.22 winchester shotshell does the job

[NoZombies]

Well, I was cleaning out the pool strainer basket this evening, and along with a pile of leaves I managed to toss a snake out of the basket without noticing it was there first. It rapidly shot back into the pool, and then swam straight towards my wife who was walking along the other side of the pool, she stepped back a ways and kept an eye on it. I stepped inside and grabbed the little stevens favorite smoothbore I picked up a few years ago (complete with ugly pine forend) and the winchester crimped .22 shotshells I keep next to it.

I walked back outside, and when the snake swam straight toward me, I popped it in the head. No drama, just dead right there. Range of about 5 yards. The little smoothbore gun keeps a pretty tight pattern compared to most guns, and I think the Winchester crimped shells carry more shot than the CCI numbers.

I fished it out and took a photo, but I'm still not entirely sure what type of snake it was, probably a brown watersnake or a young cottonmouth. I didn't mess with it enough to find out. Anything acting that aggressively is unwelcome in my pool, poisonous or not.

http://nozombies.com/snake.JPG

[flounderman]

looks like a cottonmouth. Cottonmouths are agressive and territorial.

[high standard 40]

Looks a lot like a banded water snake. How was it swimming? A cotton mouth swims with it's full body floating on top of the water. Water snakes swim with just their head above water.

[NoZombies]

I don't honestly remember how it was swimming, besides "towards me" but after being shot, it floated, if that makes a difference?

[Mk42gunner]

Looks like a good snake now.

I would like to find a smooth bore .22 some day, just for these situations. Rifling sure shortens the effective range of a .22 shotload.

I think the CCi's are supposed to have a bit more shot, but the crimped Winchester's that I remember firing as a kid seemed more powerful. Anything much bigger than your target gets either the garden hoe or a real shotgun around my house.

Robert

[338RemUltraMag]

Looks like it just recently ate, judging by the bulge about 1/3 rd the way back the snake.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

YEP!, good snake NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [smilie=1:

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[TheCelt]

Young cottonmouth, they get a dark gray or darned near black when they get a few years on them. Bad news at any age, damned things will chase you down if you piss them off.

[mold maker]

To make it an even better snake, separate it from it's head, and hang it in a tree. It'll cause it to rain.
At least thats what my Grandpa used to say. I never could keep it hung over a limb till it started stinking.

[Wayne Smith]

Triangular head, cottonmouth. Rounded head, water snake. Easy distinction.

[Philngruvy]

If I had to guess, I would say that is a Natrix fasciata, banded water snake, harmless. That bulge is probably a frog.

[NoZombies]

Might well have been a watersnake, if he hadn't been aggressive, and in my pool, I would have let him be, but anything that charges my wife gets shot.

I was impressed with how well the little shotshell did though. I remember as a kid shooting a diamondback about the same size that decided to sun out on the front steps and scared my mother something awful. I had used a long barreled winchester, and it took a number of shots before the rattler was dead.

[country gent]

Dad has one of the garden guns for shot. Works great for rats and mice pidgeons in the barns with the cci shot loads, and dosnt punch holes in the tin roof. A wood chuck, coon, or possum in the garden will be back though. Its a handy little rifle and helps to keep the barns cleaned up.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

FWIW a good S & W with the same shotshell will produce the same results at that distance.

BvT

[Down South]

Looks almost like a copper head but I can't see the head well enough, Now after looking closer it appears to be just a non poisonous snake fish snake. Cotton mouths are short and stubby, usually about 2' maybe 3' for the biggest I ever saw when grown and are solid color black or off black. And they stink.......

On edit, I found a couple pictures. The first is a copper head, the second is a cotton mouth.

[osteodoc08]

Looks like a banded water snake. Nerodia Taxispolota aka Brown Water Snake is often confused for a cotton mouth or copper head here in Georgia. I have some pictures of me showing a brown water snake to my kids earlier this spring. It's always beneficial to teach our young about animals throughout the kingdom. Snakes have a bad rap. I'd rather have rat and corn snakes in my back yard instead of disease carrying mice.....

[Larry in MT]

Your smoothbore works well. 15' is a far piece for a 22 ShotShell. We hunt snake dens (Prairie Rattler) with 22 revolvers using Shot Shells. They work great --- @ about 5-6 feet. Wish I had a rig like yours. I have an old .410 for around the place but don't use it when hunting dens.

