quote:

Originally posted by architect:
I have a very few .38 snake shot cartridges that I could press into service if required, but I'm thinking that may not be enough gun.

.38 is more than enough.

Shot one with a 9mm shotshell and it was like you "nailed that fucker to the grass" until he died.

I have shotshells in 22lr, 38spc & 9mm... for some reason, I always skip the 22lr shotshells... lol

When I was a kid in TX, the rule was to sever the head and bury it. Even a severed head could bite for an hour after death. And dogs tend to like to play with them. Killed plenty of Copperheads with Daisy BB guns back then.

My home is a couple hundred feet from several miles of open prairie in Southern Colorado. Lots of prairie rattlesnakes. Use of firearms inside the city limits is frowned upon, so I use a garden shovel.

Several years ago the pointy-headed types in our state legislature passed laws making rattlesnakes a protected species. Regular hunting season, small game license required, bag limits, possession limits, accepted and prohibited methods of taking, etc. No mention of garden shovels so I'm probably in violation a few times every year, even with my lifetime small game license.

Out in the fields and woods I carry a walking stick, useful for extending out to rattle the brush before stepping into it. Given a little warning, rattlers will usually try to find a way to get out of the area. Best not to surprise them.

Around the house, on the patio, in my garage there is only one appropriate response. Garden shovel, rake (pin them down then smash them properly), weed eater works real good, lawn mower does the trick.

I have several friends who have been bitten, including one who had to have his foot amputated. Best avoided if we can.

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
I got lost on a trail behind my Uncle's house in somewhat rural Vero Beach. Parent called the cops and they wouldn't even look for me cause of snakes.

Luckily, I ambled onto the porch of a nice old black man that had them come pick me up. Lucky I was!! As me and my cousin got older, we would go back to the old canal behind his house and shoot moccasins with his pellet gun.

Your story reminds me of a visit to my in-laws in FL. Their next door neighbor, a kindly gent, offered to take my brother-in-law and I golfing. I shanked a ball into the rough, not unusual, and started to walk to retrieve it. The gentleman said "You don't want to do that". I did not need be reminded.

Like Indiana Jones, I hate snakes.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Actually, the one I was referencing is Los Cab, they put more time and effort into their landscaping than the Inn ever did. My wife and I met at Los Cab, then we both moved the next year.

I didn't know you worked there as well. BTW, Bruce asked me to "say hello" to you. I run into him around town now and then.

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Originally posted by synthplayer:

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:

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Originally posted by Sunset_Va:


A brush axe to me is much better at dispatching moccasins than a firearm.

Heresy I say. This is a gun forum, not a gardening forum. Nothing is better than a firearm.

If my wife actually witnessed me shooting dead a scary looking snake, I'd have a lot more cooperation when buying guns.

Gee, saving ammo is bad ?

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
What would be the preferred load for dealing with a full-grown venemous creepy crawlie? We have Water Moccasins and Copperheads here, with an occasional Coral Snake, but I haven't seen one in years. I'd like to keep a few rounds on hand just in case. I have a very few .38 snake shot cartridges that I could press into service if required, but I'm thinking that may not be enough gun. 12 ga. bird shot seems a little overkill, but after that, I'm down to ball or SD ammo, definitely overkill. I'm thinking that #8 shot in a .44 cal BP pistol might be a realistic alternative.

38 special shot shells work fine. Don’t over think it. But if you’re looking for a reason to get another caliber, by all means use me as a reference-I’ll back you up!

I load my own because the CCI ones are expensive. 4grains of unique, shotcard made out of milk carton, shot(#9-its what I have)to the top of the case, another shot card super glued into place. Works great at ten feet.

Thanks for the recipe, Mike! What do you use to cut out the shot card? I'm wondering if one of my old biopsy punches wouldn't cut a perfect little circle....

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Thanks for the recipe, Mike! What do you use to cut out the shot card? I'm wondering if one of my old biopsy punches wouldn't cut a perfect little circle....

An empty case would make a fine shot card punch, I'd expect.

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Originally posted by DougE:

quote:

Thanks for the recipe, Mike! What do you use to cut out the shot card? I'm wondering if one of my old biopsy punches wouldn't cut a perfect little circle....

An empty case would make a fine shot card punch, I'd expect.

That's what I used for my 45 Colt shotshells. Just take a deburring tool and sharpen the edges. Whack it with a small hammer and they come out perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:


Gee, saving ammo is bad ?

Expending ammo for a good reason sure isn't wasting it. If you were like the Ghetto youth who don't even have a full cylinder, I might agree with you.

quote:

Thanks for the recipe, Mike! What do you use to cut out the shot card? I'm wondering if one of my old biopsy punches wouldn't cut a perfect little circle....

Drill out the flash hole of an old case with a small drill it, then sharpen the case mouth with a chamfering tool. Use a small hammer to punch the milk carton and a small finish nail to push the shot cards out of the case.

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Originally posted by slabsides45:
Thanks for the recipe, Mike! What do you use to cut out the shot card? I'm wondering if one of my old biopsy punches wouldn't cut a perfect little circle....

Track of the Wolf sells Osborne wad punches in various calibers, the black powder guys use a lot more of these than normal folks, even handloaders.