Snakeshot loads for .38 spl / .357 mag anyone got some recipes?

3788 Views 18 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Silicon Wolverine, Oct 17, 2009

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · Oct 14, 2009

So the other night the wife and I were out walking in a wash out here (in AZ) and here goes this nice rattler across the trail. I'm not really one just to kill snakes because "the only good snake is a dead one" but I would like to get one to skin and grill. It would have been perfect If I had some snakeshot on that walk because he was moving and therefore not coiled up so I could have concentrated the lead shot around his head so as not to eat too much lead with the meat.

I did a search on the Internet and found a decent recipe for .357 snake shot using cardboard cut wads and 7 1/2 or finer shot. I have loaded and tested a couple dozen of em and they seem to work just fine no excess pressure etc. I am really wanting to load some up in .38 spl just because I have more .38 brass and it just so happens that some while back I scored a 25# bag and a coffee can full of lead shot 7 1/2 at a yard sale for like $10 so I guess I wont have to melt it all down after all.

I am mainly interested in loading up some .38 spl cases and using home made cardboard wads rather than buying the plastic shot capsules. I haven't really turned up anything fruitful for .38 I found one site that had .38 shot and for the top wad they used a .358 round ball which I would like to stay away from just to keep away from a single heavy projectile that will possibly ricochet/travel farther. I would be very interested in something that has a quieter report as well as those .357 loads I made are good and loud.

PM me with load data please do not post in here, Likewise if anyone wants the .357 load I was using I am more than willing to give that out in PM, It does differ slightly from the load that was on the particular website as he really says something like "use X.X gns of a fast burning powder such as XXXXX or XXXXX or XXXX".. I did reduce the load they stated and used a powder mentioned and its good... but that sort of vagueness isn't really comforting.

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Silicon Wolverine

· #2 · Oct 14, 2009

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=313962

use these with whatever shot size you want, the load data for them comes with. they work excellent, ive used tons of them. no sense working up a new load when someone else has done it for you already.

SW

Delmar

· #3 · Oct 14, 2009

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=313962

use these with whatever shot size you want, the load data for them comes with. they work excellent, ive used tons of them. no sense working up a new load when someone else has done it for you already.

SW

I can't really picture how those work?

Silicon Wolverine

· #4 · Oct 14, 2009

you pop off teh base, fill it with shot of your choice, snap the base back on and load it into a primed and powders case. i have some at home ill take pics of later if i have time.

SW

SamStafford

· #5 · Oct 14, 2009

Hmmmmm, I might have to try those. $8.99 for 50 is a good price.

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 14, 2009

No its free to cut cardboard wads though. I know those shot capsules are good for the fact that they allow the shot to extend past the brass but I am cheap and spending any money on those capsules is out of the question. I am talking about homebrew all the way using cardboard wads

Silicon Wolverine

· #7 · Oct 14, 2009

cardboard has chemicals in it that are detrimental to powder longevity. it would probably be fine if you used them in a few months but after that you may have squibs.

seriously though, you cant spend NINE DOLLARS and have the right component for the job?

SW

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 14, 2009

I can but Ill give a try to treating cardboard or something like that maybe impregnate it with silicone or something to keep it from interacting with the powder. I could spend 9 bucks on those capsules but really when you think about it if you were just to order capsules Midway is going to want something like 10 dollars for shipping 20 dollars for 50 capsules? Its easier to use cardboard plugs for wads and just for me personally its more satisfying To each his own but I would rather make my own just for the sake of making my own... Dunno I'm kinda weird like that I guess.

Silicon Wolverine

· #9 · Oct 15, 2009

i guess the question is time. i dont have time to fart around with that sort of thing when there is already a better alternative. if you want to make your own, more power to ya'.

SW

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 15, 2009

Give er a shot sometime SW. All you gotta do is take a 357 case flare the mouth a little bit take a razor or knife and cut little tiny slits in the mouth of the case just to create a rough edge chuck that case into your case holder (if you have the case trimmer from lee or another company that fits a drill) put er in a drill and hold the trigger down, back your cardboard with wood or something that you don't care if it gets marred up and use cereal box or thin cardboard like some of the priority mail boxes are made of each wad you cut will go inside that case you are using as a cutter and when its full pop the wads out by forcing something through the flash hole you can literally cut enough wads to do 50 rounds in about 3 minutes. It would suck to have to use Scissors or something like that to cut wads but really this case method is very fast and of course these are specialty shells not the type of thing that you would load 1000 of for stockpiling or anything.

