The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old June 7, 2018, 06:56 AM   #1
cecILL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 13, 2001
Location: central IL
Posts: 769
Carpenter bees

Hello Everyone. Going to load up some .38 shot shells for an obvious reason.

Watched some youtube videos. Seeking any knowledge and or advice.

Have Unique and 7.5 shot.
cecILL is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 07:11 AM   #2
flyguy958
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 27, 2009
Location: SC
Posts: 200
Load em up, lots of fun!
__________________
You can have your own opinion but you can't make up your own facts !
flyguy958 is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 07:18 AM   #3
jaguarxk120
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 28, 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,618
It is reported that the Second Marquess of Ripon used dust to shoot insects out of the air
as practice for the game fields.

The Marquess died in 1923 and no one has come a long to exceed his shooting
ability.

Last edited by jaguarxk120; June 7, 2018 at 09:09 AM.
jaguarxk120 is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 09:07 AM   #4
FITASC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 6, 2014
Posts: 6,432
Some of the toy guns that use salt can be effective at the proper range
__________________
"I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa
FITASC is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 10:09 AM   #5
Unclenick
Staff
 
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,022
I don't know what range you are shooting them from, but airsoft ball would probably kill them just fired with a primer, and you'd do less damage to the house if you shoot at one of then at one of their holes. You'd need some sort of wad behind them to form a pressure seal, though.

This also might be an opportunity to buy a BB gun and lean instinct shooting. Make it a little more sporting.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member
CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor
NRA Certified Rifle Instructor
NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle
Unclenick is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 10:46 AM   #6
oldscot3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2007
Location: texas
Posts: 997
I used to have a tall blind that was close to a tree. I constantly had squirrels trying to move in so I started carrying my S&W model 10 with CCI shot rounds with me. Sure enough, one afternoon I opened the door and surprised a squirrel making a nest on my chair. He ran up the wall and stopped in the corner (about 5 feet from my muzzle). I let him have it and it killed him dead as a hammer instantly, however, I was amazed at the hole it blew in my tin roof. CCI uses #9 shot in those loads.
oldscot3 is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 10:57 AM   #7
Marco Califo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 2011
Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area)
Posts: 2,586
7.5 shot is too big for pistol (and for dove with a shotgun, in my opinion). 8 or 9 (or even smaller) would be better, and distance of 30 or more feet is needed, unless you want to destroy something they are on, or in. Unique is probably not the best powder. It is medium slow. Great for 158 gr lead. Bullseye would seem more appropriate. Do you have load data? Or shot capsules?
Probably a lot easier to buy 38 shotshells.
FWIW, I have never been impressed with the results of the very few pistol shot shells I have fired. Patterning? Forget it. Snake loads? Nah, use a shovel.
12 gauge 1 1/8 #8 over WSF can get you 1400 fps, for a hot dove load. Should be lethal to insects and wood (will penetrate a cinder block at close range - the middle breaks out).
__________________
............
Marco Califo is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 11:22 AM   #8
aarondhgraham
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 1, 2009
Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma
Posts: 8,638
My Pop had the same problem,,,

My Pop had the same problem,,,
So I bought an El-Cheapo break-open Chinese made pellet pistol.

Cock the pistol normally and close the barrel,,,
Pour a .22 short case full of salt down the barrel,,,
Pop was downing the critters on the fly out to about 8 feet.

He was a veritable Anti-Bee sniper in no time at all.

Aarond

.
__________________
Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat.
Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once.
Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it?
Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)
aarondhgraham is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 11:56 AM   #9
JeepHammer
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2015
Posts: 1,768
I use fuel injector cleaner in spray cans...
Not exactly 'Firearms' related, or enviorment friendly,but with a 20' range and bees fall dead out of the air, it works.
Did I mention I'm allergic to bee stings? Makes this particular chore a life & death blood feud between me and anything flying that can potentially sting...

Like people that don't know snakes, every snake is a 'Deadly Rattle-Headed-Copper-Moccasin', around here, if it flies it dies!

Last edited by JeepHammer; June 7, 2018 at 01:10 PM.
JeepHammer is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 12:51 PM   #10
T. O'Heir
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 12,453
Shot fired out of a rifled barrel flies in a spiral that sends the shot all over everywhere. Causes big holes in the pattern.
As with mosquitoes, it's the female Carpenter bee that has the stinger. And they don't often use it. The boys are just posturing like teenage humans.
Aerosol carburetor cleaner on the bees or on their burrows is supposedly the best thing. WD-40 works like hot dam on Yellow Jackets.
__________________
Spelling and grammar count!
T. O'Heir is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 01:23 PM   #11
rg1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 6, 2001
Posts: 1,125
I like pistol shotshells for snake medicine and load mine with 7 1/2 and 8 shot with Unique powder. I don't recommend 7 1/2 for flying bees. Too much chance of causing damage and richochets coming back at you. Not shotshell related but some have had success faking a hornets nest. Take a small paper bag, crumple it up, stuff with newspaper, tie the mouth of the bag and hang it in the area of the carpenter bees and they will leave. Hornets are the enemy of other bees. Mine hanging under my eave have kept wasps from building in the area. Not one wasp nest close by in the last two years. I for added reality used a black magic marker and drew the shape of a few hornets on the bag. I've also spent a few hours swatting the carpenter bees with a badminton racket.
rg1 is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 02:33 PM   #12
Chainsaw.
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 12, 2015
Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain.
Posts: 1,774
1.5oz of #12 shot over 30 grains of clays should do the trick!!

