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Old June 15, 2011, 11:19 AM   #26
gak
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M4BGringo wrte:
"No snake problem here, except for the "snakes" walking on two-legs!"

MB4, sorry if I missed, but where is "here"?
Micromontenegro, +1 the poisonous ones don't belong anywhere near the kids (including our 4-legged variety) around the home - or campsite. Re the .44, sounds like you need a Charter Arms Bulldog or Rossi .44 Sp! Here in North America the rule supposedly is striking distance = half the length of the snake. I add at least a foot or two (to account for an initial "scoot" toward you), which still makes 8-10' a relatively "comfortable" distance. There are reports of water mocassins (cottonmouths) being particularly aggressive and "coming after you" - which some here may corroborate or debunk - but if so, 10' is still pretty good to get off two rounds of the shot (easy for me to say as we don't have that ilk of snake, but a "rattled" rattlesnake can be pretty aggressive too).
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Old June 15, 2011, 12:19 PM   #27
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I had a cottonmouth chase me in the water when i was a kid and we was at the swimming hole. My brothers hit it with a branch and it wanted to leave then. That was pretty scary. One would think that something small like a snake would not attack something much bigger than itself.
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Old June 15, 2011, 12:40 PM   #28
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Here's a situation where I bet snake cartridges wouldn't be much help.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43406957...sonal_finance/
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Old June 19, 2011, 07:59 PM   #29
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I use CCI shotshells in my RBH 45Colt and in my Kimber 1911,s and the Kahr CW in 45ACP. They kill snakes at more range than one would expect. Also I've never had one fail to cycle an auto pistol and a couple of my 1911's are 4inch or less with stiff recoil springs. Bill
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Old June 20, 2011, 12:52 AM   #30
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The Colt I tested them in wouldn't cycle, couldn't eject empties & jammed on every shot.
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Old June 20, 2011, 05:52 AM   #31
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Edward, I can figure out how scary that was . Where I live there's not such a problem since our vipers are small (seldom larger than 50 cm) and with mild venoms (still able to send you to ER, though). But if I lived in the US, I guess these cartridges and an appropiate gun to shoot'em would be in my gun locker, just in case. There are documented cases of snakes being actively aggresive towards humans. Some have strong territorial instincts. I have relatives in Colombia that told me they have a big problem with some particular species in the countryside, which they call "pudredora" (literally, "rotter") or "terciopelo" (velvet). The name of the species is "bothrops asper" and it looks like it has a liking for seeking for refuge inside houses, and lots of bites occur indoors. They are large, fast, and aggresive. That would make for one wearing boots and carrying a revolver on the couch at home. In the US, I read about cases of Bushmasters going berserk at people carrying torches at night. They have some thermal receptors on their noses, and the light causes them to go nuts.
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Old June 20, 2011, 07:46 AM   #32
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CCI Mix

I use 22 mag shot shells in revolver only. I load first three shot shells followed by two 22 mag hollow points by two more shot shells. I like to have a couple reg for back up
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Old June 20, 2011, 08:11 AM   #33
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Wow - "Mojave Green" haven't seen those since I was at NTC.
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Old June 20, 2011, 08:57 AM   #34
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CCI shotshells in my Beretta PX4 .40 turned it into basically a lever action pistol: bang, power stroke, bang, power stroke... FTE on every cartridge. There just wasn't enough "oopmph" to cycle the slide. But if the options are that or nothing, I'll take it.

I'm not a huge fan of the Judge, but I will say that it's probably the ultimate snake gun.
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Old June 20, 2011, 12:18 PM   #35
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Dino wrote:
"Here's a situation where I bet snake cartridges wouldn't be much help. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43406957...sonal_finance/

Nor here


Maybe a flamethrower or a dozen molotoffs? Said to be workers' finding 87 of 'em at a project near Orlando airport. Others have debunked saying it's elsewhere, that they're Western diamondbacks, not Eastern. I don't care, too many!! - 87 too many to be precise!
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Old June 20, 2011, 12:55 PM   #36
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Quote:
There are reports of water mocassins (cottonmouths) being particularly aggressive and "coming after you"
Once, while fishing, one was swimming by just as I was about to cast so I decided to try and hit it. Unfortunately, I succeeded and he came straight for me and chased me off the dock.
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Old June 21, 2011, 04:21 AM   #37
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Here in Ky, I was run out of a stream that I'd been fishing by a Cottonmouth...very aggressive...held him off with the tip of my rod till I got to shore...I was wading, fishing for Smallmouth bass.

