classic revolver for snakes / rat shot

J

jp_over

New member
Friends,

I'm a fan of the older (no lock - perhaps 1970s - 1980s) S&W revolvers. For those of you in the know, I'd like a recommendation on a nice "snake gun" to use with rat shot loads but also regular loads from time to time.

I don't care too much about caliber but I would like to stick with S&W (I'll consider other brands with good references).

I'd also like the gun to have some "history" to it - perhaps the 1911 of the revolver world but not so precious that it's not a shooter.

Thanks for your suggestions!
 
my go to snake gun is a S&W mdl 60. Shorter barrels are better. I have killed 5' rattlers with 1 shot. An old flat latch 36 would be ideal.
 
Shot dispersal (patterning) is greatly affected by both velocity and rifling twist rates.
The S&W .38 Special snubs are among the best choices with Speer snake loads.
Longer barrels give faster velocities & create wider patterns.
Denis
 
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A few years ago I fired a 4" barreled double deringer chambered for .45 Colt/.410 Shotshells. Out of curiosity, I fired some .45 Colt rounds downrange at the berm, 110 yards away. The barrels shot about eight feet apart.

I set a 7.62 Russian case up at seven yards and fired four rounds of .410 shotshells. After four rounds, the case was still standing. Have never trusted shotshells in a handgun again.

Bob Wright
 
I'd look at .45 for rat shot. A SAA clone will be a bit less expensive than a double action.

The revolver equivalent of a 1911 is either the 1873 SAA or the S&W Military and Police/the Model 10.
 
I have carried both .357 and .44 cal. handguns while hiking loaded with shot shells. Both will do the job and barrel length seems to make no appreciable difference.

These days I carry my old Model 29 with a snake shot as the first round. The rest are 240 grain hard cast Keith style semi wadcutters.

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Thanks for the replies.

That's a nice looking model 29; in fact, that's just about what I had pictured in my mind as ideal. A check on gunbroker.com shows the .357 variant is not very common. I suppose most of these were in .44 magnum?
 
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A check on gunbroker.com shows the .357 variant is not very common. I suppose most of these were in .44 magnum?
Click to expand...

The .357 N frame Smiths come in two varieties, The Model 27 and the 28. The 28 is also called the Highway Patrolman and is a less polished version of the 27. Right now the Mod 27's are hugely popular and the prices have risen accordingly. The most common Mod 27 is going to be the 27-2 version, with the earlier five screw guns generally bringing a premium. Around here, they turn up from time to time, but not very consistently.

Gunbroker prices are usually on the high side compared to what they can be had for locally. Be prepared to pay $500+ for a nice HP and $700+ for a 27. The above information about the Model 27 is also true for the Model 29, with the 29-2 being the version that is encountered the most.

Really nice guns in the original presentation case with all the accessories fetch closer to $1000. Sometimes a deal can be found if you keep looking hard enough though. The Mod 29 four screw (produced from 1957~61) I posted the picture of was found in a local gun store for $600. A few months later I found this NIB 29-2 in the same store for $900 OTD.

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