Snake shot

Snake shot, rat shot, or dust shot,^[1] more formally known as shotshell^[2] (a name shared with the shotgun shell) or canister shot, refers to handgun and rifle cartridges loaded with lead shot canisters instead of bullets, intended for pest control (essentially small arms canister shot). The main targets for such ammunition are snakes, rodents, birds, and other pests at very close range.

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 3 m (9.8 ft), but in a smoothbore shotgun (or garden gun) that can extend as far as 15 m (49 ft).^{[citation needed]}

Uses

Military issue .45 ACP M15 "shot shell" on the far right

Snake shot is generally used for shooting at snakes, rodents, birds, and other pests at very close ranges and is also used as foraging ammunition by hikers, backpackers, and campers. Snake shot is ideally suited for use in derringers and revolvers (especially "kit guns"), chambered for .22 Long Rifle, .38 Special, or .357 Magnum. Snake shot may not cycle reliably in semi-automatic pistols.

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 gauge shotgun, 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 25 ft (7.6 m)".^[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).

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] 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^[11]
Name/caliber	Muzzle velocity in ft/s (m/s)	Shot size No.	Approx. weight in grains (grams)	Box count
.22 Long Rifle	1000 (300)	12	31 (2)	20
.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire	1000 (300)	12	52 (3.36)	20
9mm Luger	1450 (440)	12	53 (3.43)	10
Big 4 9mm Luger	1000 (300)	4	45 (2.92)	10
.38 Special/.357 Magnum	1000 (300)	9	100 (6.48)	10
Big 4 .38 Special/.357 Magnum	1000 (300)	4	84 (5.44)	10
.40 Smith & Wesson	1250 (380)	9	88 (5.7)	10
.44 Special/.44 Magnum	1000 (300)	9	140 (9.07)	10
Big 4 .44 Special/.44 Magnum	1000 (300)	4	110 (7.13)	10
.45 Automatic Colt Pistol	1100 (335)	9	120 (7.78)	10
.45 Colt	1000 (300)	9	150 (9.72)	10
Big 4 .45 Colt	800 (245)	4	140 (9.07)	10

Garden guns

"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 20 m (49 to 66 ft), 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.^[12]

Safety considerations

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.^[13]
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.^[14]^[15]