Making Handgun Shotshells / vs. Taurus Judge

[quickdraw03]

How effective are homemade handgun shotshells on snakes and other small critters?  Does anyone have any good loads with maybe a little more data than this page?  http://www.castbullet.com/reload/44shot.htm

How do homemade shotshells compare to the Taurus Judge / Thunder 45 / BFR?

I'd really like to hear about everyone's experiences with snake loads / specialty handguns.

Thanks,
QD03

[STUMPJMPR]

http://www.gunblast.com/Snake_Stopper.htm

Here is one i found interesting...Its kinda like the best of both worlds...

[kevthebassman]

http://www.gunblast.com/Snake_Stopper.htm

Here is one i found interesting...Its kinda like the best of both worlds...

Sounds like a miniature version of a buck'n'ball load!  Ought to be quite effective!

[quickdraw]

that's very cool.  has anyone worked up a load for 44mag?

[STUMPJMPR]

not that i know of but it looks like it would work for any caliber

[rockbilly]

I have used the "Jeff Quinn" method of loading snake shot for years, it is very effective, and provided for a more useful round than a straight shots shell.  The ball will also dispatch a varmint, and has come in very handy for disposing of a bob cat and several coons over the years.  With the shot shell I likely would not have been able to kill them.

This can also be a good self defense load, I load one or two rounds in a model 60 (.357), then put three factory load 125 gr bullets.  That gives me two shots to defuse a bad situation before dropping the hammer for good. 

[kennisondan]

here is what I do... used mostly in 410 snake charmer and contender 44 410 ten inch, but also made some for the taurus judge 45 410 but I was not the one that shot those....
i use a three inch shot shell, open it up and dump out the shot, put into it a few large bird shot : 5s 4s etc, enough to cover the bottom of the shot shell wad, and then put in a buck shot I like to use # 3 or # 4 but put a large buck at the very front sticking out a bit... I just put in a small buck shot push it down into the smaller shots then add more bird shot around it, then add another buck shot, bird shot for buffer, until almost full then put a large buck shot, 00 or 000 size in the end and wax over the end to seal it... sometimes cut off the folded edges and just wax the big buckshot ball into the end with it sticking out just a tad.... i like to use a bright red or other color to ensure it is not taken for a regular bird shot... at ten yards the buck shots penetrated a one and a half inch seasoned cypresss board and the bird shot clustered in and around the pattern .. the total pattern was about four inches in the contender and the snake charmer too.... the taurus is a more spray proposition, but the large bucks and large bb shot work just fine.. I got some lead bbs about 177 caliber and used those in some of the shot too and it was devastating... I am buying some more buck shot from a guy on here.. black dog lures... so I do not have to sacrifice the 20 gauge buck and the 12 ga. buck for the different sized buckshots... I just sat and made a shell belt full and have great confidence in the effectiveness on typical birdh shot quarry and on bigger tougher game with the buck shots... four to five buch shots and a bunch of #4 is nothing to sneeze at, I have killed many fox and coon with #4 and a couple of deer rabbit hunting with pure fours and fives as well... with a shot to the throat and head... sort of by accident...sort of.. or maybe I dreamed that part... cannot say for sure....any way.. I know it is fine in the contender and snake charmer, I just have not used the taurus enough to give it a resounding yea or nay.... I was dissapointed at the shot dispersion with plain 410 shot shells after the contender with the choke was used for so long... so it did not remain in the stable for that long.... YMMV.
dk

[STUMPJMPR]

I want one of these

http://www.firestorm-sgs.com/supercomanche.htm

[kennisondan]

I want one of these

http://www.firestorm-sgs.com/supercomanche.htm

get the choke tube for it.....
dk

[The Old Redneck]

Over the years I have used all kind of shot loads in all kind and caliber of handguns. For snakes at close range the single shot and double barrel pocket pistols in 45/410 worked fine. After a friend bought one of the Judges and brought it to the house to test I wanted one. They are not long range guns with shot out of a 3" barrel. I haul one around when mowing the grass at home. From the seat of a mower with 8 shot it is easy to kill snakes with them and me moving. The fact it shoots 45's well also is another plus. I'm well satisfied with mine.

[mrloring]

I make mine almost the same as on castbullet.com but for .357 and I use file folders for wad material.  I like making my own because it is cheaper and I can make them in calibers that ammo companies will not (ex. 32 S&W Long).

Actual used on
Mice and rats at 6-8 feet
A sparrow at 15 feet