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Thread: Realist range of Pistol shotshells ?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    GREAT thread! When I get my new 357, I will try using some of Speer's old (about Mid '70s, Red and yellow) shot capsules that I found hiding in my reloading stuff, and the newer, Blue capsules.

    Question:The Speer published load is 5.5 gr. Unique. I am going to try a little milder load...5.0 gr. or 4.5 gr., in hopes that lower velocity will produce tighter groups from the 4" barrel. I have #8, 9 and 12 shot, and figure my effective range should be about 3-4 yards.
    I have found a crimp that will retain the capsules in the case, without resorting to Super Glue, or fracturing the plastic.

    Is there anything I need to be aware of before reducing the charges?

    What size Buckshot do I need that will fit snugly in the Speer Capsules, to try some multi-ball loads? 00, 000, or something else?

    Thanx!

  2. #22
    Boolit Master

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    This isn't your typical .357 Mag pistol. TC Contender with a 10" Hot Shot barrel. It has a choke that stops or slows the spin from the rifling. Remove choke if your going to shoot solid projos however. These grey tree rats were shot at 15 YARDS. At that distance I have a 6" or so shot pattern. Reloaded Speer Shotcapsules using #9 shot and Unique.




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  3. #23
    Boolit Master
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    I load 410 ga. shells with close to the same load as used in a 357 mag shot cup. You wouldn't believe the difference, yes the rifling messes up the pattern.

    I read an article years ago about a guy that would ream the rifling out of a 45 Colt. He was a woods runner and would load the cases with shot for small game and clamed usable patterns. He also worked up a load for bore sized round balls with decent groups at 25 yds. It's a shame that we can't have handguns with a smooth bore, I would love to have one.

    Dave

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Yeah the Hotshot 357's and 44's were more effective than your typical pistol loads. Not just because of the choke, the payload helped too.


  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    One time Armoredman found out that a .38 shot shell wont stop Jack with two shots at 15 feet.
    He grabbed my .38 and did not know it was loaded so the first two rounds were shot shells for our local Rattlesnakes when we were Dove hunting.
    The Jack Rabbit just wiggled his ears and walked off.

  6. #26
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    no1 buck will work real good 3 of them
    We have enough gun control. What we need is idiot control.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master



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    For my 357 shot loads, I trimmed down 223 brass to cylinder length, and used a cir-clip for extraction.
    Used gas checks to hold the bottom and top of the shot.

    Worked well, but not as good as 30-06 trimmed to use in the 1917 revolvers

    Mike

    maybe today I could use 357 Super Magnum brass
    NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95

  8. #28
    Boolit Buddy Time Killer's Avatar
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    10-15 feet snake shooting distance and that is about it.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Realistic? For the several dozen rattlesnakes I've killed, I learned the hard way, the closer the better, whether with a .38/.357, .44 Special or 45 Colt.

    About five years ago I did come up with a really neat load for one of my 45 Colt's. The powder charge was something like 6.0 grs. of Bullseye, a plastic over powder wad cut from a coffee can lid, #9 shot to within about 1/4" of the mouth of the case, then seat and crimp a .451" lead ball.

    The aiming point was the "B" and range was 20 or 25'-



    Same load only I think this was 30'-



    35W
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  10. #30
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    RogerDat's Avatar
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    I see several mentions of using #9 shot, do people not use #12 shot for "snake" loads in a pistol?
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  11. #31
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RogerDat View Post
    I see several mentions of using #9 shot, do people not use #12 shot for "snake" loads in a pistol?
    I don't. I lost a couple of rattlers using 22 LR's with #12. Besides, #9 is just too easy to come by. I bought a box of 1 1/8 oz. 12 ga. field loads, cut the shells open and can get 3 shotshells from each one.

    35W
    The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
    There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

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  12. #32
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    I load solder in my snake loads. I saw this in a gun magazine years ago. I use Speer shot capsules and cut lead solder the length of capsule. Pull it between fingers to straighten out and stack it like pencil lead. It tears snakes up at 5' to 10'. That's what I carry while hunting snakes to catch alive so range is good enough for my purpose.
    It will kill a lot futher but pattern is thin and chance of hit is equally thin. I do this with 44s, 357 won't contain enough to be practical.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master
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    About 30yrs ago I decided to make a few shot loads for my 357 mag, I used the CCI shot shells as a benchmark and shot them at an aluminium coke can at 15yrds and the can was only dented and knocked over, my loads penetrated the can and gave a good kill pattern that would have killed a dove at that range no problem, to make that load I started with a primed and sized 357 shell with 3grs of bullseye powder over which I pushed 3 cardboard wads made from pistole primer box, cut with a 9mm shell on a block of wood and hit with a hammer, I then filled the shell with as much 8 shot as it would hold and allow for 3 more of the cardboard wads prior to seating the wads I would melt candle wax over the shot and fit wads and more wax to seal, I then run the shell into the crimp die and gave it a good roll crimp to hold it all together. Regards Stephen

