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Thread: 38-357 rat shot loads

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    38-357 rat shot loads

    My garage has been turned into a home for rats in the last week or so. I have had no issues using ratshot loads in a 22 but they are out of sight in price. Even the cheapest ones are going for $22. for fifty. The only shot I have laying around is #9. At what speed should I push it? Planning on using aluminum can material for the overshot wad and paper plate or pop can cardboard doesn't really matter. Kind of don't want to do any more damage than the rimfire shot loads.
    Last edited by rickt300; 08-30-2022 at 10:48 AM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    You can use paper plate material for both over-powder and over-shot cards for you "indoor" purpose. Seal the over-shot card with Elmer's. Don't know what range you envision, but to avoid collateral damage I'd recommend okra or maze or some other small hard seed instead of lead shot. Be safe.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ed_Shot View Post
    You can use paper plate material for both over-powder and over-shot cards for you "indoor" purpose. Seal the over-shot card with Elmer's. Don't know what range you envision, but to avoid collateral damage I'd recommend okra or maze or some other small hard seed instead of lead shot. Be safe.
    Maise might work, good idea. Okra seed way too big. What kind of powder charge? 3 grains of Unique?

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    I'd recommend Bulleye or Red Dot/Promo and try 2.5 ~ 3.0 gr with a load of maise. Recommend testing outdoors.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    Don't have any red dot, or any faster powder than unique.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    Ed_Shot's Avatar
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    Try Unique 3.0 gr.
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  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    From the Speer reloading manual using their plastic shot sheel capsuls.
    38/357 mag 5.5 grn Unique muzzle velocity 6" bbl 1111 fps

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    That might be a bit rough on the garage!

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    For you intended purpose I'd sure start with Unique 3.0 gr with paper over-powder and over-shot cards and a load of your favorite seeds. Start low and work up. Let us know how that works.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    A solid wax bullet might work better if you are shooting toward the floor or baseboards - with 2 or 3 grs Unique.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    Get some big rat snap traps, marshmallow well ground into the catch. Trying to hunt em seems maybe unlikely but would continue with your plan too

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brassrat View Post
    Get some big rat snap traps, marshmallow well ground into the catch. Trying to hunt em seems maybe unlikely but would continue with your plan too
    I do use rat traps. My method with marshmallows is to get a side hot to melting and stick that to the catch with the middle part sticking up. Not as fun though as shooting them on the run.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ed_Shot View Post
    For you intended purpose I'd sure start with Unique 3.0 gr with paper over-powder and over-shot cards and a load of your favorite seeds. Start low and work up. Let us know how that works.
    It's raining so may just get on this project right after I load some 260 shells I have been procrastinating.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master

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    I believe you'll find you need much more powder for the seeds than you think. IMO they're too light to get any kind of payload in a 357 case. Wax bullets are more likely to do the job for you.

    Just my opinion. Regards, Woody
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickt300 View Post
    I do use rat traps. My method with marshmallows is to get a side hot to melting and stick that to the catch with the middle part sticking up. Not as fun though as shooting them on the run.
    Shooting them on the run or not sounds great. I only have experience with a pellet pistol and a mouse along my electric baseboard heater. He would know I was in motion while raising gun. I waited with a bead on a cheese piece and nailed him. I figured the rat hunt would be similar with them one step ahead.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    This method worked for me. Rats had tunneled a nest under the slab outside my shop.





    To be effective it needs to be able to penetrate a gatorade bottle at the range you'll be hunting. POI for the pattern center was 2" below POA at 10'

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy rickt300's Avatar
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    Pretty cool. Wonder if 4 grains of Unique would up the ante enough. Next gun show I will look for some Bullseye, very useful powder.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    I primed a fired and unsized 357 shell loaded 3 gr Bullseye covered with 3 wads cut from a primer box using a 9mm shell as punch, as much shot as I could get in allowing for 3 more of said wads the put heavy roll crimp while sizing shell and sealed with candle wax. made short work of snake that came into my house and went under refrigerator. Regards Stephen

  19. #19
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickt300 View Post
    I do use rat traps. My method with marshmallows is to get a side hot to melting and stick that to the catch with the middle part sticking up. Not as fun though as shooting them on the run.
    Put peanut butter on the pan of the rat trap or a #1 long spring or jump trap you will get the rats. Have it that they walk between the jaws of the trap, Rat shot is another way of getting them beside works on snakes too. I use a gasket hole cutter to make my wads out of cracker box ,the cutters is from Snap On . Also use them to make my wads for shotgun also beside other straight wall cartridge to use for rat or snake shot. I put 2 wads over the powder and one over the shot . It works for me .
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  20. #20
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    Exclamation

    Quote Originally Posted by recumbent View Post
    From the Speer reloading manual using their plastic shot sheel capsuls.
    38/357 mag 5.5 grn Unique muzzle velocity 6" bbl 1111 fps
    In the same manual, or maybe the paper that comes with the shot capsules, it advises that lower loads may give better patterning. I've shot the 5.5 gr. Unique loads, and the next batch I test will try 5.0 and 4.5 gr. to see how they pattern. Old School Wheelgunner on some site...I disremember which...used 3 gr. Bullseye and #6.5 shot, because " that's all he had", and the damage it did to the center of the target at 3 yards(?) was impressive! Sooo...Tribal wisdom being that #12 and maybe #10 penetrate soft targets better, but I wonder? That combination looked like it wold do the business. 3 yards is the closest I want to get to any venomous snake, anyway! Eye protection! smaller shot can and will ricochet! (Don't ask!)
    IT IS A FINE AND PLEASANT MADNESS !

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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