Walnut Shell Shot Loads

[dale2242]

The carpenter bees are at it again, boring holes in the trusses on the lean-to behind my shop.
I tried 22 shot loads which were very effective if you could hit them with the small load of shot.
I have a wad cutter that is the right size to fit 44 Mag/Spec cases.
I cut a number of wads from the cardboard backer that came with a pack of targets.
4.5 gr of Bullseye was loaded in a 44 mag case followed by 2 card wads.
Approximately 18 gr of ground walnut shells filled the case with just enough room to seat a card wad over the top.
A heavy roll crimp was applied and the top sealed with clear nail polish.
The loads were fired from a 10" Contender barrel.
Maximum effective range was about 6 ft with 4 ft being much more effective.
Loads of up to 6 gr of Bullseye was tried but did not seem any more effective and the walnut shells would bounce off the wood striking my face.
BTW, a wadcutter for making card wads can be made from a sharpened 44 case with the primer removed. Push the wads out of the case with a piece of wire that will go through the flash hole.
Wing shooting carpenter bees is not as easy as it may seem, even at close range but dang it is fun.

[Baltimoreed]

I use a badminton racket. Whacked over 600 2 years ago, only a couple hundred last year but I’m over 350 this spring.

[skrapyard628]

Sure does sound like a fun way to get some trigger time!

One of the things my uncle used to do was tie the hose of his shop vac up so that the end of it was right where the hole the bees were coming in and out of was. Then just let it run for a few hours. Every one of them trying to go in or out got a quick trip down the vac tube.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I shoot rats in a commercial piggery, using a 12ga loaded with hard sorgham seed. We have got over 7000 in the last 3 years

https://i.imgur.com/XttYS5kl.jpg

[dale2242]

Sounds like lots of fun Wallace.

[Ohio Rusty]

I also use a badmitton racket. Once whacked, I hit them with Spectracide Pro bug spray. Best stuff ever !!! Kills them right now. I have a box of speer .44 shot cartridges. I'll try the walnut shot on them in my contender.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Alferd Packer]

I save my coffee grounds and let them dry out first.
They will blast them too and not ricochette back in your face.

[rockrat]

I use "ancini de pepe" pasta in my shot loads. Seems like the pasta just disintegrates when it hits something hard and is biodegradeable!! Goes thru a snake really well.

[atr]

the creativity never ceases to amaze me....
atr

[lancem]

They used to come and bore into my cover over my firewood, when I saw one in a hole I would put a couple of 1/4" staples over the hole, figured if he could eat his way out he would be free.

[Alferd Packer]

The only way to stop them is to put a nail thru em.They can tunnel sideways or in any direction.
I sliced thru a board and they had continuous wavy messes all thru the board.They are ruinous bees. As bad as termites.

[Charlie Horse]

I've seen where people have made great sport out of shooting insects with a low-powered bb gun. They call it a backyard safari. Don't forget your safety glasses.

[dale2242]

I just got a bag of 410 wads from Powder Valley to try loading shot and walnut shell loads for 44 Mag.
I will report back after I give them a good test.
I will probably be using card over shot wads and nail polish to seal the cases.

[fastdadio]

I get the idea of the fun in shooting these buggers with shot loads, I've done it. However, with the cost and availability of primers these days, it's really not cost effective. I started loading my Sheridan .22 air rifle with walnut media. Worked pretty well at short range. But check this out, how about a .22 smooth bore air gun. Uses pre loaded shot capsules. Bead front sight, and a choked bore. 750 fps.
https://www.airgundepot.com/gamo-viper-express-air-shotgun.html
Much better than burning up your precious primer supply on bugs. Quieter too. I want one.

[GregLaROCHE]

I remember using those 22 bird shot rounds. I don’t think I ever was able to kill anything with them, but they made a nice pattern when fired into the creek or we would shoot them in the air and the shot would come raining down on your head. I did use some 44 mag snake shot on some critters that were coming into my house at night. It worked really well. Maybe too much for what you want to do. How about rock salt?