[Cactus Farmer]

I have build a couple smooth bore 22s and they will shoot excelent patterns with crimped ammo. Both guns I did are Model 12 Remingtons but any
action that will accept a new barrel is OK. The trick is finding a smooth ID barrel with a .219 slick hole. It is death on snake heads and will take the fight out of almost any varmit at close renge without shooting thru the critter. Possums,skunks ect are immoblized instantly. We have a couple skid buildings and the snakes like the shade I guess. Kneeling down you can see their head as my sweety walks inside. When they raise their head it's "pow" and dead snake.
The only caviat is the pilot on 22 reamers sometimes will be a bit large for a .219 hole so a little buffing will move just enought metal to allow the chamber to be cut. Polish the chamber well to aid in extraction. Now if I can just figure out how to install a 2 shot plug for migratory birds........dove not duck ,mind you.........

[429421Cowboy]

I always have preferred the crimped shells over the CCI shot capsules, they seem to pattern better and hit harder, and I seem to think they hold more shot after tearing a few apart and comparing. Of course in my rifled guns, shotshells just plain stink, I have wanted a smoothbore .22 or 9mm garden gun for just what you used yours for!

[NoZombies]

I had wanted a garden gun for some time myself, and when this poor thing came across my path (and the guy at the shop told me they were about to part it out!) I had to rescue it. It's not a legitimate factory smoothbore, but rather someone reamed the bore out. It's a very clean job, and it shoots the shotshells very well. It also makes for a fun game of plinking with Aguilla Colibri ammo. It shoots them in the general direction, and so hitting a can is an accomplishment.

As for the snake, I'm very neutral about snakes. I know the purpose they serve in vermin reduction, and as long as they steer clear of me and mine, I let 'em be. I don't claim to know what type of snake this one was, but it was very aggressive, and that's not welcome around here.

[Larry in MT]

I always have preferred the crimped shells over the CCI shot capsules, they seem to pattern better and hit harder, and I seem to think they hold more shot after tearing a few apart and comparing. Of course in my rifled guns, shotshells just plain stink, I have wanted a smoothbore .22 or 9mm garden gun for just what you used yours for!

I don't see much difference in revolvers except that it can take a sharp poke to dislodge fired, crimped cases. The CCI capsule holds 31 grains and the crimped 25 grains. Rem used to use #11 shot instead of everybody else's #12 (I still have a few) but I can't tell any difference in them, either. They all work --- if 5-6' isn't too close for you.

In revolvers, I often carry two shot cartridges as the first two shots and then 4 hollow points. In this case, the Nickel CCI cases are easier to detect and get in position.

These little buggers ricochet off hard surfaces and could damage an unprotected eye.

Several years ago, we had a huge Pack Rat living underneath the stock scales -- he had to be removed before the inspector got there. I had a little .22 Walther TPH and a few CCI shot shells. I loaned the TPH and my sunglasses to my Nephew, who crawled under the scales and dispatched the Rat with one shot --- albeit at maybe 2 feet. I was surprised at the effectiveness of the shotshell ---- and my Nephew was relieved. That Rat had teeth the size of Chicklets.

[osteodoc08]

I agree. Any aggressive animal is a dead animal when my family is concerned and possibly in harms way. 0, 2, or 4+ legged.

[KCSO]

I had a Mossberg ??? Wingo ??? smoothbore 22 and it had a target thrower below the barrel and a screw on muzzle adapter that was rifled so you could shoot either a choked 22 smoothbore or regular 22's with some accuracy. A freind of mine has it now andit's been relagated to safe queen.

[Changeling]

I try not to kill "Black Snakes" because they will eat small copperheads and others! However when any snake enters my teritorry I use a Ruger Bear Cat with CCI shot shells. Works really great! Absolutely NO complaints on this combo!

[Down South]

Snakes in the yard or in my way, I use a stick. The wife uses a hoe, the kind with a handle on it.

[NoZombies]

I've also used the gun and shotshells with excellent results on carpenter bees. I have an air powered shotgun (also .22 caliber) that I used to use for smacking rodents in the old shop.