  14. #34
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Cohen View Post
    About 30yrs ago I decided to make a few shot loads for my 357 mag, I used the CCI shot shells as a benchmark and shot them at an aluminium coke can at 15yrds and the can was only dented and knocked over, my loads penetrated the can and gave a good kill pattern that would have killed a dove at that range no problem, to make that load I started with a primed and sized 357 shell with 3grs of bullseye powder over which I pushed 3 cardboard wads made from pistole primer box, cut with a 9mm shell on a block of wood and hit with a hammer, I then filled the shell with as much 8 shot as it would hold and allow for 3 more of the cardboard wads prior to seating the wads I would melt candle wax over the shot and fit wads and more wax to seal, I then run the shell into the crimp die and gave it a good roll crimp to hold it all together. Regards Stephen
    This sound like something I would maybe try out. What all you used it on?
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  15. #35
    Boolit Master
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    In this country it is illegal to shoot snakes with any firearm especially pistols and it is illegal to hunt anything with a handgun without the proper hoops being jumped to gain one. I did have a go at cans thrown in the air and found my 6'' sw 686 would have been usable for small game at close range, I would like to tell you how deadly it was on snakes but they are protected. Give it a try it worked for me. Regards Stephen

  16. #36
    Cast Hunter

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    For my .41 mag BH I am using 8.0 gns of Unique. The lead shot (7 1/2) and 2 gas checks come to about 110 gns. I regularly have taken small game at 10-15 yds. At 15 yds the load has enough energy, but the shot pattern is getting rather thin and it’s easy to miss at that distance.
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  17. #37
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Tried 40sw snake load @ 7yds, terrible pattern and did't cycle. 5' maybe?
    Whatever!

  18. #38
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Shot load assembled in Starline 5 in 1 blank casing fired from 1905 Colt Frontier Six Shooter

    Attachment 249192


    Click on photo to display full size. Inner ring of D1C repair center is 4 inches, outer ring is 8 inches, the target paper is 11 inches square. For small game I want a number of pellet hits in the inner 4 inch ring equal to the shot size, 8 number 8s, nine nines, etc. Of course for snakes you need a denser pattern and need to get closer, but these 5 in 1 shot loads in .44-40 kill rabbits and grouse for the pot just fine and have for many years.
    Last edited by Outpost75; 11-26-2019 at 11:27 AM.
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  19. #39
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    Snakes are tuff critters birds not so much. One shot can score on bird and he is dead. Mr snake takes a good deal more killing. I would say 5' is max range for snakes, especially poisonous varieties here in US. They are much meatier than non poison species and take more killing. When I first hunted Copper Heads for skins I would set on a rock and attempt to drown them while holding them under. Your hand will get tired before snake drowns. Resorted to submerging drywall bucket with 1/4 holes to do the job. Becareful picking up snake you think is dead, might not be and reflex is to bite. Also snake will tend to strike itself where it's hit. It must think something is attacking it. When skinning them out best to wear rubber gloves to protect yourself if you might have small abrasions and cuts on your hands.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master superior's Avatar
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    In Florida, I killed a 4.5 foot water moccasin in a lady’s garage with a cci 22cal shot shell at about 6 feet. I shot him in the face with my Ruger 5.5 bull mk 2. He was poised at me like a cobra. He went down and just wiggled for a minute with a big pool of blood under his head. Later, the same gun and shell got a good sized rat that had fallen through the bathroom ceiling fan cover. He was drt . I load 45 colt shells with 8 grains Unique tamped down with a card wad, and the rest filled with 8shot and sealed with a drop or two of Elmers glue. One of those out of my 7.5 RBH blew a bird feeder robbing squirrel off the porch like he had been hit with a baseball bat. The shot was LOUD ! The distance was about 7 ‘ and the pattern is excellent with a good density in the center.
    In the summer, I load the revolver so that my first shot choice is that load, the second is a roundball, and the last four - 300 grain lee’s over 18 grains 2400. I’m ready for anything.Click image for larger version. 

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    Here’s a pic of my 45 colt load, as well as a 40sw . There were two white rats standing close together, almost touching each other in the chicken coop when I fired the 40sw at 10 feet. One ran off... the other rolled on his back and died. One must have shielded the other? The 40 was 3 gr bullseye. , card wad and the rest -8 shot with a blob of rubber cement.
    Last edited by superior; 11-24-2019 at 10:09 PM.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check