[kootne]

A cheap old air rifle with a break-open to cock barrel will work fine. No ammo required. Just the air. Effective range is quite close, only 6" to maybe a foot. Depends on the air rifle and the bug. Flies just vaporize. Shooting over a bait appropriate for the targeted bug helps overcome the range issue. This is a good project for the kids or grandkids. They get the thrill of the chase and you get to keep your yard lights and songbirds.

[Nazgul]

I use rice in 45 Colt cases. Small charge of fast powder, wad, rice another wad and a drop of glue to hold it. Have to wear glasses, they can bounce back.

My wife laughs herself silly watching me with 2 Ruger Montados going to war on them.

Don

[David2011]

Another great source for wad material is the foam trays that are used for packing meat, mushrooms and the like. They're easy to cut with a fired cartridge which gives a tighter fit than a sized cartridge.

[Milky Duck]

for these bees,would not carbirol be more effective...the stuff you buy for puffing into wasp nests.... sold here as "no more wasps" the fellas with grain silos will have similar pesticide powders for weavils you could just about get away with only a wad to push it out... Ive often thought about loading some shells up to kill wasp nest I find while out hunting...and this thread has probably just condemmed them to death...I have .410 hulls and a .45/70 so with a bit of imagination a over powder wad under plastic shot cup,small charge of BP and seal end with small wad n nail varnish....I was going to do it with .12ga shell but as its illegal to hunt on DOC controlled land with a shotgun,it could be problomatic if stopped and ammunition checked.

[Charlie Horse]

the creativity never ceases to amaze me....
atr

Almost makes me wish I had some pests to smoke....

[elmacgyver0]

Bug-A-Salt is great.
For the racket guys, get the bug zapper from Hazzard Fraught that looks like a tennis racket, it will shut down the nervous system of a yellow jacket for short time till you stomp them.
If you allow them to come to, they won't be in a very friendly mood.

[owejia]

Fast and furious, 2023 bee season is now open. Just walked up to my neighbors abandoned house and shot for a few minutes. First time ever got three with one shot. Have shot doubles several times. Counted 63 empty brass when got home. They were zigging and zagging pretty good. Not as many out as there were last year. Maybe they are on the decline.

[besk]

I get the idea of the fun in shooting these buggers with shot loads, I've done it. However, with the cost and availability of primers these days, it's really not cost effective. I started loading my Sheridan .22 air rifle with walnut media. Worked pretty well at short range. But check this out, how about a .22 smooth bore air gun. Uses pre loaded shot capsules. Bead front sight, and a choked bore. 750 fps.
https://www.airgundepot.com/gamo-viper-express-air-shotgun.html
Much better than burning up your precious primer supply on bugs. Quieter too. I want one.

I have a Viper Express shot gun. The "shot shells" are expensive but can be reloaded forever. I use #10 shot.
Not easy to hit a bee with one - I have tried. Need practice.
The badminton rackets work great.

[Baltimoreed]

If shooting them didn’t involve the use of a primer that would be interesting but as it does I’ll use my racket.

[owejia]

Have several hundred of these already loaded from back when primers were cheap[<.03 ea] in 38 spl and 357 mag. Made a set of dies several years ago to load them. Have shot all my 45 acp and 45 lc loads. Will eventually use all of the 38 & 357 loads. Have arthritis in my shoulders so the rackets are not very much fun for me. Other than load development, shooting bees is the most shooting I do. I just consider this cheap entertaining fun for me, at 76 how many more years will I still be able to hold a revolver and try to sight on a zig zagging bee. Have shot bees for years, some years shot over a 1000 + bee loads, hopefully can continue for a few more years. I live in a log house so shooting bees is just being a responsible home owner.

[GONRA]

GONRA uses chemicals. Saves all is grief.....

[Froogal]

No problem with carpenter bees but I might be having a problem with pigeons in my open front machine shed. I might try the walnut shell trick in some .38 specials.

[scattershot]

Question for the air gun guys. How much walnutshell media do you use, and how do you load it?

