49 replies to this topic

[BC9696]

I haven't found anyone in So. Cal. that sells .40 cal snake shot and when i look at the online options, I am concerned. I've been told this ammo is not okay for my Glock and that it should only be used in a revolver: http://www.thegunsou..._Shotshell.aspxIs that right? Disclaimer: I have never used snake shot before.

[Yodel Dog]

Should be fine in the Glock. The revolver part was misread. The plastic nose cone which contains the shot is broken by the rifling.

[handgun]

I have to deal with at least half dozen rattle snakes every year. When they get to close to the house they need to be terminated. I have snake shot in .22 and .38, both of which I use in revolvers and both work well at eliminating snakes. I have never tried snake shot in a semi-auto but I don't see why it would not work. Is there a reason why you are stuck on the .40 cal? Do you have other pistols as options?

[CHIN SQUIRREL]

I've had cycling problems with the snake shot in my Glock. They still fire, but they don't cycle right.

[ShooterJohn]

In all cases I've ever encountered if you have time to draw your sidearm you have more than enough time to move to away. But I'm not into shooting snakes. I'd probably move it off with a stick first.Or go here for some.http://www.thegunsou..._Shotshell.aspx

[Camoghost]

Try Saddleback Valley Guns off Forbes Road and Crown Valley.. I saw some .45 and other Auto calibers there, I thought .40 was one of them..

[BC9696]

I have to deal with at least half dozen rattle snakes every year. When they get to close to the house they need to be terminated. I have snake shot in .22 and .38, both of which I use in revolvers and both work well at eliminating snakes. I have never tried snake shot in a semi-auto but I don't see why it would not work. Is there a reason why you are stuck on the .40 cal? Do you have other pistols as options?

Yeah but I prefer my Glock 22 in the field. Always fires, holds plenty of rounds (pot farmer defense), doesn't weigh much and I am accurate with it. My wheel guns weigh twice as much and hold less lead.

[BC9696]

I've had cycling problems with the snake shot in my Glock. They still fire, but they don't cycle right.

What happened specifically? They jam the gun? I was thinking I would put one in the mag for snakes or a warning shot if I encounter an overly inquisitive Mt. Lion.

[ShooterJohn]

Snake shot in most semi autos turns them into a one shot weapon. I'm assuming his doesn't cycle the round and has to be manually ejected it happens a lot.As for a warning shot if you encounter an "overly inquisitive Mt. Lion." Wow! That's a sure way to find out how pissed it will get in a hurry! As close as you would be to one it just might decide to show you what a few holes in your skin feels like. You are also on looking at 10 to maybe 15 feet maximum effective range on any of these shells. They are really meant for revolvers. If you need more range a .410 would be much more effective. Or perhaps a long stick.

[BC9696]

Well I wouldn't shoot a cat with snake shot...I said "warning shot"...thinking the sound would scare it off. I just bought 10 rds online to see how they shoot. Figure I'd chamber one and have nine regular rounds in the mag. I'll go to the range and check the pattern and see if it ejects or not. They're darn pricey suckers! But I hate snakes like words cannot describe.

[ShooterJohn]

Taking them to the range is the best idea to be sure they function in your gun.Afraid of a little Buzzworm - Big Pussy.

[Bisley]

I've carried and dispatched a few snakes over the years with .40 snake loads. Yes, they become a single shot and the slide does even try to open. After shooting simply rack the slide, it ejects, and you're ready to go. The .40 snake loads I have do not have a plastic capsule, but rather a plastic "wad" if you will along with a tapered case mouth. If I get a chance later I will take a pic for you. As I say, I've had mine for years as they come in an eight or ten pack I think, and I picked them up at the local Turners a while back. They do work fine on snakes, as you would expect, but not as well as the .44s (my personal preference if you are strictly snake hunting)

[Bisley]

Here's what they look like. Never had a problem 1 with em in my Smith. Of course my Smith IS made in America.......jkAnd the proof is in the pudding, I know. Both of these were taken with the .40.

[BC9696]

Hey John, once you've been hit by a rattler...then come and talk to me about being a 'pussy"...until then you can't possibly understand. It leaves a mental scar.I can totally relate to that young man's face...

[CHIN SQUIRREL]

Yeah, Shooter John is right. They turned my Glock into a single shot sidearm. I had to manually eject the spent case. I don't think that they had enough energy to push the slide far enough to the rear. I just had 'em to plink with. They were fun, but I don't shoot them things anymore. I have other tools to dispatch snakes with, but haven't done any of that in quite a while.

[Camoghost]

Hey John, once you've been hit by a rattler...then come and talk to me about being a 'pussy"...until then you can't possibly understand. It leaves a mental scar.I can totally relate to that young man's face...

