Shot Loads in Revolver

[TerryBob]

Have any of you guys ever loaded shot in your revolver? When I first bought a pack of Wonder Wads, I read the instructions for loading shot in a revolver. It said to load powder, wad, shot and then another wad on top. I don’t recall it saying how much shot to put in.

This sounds interesting but it makes me nervous for some reason. It also seems that you would want to grease the top or something to hold it all together.

Can anyone tell me how well this works. It sounds great for snakes. I hate snakes.

Thanks in advance,

TerryBob

 

[Gatofeo]

Shot loads in a black powder revolvers varies, from disappointing to dangerous.
I tried them a couple of years ago in my Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy in .36 caliber and a new Uberti-made 1858 Remington .44.
In the .36, you can't get much shot in the chambers. If you sacrifice gunpowder to allow room for more shot, your velocity is so low that the shot (a) doesn't hit with much authority or (b) bounces back from a hard surface and may hit you.
I got hit with my own shot, bouncing back from a big piece of plywood onto which I'd tacked some butcher paper to check patterns.
Patterns? Muhahahahaha! More like random shot-holes. Probably could have got a better pattern throwing the shot!
In the .44, you can get a little more powder in and velocities seem to be okay.
If the shot will consistently penetrate an aluminum can at 35 to 40 feet, I deem that sufficient. Most of the time, it won't. At close range (5 to 10 feet) it will.
But here again, patterns are all blown to Hell by the shot and wads being spun by the rifling. Couple this with a serious lack of shot and you have untouched areas bigger than Rosie O'Donnel's mouth! Well ... almost as big.
I can't recommend shot in a cap and ball sixgun. Perhaps the Walker or Dragoon would hold enough shot and powder to get a decent balance between the number of pellets and velocity --- but that bugaboo of wads and shot spun by the rifling --- and creating lousy patterns --- would undoubtedly make it moot.
However, the .36 caliber might be useful in a barn for shooting rats and mice at under five feet, without damage to the structure. On second thought, don't think I'd want to try that --- black powder puts out a healthy tongue of flame and barns are typically full of dry hay --- a good recipe for a fire.
Experiment with shot loads if you must, but wear protection from shot that may bounce back. A suit of armor, perhaps?

 

[carpettbaggerr]

Poor defenseless snakes. Why should you hate them? They would be your friends if they could.

 

[4v50 Gary]

My brother pins the tail with a rock and then beans it on the head with another rock. Saves that cheapskate a 22.

 

[Gatofeo]

I live in the Utah desert. I was raised in eastern Washington, where rattlesnakes in that dry, arid country are commonplace.
Never did understand all this hubub over snakes. If you see the blamed thing, go around it.
If it's not bothering you, don't bother it.
The only justification for shooting a snake would be its danger to yourself or others, such as finding a rattlesnake in a heavily-trafficked area (park, golf course, etc.).
Or, you may be justified shooting it if it bites you and you want to ensure positive identification to the medics.
But 99 percent of the time, you don't need to kill a snake. Nor should you.
Snakes are quite beneficial. They eat a lot of rodents and insects that raid food stores or carry disease. I'm more concerned about mice carrying the hantavirus than I am about snakes.
Just never understood this unreasoning malice directed toward any animal, whether it's a snake, cat, dog, bat, sparrow or ant.
Would that more people in this world lived by the creed, "You kill it, you eat it."
Now, there are certain exceptions to this creed: mosquitoes, cockroaches, locusts and so on. These can endanger your life by ruining crops or spreading disease.
Leave the snakes alone. Dismiss your phobia. Snakes do far more good than they do harm.

 

[TerryBob]

I live, hunt and fish in the Ohio Valley. Our three poisonous snakes are the Timber Rattle Snake, Copperhead and the Cotton Mouth.

The Timber Ratler will keep to itself and I have walked around them before. I have never shot one.

The copper head will keep to itself pretty much and aren't that deadly anyway. If you our in an area and smell the smell of a cucumber, just leave the area. I have never shot one.

The Cotton Mouth is another matter all together. It is a very deadly snake that will go out of it's way to get at you. I have seen them come off of a river bank and try to get into the boat. I was swimming once and almost got bit by one that I barely out swam. I have known of these things getting into freinds boats before. They will come after you and I have blown several away right near the boat. I'm not kidding. The Cotton Mouth will go out of his way to bite you. I have never seen another type of snake that will come at you just for the fun of it.

TerryBob

 

[scotjute]

TerryBob
I've also seen several instances of cotton mouths swimmiing toward you.
I've always viewed them as curious when they swim toward you, not purposely swimming over to bite you. Perhaps someone more learned can state their purpose when they do that.
Do agree with you that all of the snakes, they seem to be the most aggressive, and the most dangerous. Have seen them coiled up under water with mouth open waiting. I've seen big fat ones, around 4-5 ft. long
just lie there when they see you coming, not bothering to run.

