Henry Rifle Forums

Didn't have a snake handy, so used a cereal box. This is a one handed, one shot at approx 6 ft from the muzzle at about a 45* down angle to simulate a shot on copperhead or other snake.

The gun and ammo: 3.5" Rough Rider. Patterned a little low & left, but that's my fault. Still gudnuf I think.

Yup, good enough.

daytime dave wrote: ↑

Mon May 05, 2025 3:33 pm

Yup, good enough.

For now anyway. I've been checking every week or so at local shops for a snubby DA/SA revolver in .22wmr since I'm not that fond of the Rough Rider for this purpose. A 2" barrel would tighten the pattern up some, and would be lighter & easier to carry and use around the property. The only mfg I'm aware of that offers that is Taurus, but they are scarce in these parts. I'm not interested in on-line sellers, even tho they are in stock at a couple places. I'm kinda picky about buying guns.

Seems to cover pretty well. I have some and have not tried it yet.

Ernie wrote: ↑

Mon May 05, 2025 7:15 pm

Seems to cover pretty well. I have some and have not tried it yet.

What gun? You really should pattern it. It spreads out quick beyond 5 or 6ft. Just don't use a plywood backer for your target, that #12 shot will bounce back at you. BTDT.

GunnyGene wrote: ↑

Mon May 05, 2025 7:32 pm

...that #12 shot will bounce back at you. BTDT.

Bet that stung....

Don’t you need a smooth bore for this shot?

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Tue May 06, 2025 8:00 am

Don’t you need a smooth bore for this shot?

No. That would be ideal to control the pattern much better at distances over a few feet, but I don't think anyone makes a smooth bore revolver in .22lr or wmr. Henry does have the smoothbore Garden Gun in .22lr, but it would be awkward to carry around mowing and such.

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Tue May 06, 2025 8:00 am

Don’t you need a smooth bore for this shot?

No. The shot is contained in a plastic capsule that's ruptured/discarded the instant it leaves the muzzle (see below). A smoothbore would be ideal to control the pattern much better at distances over a few feet, but I don't think anyone makes a smooth bore revolver in .22lr or wmr. Henry does have the smoothbore Garden Gun in .22lr, but it would be awkward to carry around mowing and such.

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/ ... /6-25.html

That looks like adequate coverage for a snake or some other vermin at spitting distance. And I'm sure you have at least one more of those rounds in that cylinder for a follow up if necessary. Having that on your hip would be good enough for sure!

A buddy and I played around with using different sizes of buckshot from a rifled 12 gauge. This was in case we hit a deer with a slug, and wanted to have a round of buckshot chambered as we approached the downed deer. At least that was our thought process. We got donut shaped patterns at anything more than about 5 yards. Also seemed like the smaller size shot, like #4 buck, would do it more than larger size, like 000. A smoothbore that we had shot great with everything, but we were convinced that we needed rifled barrels for those $5 slugs.

Hope that works out for you. Not sure what snakes you have in your area.

We have no poisonous snakes up here, but if we did I'd probably load up one of the Contenders with 357 or 44 mag shot loads or even go 410. Just a matter of which barrel I used on the Contender.

In fact, TC made special shot barrels with "chokes", but these were less an actual choke and more a way to stop the shot from spinning, which opened up the patterns. TC even brought out their own line of 357 and 44 mag and 45 Colt shot cartridges which could only be used in the Contender and these used a half ounce of shot. Back in the day, I used a 45 Colt/410 barrel with 3" 410s for some rabbit hunting. Pretty good patterns out to about 20 yards. Lots of fun with a pistol.

Print ad from 1969. TC pioneered this whole concept.

GunnyGene wrote: ↑

Mon May 05, 2025 1:19 pm

Didn't have a snake handy, so used a cereal box. This is a one handed, one shot at approx 6 ft from the muzzle at about a 45* down angle to simulate a shot on copperhead or other snake.

The gun and ammo: 3.5" Rough Rider. Patterned a little low & left, but that's my fault. Still gudnuf I think.

Classic line.

