Is this a reason for a Judge or Governor?

[Texshooter]

Last week (live in suburbs of metro ATL), 2 Copperheads in back yard. At seperate times. One of them bit one of the pups, but thankfully he survived. One of the SOBs tried to bite me. Grandboy could have easily been playing out back.

The ol ax did the job, but would one of the 410 / 45 hybrids be a good idea to keep downstairs for this situation? As well as being somewhat easy to carry in the woods behind the fence in the yard?

I honestly am not too familiar with shotshell / shotgun rounds. 410 effective?

And, are there snake shot shells that would work well out of my .38 snubbie?

Many thanks.

 

[Tolkachi Robotnik]

A good long handled hoe works good.

The dogs will mess with snakes. Even shotshells for a 38 would work on snakes if you are close. You might want to train your dogs to not mess with snakes, or at least honor you the alpha as you negotiate with the snake. There are a lot of copperheads out there and generally they do not have to die every interaction. If you are seen messing with snakes the dogs will want to help. This can be a problem in several ways.

Although serious, copperhead bites do not often kill large people or animals. Rattlesnake bites are a step up.

 

[B!ngo]

Why not just keep a 12 gauge near by? Is portability (on a belt) really required for such occasional needs? Seems like a 12 gauge has more general utility than these governor things.
B

 

[Texshooter]

Bingo, I figured the shotgun to be the best solution, but at this point my head is on a swivel. And when I am outside the fence I was thinking the portability might be a plus. Am often back there clearing old fence post, downed trees, etc.

But the response from the other gentleman did, in fact, say there are shot shells for a .38 that work on snakes, so may just go with what I have.

And to be clear, I was not out there when pup was bit. Just went out when I did to cut some grass and pup was doing a little "hunched down dance" while barking. But yes, if I have the ax or hoe in my hand for other purposes I would immediately use them instead of going for wheelie.

In appx 20 years have seen many Black snakes but these are the 1st triangled headed slithers we have seen in all this time. We have had a ton of rain this year and others have told me that is why they are coming out now.

Thx for replies.

 

[Fatdaddy]

I bought one earlier this summer and it definitely does the job on a cotton mouth. Mine accompanies me when fishing in an Uncle Mikes clip on nylon holster. It's very handy to have it by your side at the moment you need it.

 

[huntsman]

So what's the law say about firing a gun in Suburban metro ATL?

 

[tomrkba]

Sure...I'm sure someone can find a reason. For me, it's fun. I'd like to shoot some flying targets with one sometime. But...I'd never buy one.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Get some rat/snake shot loads for your .38. The snake won't know the difference between it and a .410. And the .38 is much easier to carry.

 

[Jaymo]

Yes. That's why I bought my Judge. Suburban Metro ATL has plenty of venomous snakes.
A .410 birdshot load is highly effective against snakes.
I like the bigger payload a lot better than snakeshot in a 38, 44, or 45 revolver.
It will also give you a bigger, and denser pattern.
More pellets is better.
What part of Metro ATL do you occupy? I'm in South Metro ATL.

 

[Texan Scott]

I have a Bond Arms derringer that I really love. It's .410, but packs flat. It's also a beautifully tight, smooth piece of gunmetal. I own Taurus 38s- nothing against them- but I love that derringer.

 

[2wheels]

It'll work, but as others have already mentioned shotshells will work and they'll save you a lot of money over buying an entirely new gun.

Of course... If you're looking for an excuse to buy a new gun, go for it! Even if it is the silly Judge/Govna...

 

[X-Rap]

A shovel works fine.

 

[JoeDorn]

I live on 200+ acres of Texas dirt and limestone that we have in wildlife conservation. I use a Honda UTV to cover the place and usually keep a Taurus Judge in it.

We recently had an encounter with a rattlesnake and the Judge had been taken out of the 4-wheeler and I had to use a 9mm on the snake... one of my dogs jumped out and placed the snake between us. I was trying to drive the dog away but he came toward me and the snake... Long story short; $1400.00 and about 5 hours later I had a dead dog.

The 9mm hit the snake but it did not kill, my Judge with .410 has taken out or disabled snakes on first shots. My dog would still be alive if I had the Judge available.

Abut a year ago I had a conversation with a person working the oil fields of West Texas and his preferred carry for snakes was the Judge...

BTW, I have also used the Judge once in a property invasion situation... The man disappeared fast... The Judge is scary when you are looking at t from the working end....

