Rattlesnake ballistics test anyone?

[okrattler]

Shot one this evening with a .22 revolver using CCI shot shells. #12 shot, 6 1/2" barrel.

My first shot from roughly 6 feet away stunned it. Most of the shot hit it in the face and a few in the neck. Blood was dripping out of its head so I thought it was a done deal. Then he took off so I shot again, hitting it about 5" behind the head. It coiled up and commenced to rattling so I stepped forward and shot it again. It was still buzzing so I stepped forward once more
and shot it again. Both hit it in the head but the spread got some pellets about mid way down its body on my third shot. That last one did it. Pretty much flattened its head at 2 1/2 feet away. Its skull was shattered to pieces but its head was still intact.

I had to skin it out just to see exactly what kind of damage it did since it didn't kill it in the first few shots. I wanted to see what kind of penetration the pellets got at those distances.

Oh and the snake was 3 foot long and 4 1/2" in diameter at the largest section of its body. Not a big snake by any means.

Figured it might be interesting to see just how much killing power these little shot shells out of a pistol really have. If I was in big Diamondback country I think I'd skip the .22 shot shells in my snake gun. I'll post pictures of what I found tomorrow.

[trophy8]

Are you going for a record on new posts?

[AntlerCollector]

I carry a Taurus Judge loaded with 410 shells. It’s a sure fire snake killer.

Stick to plinking cans with your gun.

[deerwatcher51]

I carry a Taurus Judge loaded with 410 shells. It’s a sure fire snake killer.

Stick to plinking cans with your gun.

This

[okrattler]

Are you going for a record on new posts?

Well you know how it is or maybe you don't. Jesus Christ might hunt me down and kill me today so I gotta live like I'm breaking records.

[okrattler]

I carry a Taurus Judge loaded with 410 shells. It’s a sure fire snake killer.

Stick to plinking cans with your gun.

It'll sure enough kill one if you want to get close enough. My buddy had one. It sucked.

Or maybe it was just his. I don't know.

[BRUTE 23]

I have killed them with my stick for working cattle. One hit to the back of the head.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[powderburner]

22 shot shells (RAT shot) are rat killing SOB. but on snakes you have to get way to close for them to work.

[Drycreek3189]

Why shotshells ? A snake ain’t dangerous unless he’s in striking range. If you can’t hit one at 8/10 feet you need more practice.

[Gary Roberson]

I stepped out of my pickup on the ranch in southern Medina County last Saturday morning and heard the "tick" of a rattler. About 4 feet away was the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen in a pasture and the largest rattler I have seen since the late 60's. I never saw his head as it was already under an impenetrable wall of white brush so dense that you could not crawl under, so don't know how long she was. Son Steve and I did get a good visual of the body it was almost the same diameter as a roll of toilet paper and based on the length of what we saw, I would guess the snake to be over 6 feet in length. I saw one bigger in '68 or '69 when cousin Ron Outlaw and where driving from Laredo to Devine at almost midnight on IH 35. I thought there was a cedar post lying in the left hand lane and then realized it was a rattler stretch from almost the center stripe to the shoulder. In those days, there was not as much traffic as there is today, especially at the late hour.
I scrambled for my Ruger 57 last Saturday but I never had a shot. Snakes are really crawling right now, be careful.
Adios,
Gary

[cj7zrcool]

This is why I switched cylinders in my revolver and went to .22 mag rat shot.

[lanceodom]

Pics??? I use a machete. works everytime.

[fish4food]

CCI Blue capsules suck in 22.

The crimped federal or Winchester are way better! Used to kill a ton of rattlesnakes when I lived down south.

[Leverhunter]

Those are pretty much useless in a 22.

[okrattler]

Why shotshells ? A snake ain’t dangerous unless he’s in striking range. If you can’t hit one at 8/10 feet you need more practice.

It was inside a brick pillar at my moms house to begin with. I was gonna shoot it with a bullet but I didn't want to possibly break a brick and send a bullet out the other side and in to the house. So I figured the shot would flatten on the brick.