I use a hot/caustic soap (purple soap) mixed 50/50 with water in a squirt bottle. That cuts em down!
__________________
Just shoot the damn thing.
Chainsaw. is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 07:09 PM   #13
jaguarxk120
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 28, 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,618
Both Home Depot and Lowes carry wasp and hornet killer in a can.The cans will shoot a stream of killer at least 15 feet.
jaguarxk120 is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 07:30 PM   #14
Hammerhead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2,432
#12 is the way to go.
Hammerhead is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 08:17 PM   #15
skinnedknuckles
Member
 
Join Date: March 30, 2015
Posts: 43
Buy the Speer plastic shot cups unless you really like cleaning lead out of the barrel. You'll also get better groups because the plastic protects the shot better from deformation. Fill them until you can just get cap on but without any rattling of the shot. Number 12 shot would probably be best for carpenter bees, something heavier for snakes and chipmunks. The box comes with recommended loads for a few popular powders. You can use other loads using starting loads for a lead bullet of the weight of the shot and cup (about 120 gr for .38 Special/.357 Magnum) This is for my revolvers, I cannot work up loads for your pistol. I found that I got better groups with slightly higher loads than Speer put in their box for .38 Special (I was shooting them in a .357 Magnum revolver.)
skinnedknuckles is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 08:23 PM   #16
std7mag
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 23, 2013
Location: Central Taxylvania..
Posts: 3,609
I always just used a badmitten racket myself..
__________________
When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!!

"Januarary 6th insurrection".
Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...
std7mag is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 08:53 PM   #17
Dufus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2014
Posts: 1,965
20 years and longer, we had plenty of carpenter bees and bumblebees. Running over an in ground nest of bumblebees with the tractor always added excitement to the day's activities.

Grandpa would mix gasoline and DDT and have at it with them. I would not
recommend that concoction.

The only time we had trouble was when accidentally disturbing a nest.

Then the fire ants moved in. Nearly all the bumble and carpenter bees are gone.

When I was a kid, I sharpened my skills with a Benjamin pellet rifle.
Dufus is offline  
Old June 7, 2018, 10:14 PM   #18
res45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 753
I've used grits, biodegradable and kills pretty good at close range.
res45 is offline  
Old June 8, 2018, 04:38 AM   #19
TJB101
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 2, 2017
Posts: 498
I make 357 shot shells ... 4.5gr 700x ... 2 cardboard disks over powder lightly tamped, about 90gr of shot, another cardboard disk, heavy crimp and then candle wax dripped on top. I used a sharpened 38 case to cut the disks from cereal boxes (case, hammer and a block of wood... went thru a few cases but it did a good job).

Fun to shoot, absolutely no recoil and really good spread at 7 yards.
TJB101 is offline  
Old June 8, 2018, 07:01 AM   #20
cecILL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 13, 2001
Location: central IL
Posts: 769
Thanks for the replies!

Used 5gns Unique, wads from file folders and wax over the top. The 7.5 shot is definitely too big, not much shot, about 65 gns, but not a terribly bad pattern.

Second batch, subbed walnut polishing media for the shot. I think we have a winner.
The carpenter bees are a little tough for the "Bug-a-salt" guns. The bees are in my garden vegetable prep area, so the poisons are a no-go.

Next batch will be .357s, just for the extra case capacity. Maxims would be better yet, but no brass.
cecILL is offline  
Old June 8, 2018, 07:38 PM   #21
Hammerhead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2,432
Walnut media! Great idea, no ricochet hazard, no lead, no broken windows. Bug-a-salt on steroids.
So you're pushing the first wad right down on top of the powder?
Any media get in/on the gun?
Hammerhead is offline  
Old June 8, 2018, 07:47 PM   #22
TXAZ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 5, 2010
Location: McMurdo Sound Texas
Posts: 4,322
A shop vac and 20’ of PVC pipe to their entrance works well and you don’t have to be there.
__________________

Cave illos in guns et backhoes
TXAZ is offline  
Old June 9, 2018, 07:01 PM   #23
rodfac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 22, 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,619
Quote:
A shop vac and 20’ of PVC pipe to their entrance works well and you don’t have to be there.
Geez, that's downright clever....thx. Rod
__________________
Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.
rodfac is offline  
Old June 9, 2018, 07:13 PM   #24
AL45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 12, 2012
Posts: 753
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your ideas. Proof that men never lose that boyhood imagination. And I am thankful for that.
AL45 is offline  
Old June 9, 2018, 08:09 PM   #25
F. Guffey
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Posts: 7,249
Carpenter bees

Quote:
Carpenter bees
I took a P/U load of cedar and pecan cut into 4" inch slabs to a family member in South Texas on the gulf, I help him build a saw mill and I furnished the blades. It was an exciting trip, the excitement started when I started loading, I had stored the slabs in a barn in East Texas, whole loading my friend on the other end of the first slab started hollering; SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE! Without moving more than necessary I had to ask, "WHAT KIND? I knew it was looking into my ear hole on the left side; I slower (slower I turned ) turned and found it to be one of those snakes you want in your barn, this one had to be 8".

On the way down to South Texas I stopped for gas, this was about the time the BIG BEES came out and were circling overhead. The fuel islands were abandoned and took on the4 appearance of folks running for their lives. They were thoughtful, they were telling me to run and save myself. I told them I was going to need help loading those big bees.

When I got to South Texas I do not believe I lost one bee. Anyhow, we unloaded the wood without mishap. My old friend wanted to know how I made it that far with al of those bees, I told him they hatched after I delivered the wood. I can only guess if I had weight the truck before loading and again after unloading I could determine the weigh of the bees before unloading, after all, those were very big bees.

F. Guffey
F. Guffey is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:19 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10659 seconds with 8 queries