[archangel2003]

Not nearly as fun but if you plug the hole they come in and go out of with diatomaceous earth, they have to dig through it and will carry it inside and every one that enters will contaminate the nest even more and in a day or two the nest will be like an insect nuclear wasteland, no insect on earth can survive that stuff.
It quickly abrades their exoskeleton, especially at the joints causing them to essentially bleed out moisture dehydrating and die and they can't clean it off.
If other bugs find the nest to try and recolonize it, they will not live long enough to move in, and when they go back to tell their friends about the nest, they bring some back and introduce it to their friends.
Like I said, not as much fun but quick and 100% effective!

[Gtrubicon]

Not nearly as fun but if you plug the hole they come in and go out of with diatomaceous earth, they have to dig through it and will carry it inside and every one that enters will contaminate the nest even more and in a day or two the nest will be like an insect nuclear wasteland, no insect on earth can survive that stuff.
It quickly abrades their exoskeleton, especially at the joints causing them to essentially bleed out moisture dehydrating and die and they can't clean it off.
If other bugs find the nest to try and recolonize it, they will not live long enough to move in, and when they go back to tell their friends about the nest, they bring some back and introduce it to their friends.
Like I said, not as much fun but quick and 100% effective!
So can you tell us how to load DE in a pistol shot shell? Now we’re cookin!

[smkummer]

I could see me doing that with my 6 shooter in one hand and my drink in the other.

[dale2242]

I got my hands on some shot that is call size "Dust."
I haven`t measured it but it is much finer than #12.
I think that it is going to work better than the walnut shells.
The patterns are much thicker.
Hopefully, I won`t see any collateral damage.

[tward]

Froogal, I had good luck with air rifle and pointed pellets on pigeons. Just inexpensive Crossman guns that pump or break open . Good luck! Tim

[TheBoat]

anyone have a good .44 mag shot load for Partridges. It would be nice when deer hunting to load the first shot with shot as the Road Chickens are everywhere. if you saw a deer just eject the bird shot round and go for the Deer Round

[TNsailorman]

I just had my first kill of the year. A wood boring bumble bee with a Daisey BB gun. I went onto the back porch to put some trash in the trash can and there he was hovering over my wooden handrails like he wants to do a little boring. I stepped just inside the back door where I keep the BB gun and went back out. He was insultingly flying around and I cocked the BB and let fly, miss. He flew away and then came back about 8 feet away and was dancing around. Second shot, miss. Repeat of the fly and come back and 3rd shot, miss. We kept this up for 3 more shots and then he made a mistake, he quit dancing around and hovered still for long enough for me to be able to line him up with my sights instead or wing shooting. Bang, down he went. I finished him off with 2 more shots, he was mangled pretty bad after that and quite dead. It was a fun workout for me since I haven't shot anything in over 8 months. Great day, james

[dverna]

I jusst had my first kille of the year. A wood boring bumble bee with a Daisey BB gun. I went onto the back porch to put some trash in the trash can and there he was hovering over my wooden handrails like he wants to do a little boring. I stepped just inside the back door where I keep the BB gun and went back out. He was insultingly flying around and I cocked the BB and let fly, miss. He flew away and then came back about 8 feet away and was dancing around. Second shot, miss. Repeat of the fly and come back and 3rd shot, miss. We kept this up for 3 more shots and then he made a mistake, he quit dancing around and hovered still for long enough for me to be able to line him up with my sights instead or wing shooting. Bang, down he went. I finished him off with 2 more shots, he was mangled pretty bad after that and quite dead. It was a fun workout for me since I haven't shot anything in over 8 months. Great day, james

Have to admire an honest story. Most folks never count their misses...LOL.

Must have been a MONSTER to need three hits to put him down!!!

[TNsailorman]

It may or may not have took 3 hits to do him in, but my Grandfather always told us that killing had a responsibility to it. His old saying was everything deserve to be dispatched dead immediately and not have to lay and suffer. So kill with the first shot or follow up with a quick second shot to finish off whatever you shot. I was standing on the porch and wasn't about to go out into wet rain and grass to finish him off, so I just put 2 more shots into him just to make sure. BB's are cheap. It has been nearly 20 years since I had shot at anything that small and I was kinda proud of myself. james