In the latest video in the “Roy’s Insider Tips” series, American Handgunner Publisher Roy Huntington examines the effectiveness of shotshell cartridges for defending against snakes and other unwanted varmints. Huntington tests the capabilities with three different shot cartridges from CCI – .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .45 Colt – to discover which is best for handling pesky varmints.
“CCI’s elegant shot cartridges have always been appealing. The thought of having a ‘mini-shotgun’ in your revolver or semi-auto is just too irresistible to ignore,” Roy explains. “But in the interest of seeing just how effective they really are, we blasted some hard target paper to see how they penetrate and just what kind of spread is delivered in the real world.”
Shooting at toe-to-snake distances, Roy experiments with a Ruger Super Single Six in .22 LR and .22 Magnum, and a vintage S&W Mode 25 in .45 Colt to pinpoint the real-world effectiveness of CCI handgun caliber shot loads.
“Are they effective? It looks like the .22 LR versions max out on mice or the errant attacking grasshopper or wasp,” Huntington says. “But moving up in caliber, the .38 Special, .44 Special, .45 Colt and others suddenly become serious tools for field use.”
The popular “Roy’s Insider Tips” videos are in response to FMG Publications reader questions, ideas and challenges, including an upcoming video in which ever-curious Huntington shreds apples to the core with various calibers. If you would like a question answered or have a good idea for a video, drop Huntington a note at editor@americanhandgunner.com.
