Pistol shot shell hulls?

wolfz · May 3, 2001, 02:13 PM

I'm looking for a variety of calibers to load up some shot shells for here in snake invested Arizona. I've bought some of CCI's offering and except for the .357/38, .44mag, and the .45ACP, I've found them lacking. I'm looking for hulls for 9mm, 10mm, and maybe .32, and .30. I found hulls available from Speer in .357 and .44 only. Any idea where I can mail order Win. and fed. shotshells, or the empty hulls for my other calibers. THx, Pax Wolfz

Poodleshooter · May 3, 2001, 02:39 PM

I think that .38 and .44 are your only bet, but I know that there is a forming die to create .45 auto folded crimp shotshells. I think RCBS makes it. You can use regular cases to reload the .357 and .44's (all of the other's too), but Speer is the only company I know of that sells the shotcups, and they only sell .38 and .44 IIRC. Your best bet for buying other varieties pre-loaded is probably http://www.wideners.com or http://www.midwayusa.com

burrhead · May 3, 2001, 02:52 PM

Here in the Chihuahuan desert we have our share of rattlers also and what I've found works best for snake control is a hoe if around the house and avoidence eveywhere else. That said, you can make your own shot shells. Take a sacrificial case and sharpen the mouth edge with a chamfer tool and use the case to punch out rounds of LIGHT cardboard, such as cereal box material. Load a light powder charge, cover with the cardboard, scoop some #9 shot in the case, then top off with a gas check crimped in the case mouth. You'll have to experiment with the powder charge and shot weight but this is a low pressure round; just use some common sense.

Paul B. · May 3, 2001, 03:01 PM

Wolfz. You might be able to adapt the .357 shot capsule for use in 9MM (they may not feed and may have to be single loaded) but other than 38/357 and 44Spl/44Mag., I'm afraid you may be out of luck. I don't think the 38/357 capsules hold enough shot to be really worthwhile, but the one time I had to shoot a snake, the .44 Mag. with Speer capsule, loaded with 71/2 shot put the quietus to one each rattler in a hurry. My fault really. I didn't see him and stepped on him. He was quite right to be pi$$ed off. If I see the snake, I walk around him and leave him be. He's probably more afraid of you than otherwise.
Besides, unless you screw up like I did, or the snake is invading your territory (around your home, or in it, or is close enough to be a threat to your children, I see no reason to kill them. They eat disease carrying rodents, like mice with Hantavirus and Bubonic Plague. Also, bullsnakes are easily mistaken a lot of time for rattlesnakes, and they are very beneficial.
We have lot's of snakes down here in the Tucson area, so I know where you are coming from. But, still and all, if the snake wants to go his way, I'll just go mine. After all, it's his territory. He was here first.
Anyway, off my soapbox, and back to the thread. The .44's work real good in my experience. The .38/357's I consider boderline, due to the smaller amount of shot they can carry. .30's, and .32's, I feel will not carry enough shot, and so far, nobody I know makes a capsule for 10MM. There is an outfit, called Remco, I believe, that makes a 45 cal. shot capsule that already has ther shot installed, but i have not seen anything about them in several years.
Paul B.

TEXAS LAWMAN · May 3, 2001, 03:22 PM

For years I've cut down .30-06 cases for use in the .45acp cylinder of my Ruger Blackhawk (trim to cylinder length, size upper portion thru 7/16" I.D. steel washer held below top of RCBS press) and cut down 410 gauge hulls in the .45Colt cylinder. Lots of hand work but the cartridges work well on snakes at close range. For longer distances I walk away.

**Mike Irwin** · May 3, 2001, 05:13 PM

Be VERY careful making your own!

I found out the hard way that if you don't get enough powder in the case, the pellets will bounce back of of a hard surface. Take one of those on the lip and tip of the nose and you'll REALLY yelp, as I did.

**Mal H** · May 3, 2001, 06:00 PM

Mike is right on. Don't try to download any of the published shotshell data. And don't shoot at wood from a short distance. Unless you hike around with your shooting glasses on, "You could put an eye out with that thing!" In this case, that old standard from all Moms is too true.

pahrumpcaveman · May 5, 2001, 10:02 PM

I'v been thinking of loading some up in 454 as I could put in more shot with a lite charge. I had the local gun shop order me some capsules in 45 cal. not shure where he ordered them from but he found them and are on the way. I was thinking of rabbit season not snakes though . Will try some # 6 shot and see how it works.

Good Guy · May 6, 2001, 01:04 PM

The couple of times I've used CCI shotshells in the 357 for Rattlesnake, they worked fine at 5 or 6 feet. Granted, these were small rattlers, only a couple of feet long, but they were INSIDE the cabin. Normally, I leave rattlers alone, unless they are big enough to eat.

Ditto on the Bullsnake / Gopher Snake caution. Leave them be. They're good guys too. I'm the type of person who will drive around a snake in the road if it's safe to do so, rather than run over it.

jsr5 · May 6, 2001, 05:45 PM

Can't help with roll your own 9mm 10mm 32 or 30 But, http://www.midwayusa.com has .45 cal shot capsules for LC and Casulls as well as .357 and .44 They aren,t in the catalog But, I just got some of all Haven't loaded the 45's yet but the price was around $5 for 25 45's I think and they pay shipping in US. They seem to have alot of stuff on the web they don't have in the book.