 

[MikeJackmin]

I don't have any personal experience with the .410 pistols, but I would expect they would be a substantial improvement over a .38 shotshell. So long as you are OK with the expense, the size, and the weight, you won't find a more effective anti-snake handgun.

Load it with .45 colt rounds and it'll be perfectly effective as a defensive arm as well.

 

[Outlaw Man]

I agree a Judge, etc., will work just fine. I don't know that it justifies an additional firearm.

If you need an excuse to get the purchase cleared by your wife, it'll suffice, though.

 

[RealGun]

Gunshots in suburban Atlanta are probably a bad idea, but I am sure my Judge (yes, silly me) would handle a snake. I have some snake shot rounds for it, but it's usually loaded with all 2 1/2" .410 #4 buckshot by Federal. That should work too at only a few yards.

 

[bmnloader]

I usually just carry my 357 with every other hole loaded with a shotshell in it. I use it quite a bit on rattlesnakes and it works well. Also works on the hogs if I see one.

 

[USSR]

Dual purpose guns rarely do any one thing well. I have a 12 gauge Remington 1100 and a S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt, and both excel in their intended purpose. Just MHO.

Don

 

[RealGun]

Dual purpose guns rarely do any one thing well.

An assumption on my part in many cases, but I agree. My Judge excels at shooting .410. With its .454 throat and shortish barrel, I don't expect it to be driving tacks in .45 Colt at .451-2. At the intended ranges though, one would probably never know.

To seriously shoot .45 Colt, I have other guns that do it well. It was the buckshot capability that drew me to the Judge. I don't identify with the Governor, because it is unattractive to me by comparison. I chose the 2 1/2 cylinder to be easier to carry and look less like a caricature, sort of a Hummer pretending to be car.

Speaking of "dual purpose", I don't like the idea of shooting .38 Spl from my .357 Magnums or .44 Special form my .44 Mag. I like to have separate guns that specialize and which can be optimized in function and ammo for the caliber.

 

[Armored farmer]

My friend has a Judge. It is an awesome gun. I like to pop clays from my thrower with it.
For those of us who like to reload both .410 and .45colt, it is a natural. When i find a bargain on one, I will buy it.

 

[Grunt]

We have a lot of prairie rattlers here in Wyoming and I've run across a few of them at work as well. I once thought about getting a judge and was using .38 special snake shot until I got the money scraped together to buy the new gun. Thing was after using those snakeshot loads through my .38 snub and seen how well it worked, I began to question why I needed to think about getting a judge in the first place. Today, I still don't have a judge and my .38 still is doing duty as my snake gun.

 

[stinger 327]

If you have a .357 they have shotshells for this caliber too.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

A shovel works fine.

That was my first thought as well.
I hate the Judge and the Governor so there isn't a reason for me to buy one. I already have a .45 Colt. If I want a .410, I'll buy one.

 

[Texshooter]

Thank you all for your responses and thought provoking comments.

Usually, I don't need much of a reason / excuse to go out and at least look for new wheelie

HUNTSMAN AND OTHERS: The questions about shooting in metro ATL got me thinking so I called an Leo buddy and also called my lawyer. The general thinking is, as best as possible, be sure of ricochet problems (what is behing target, etc) but the main thing was that it would be considered a potential life/death provable situation. If I had to take action, just to be sure to call Police as soon as possible afterwards and give details (and notify neighbors). Damn lawyer said chances are good snake would not sue me I told him, "and you, my friend, would know about snakes."

JOE DORN: Very sorry for lose of your dog. Can see where it would be difficult to end situation with 9 in a case like this.

JAYNO: About 8 miles NE of Dacula / Buford.

Today I stopped by 3 local shops and none had any .38 shot shell. May try Bass this weekend.

Thanks all.

 

[JoeDorn]

"Quote:
A shovel works fine.
That was my first thought as well.
I hate the Judge and the Governor so there isn't a reason for me to buy one. I already have a .45 Colt. If I want a .410, I'll buy one."

We are covering 200+ acres of well wooded land in wildlife conservation primarily using our Honda Big Red UTV. We have stuffed every crevice with some item we might need on the spur of the moment and the judge covers two needs (.45 Colt is quickly available if poachers are about.)

Normally I have a 12 gauge pump in the vehicle but I had lent it to a grandson for another predator elimination project. The stars were not aligned for the dog that day.

After the snakes go into their holes I carry a 1911 and the shotgun.

Note: I found another dog very similar in the local animal shelter and the loss has been alleviated a little...