Great report.

North Country Gal wrote: ↑

Tue May 06, 2025 9:25 am

Hope that works out for you. Not sure what snakes you have in your area.

We have no poisonous snakes up here, but if we did I'd probably load up one of the Contenders with 357 or 44 mag shot loads or even go 410. Just a matter of which barrel I used on the Contender.

In fact, TC made special shot barrels with "chokes", but these were less an actual choke and more a way to stop the shot from spinning, which opened up the patterns. TC even brought out their own line of 357 and 44 mag and 45 Colt shot cartridges which could only be used in the Contender and these used a half ounce of shot. Back in the day, I used a 45 Colt/410 barrel with 3" 410s for some rabbit hunting. Pretty good patterns out to about 20 yards. Lots of fun with a pistol.

Copperhead is the most common. Cottonmouth comes in a close second, usually near water bodies. Eastern rattler occasionally in heavily forested areas.

I have a box of CCI .357 shotshells (#4shot), that I'll sometimes carry, but that still has the same patterning issue due to rifling. Pistol caliber shotshells are very niche market, so not much money in it. Folks out in the sticks or who camp out in remote areas are about the only ones interested in this. Although, some big cities with major rat infestations might benefit if folks were allowed to carry this kind of weaponry/ammo.

Those are some serious venomous snakes. I spent many years out west in prairie rattlesnake country and saw many of those, but never lived in Copperhead or Moccasin country.

TC Contender pistol barrels for 410 and shot shells also have rifling in order to be legal (though it took over decade to make the BATF go along with that), but they also have the removable choke/shot tube at the end of the barrel with straight rifling in order to reduce the the spin of the shot charge before it leaves the barrel. That does help. You definitely need to remove that shot tube, though, before shooting regular bullets.

North Country Gal wrote: ↑

Tue May 06, 2025 12:28 pm

Those are some serious venomous snakes. I spent many years out west in prairie rattlesnake country and saw many of those, but never lived in Copperhead or Moccasin country.

TC Contender pistol barrels for 410 and shot shells also have rifling in order to be legal (though it took over decade to make the BATF go along with that), but they also have the removable choke/shot tube at the end of the barrel with straight rifling in order to reduce the the spin of the shot charge before it leaves the barrel. That does help. You definitely need to remove that shot tube, though, before shooting regular bullets.

Copperhead are generally not aggressive, and often will only give you a dry bite if at all. Their venom is also much weaker than that of other vipers. Still a good idea to avoid an encounter if you spot one, which can be difficult due to their camo and small size (usually under 3ft).

Yeah, I got bit by a copperhead picking tomatoes and had to go to the Emergency Room. This was in Virginia.
I was told by measuring the size of the bite it was a small snake and wouldn't kill me so go home and rest.
I did and I got quite sick for 24 hours or so but wouldn't want to do that again.

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Tue May 06, 2025 3:14 pm

Yeah, I got bit by a copperhead picking tomatoes and had to go to the Emergency Room. This was in Virginia.
I was told by measuring the size of the bite it was a small snake and wouldn't kill me so go home and rest.
I did and I got quite sick for 24 hours or so but wouldn't want to do that again.

When you think about it there are literally trillions of critters from insects to elephants on this planet - including in the oceans - that have evolved with the ability to kill you. And it doesn't take much incentive for them to do exactly that.

The funny side of that story is while I was very sick from snake bite, my Father, (who was a WWII vet and had trained somewhere in the South and hated snake), was telling my Mother to pack their bags that they were going home. So while I lay there thinking I was dying, they left for Minnesota and he wouldn't even walk in the mowed grass to their car.

Speaking of funny these lizards were common in the wild. I was told about them but didn’t believe it until I heard one.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xxx-you_lizard

To get to the link remove the xxx and insert a four letter word that begins with an f.

Hey Gene, I have that same little pistola, but I've never tried the shot shell in it.
Right here we also have the Copperheads and Cottonmouths, down around the river a little east of here there are rattle snakes.
Never seen any close around here at the house.

RP