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). As the names suggest, 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 (orgarden gun) that can extend as far as 15 m (49 ft).[citation needed]
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 downorforced 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.
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.
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" 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 rooforwalls of a structure. They are also used for pest control at airports, warehouses, stockyards, and similar locations.[12]
