The most common snake shot cartridge is .22 Long Rifle loaded with No. 12 shot. From a standard rifle these can produce effective patterns only to a distance of about 3m (9.8ft), but in a smoothbore shotgun (or garden gun) that can extend as far as 15m (49ft).[citation needed]
Uses
Military issue .45 ACP M15 "shot shell" on the far right
Shot shells have also been historically issued to soldiers, to be used in standard issue rifles and handguns.
The .45-70 "forager" round, which contained a thin wooden bullet filled with birdshot, was intended for hunting small game to supplement the soldiers' rations.[3][4] This round in effect made the .45-70 rifle into a small gaugeshotgun, capable of killing rabbits, ducks, and other similar game animals.
During World War II, the United States military developed both the .45 ACP M12 and M15 shot shells cartridges. They were issued to pilots, to be used as foraging ammunition in the event that they were either shot down or forced to land in known or unknown territory. The M15 cartridges were loaded with 118 pellets of No. 7 1/2 birdshot.[5] The boxes were marked "For use in hunting small game effective range 25ft (7.6m)".[6] While they were best used in the M1917 revolvers, the M15 cartridge would actually cycle the semi-automatic M1911 pistol's slide.[7] The current CCI .45 ACP shotshell cartridge is virtually identical to these rounds.
Snake shot shells
A regular Winchester .22 LR cartridge (left), with a star-crimped .22 Long Rifle snake shot cartridge loaded with No. 12 shot (right).CCI .38 Special shot shells using plastic capsule
Both Winchester[8] and Federal[9] make star-crimped .22 Long Rifle snake shot loaded with No. 12 shot. These cartridges resemble traditional crimped blank cartridges.
CCI's rimfire and a few of the centerfire snake-shot cartridges use a hollow plastic capsule which holds the shot, and is often shaped like a bullet to aid in feeding.[10][11]The plastic capsule shatters during firing, and allows the shot to disperse after it exits the muzzle of the barrel.
CCI pest control and centerfire pistol shot shell ammunition[12]
Name/caliber
Muzzle velocity in ft/s (m/s)
Shot size No.
Approx. weight in grains (grams)
Box count
Rimfire Shotshell .22 Long Rifle
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
12
31gr (2.0g)
20
Rimfire Shotshell .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
12
52gr (3.4g)
20
Pest Control Shotshell 9mm Luger
1,450ft/s (440m/s)
12
53gr (3.4g)
10
Pest Control Big 4 Shotshell 9mm Luger
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
4
45gr (2.9g)
10
Pest Control Bismuth 9mm Luger
950ft/s (290m/s)
11
43gr (2.8g)
10
Pest Control Shotshell .38 Special/.357 Magnum
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
9
100gr (6.5g)
10
Pest Control Big 4 Shotshell .38 Special/.357 Magnum
1,100ft/s (340m/s)
4
84gr (5.4g)
10
Pest Control Bismuth Shotshell .38 Special/.357 Magnum
1,100ft/s (340m/s)
8
80gr (5.2g)
10
Pest Control Shotshell .40 Smith & Wesson
1,250ft/s (380m/s)
9
88gr (5.7g)
10
Pest Control Bismuth Shotshell .40 Smith & Wesson
1,300ft/s (400m/s)
8
78gr (5.1g)
10
Pest Control Shotshell 10mm Automatic
1,250ft/s (380m/s)
9
105gr (6.8g)
10
Pest Control Shotshell .44 Special/.44 Magnum
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
9
140gr (9.1g)
10
Pest Control Big 4 Shotshell .44 Special/.44 Magnum
1,000ft/s (300m/s)
4
110gr (7.1g)
10
Pest Control Bismuth Shotshell .44 Special/.44 Magnum
1,050ft/s (320m/s)
8
112gr (7.3g)
10
Pest Control Shotshell .45 Automatic Colt Pistol
1,100ft/s (340m/s)
9
120gr (7.8g)
10
Pest Control Bismuth Shotshell .45 Automatic Colt Pistol
"Garden guns" are smooth-bore guns specifically made to fire .22 caliber snake shot or 9mm Flobert shot-shells, and are commonly used by gardeners and farmers for pest control. They are short range weapons that can do little harm at distances greater than 15 to 20m (49 to 66ft), and are quiet when fired with snake shot, compared to standard ammunition. The guns are especially effective inside barns and sheds, because the snake shot will not injure livestock with a ricochet, or shoot holes into the roof or walls of a structure. They are also used for pest control at airports, warehouses, stockyards, and similar locations.[13]
Safety considerations
Federal 22 Long Rifle snake shot with crimped case
Snake shot may be mistaken for traditional crimped blank cartridges.
Snake shot may not function properly in semi-automatic firearms causing malfunctions.
Snake shot may not function properly in handguns and rifles not specifically made for their use.
Snake shot may not function properly in light weight revolvers, as they may cause "cylinder lock" due to the capsule movement resulting from recoil inertia. However, crimped cases do not exhibit this problem.
Snake shot plastic capsules may shatter when being fed from a magazine. Crimped cases do not exhibit this problem but may fail to extract in semi-automatic firearms.[14]
Unsafe in firearms with suppressors, ported barrels, or ported recoil compensators.
Snake shot is effective only against snakes, rodents, birds, and other small pests, and only at very close range.[15][16]
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