I have been shot by a gun and I still own them and love them.. Get over it dude..

[ShooterJohn]

Hey John, once you've been hit by a rattler...then come and talk to me about being a 'pussy"...until then you can't possibly understand. It leaves a mental scar.

Bruce I've caught more rattlers bare handed than I'm sure you will ever see in ten lifetimes. We often caught them while we were wearing cutoffs and sandals at night. I'm just not afraid of snakes I respect them. Now black widows they creep me out.

[handgun]

John, will you come over the next time one is at my back door? I'll even let you keep it!!

[ShooterJohn]

No problem! Just keep those spiders away from me.

[tawnoper]

No problem! Just keep those spiders away from me.

Pussy!!!...just kidden man. What's funny is when I was a kid we'd catch Orb Weavers on the way to school. They make those perfect looking webs and would sit right in the middle of them. With the morning dew on their webs and lit up by the sunrise we'd see em all over the fields by my house. Once I figured out they didn't bite I'd just grab em...big ol spider too. I wouldn't do that now lol. As for black widows...ewww. hate em. I go on patrol at night around the house with a flashlight and a can of Raid. During this time of the year kill bunch's of em.I do like snakes though...used to catch tons of em growing up and occasionally still do. Caught a bunch of rattlers as well. Wore down a few pocket knifes in the dirt chopping heads off. We didn't always kill them...but did take quite a few. We used to either step on their heads or hold their head down with something, lean down and lop their head off. Still, the best snake killing device is a flat blade shovel. As a kid, I used to carry one in the fields for flipping over boards looking for snakes...came in handy for the rattlers.

[ShooterJohn]

Nothing like walking through a dense tangle of woods in the early dawn on the way to a favorite duck hunting pond and getting a face full of Orb spider web compete with spider. I night hunt for black widows too Ed. I still get that creepy feeling every time I flick their web and she come charging out to catch whatever tripped her web. I remember crawling under a truck once that had been setting in a field. We had dragged it out to pull the transmission. I brushed all of the webs away and slid under the truck on a creeper when widows just started jumping down to get away. I guess that freaked me out and before you know it I got bit on the back of my upper arm. I was sicker than a dog and thought I was going to die. How a spider could cause that reaction I don't know. Those creep monsters have given me the heebee jeebees ever since. My skin is crawling just thinking about them. I'll probably have nightmares about them tonight. I hope my wife doesn't get upset if I swat her thinking she's a black widow. Iwonder if they sell spider shot!

[Old timer]

John we seam to have a lot in common, I too was bitten by a widow put me in the hospital for three days. Bruce most rattlers will get out of your way if you move slowly UNLESS they are shedding their skin

[ShooterJohn]

Yep Bernie those spiders pack a wallop for being so small. When rattlers shed they have trouble seeing because of the shedding. I think they just strike more because they can't see or tell what is near them.

[Bisley]

[quote name='ShooterJohn' date='Jul 22 2010, 02:19 PM' post='198247']: I hope my wife doesn't get upset if I swat her thinking she's a black widow. Do that and she may end up being a white widow!

[BC9696]

It seems that regardless of "what" it is that bites you...once bitten you are going to have a natural gut reaction in the future. i kill spiders with reckless abandon, they don't bother me but snakes? Yeah...where are my gaitors?

[Shoot-it]

One time I had to go into 5 feet of irrigation water to open a drain valve and when I drove back to the ranch a farm worker told me I had 3 black widows on my back. He then brushed them off and we smashed them.I was lucky I didn't smash them when I leaned back or I would have been bitten.That freaked me out some.The only rattlers I have killed were just on the dirt roads and most of the times they tried to get away.

[Bisley]

The only rattlers I have killed were just on the dirt roads and most of the times they tried to get away.

I don't believe you have the "Greens" like we do here down south. They are surely much more aggressive. You can tell them by the black and white stripes near the rattles. The last one I stopped to photograph followed me every step of the way and actually slithered behind me on my way back to the truck. Needless to say, he resides comfortably in the freezer waiting to be put on a hat.This one had particularly beautiful green colors.

[Shoot-it]

No I believe these are called norther pacific rattlers. I always keep a shovel with me when I go to the hills . I want a few skins to. The last one I killed last deer season was a little on the green side but not like those down south.I was told the greenish ones are the females not sure that's true.

[Yodel Dog]

I hadn't paid any attention to the individual varieties of rattlesnakes, but there is a difference. After Bisley's post I did a quick search.Here is a site with the individual varieties. California Rattlesnakes

[CHIN SQUIRREL]

Is that one of them Mojave Greens? That sure is a cool picture.