Shotshells?

[Cosmoline]

I'm wondering if anyone makes shotshells for reloading. I'm hoping to craft a load for my Winchester or Ruger in .45 Colt for close-range Ptarmigan and/or showshoe hare hunting. CCI's new .45 Colt shotshells use No.9 shot, which isn't good for much more than snake killing. Maybe larger shot and a little more powder would work for small game inside of 10 yards?? Or am I pipe dreaming?

[Big Bunny]

IMHO.....maybe you are!

I assumed you are firing a .45 rifled barrel pistol or a carbine GRH...
The shot patterns thrown by a rifled barrel are often 'hollow' and far from sporting or humane on game. Also the commercial plastic shot capsules are [in my experience] unreliable in their progressive(or not!) breakage and resultant patterns, so I feel you would have to load in a normal brass case with suitable wads and crimps being home-made and trial and error for powders and patterns.
Pests such as rats and snakes(a longer target that one - tends to cut them in three!)are another matter.
[However I was told of a bushman who shot ducks with a .22 auto and usually got one out of 3 shots on the wing!!! Not recomemded- but it got him a feed -so all is not lost.]

Also shot capsules and lead shot make a big mess of the rifled barrel and need careful cleaning before solids and especially jacketed bullets are used again.
CF and RF shot-shells are useful for a 'one gun household' but I feel a .410 or 20GA is far better for hunting what you mention IMHO, though revolver shooting with shot cartridges at 10 FEET sounds fun(autos will not cycle)- but I'd rather not eat the game afterwards!

BB

[JimK]

If you want to experiment I have seen an article about creating 45 LC shot shells using 444 Marlin brass cut to cylinder length and a 410 ga shotgun wad as an overpowder wad and shot container. I believe it was in an old issue of Gun World ?? magazine.

Jim