Don't knock it till you try it, its kind of neat really only drawback is that you don't get to put as much lead shot in there unless you use something like 357 maximum brass which Ive read about someone doing. My loads on .357 are propelling 85 grains of shot at something like 1300 - 1400 fps of course it is possible to figure out other loads with more shot.

let me know if you interested in loading some up ill send you the cardboard wads for free.. No farting necessary

Ill take my $9 and buy 100 .223 bullets or something like that whenever Midway or Natchez has em on sale.. I have a hell of a time trying to make my own .223 fmj bullets

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perotter

· #11 · Oct 15, 2009

I've tried a few of the cardboard thing with .357, but then bought the capsules. I don't see that I recorded the load in my records. But it would have been a small amount of Unique.

FWIW, I use .410 wads for the 45 LC. Left overs from when I was a kid. Used them for teaching kids the love of shooting. Easy for them to break a balloon with most shots.

The overpowder wad for a 410 has a wax(?) on them & were/are felt. At one time a paper capsule was used for rifle/pistol cartridges & the 44 XL shotgun. I don't know for sure how they stiffened them. Time consuming to make, but it would be interesting to go thru the learning of it.

Silicon Wolverine

· #12 · Oct 15, 2009

there was an article a while back in handloader about using gas checks, (one on top, one on bottom) for shot rounds. for me they arent important enough to waste much time on other than simply loading and boxing them. ill spend my tinker time with sabot loads and other exotica.

SW

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 15, 2009

Mine wind up going something like this:
1. charge the primed cases with powder
2. drop 2 of the cardboard wads down on top of the powder
3. tamp the 2 cardboard wads down on top of the powder (lightly tamp)
4. charge the case with shot
5. pop a cardboard wad on top of the shot and run er through the crimping die.
6. optional go around and put a drop of elmers glue on each top wad to moisture proof it or secure it tighter. a drop of melted wax would do the same thing...just be careful no need to introduce a candle anywhere near the reloading bench just take your tray to the kitchen or something and do your candle drippings there.

I had 5 of these in my sweaty pockets the other day while I was hiking around in the desert hunting Coyote and they didn't come loose in my pocket. Fired them all they still worked.. again these are kind of worthless except for killing snakes or rats etc. Not the kind of thing that you have to load a whole lot of.

It looks like a miniature bass shotgun shell.... work good too..

SW, How are those sabot loads going? Were you the one who had something like .308 bullets in the .357 shell. I knew I saw a post about this somewhere I thought for sure it wasnt here though.

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Silicon Wolverine

· #14 · Oct 15, 2009

i have the pistol loads nailed down, just tweaking at this point. im working on one now with my single shot 45-70 pushing a 180 gr 35 cal rifle bullet to 4500 FPS out of a 16" barrel.

SW

robertgreen_86

· #15 · Oct 17, 2009

Just a thought but wouldn't it be easier to just pick up a cheap 410 single shot just for this purpose?? I can understand the shot shell thing if this is a once in a while deal though. I tried snake a few times gotta say i liked it. I really liked the grilled stuff with teryiaki..(sp)

Silicon Wolverine

· #16 · Oct 17, 2009

if youre hunting something else (praire dogs come to mind) a revolver is alot easier to carry aroud then a seperate long gun.

SW

Sakdog

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 17, 2009

RG.. Yeah it would be possible to just get a .410 single shot for pretty cheap. I think that Comanche makes those single .410-45lc guns for something under $200. however since I already have the revolver it just is a bit more practical to load up mini shot shells. and I am using these in my 4" Taurus Tracker 7 shot so.. when I am on the move when calling dogs I'll usually have the gun indexed to where the first 2 shots are going to be snake shot just in case I happen across one while hiking. And when I set up to call Ill index it over so that the next 5 pulls of the trigger will unleash .357 158 grainers. of course the .410 would have quite a bit more shot etc. But really I don't need to go that far know what I mean?

Evi|grin

· #18 · Oct 17, 2009

i have the pistol loads nailed down, just tweaking at this point. im working on one now with my single shot 45-70 pushing a 180 gr 35 cal rifle bullet to 4500 FPS out of a 16" barrel.

SW

Let me know how that works out for you. In 50cal my sabots start to take a hell of a beating after 2100fps. Any faster and i had to use the magnum MMP "sub base" to protect the sabot and get much better accuracy. Ive also used felt wads under the sabot with some success. You may have better luck with sabot damage using a 40/45 MMP sabot.

My 54cal shoots like hell with 451-2/54 sabots at hi velocity but shoots awesome with 50/54 sabots and the same powder charge and bullet weight (300gr). I highly recommend MMP sabots but if you know of a brand made for smokeless loads i would be very interested in the brand.

BTW i have seen a few people use sabots as the under wad for shot shell use but i would use extreme caution. For cheap 357 shot shells i would consider a felt wad first then a cardboard/fiber wad, then shot and topped with a fiber wad.

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Silicon Wolverine

· #19 · Oct 17, 2009

MMP is what i use. the cheapies you buy for ML dont hold up to smokeless powders for the most part. MMP are made of higher tensile plastic that will take a hell of beating. my 357 magnum sabot load tops 2500 FPS with no problems sabot wise.

SW

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