While I've rarely carried for that specific reason, I do pack a S&W 36 with snake loads while fishing in NC. The rocky gorges that I fish do have Copperheads, and I've killed two in the last ten years or so.

I'm a live and let live guy...the snakes are usually after mice etc. but one that's harboring where kids and other fishermen are tromping around is a menace and needs to be dealt with. The 'snake loads' that I put up use #12 shot over a full dose of Unique or Bullseye and will do the trick out to about ten feet max. I use one 'snake load' per cylinder full, and 125 gr +P's for the rest. Ten feet is plenty of standoff distance, and beats trying to find a good stick to do the job while keeping a wary eye on that bad guy.

JMHO, Rodfac
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Old June 21, 2011, 09:59 AM   #38
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Animals use venom, not poison.

I have some .38/.357 CCI shells but have never felt the need to use them. We have some large rattlers around here, and I find the shovel method to work well enough. I only kill the ones that venture close to the house or barn.



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Old June 21, 2011, 08:37 PM   #39
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Here in the mountains of Arizona (at 6500 ft), we kill 3/4 every year, usually out around the horses. My wife prefers to use a shovel (!), I use a Charter Arms .44 Spl. A shot load #1, JHP's (for 2 & 4 legged varmints) in the other 4. usual shot is 6/7 feet.

Last year, I came across a snake where the front 1/2 was bright red, and the back 1/2 was rattler. It was very aggressive, and two shot loads had no apparent effect - it continued to come towards me and my dogs. I put the dogs in the house, and got my friend Mr. Remington 870. A load of #7's blew him to pieces.

I guess if I was 1/2 red, I'd be aggressive too.
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Old June 21, 2011, 10:28 PM   #40
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A friend has used the 9mm shotshells in a SIg with interesting results. Squirrel, 20yds, several shots (that gun cycles them), and with each shot, the squirrel changed direction, like a shooting gallery target. Highly "motivated" squirrel left the vicinity.

Cat, 40yds (!) and one round was a laser death ray, really surprising my friend, and most certainly the cat!

I have some shot shells for .22 and .38, but have not had occassion to use them. I have shot .410 (Contender), and it does good for rats.

Quote:
Here in NY state all snakes are protected.
Wow, I thought only the ones with political connections were protected!

Seriously, I wonder when that happened. When I was a lad in northern NY (45+years ago) they weren't protected. Depressingly, they had removed the $5 bounty from rattlesnakes before I was big enough to collect. Still, any rattlesnake was fair game, anytime, back in those days.
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Old June 22, 2011, 05:35 AM   #41
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CCI .45 ACP works for me

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Old June 22, 2011, 11:31 PM   #42
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Quote:
They don't cycle well in an auto loader.
Well the CCI .45acp snake loads cycle in my Springfield and my Colt just like ball. Never had a hick up with them.
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Old June 23, 2011, 11:09 PM   #43
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power

Last winter we had a rat outbreak in the shed, the critters had gotten into the dog food and they were everywhere. Bamaboy and I had rat hunts about twice a night. I had handloaded some .44M Speer shot caps with 7-1/2 shot, I think, actually cut the tab off the back to gain more payload and super glued the stub back on. Drove the whole mess with 5 grs of Unique if I remember right. I'd had em for years, like in many. Stoked the 629 with this fodder, and with the boy on the light, we had another rat hunt. (he got first hunt most nights w/ and we used .22 rifle and crimped rat shot, not real effective unless plenty close) I figured a .410 shotgun was too big. The homebrew .44's seemed a good compromise, more punch than the .22 stuff. I was plenty right.

We wore safety glasses and ears. Finally got rat, boy, light and revolver lined up and shot at a rat 6-8 ft away running down a 2x4 stud along the wall. Dead rat alright, but the darn stuff blew through the heavy galvanized tin like it was newpaper and out above the dog runs. Gee whiz, I never figured it would shoot through. Yeah I know, be sure of your target and beyond. Well I believed I had an adequate backstop. (tin wall) Wrong!

