound jackrabbit a couple weeks ago.

[ar10]

if there are kids near by, snakes should go..... kids more important than a snake

When I was about 10 we moved from town to the ranch. Lots of rattlers, they were every where. in the barn, the front yard, all the pastures, it was just a fact of life and we live with it. I've been bitten twice, once on my boot and once on my pant leg. My dad, uncle and me used a simple forked stick. It's cheap, effective, and simple to use. We've also had a few cattle get bit, some died but most lived. Horses were the best spotters, they could spot, (smell?) the snakes long before we came up on them.
One weekend a friend of mine from the next ranch over from us came by and we caught about 30 rattlers. We grabbed them with the forked stick just behind head and dumped them in barley sacks, then put them in the back of an old pickup,(both of us were able to drive, Bill was 13 and I was 12), and we drove to the gas station on the main road. When we stopped I jumped in the bed to grab one of the sacks and snakes had "nosed" their way out of barley sacks and were all over the bed of the pickup. Bill dropped the tail gate, (like a dumb ass) and they ended up all over the gas station. We had to catch every damn one of them and haul them back to the hills. We got in a lot of trouble over that little trick. :o

[Titan6]

I use .410 7.5 shot. No issues.

[sohcgt2]

If you have a problem with copperheads, I would suggest you go to your local pet store and buy a couple of king snakes to let loose by the house.

[Hardtarget]

Up close to the house...poisonous...yes. If the snake is five feet from you just leave it alone. Remember, if there is no hunting season,,,its probably protected.

They eat more rats ( and mice ) than we realize. Best to leave them be. Learn the poisonous types...and watch where you step!

Mark

PS:I've used the CCI in my .22 revolver. At 6 to 8 feet they are plenty...can't have a cotton mouth camping on the back porch at the lake house! Too many kids.

[Mike J]

The king snakes sound like a good idea. If your kids aren't too small I have learned that if you spread mothballs out around under the eaves of your house it will keep them back from the house. Also I learned from some old country people if you spread out sulfur or lime on the ground snakes wont crawl over it it irritates their skin. Only problem with that is every time it rains the sulfur or lime will wash away.
I have killed a snake with a .22 shotshell before-Now I kinda think I'd rather just use a regular .22 cartridge or my Mossberg 500 20 gauge with birdshot.

[Officers'Wife]

My uncle would load a .44 BP revolver with #8 shot for rats when we moved portable buildings and used it to good effect. If the load would kill a rat it would kill a snake.

[ldyates]

Remove the food source and hiding places. Works every time in rattlesnake and copperhead country. Your encounters will be less frequent.

Otherwise... see any of the post above.

[BENELLIMONTE]

I used to hunt/camp in E. Washington near Winthrop.
There were a few areas that were considered "infested with rattlesnakes. My favorite sidearmwas a long barreled Ruger single six in .22 mag. I used CCI # 12 shot. It was effective within 15-20ft. I bagged several rattlers with this combo.

[Chicken321]

I don't have any experience with shot shells but a few minutes of Googling produced two homemade loads that seem like they would work.
http://www.jamescalhoon.com/snakeloads.php

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

[nitetrane98]

A buddy of mine bought one of those Judge .410/.45 solely for snakes on his weekend place by the river here in East Texas. Pretty good medicine. He's killed 3 copperheads and a cotton mouth in the last week or so. I barked a copperhead with my .17HMR. Killed him just as dead. We strive to turn all snakes into "good" snakes.

[shiftyer1]

thank you very much for all the input. I understand snakes are beneficial but the risk is greater then the benefits. I have yet to see any near the house or even in the yard. Time will tell i've only lived in my presant house a month

[TravisB]

My favorite sidearmwas a long barreled Ruger single six in .22 mag. I used CCI # 12 shot. It was effective within 15-20ft. I bagged several rattlers with this combo.

I've never seen a rattlesnake around here, but people have said they've seen eagles with them, so I suppose there must be a few. I carry a S&W Model 63 .22LR as a trail gun and have some CCI shotshells. But I've never really known if this was considered enough firepower for a rattler. Maybe one day this summer I'll have to find out.

[tex929rr]

I find 22 ratshot barely effective against snakes. A big one takes more than one round, even from close range. 44 snake shot is OK; that's the first two rounds in the 629 I carry when I am on the tractor. But I would recomend real shotgun rounds; IMHO 20 or 12 gauge is best, and they have more utility anyway for other things.

