Will a .22 Shotshell kill a Snake?

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LeontheProfessional

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I just purchase a Browning Buckmark with a 5.5in barrel. I wanted this pistol for plinking and a good trail gun. I was thinking of getting some shotshells for it but I am not convinced of the lethality vs say copperhead, water moccasin, and rattle snake. I have seen this advertised as snake shot but do those little BBs have the velocity coming out of 5.5in barrel to kill one of these snakes? Secondly, how close would I need to get to said snake to kill it, if it does indeed work?
 
Yes they do. Be careful they will shoot through your shoe also.

With that pistol you should be ok with your arm extended at somewhat less than a 45 degree angle toward the snake.

Not my first choice for snakes, but I have killed a few that way.
 
Yeah, I'd doubt their lethality too. It seems like it would be more of a deterrence for them than a death-touch. I mean, if you were within say, up to 12 inches away from the snake, then I could see them as being effective. Other than that, I would expect they would just slither away if you shot them with one of those, if it even hit them.
But, bottom line, don't bother the snakes, they won't bother you. I remember a few years ago I came across a large (maybe about 4.5 to 5" long) rattle snake on a narrow path, so I just threw a rock at it, it went away and I continued. Although I admit, maybe not the best of ideas. :/
 
mljdeckard said:
At ranges of less then ten feet. Plan on more than one shot to make them stop moving.

The thing about snakeshot in a pistol is that the rifling will make the shot spread and donut very quickly.
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Do you really have to get within 10 feet? That sucks. I'd prefer to be 30 feet or more from a rattler, especially if it starts to get pissed.
 
Have never tried the .22 versions but have used plenty of 38 Speer versions.
These will not reliably be a one shot immediate death shot on a snake but what they do is cause the snake to immediately lose interest in its surroundings and in you or your dog and roll into a tight coil which makes for easy follow up shots with standard ammunition.
 
The guys who have tried it seem to think it will work, so it should be ok as long as you are very close. .22 shot shells are an extremely close range proposition. I do think the best advice is to leave the snakes alone. Congratulations on the Buckmark. I just got one myself. Great gun.

gary
 
They seem pretty anemic to me, especially against a rather large snake. Kind of inhumane really. Definitely not worth the cost. I prefer to stick with my .22 hps. It is a more difficult shot, but if you are pretty close it shouldn't be a problem. They do work great on cock roaches and large hornets.
 
Within 10ft, that should not be a problem. I have found myself much closer than that to both a copper head and a water moccasin. I literally almost stepped on a young copperhead once. Thank you all for the advice.
 
The ammo is okay for snake shooting, but no, it won't cycle....or at least it won't load the next shell from the magazine automatically....it turns your Buckmark into a single shot. Much better idea to get a 22 revolver for 22shotshells...like a Ruger Single Six or a cute little Ruger Bearcat.
 
My dad used to lie in wait to shoot gophers in the front yard with .22 shot cartridges (the metal crimped kind) using my single shot Savage .22 rifle. He had a knack of catching them when they were digging their burrows and he'd blast them when they'd emerge to push dirt out of their holes. He had no problem killing them cleanly out to about 20-25 feet.
 
In my experience, yes they will kill them, but if it's snake of any size, they are not that good unless your very close. .38 specials ones work better! :)

They will not cycle through a Buckmark for sure, I tried.
 
Have the Speer shot capsules for my Ruger OM Blackhawks in 357-44-45 and they work well up to 15'. I purchased one of the old model T/C contenders in 45LC with the screw in choke for .410 about a yr. ago and it will take water mocs with 7 1/2 shot out to 20 yds with no problem. Having lost two good dogs to them here in south La. in the last couple of years it has become a personal thing as there is no shortage of the vipers here. Rattlers I can handle. Mocs I HATE THEM!
 
Do you really have to get within 10 feet? That sucks. I'd prefer to be 30 feet or more from a rattler, especially if it starts to get pissed.
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22 shot cartridges out of a handgun won't be effective at ten feet, ten inches maybe. A conventional 22lr bulleted load will dispatch a rattlesnake at ten feet quite nicely though.

For a shot cartridge, I would prefer at least a 357. 12 gauge would be even better. We had a couple of problem bullsnakes last summer getting the eggs. Relocated them once and they came back. Caught them both in the henhouse one afternoon. Two shots from the 12 ga ended the problem.
 
I bought some .38 shot cartridges a few years back and was disappointed. Didn't try them on a rattler though.
 
I'd prefer to be 30 feet or more from a rattler, especially if it starts to get pissed.
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I stepped on rattlers twice when I was a kid out playing in the fields in southern california. Scared them as much as they scared me! Yikes!!! I went one way, the rattlers took off the other way.
 
I'm not a fan of the 22 shot shells. But everyone who has a 22 and goes out into the woods tries the shot shells out. For me, they are pretty useless except at a distance where you could just as easily use a stick if you need to dispatch a snake.

A 357 shotshells in a revolver would be much more effective.
 
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