Glad I didn't get a beagle and it wasn't the roof. The .44 shot caps went back in the ammo locker. Got a nice pie plate size pattern on the wall (correction THROUGH the wall, as a monument to my stupidity.
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Old June 24, 2011, 12:59 AM   #44
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I've seen .22 snake shells... do nothing but tick off the snake... LOL.

A 20 ga or my .357 ..... if I"m going to shoot it. Typically, I go my way and they go theirs. One woman who rented an extra house we had on a farm, said she shot 1-2 rattlesnakes down by a fishing pond every day. She asked how many I had ever killed down there. I told her, "none, never seen any.... because I don't look for them...." .

I've seen rattlers (just not by that pond) , and funny thing.... I walk around them and they seem to want to go on their way too. I've kicked a couple, does that count ? One sprung on me and I reacted by kicking it.... (good boots on).

Truly, rattlesnakes have never given me an issue. I give them respect and they leave me alone. Now, a water moccasin, I'll shoot that sucker if I see one... they are way too fast and have always seemed to want to go right for us.

We used to catch bull snakes and all types of king snakes all the time as kids. We caught one day, and was playing for a couple of hours with it, and my uncle came up, grabbed it and killed it, which upset us a LOT. Then he explained ... it was a Coral snake. We knew what that meant. Hummmm, we had it swirling around thru our fingers, around our necks, etc. and it never acted hostile. That's when I learned Black/yellow/red .. you're dead & Black/red/ yellow are mellow. Uh, he was friendly ...

Many snakes serve a good purpose, don't kill the non-venomous ones. Slit eyes vs round eyes.
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Old June 24, 2011, 05:47 AM   #45
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It is quite true that any animal on earth has his function. Snakes too. We'd have a bigger problem with rodent pests if they didn't exist. However, having them wandering around your kids and dogs... If I lived in the States and in the countryside, I'd make sure to avoid having them in my property the best I could, but once inside, I'd get rid of them.
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Old June 24, 2011, 08:51 AM   #46
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I believe the Big Man put snakes on the planet for a very good reason.


Hat bands!
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Old June 24, 2011, 10:32 AM   #47
gak
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Eagleks wrote:
Many snakes serve a good purpose, don't kill the non-venomous ones. Slit eyes vs round eyes.

+1 ...but don't agree on leaving the rattlers (or other venomous ones (but in Az it's primarily rattlers) alone. Anywhere where you/your loved ones or others tromp regularly, - letting the fanged ones go just leaves them as a problem for someone else, their kids, etc, or you to revisit another day under even more unpleasant circumstances. I don't get that.
Anywhere near my domicile or fave fishing hole where my daughter, nieces, nephews or dog might encounter - need to be gone.
+1 to someone else's hatband comment
The thought of water mocassin/cottonmouths do give me even more heebeejeebees; glad we don't have to deal with them!
Want rodent (or rattler!) control? Get a King or Bull snake!

Last edited by gak; June 24, 2011 at 07:10 PM.
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Old June 24, 2011, 11:09 AM   #48
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When I saw the Copperhead in the previous picture he was about 6" from my left foot coiled up next to my tractor. I stepped about 8'-10' without much problem, kinda of a gazelle type movement

I do not kill any non poisonous snakes, but the ones with fangs that get to close have to go!
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Old June 24, 2011, 11:31 PM   #49
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S&W Model 36-1, 3" barrel. CCI snake load to the head at about 12 feet. I carry the three-incher a lot when I'm working around the farm. I keep the first chamber up loaded with snake loads. This one was in my yard, about 10 feet from the back door, and maybe 60 feet from my dog pen. I killed this one's twin a year earlier, literally stretched across the bottom step. I did that one with a 12 gauge. I've got a bunch of rat snakes and common king snakes on the place, and they get a pass. Not old No Shoulders.
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Old June 24, 2011, 11:45 PM   #50
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Dang, to me their all copperheadedwaterrattlers and I try to give them plenty of space.
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