[R.W.Dale]

I've been saying all along to folks on this board that if all you have are hammers pretty soon all your problems start to look like nails.

The solution to every problem in life may not be resorting to a firearm

THIS is the correct load for killing snakes

http://www.southernobserver.com/images/hoe.jpg

[EHCRain10]

+1 to krochus, a garden hoe has distance and reloads REALLY fast when needed.

Sulfur around the house will keep any snake out, snakes will not crawl over the sulfur so pour a solid like around your house where it will stay dry

[41magsnub]

My grandmother used to whack rattlers in the garden with a hoe all the time, she would not even break stride.

[Stirling XD]

When I was growing up in Arkansas, we used the .22 shot shell all the time for copperheads. We had a little single shot .22 that worked great. I think it was a Remington Model 6. At under 10 feet, is deadly on snakes. We never needed a second shot. Plus, it a lot quieter than a shotgun or larger caliber pistols. I wouldn't expect it to cycle through an automatic.

[shiftyer1]

Well I had the chance to try the .22 shot today. I was cutting grass and since i've already killed a couple snakes in as many days I decided to belt on the .22 revolver. I have alot of fallen limbs so I was cleaning them up while mowing. Anyway long story short, I found a copperhead and a single head shot from about 7 feet worked great. Yes a hoe will work also but it seems it would be a little hard to cut grass pick up rocks and logs and also carry around a hoe. The gun seems more convienient. So far all the snakes have been relatively small. Not sure i'd want to try the .22 shot on a full size rattler. And i don't have to get off the mower to use the gun. I do think i'll be looking for an old beat up single shot .410. Now to come up with a gun mount for the riding mower.

[Sixtigers]

LOL!

Guns for snakes? Really?

C'mon! I'm a gun guy just as much as the rest of ya, and I grew up in Western Diamondback territory (any other Northern California boys and girls out there?), but Krochus hit it on the head!

You don't need a gun for snakes. Shovel, hoe, axe, machete all work fine!

Helpful tip--I've never seen a rattler strike distance longer than about half their body length, and these aren't real big snakes. Last rattler I dispatched was almost four feet--a really fat SOB--and I just smacked him with the shovel a couple times, then used it to sever the end that had the sharp, oozy things in it. He tasted great! The secret is dry mustard in the flour. Trust me--and soak 'em in buttermilk overnight first.

Had a German Shepherd that took a diamondback strike to the chest, envenomed...cost about $2200 to fix that dog, but well worth it. I killed the travelers (rattlers, not flatlanders) that got too close to the house, but let the ones I came across in the wilds go. Figured I was the tresspasser.

I used .38 snakeshot once, in a little SP-101 2". Had to get too close for that to be effective, and the shovel was just a lot easier, quieter, and frankly, more effective.

[Bwana John]

I am more afraid of Hantavirus than of snakes.

But if I do have to kill a snake, a firearm is one of the last tools Id use.

Shovels, sticks, and rocks work much better.

[Ed N.]

When we first moved into our place, I killed several pigmy rattlers and one coral snake, and our neighbor was bitten by a pigmy rattler while clearing some fallen pine branches.

Then a couple of stray cats showed up in our barn and decided to stay.

Now we seldom see a snake or a rat.

Anybody know what kind of shot works best on cats?

[Sixtigers]

So...wait...are you saying you want the rats and snakes back? :confused:

[hardluk1]

The 22 ratshot does work well just don't expect it to cycle a semi auto, Use a lever rifle or bolt if you can ,better distance from snake.But a revolver works well to about a 6" patern at 10 feet with pistol and will not worry neighbors like 357 rat shot or shotguns will. Also besides the king snake the good oll Black snake is another good around the house snake. They will also run off or kill poisonous. Plus there easier for people to pick out as friendly.

[mljdeckard]

A few years ago, I got my dad a Ruger Single-Six .22/.22 mag for father's day. He fly-fishes remote streams, and more than once has had to walk around rattlesnakes. He has a Woodsman and a Ruger Mk I, but when he tried the old crimped .22 birdshots many years ago, the did nothing but jam. When we first got it, we took it out and tried some CCI .22 mag shot loads for it. They work fine at close range, as in, soda bottle at less than ten feet. The problem with them is, in a rifled barrel, with such small shot, it will spin, and the centrifugal force will make it 'donut' at any significant range.