I wonder if a 9mm load couldn't be made with cut down 9mm Win. Mag cases with a crimp Of course crimping is a problem I don't know how to solve. Hand crimping with a trianglular piece of metal would be tedious at best.

beemerb · May 6, 2001, 09:52 PM

I use 3 gr of bulleye in a 38 case for shot shells.Another neat load for 38 shotshells is use 3 number 1 buckshot with shotgun buffer between.Neat load and very good for rabbits.Allso not a bad load for in house defense.The number 9 shot is just to light and short ranged for game hunting.Shot a number of cottontails in MN with that load.

Southla1 · May 7, 2001, 10:03 PM

I never tried to load my own shot loads for either 38, 44 or 45 caliber. Usually if a snake needs "dispatching" a shovel or a hoe as "burrhead" mentioned works like a charm. If it is down by the bayou (backyard) a shotgun with #9 works just fine. If I am in the swamp "hunting" em a .22 LR works well. Now I have expiremented with factory shot loads in both .22 LR and 38/357. I used some of those aluminum pie tins that the pre-made pies in the super market come in. Surprise, surprise the .22's gave better groups at the same ranges than the 38/357. One day a 4 foot cottonmouth was kind of heading for my boat like he wanted to hitch a ride. I shot 3 times with the CCI shot load (38/357) and all it did was p*** him off. The 125 grain JHP that followed as #4 round did a lot more than p*** him off. After that I gave up on shot loads unless they come from a 12 or 16 gauge.
I guess the best one I ever did, I used a 20 HP Diesel Kubota with a 5' mower on a 4 foot copperhead. Tractor won. Looked like little pieces of sausage coming out

.

pahrumpcaveman · May 9, 2001, 11:38 AM

Well guy's I loaded up some 45lc with the speer shot shell's and #4 shot over 6 gr. of 231. They did not perform like I had hoped as the efective range is very short.Due to the rifleing the shot spreads out very fast .So much for shooting jack's with them ,unless I catch them sleeping. Oh well the were fun to experiment with.

May 3, 2001, 02:52 PM	#3
burrhead Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 1999 Location: Chihuahuan desert, Texas Posts: 1,148	Here in the Chihuahuan desert we have our share of rattlers also and what I've found works best for snake control is a hoe if around the house and avoidence eveywhere else. That said, you can make your own shot shells. Take a sacrificial case and sharpen the mouth edge with a chamfer tool and use the case to punch out rounds of LIGHT cardboard, such as cereal box material. Load a light powder charge, cover with the cardboard, scoop some #9 shot in the case, then top off with a gas check crimped in the case mouth. You'll have to experiment with the powder charge and shot weight but this is a low pressure round; just use some common sense. __________________ Join the GOA, SAF and the TSRA I'm offended by people that are easily offended.

May 3, 2001, 03:22 PM	#5
TEXAS LAWMAN Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 1999 Posts: 304	.45ACP & .45COLT SHOTSHELLS For years I've cut down .30-06 cases for use in the .45acp cylinder of my Ruger Blackhawk (trim to cylinder length, size upper portion thru 7/16" I.D. steel washer held below top of RCBS press) and cut down 410 gauge hulls in the .45Colt cylinder. Lots of hand work but the cartridges work well on snakes at close range. For longer distances I walk away.

May 3, 2001, 05:13 PM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Be VERY careful making your own! I found out the hard way that if you don't get enough powder in the case, the pellets will bounce back of of a hard surface. Take one of those on the lip and tip of the nose and you'll REALLY yelp, as I did. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

May 5, 2001, 10:02 PM	#8
pahrumpcaveman Member Join Date: December 1, 2000 Location: pahrump,nevada Posts: 65	pistol shot shell hulls I'v been thinking of loading some up in 454 as I could put in more shot with a lite charge. I had the local gun shop order me some capsules in 45 cal. not shure where he ordered them from but he found them and are on the way. I was thinking of rabbit season not snakes though . Will try some # 6 shot and see how it works.

May 9, 2001, 11:38 AM	#13
pahrumpcaveman Member Join Date: December 1, 2000 Location: pahrump,nevada Posts: 65	pistol shot shell hulls Well guy's I loaded up some 45lc with the speer shot shell's and #4 shot over 6 gr. of 231. They did not perform like I had hoped as the efective range is very short.Due to the rifleing the shot spreads out very fast .So much for shooting jack's with them ,unless I catch them sleeping. Oh well the were fun to experiment with.