Gatefeo
As for live and let live, well, when a poisonous snake is around your house or an area you frequent, odds are you may run into him again, or next year his progeny, or his grand-progeny. Or your kids or wife may encounter them. In timbered country, it can often be difficult to see them until you're dangerously close. Having to walk thru areas where the vegetation is so thick you can barely see in front of you or see your feet can be nerve-wracking. In the desert/Rockies, this probably isn't as big a problem.
While I will go out of my way to avoid harming a non-poisonous snake, with poisonous ones, I usually strike if the opportunity presents itself.

As to the original question, I've never loaded blackpowder revolver with shot tho I have used .38 spl with shot shells to good effect a couple of times. Sounds like in black powder its more trouble than its worth.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I've had a copper head swim under my tacklebox while fishing off a partially submerged Big Rock. I spent a long time thinking about how and when I should retrieve my box, much less get anything out of it.

The best reason to shoot a snake is when it's already bitten you. That way hopefully the venom professionals can identify which antivenin to give you.

I can't imagine that you could load enough shot in a bp revolver to make a difference, unless it was a Dragoon or similar sized beast?

 

[Dr.Doug]

I've used shot loads in my Old Army, (wonder wad above and below the shot charge) with fair success. NOT a long range load! Be careful if loading more than one or two chambers with them- the top wad can and will work it's way loose, causing shot to spill in inconvenient places! I've used this load with #71/2 shot on one medium-sized RATTLESNAKE IN THE GARAGE where it performed admirably. ( I usually let them go, too.) Because of the hassle of loading, cleaning, fire hazard, etc., I now have shot loads for my 45 colt. (Better patterns, too.)

 

[Gatofeo]

I didn't wish to give the impression that I get maudlin about snakes. If they're poisonous, or aggressive (even non-poisonous snakes can deliver a nasty bite that may fester), then by all means rid the area of it.
I don't have a problem with that. But shooting a snake that's minding its own business and not posing a risk to you or anyone else --- bugs me.

Instead of a revolver, why not buy one of those cheap, single-shot, large-bore black powder pistols. Some years ago, a company (can't remember who) used to offer a double-barreled front-stuffer of about .45 caliber. It was percussion, had two triggers and two hammers.
Seems to me, a load of black powder and shot in each barrel would be effective at close range. And if the first shot didn't quite do the trick, the second barrel could be used quickly.
The same company even made a three-barreled "duckfoot" pattern, with barrels angled slightly away from each other. Supposedly, this type of arm was used by ship's captains to suppress mutinies. One pull of the trigger fired all three barrels!
Now, I don't know what kind of dispersion you'd get with three barrels loaded with shot but it should take care of the varmint.
I dont' know if any of the above had rifled barrels but at little more than arm's length it shouldn't matter.
Black powder revolvers are hindered by the capacity of their chambers to hold shot and powder. Single shot black powder guns wouldn't have that hindrance.

 

[Preacherman]

Would it be possible to load the CCI shot capsules on top of a wad in a BP revolver? This might cushion the shot on the way down the barrel, and give a more even pattern. Has anyone tried this?

The .44 caliber Speer shot cups are illustrated below.

 

[Alex]

Shot loads have been used probably since the invention of the revolver, I remember seeing a Colt 1849 pocket pistol with beautiful Ivory grips that had belonged to a drummer boy in the Civil War, it had been passed down by the family for generations......still loaded, when the loads were pulled their were 3 shot loads and two ball loads in it. I used to play around with shot loads in a reproduction 1851 Navy, I tried them with wonder wads and shot, sometimes with crumpled up newspaper for overshot wads, the best results I had were obtained by making tiny shot cups from newspaper and lightly crimping the ends, a thin overshot wad kept everything in place and patterns were decent at close range, I suppose they would have worked on snakes, but like the poster above I have never had anything against these relatively innocent, much mislined creatures. There are probably better guns to use for shot throwing, but these guns are intended for entertainment purposes today anyway so why not entertain yourselfs and try it out, it's history pure and simple.

 

[Hal]

I was swimming once and almost got bit by one that I barely out swam

Damn boy, you must swim like Johnnie Weismueller to outswim onea them.

I never had a cotton muth chase me that I know of. Was standing waist deep in a river though when a
"garbage can lid" floated by me ~ 15 feet away. Weird. It was floating upstream against the current!
Yep, big old snapper. I wanted no part of that thing, an dscared off al the fish for 200 yards all around with all the splashing.

Anyhow, on topic.

Yeah, I loaded my 1851 Navy up with shot once. Wasn't impressed with it for all the trouble it was.

 

[tex_n_cal]

obviously, what ya'll need is a LeMat. That 20ga smoothbore barrel should be just the ticket