I don't know if he's actually killed any snakes with it, I'll have to ask him, I know he carries it everywhere he fishes.

I might get around to trying some of the CCI centerfire shot loads to see how they work sometime, I mostly want to see if they will cycle reliably in my .45.

[TIMC]

Any gun will do, I prefer a plain old 1911 with 185 grain Golden Sabers to do all of my dirty work.
I had this one try to crawl up in my lap while I was doing my buisness out in the woods while hunting last winter. We had a little warm spell pop up and I guess it came out to play. It was 05:00 in the morning and still dark outside. The rattler was less than 5 feet away when I noticed it and you don't get up and move too fast with your drawers around your ankles! First round hit him square in the head. Needless to say I didn't have to go anymore!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/timc/Hunting%20pics/December2008rattler.jpg?t=1240959043

[AdamSean]

I haven't used the .22s, but I have them in .38 special and .45 auto. The .38s work the best from about 5 or 6 feet.

[shiftyer1]

I know a shovel will work but can you tell me how to pack one around while doing normal yard work that doesn't involve a shovel. Imo a handgun is more convienient. Also i'm still waiting for the info on where to get the shooting mongoose. I'll take 2. lol

[xmanpike]

If you have a .45 ACP CCI makes shot shells for it that here in Texas are perfect for all snakes including 6 ft Rattlers!

[DANGERRUSS]

the shot loads work best from shorter barrels, I think the less of the rifled bore it has to contend with the better the patterns. This at least is what my personal test have shown using .22, 38 and 44 shotshells. The last snake I used one on was a rattle snake that was about 5' long. I used a 3" .22 revolver and the CCI load. I let the non posinous snakes alone.

[luzyfuerza]

I was out deer hunting one year and about stepped on a timber rattler...he was a big one, but I figured that the .54 cal muzzleloader I was carrying was just a bit too much even for him. A big rock ended the standoff. I got a snack for supper and a really nice hatband out of the deal, though.

[Ratshooter]

My shooting buddy that lives in weatherford tx just now called and said he has killed two snakes today. He is using shot loads I made in 32 mag cases. He is shooting these out of a ruger single six revolver.

I asked him how far away he was when he shot and he said around 12 feet. I thought that might be a little far but he said the first shot stopped them in their tracks. He said he fired a second shot "just in case". He does NOT like snakes at all. Or spiders either. Most of all tarantulas.

One of the snakes was a brown striped beast 4' long and the second was a gray colored snake a little over 3' long. Neither was poisonous except in his mind.

[Officers'Wife]

Hi Ed,

Anybody know what kind of shot works best on cats?

#4 shot works well but a German Shepard is self aiming a lot quieter.

[gunsandreligion]

Use the back of a shovel on them so you smush em and they dont wriggle around like if you chop em up. A bb gun works great if its legal in texas. (It isn't here.)

[SGTB802]

Bond arms snake slayer 410 3 inch need i say more

[Racinfan83]

I say the bigger the better. If I'm messing with something that could kill me - I'm gonna make darn sure that the first shot or hit counts. I grew up where there were lots of nasty snakes - and have killed 'em with about anything you can think of. 12 guage is the absolute best medicine. No doubt there. Machete?? No way. Gotta get too close. Hoe - maybe, but hard to carry. I guarantee you I'm not going looking to kill snakes with a little 22 shotshell. I've hit pigeons with them at like 4 feet away and they flew off. At the VERY LEAST you need to be using a .410.....

AND - NO I'm NOT eating any snakes.........don't care if they "taste like chicken" or not....:eek::eek::eek::barf::barf:

[outerlimit]

That new Taurus Judge loaded with .410 #4 shot would really make one hell of a snake gun!

[gyp_c2]

:evil:...I prefer the long-handled shovelmagnum...Any shape will do...
Of course, Colt is always best...but most hardware stores carry some copies...http://emoticons4u.com/smoking/rauch06.gif

[fase3]

I have a old model T/C Contender with a 45Lc/410 with the screw in choke at the end of the bbl. The 2 1/2 " skeet load (1/2 oz #9) is good out to 20 yds. Here at the farm in south La. it is just the ticket for water mocs. and there is no shortage of them to practice on!

