i have fired shot from my NAA super companion. it's not quite a 12 gauge but it will be fine for snakes at close range. i use half of what i would normally load of Triple Seven, and then a ball of newspaper. i wad it up first so it fits really tightly and seals better. then i pour some shot in until i am just below the cylinder mouth, then i put a little newspaper, then a little Crisco on top to seal the mouth of the chamber. if you want too you can put less shot in and put a ball over the shot instead. and of course, i cap it afterward otherwise you have a paperweight. the result is a shot load that is good at 5 or so feet for snakes, small pests, and very large bugs.
a few days ago i had a giant cockroach or some kind of beetle (God knows what) about the size of my trigger finger on my screen door. it looked nasty and i wanted it gone ASAP. i got my NAA Super companion with some shot in it, i hit the back of the screen with a broom, i i came out and it was about 10 feet away and it started to fly towards me, then shot it with the snake shot. it dropped right out of the air. thank god i hit that monstrosity, i probably would have flipped if it actually landed on me. but they patterned just fine, did lots of damage and it took care of it's purpose just fine. didn't raise too much of a stir in my neighbors either. i think the cap n' ball shot are a bit more powerful than the CCI snake shot, they go all the way thorough cans, fruit, and stuff that CCI shot won't go though. you can even put a pellet on top for a buck and ball load. it's fun to shoot that because you have a nice peppered look on your target and a .22 hole in the middle. i imagine that this would be very effective in a .44, so give it a try and be safe of course!
by the way, the trick to shot is a tight fitting wad, hot powder like Triple Seven, and shot that is about size 7 1/2 or so. it carries enough energy to dispatch pesky critters or satanic looking giant beetles, yet has enough shot to spread decently.
~Levi
