I live on 5 acres that are technically deed restricted for firearms. I was thinking about getting a .22 revolver to carry with rat shot in case I run across rattle snakes while clearing brush. After looking at the price of .22 revolvers, I've started thinking about getting a snub-nose .38 instead since I've wanted an old one for a while. What is the sound difference between the two?

This may sound dumb, but why not just leave the snake alone?

I would rather have a few snakes in the brush than a rat problem.

TOM-M said:

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hot_rod_9384 said:

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What is the sound difference between the two?

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Non-technical, personal perspective:

22 - "yawn....that was semi-loud....what can I shoot next?"

38 - "dammit!...my ears hurt!....I'm not doing that s**t again today!"

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it sounds like .22 will be the way to go

Be careful, with a .22, you might make a snake mad! I've found that even my .44 mag "rat/snake shot" is not too effective when I am a comfortable distance from a snake! Yes, the shot was aimed & hit right on!

plus
or

4-6 inch barrel would be more effective than a snubby. the 129 heritage as pictures above with 22-rat shot seems to be the best value for something that will more or less get used and abused

I use the .38 CCI shot shell in my GP100. It does the job on snakes. That said, it sounds like you just shot a .38spc

edit to add. It's not the easiest to find compared to .22lr or .44spc

My father may or may not have shot a white wing off the power line with his SP101 with rat shot.

I'm pretty sure he didn't, but hypothetically, I bet it would work.

Can you even find rat shot now?
I was looking for a box a few years ago and couldn't find any.

Speaking from experience, .22 ratshot is not sufficient to kill a squirrel that's been badly burned in a trash pile at about 8 feet. I imagine similar results for a scaly poisonous critter.

I have killed numerous rattle snakes with rat shot. You need to shoot them in the head and if there is any distance you may need to shoot twice to kill them. It also drops large rats in their tracks. I am not sure why it would not kill a squirrel.

I ran out of my old crimped bullets last year and when I found more the only ones I could find were .22 mag. Who needs mag rat shot? It ending up working out because now I keep three for rats and three mag rounds for other critters.

This is starting to sound like people telling me you can't kill a hog with a .22. Granted I use stingers and shoot into the ear.

carpe vinum said:

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Can you even find rat shot now?
I was looking for a box a few years ago and couldn't find any.

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I found .22 rat shot at Walmart. Midway USA periodically has .38 special snake shot as well as empty shot capsules. Usually on back order.

12 gauge.

Chances are if you are clearing brush, you will scare off any snakes long before you ever see them.

I have probably killed more rattle snakes with a hoe than I have with a firearm. A bulldozer does a good job of killing snakes too

The Academy in Temple had rat shot about two weeks ago.

We have an older H&R revolver and that Heritage posted up top and shoot rats with rat shot out of them all of the time.(see killing rats thread)

Interesting enough I watched a video the other day on .38 rat shot and it seems to group the best out of short revolvers. I am guessing the pellets, even in that little blue casing, have less time to start spinning, but I am no expert.

Back to .22 rat shot, I killed a rat snake in the chicken coup last year with it from about 4 feet away. I was surprised at how effective it was on the snake. If I was wanting to carry a gun for snakes I would take that H&R with .22 rat. Those guns are $100 on Gunbroker.

I recently picked up some CCI "Big4" shot in 38/357.
Loaded with #4 shot instead of the #9/#12/??? they have in the previous shells.
Would imagine the #4 shot would carry a little more energy downrange.
Haven't had a chance to shoot them yet.

Google "CCI Ammo Big4 shot" - I'd post a link but I'm at work.... net nanny

FIDO 96 said:

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I use the .38 CCI shot shell in my GP100. It does the job on snakes. That said, it sounds like you just shot a .38spc

edit to add. It's not the easiest to find compared to .22lr or .44spc

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+1

I had show cattle back in high school and one time I think we had like 10 calves on feed so were buying feed by the pallet. Well that brought the rats into the barn so one night I went out around 10pm and put me out a "bait" pile of feed in the middle of the feed room then sat up with my single shot 22 rifle with rat shot. By 11pm I had shot 4 mice and 2 big ole rats.

Fun times.... To answer your original question, i like the 22 rat shot and its not that loud at all.

Heritage 22 LR and those powderless Super Colibri's are best if you ask me. A better round bc more versatile than rat shot--I can see argument for rat shot if you were talking about shooting rats on barn rafters or in a palm tree, etc., but snakes on the ground you should be good with a solid projectile round. Versatile bc can also kill larger nuisance animals if so inclined.

Seems I've read concerns about pellets damaging rifling. Anything at all to that?

ghollow said:

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Chances are if you are clearing brush, you will scare off any snakes long before you ever see them.

I have probably killed more rattle snakes with a hoe than I have with a firearm. A bulldozer does a good job of killing snakes too

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I've killed one with a Scag zero turn. That was fun. Looked like a pissed off 8 arm ninja whooped his ass.

I wouldn't trust a .22 pistol with rat shot unless you have tested it. I had a S&W 422 that would cycle it just fine. Problem was, you were lucky to get two of those itty bitty #12 pellets in a milk jug at 3-4 yards. Might as well been blanks in that gun.