May 3, 2001, 02:13 PM	#1
wolfz Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 1998 Location: Chandler, Az, USA Posts: 125	I'm looking for a variety of calibers to load up some shot shells for here in snake invested Arizona. I've bought some of CCI's offering and except for the .357/38, .44mag, and the .45ACP, I've found them lacking. I'm looking for hulls for 9mm, 10mm, and maybe .32, and .30. I found hulls available from Speer in .357 and .44 only. Any idea where I can mail order Win. and fed. shotshells, or the empty hulls for my other calibers. THx, Pax Wolfz

May 3, 2001, 02:39 PM	#2
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	I think that .38 and .44 are your only bet, but I know that there is a forming die to create .45 auto folded crimp shotshells. I think RCBS makes it. You can use regular cases to reload the .357 and .44's (all of the other's too), but Speer is the only company I know of that sells the shotcups, and they only sell .38 and .44 IIRC. Your best bet for buying other varieties pre-loaded is probably http://www.wideners.com or http://www.midwayusa.com

May 3, 2001, 03:01 PM	#4
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	Wolfz. You might be able to adapt the .357 shot capsule for use in 9MM (they may not feed and may have to be single loaded) but other than 38/357 and 44Spl/44Mag., I'm afraid you may be out of luck. I don't think the 38/357 capsules hold enough shot to be really worthwhile, but the one time I had to shoot a snake, the .44 Mag. with Speer capsule, loaded with 71/2 shot put the quietus to one each rattler in a hurry. My fault really. I didn't see him and stepped on him. He was quite right to be pi$$ed off. If I see the snake, I walk around him and leave him be. He's probably more afraid of you than otherwise. Besides, unless you screw up like I did, or the snake is invading your territory (around your home, or in it, or is close enough to be a threat to your children, I see no reason to kill them. They eat disease carrying rodents, like mice with Hantavirus and Bubonic Plague. Also, bullsnakes are easily mistaken a lot of time for rattlesnakes, and they are very beneficial. We have lot's of snakes down here in the Tucson area, so I know where you are coming from. But, still and all, if the snake wants to go his way, I'll just go mine. After all, it's his territory. He was here first. Anyway, off my soapbox, and back to the thread. The .44's work real good in my experience. The .38/357's I consider boderline, due to the smaller amount of shot they can carry. .30's, and .32's, I feel will not carry enough shot, and so far, nobody I know makes a capsule for 10MM. There is an outfit, called Remco, I believe, that makes a 45 cal. shot capsule that already has ther shot installed, but i have not seen anything about them in several years. Paul B.

May 3, 2001, 06:00 PM	#7
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,955	Mike is right on. Don't try to download any of the published shotshell data. And don't shoot at wood from a short distance. Unless you hike around with your shooting glasses on, "You could put an eye out with that thing!" In this case, that old standard from all Moms is too true.

May 6, 2001, 01:04 PM	#9
Good Guy Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 1999 Posts: 638	The couple of times I've used CCI shotshells in the 357 for Rattlesnake, they worked fine at 5 or 6 feet. Granted, these were small rattlers, only a couple of feet long, but they were INSIDE the cabin. Normally, I leave rattlers alone, unless they are big enough to eat. Ditto on the Bullsnake / Gopher Snake caution. Leave them be. They're good guys too. I'm the type of person who will drive around a snake in the road if it's safe to do so, rather than run over it.

May 6, 2001, 05:45 PM	#10
jsr5 Member Join Date: May 6, 2001 Location: mid-west Posts: 25	Can't help with roll your own 9mm 10mm 32 or 30 But, http://www.midwayusa.com has .45 cal shot capsules for LC and Casulls as well as .357 and .44 They aren,t in the catalog But, I just got some of all Haven't loaded the 45's yet but the price was around $5 for 25 45's I think and they pay shipping in US. They seem to have alot of stuff on the web they don't have in the book. I wonder if a 9mm load couldn't be made with cut down 9mm Win. Mag cases with a crimp Of course crimping is a problem I don't know how to solve. Hand crimping with a trianglular piece of metal would be tedious at best.

May 6, 2001, 09:52 PM	#11
beemerb Junior member Join Date: October 2, 1999 Location: AZ Posts: 1,759	I use 3 gr of bulleye in a 38 case for shot shells.Another neat load for 38 shotshells is use 3 number 1 buckshot with shotgun buffer between.Neat load and very good for rabbits.Allso not a bad load for in house defense.The number 9 shot is just to light and short ranged for game hunting.Shot a number of cottontails in MN with that load.

May 7, 2001, 10:03 PM	#12
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	I never tried to load my own shot loads for either 38, 44 or 45 caliber. Usually if a snake needs "dispatching" a shovel or a hoe as "burrhead" mentioned works like a charm. If it is down by the bayou (backyard) a shotgun with #9 works just fine. If I am in the swamp "hunting" em a .22 LR works well. Now I have expiremented with factory shot loads in both .22 LR and 38/357. I used some of those aluminum pie tins that the pre-made pies in the super market come in. Surprise, surprise the .22's gave better groups at the same ranges than the 38/357. One day a 4 foot cottonmouth was kind of heading for my boat like he wanted to hitch a ride. I shot 3 times with the CCI shot load (38/357) and all it did was p* him off. The 125 grain JHP that followed as #4 round did a lot more than p* him off. After that I gave up on shot loads unless they come from a 12 or 16 gauge. I guess the best one I ever did, I used a 20 HP Diesel Kubota with a 5' mower on a 4 foot copperhead. Tractor won. Looked like little pieces of sausage coming out .