[vtail]

Just don't do what these morons did:

http://newsok.com/article/3099828

[Mot45acp]

Any population of any animal is there for a reason.....food source. With what copperheads eat I would be more concerned with area denial than eradication.

If you dont want the snakes up by the house, go to any hardware, grocery, wal mart, and buy yourself a $5.00 box of moth balls. Distribute them of the perimeter of your house, walkways, sheds, garden, etc.

Then dispatch any that remain up close to the house as means of protection of you and yours.

[Eagles6]

Yeah, get rid of the copperheads. I hate 'em! Know a number of people that have been bitten and come close a few times myself.
King snakes are a good idea and black snakes too. You might have luck with .22 shotshells out of a rifle but I'd go with at least .38 shotshells out of a handgun.

[saddlebum]

iwas bitten by a copperhead it aint fun. i've shot them with 22 rat shot and watched it bounce off. but the .38cci's work great

[Badlander]

I have some .357 snake loads made up by A friend. Uses .357 brass, 7shot held in place with A crimped gas check. Do not know the powder charge. worked well on the one cottonmouth I killed with it from about 10 ft.

[KevininPa]

.....22s out of a H&R, but that was on garters. I carry a Bonds Arms Snake slayer while walking the dog with the first round loaded with #9, and the second round with #4 for critters(though I've recently heard of twelves). We have coppers up here as well. Normally I leave snakes alone, but I can get surprised by one. Especially since I have an animal-aggresive dog. Otherwise I leave them alone. Since you just purchased this house you may be cash poor right now. Try your .22 with the snake rounds. They'll probably work. If not, the SnakeCharmer .410 is inexpensive. I have one, and it works surprisingly well(on more than a few critters if need be! Very full choke and great point of aim.). I've also used blowguns with great success. You'd be amazed at how accurate those things are with practice! one dart to the head and done! Otherwise go with the shovel or the hoe.

[Officers'Wife]

Hi vtailw

Just don't do what these morons did:

Those men are professionals and above such name calling. You should be ashamed of yourself for such a reaction over one irrelevant child after the sacrifices those officers made to protect life!

[wrs840]

I have Copperheads. They're pretty tough to kill. A flat-blade shovel works great, but you'll have to grind the head off, and it takes more "grinding" than many of you imagine. I ran over one with a 93" finish mower once, and he was pretty chopped up, but still flopping around after I had walked 200 yards back to the house, retrieved a twelve-guage, and walked back to blow him into three pieces. That ended his enthusiasm for life. I also encountered one on a gravel road while on a Case JX95 and had to spin the loaded rear tires over it about a dozen times, almost totally skinning it, to get it to quit moving. This is a 12 thousand pound tractor with one heavy-a** 8' twin-blade bushhog hanging off the back.

A Taurus Judge on my hip with a couple .410 (#6 or so) in it would be my first choice if expecting to be on a Copperhead jihad. Two .38 Shotshells for my daily-carry S&W 442 are also in one my speedstrips, so I can reload and dispatch a Copperhead if I'm surprised by one. I won't kill most any other snake, but Copperheads tend to hold their ground, and can even be aggressive. I've got kids. I'll kill every Copperhead I can.

Les

[jimmyraythomason]

I attempted to use .38/.357 Speer snake shot in the early '70s on Cottonmouths without a single kill. a Cottonmouth is much tougher than a Copperhead but our Alabama copperheads grow large. The largest I've killed was 42'' long and I've seen much larger. Chopped up one with a Bush hog that was 4'' in diameter. 410 shottie or .44 cal. shot shells. BTW a Jack Russell terrier is murder on all snakes.

[shiftyer1]

Well the .22 works just fine but i'm lookin for some .357 and .45acp snake shot also and i'm about to pick up a single action .410 for 100 bucks so I think i'll get er done. That should cover small, medium, and large and also texas size. lol. I am in snake heaven I think, and I found out a rat snake is one of the most aggesive i've ever seen. I thought I was getting bit from a rattlesnake. Scared me half to death. I wasn't messin with him I just walked up and didn't see him. No wonder I have so many owls. It's a buffet.

[jimmyraythomason]

Here is my copperhead medicine..taken this morning 5/06/09 just six feet from the grand daughters' swing set. Speckled king snake.