Suggestions on a snake gun?

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FWIW I've lived in Florida for the past year, definitely snake country. So far I've only had to put an end to a medium sized cottonmouth that chose the wrong direction when I startled him with the lawnmower. One CCI shot shell from my .45colt Blackhawk did the job nicely at about eight feet.
 
If I was to carry a gun specifically
for snakes,I'd buy one of those
revolvers that shoot .410 and 45colt.
I'd bring it to a gun smith to have the barrel
"free'd" of rifling.I'm sure the birdshot would work well
and close range protection with the 45.
 
In the seven plus years at my place in the hills I've had to kill 17 rattlesnakes that were just too close to the house and pets. All were shot with .22 LR shot shells (CCI and others) out of a JC Higgins revolver with a 6 inch barrel. Twice I had to make a second shot because my aim was off, (there was no safety issue). These snakes ranged from approximately 1 foot to 4 1/2 feet. Maybe my snakes die easier but I see no reason for me to go up in caliber or noise level.
 
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loaded with cci shotshells
 
OkieCruffler said:
A good walking stick....
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That's exactly what I was thinking. A walking stick will handle snakes just fine if they bother you that much and you wouldn't have to carry a special gun for them. The gun I carry is loaded for bigger predators and I'm not wasting my premium ammo on a snake I can easily walk away from.
 
Taurus Judge with 6 inch barrel

I have no experience with these, 3 inch or 6 inch. I would think with 410 shells, the 6 inch barrel length would be good.
 
A good walking stick if you're just dead set on killing them.
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But if you are walking through the weeds near a pond you might find that snake right there by your feet, where even a second can be to long. Copperheads are mighty hard to see!

That is where the gun comes in (just don't shoot yourself in the process.)

Deaf
 
As far as the Judge I heard that the rifling throws the shot into too big of a spread
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Typical unfounded Taurus/Judge haters BS! My PD Poly with a short 2 1/2" barrel will cover an eight inch Caldwell Orange Peal target @ 10' with so many holes from a blast of 2 3/4" #7 1/2 shot that you can't lay down your pinky finger without covering up several. Also, at the same distance, it will rip up a beverage can so bad you can't count the pellet hits.
For the Public Defender Poly a $7 Crosman Air Soft holster fits like it was made for it, and carries very well.
 
I am a member of the white fangs club

I have killed a lot of snakes over the years. The ones you see are not much of a problem, it's that one you don't see that causes you grief. I shoot most of mine with a 22 I don't use shot all have been killed with solid bullets. I have also killed them with a pump up pellet rifle. Most of the 22 kills were from a pistol usually from close range. I have shot rattle snakes and water snakes some were water moccasins some were a snake in this area that very closely looks like a water moccasin but is non poisonous and has no fangs. That snakes ability to imitate a moccasin gets it killed. Snakes don't die very quickly I have skinned snakes that had their head cut off a observed that they still had a heart beat and some movement and the head has been off for more than a few minutes.
bb
 
Only kill the real threats please . . .

I sincerely hope that in all this talk of killing snakes we are meaning poisoness snakes that are truly a threat. I've known a lot of people who kill any snake they see without knowing the benefit of having harmless snakes around. In the middle of the wilderness even a rattler that isn't a threat to me should be left alone. Put him in my neighbor hood or hanging around my campsite and I'll shoot him too.
Live well, be safe
prof Young
 
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