Snake shot
Snake shot, rat shot, or dust shot,small arms canister shot). As the names suggest, the main targets for such ammunition are snakes, rodents, birds, and other pests at very close range.
The most common snake shot cartridge is .22 Long Rifle loaded with No. 12 shot. From a standard rifle these can produce effective patterns only to a distance of about 3 m (9.8 ft), but in a smoothbore shotgun (or garden gun) that can extend as far as 15 m (49 ft).[citation needed]
Uses
Snake shot is generally used for shooting at snakes, rodents, birds, and other
hikers, backpackers, and campers. Snake shot is ideally suited for use in derringers and revolvers (especially "kit guns"), chambered for .22 Long Rifle, .38 Special, or .357 Magnum. Snake shot may not cycle reliably in semi-automatic pistols
.
Shot shells have also been historically issued to soldiers, to be used in standard issue rifles and handguns.
The
, and other similar game animals.During World War II, the United States military developed both the
The current CCI .45 ACP shotshell cartridge is virtually identical to these rounds.Snake shot shells
Both Winchester[8] and Federal[9] make star-crimped .22 Long Rifle snake shot loaded with No. 12 shot. These cartridges resemble traditional crimped blank cartridges.
centerfire snake-shot cartridges use a hollow plastic capsule which holds the shot, and is often shaped like a bullet to aid in feeding.[10]
The plastic capsule shatters during firing, and allows the shot to disperse after it exits the muzzle of the barrel.
CCI pest control and centerfire pistol shot shell ammunition[11]
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name/caliber | Muzzle velocity in ft/s (m/s) | Shot size No. | Approx. weight in grains (grams) | Box count | |
| .22 Long Rifle | 1000 (300) | 12 | 31 (2) | 20 | |
| .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire | 1000 (300) | 12 | 52 (3.36) | 20 | |
| 9mm Luger | 1450 (440) | 12 | 53 (3.43) | 10 | |
| Big 4 9mm Luger | 1000 (300) | 4 | 45 (2.92) | 10 | |
| .38 Special/.357 Magnum | 1000 (300) | 9 | 100 (6.48) | 10 | |
| Big 4 .38 Special/.357 Magnum | 1000 (300) | 4 | 84 (5.44) | 10 | |
| .40 Smith & Wesson | 1250 (380) | 9 | 88 (5.7) | 10 | |
| .44 Special/.44 Magnum | 1000 (300) | 9 | 140 (9.07) | 10 | |
| Big 4 .44 Special/.44 Magnum | 1000 (300) | 4 | 110 (7.13) | 10 | |
| .45 Automatic Colt Pistol | 1100 (335) | 9 | 120 (7.78) | 10 | |
| .45 Colt | 1000 (300) | 9 | 150 (9.72) | 10 | |
| Big 4 .45 Colt | 800 (245) | 4 | 140 (9.07) | 10 | |
Garden guns
"Garden guns" are smooth-bore guns specifically made to fire
9mm Flobert shot-shells, and are commonly used by gardeners and farmers for pest control. They are short range weapons that can do little harm at distances greater than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft), and are quiet when fired with snake shot, compared to standard ammunition. The guns are especially effective inside barns and sheds, because the snake shot will not injure livestock with a ricochet, or shoot holes into the roof or walls of a structure. They are also used for pest control at airports, warehouses, stockyards, and similar locations.[12]
Safety considerations
- Snake shot may be mistaken for traditional crimped blank cartridges.
- Snake shot may not function properly in semi-automatic firearms causing malfunctions.
- Snake shot may not function properly in handguns and rifles not specifically made for their use.
- Snake shot may not function properly in light weight revolvers, as they may cause "cylinder lock" due to the capsule movement resulting from recoil inertia. However, crimped cases do not exhibit this problem.
- Snake shot plastic capsules may shatter when being fed from a magazine. Crimped cases do not exhibit this problem but may fail to extract in semi-automatic firearms.[13]
- Unsafe in firearms with suppressors, ported barrels, or ported recoil compensators.
- Snake shot is effective only against snakes, rodents, birds, and other small pests, and only at very close range.[14][15]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Reed, C.K. & C.A. Reed (1914). Guide to taxidermy. Worcester, Mass., C.K. Reed. pp. 22–23.
- ^ "CCI.pdf" (PDF). helmuthofmann.de. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
- ^ http://www.mcpheetersantiquemilitaria.com/06_ammunition/06_item_058.htm .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGES AND SHOT FILLED GUARD CARTRIDGES - SCARCE INDIAN WAR ERA ISSUE CARTRIDGES
- ^ .45-70 Forager round, picture and information.
- ^ http://www.avr-developers.com/45shotshell/m15history.html History of the M15 .45 ACP shotshell
- ^ http://www.avr-developers.com/45shotshell/m15history.html History of the M15 .45 ACP shotshell
- ^ http://www.avr-developers.com/45shotshell/m15history.html History of the M15 .45 ACP shotshell
- ^ "X22LRS | Winchester Ammunition".
- ^ "Buy Small Game for USD 18.99 | Federal Ammunition".
- ^ Brister, Bob (1975). "Two Magnum movies and Other News". Field & Stream. 79 (11): 129.
- ^ https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/products.aspx CCI ammunition product list
- ^ Eger, Christopher (28 July 2013). "Marlin 25MG Garden Gun". Marlin Firearms Forum. Outdoor Hub LLC. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Horton, David (1971). "New Handgun Shotshell". Field & Stream. 76 (7): 16–18.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20070928112111/http://www.gunweek.com/2005/feature1001.html Handgun Shot Loads Work For Pests But Not Defense. by R.K. Campbell
- ^ http://aegisacademy.com/shotshells-in-revolvers/ Shotshells in Revolvers. Jun 15, 2015. by Howard Hall. in Ballistics
External links
- You Tube video... .22 LR CCI Shotshell
- You Tube video...Ruger LCR .22 LR VS Snake
- You Tube video...Snake Shot Test (CCI 38/357 shotshells)
- You Tube video...Snakes & Shot Cartridges
- You tube video...38 special blue vs red shotshell as a self defense load (including slow mo footage)
- All CCI shot shell ammunition loads
- Handgun Shot Loads Work For Pests But Not Defense, Gun Week, 2005