# Best Handgun for Snakes



## GunDog (Jun 6, 2006)

I am headed out this weekend and was reminded about snakes. I do not have an extensive collection of handguns, so I was wondering what is the "best" handgun to carry to ward off any rattlers that may cross my path.


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## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

Carry a long stick. You can easily just push them out of the way since most snakes are unarmed.


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## BigBuck (Mar 2, 2005)

*Snake gun*

If you want to kill them and not just make them mad by being poked with a stick, I suggest a judge. If you can handle the .410 recoil. Otherwise several calibers offer snake shot, but you really have to be close to be effective. I never carry a pistol, but if I have a shotgun with me, that is great medicine for snakes. 
I do not advocate killing all snakes, just the ones that can ruin your day. Some are protected (indigo) and are very beneficial.
Good luck whatever you decide.
BB


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## GunDog (Jun 6, 2006)

I think snakes are really neat creatures and would only want to shot a snake to defend myself (if it is rattling).


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## poco jim (Jun 28, 2010)

Aggiechick, they rarely rattle anymore, just strike. Get some snake boots, I wear mine all day, everyday on the ranch.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

x2 on the judge

I now wear my snake boots weedeating cuz I hit 2 copperheads last weekend and did not see them until to late. The judge would have been pointless and only for revenge.


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## JohnHumbert (May 21, 2004)

*I have never..*

... (in the field) ever heard of a single situation where someone saw a snake before being struck and had time to draw a weapon beforehand. Not ever.

In every case I ever heard of someone being hit, they got hit before they ever knew a snake was there, or saw it at the last moment and could not avoid being hit.

So having a gun - any gun - as a "defense" against snakes is silly. If you are worried about being hit, wear snake proof boots/leggings. If you want to get them out of your way, take a stick.

However, if you want to HUNT them or KILL them if you happen to spot one or want to clear some from an area, then just about any gun will do. CCI makes "shotshells" for most calibers now - even semiauto pistols (I have some shells for my .40 Glock) and they do a pretty good job on snakes.

Shoot for the head. And then cut the head off - because the snake will coil, move, and snap for hours and hours after it is dead.

And the best snake-killer I ever saw - and the weapon that I've seen that has killed the most snakes - is an old 9-iron. The younger brother of one my friends was amazing good at take the head off ANY snake, even on the move, with a 9-iron. He could also take the heads of chickens, mice, prairie dogs, and one occaison a crow.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Well it aint really about the gun its the shooter. But as mentioned above the best I would say is the "Judge"


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## Longshot270 (Aug 5, 2011)

I've got a little .22 revolver and use hollow points. The .22 rat shot won't work unless you want to kiss the snake goodbye first because that is about how close you have to be. With a left hand holster it sits in the small of my back and completely out of the way for working, but keep an empty cylinder under the hammer so you never shoot by accident.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Snake heads surrrrrre are a small target... a handgun would be the LAST of my weapon choices.

If you have time to draw a weapon on a snake, you probably have time to leave it alone.

Im not a snake lover, but I imagine more people get bit by snakes because they go out of their way to shoot or capture it than by those who choose to retreat all together.


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

carry the one that you are accurate with if you insist . I think the advice given about boots and sticks is better directive than a pistol.


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## jdickey (Jan 30, 2009)

The Tarus Judge is your best best for a handgun, it is a revolver that can be loaded with all .410 shells if you wish.

Also the H & R SNAKE TAMER is a small pistol grip single shot shot gun in either a .410 or 20ga.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

poco jim said:


> Aggiechick, they rarely rattle anymore, just strike. Get some snake boots, I wear mine all day, everyday on the ranch.


That's because over the past couple of hundred years of settlement, when rattlesnakes rattled they were killed. There was always a tiny percentage that didn't rattle and they survived to pass on the "non-rattling" gene. Today there is a greater percentage that don't rattle.

The vast majority of snake bites occur from people trying to kill them or handle them.


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## GunDog (Jun 6, 2006)

I always had a theory that rattlesnakes would eventually stop rattling for the same reason you mentioned AvianQuest. 

Well I am in the woods with snake chaps....so far so good. Thanks for the advice everyone.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> That's because over the past couple of hundred years of settlement, when rattlesnakes rattled they were killed. There was always a tiny percentage that didn't rattle and they survived to pass on the "non-rattling" gene. Today there is a greater percentage that don't rattle.
> 
> The vast majority of snake bites occur from people trying to kill them or handle them.


So how were the snakes that rattled and were killed able to pass this down the genetic lines? LOL Unless you disturb a den or they are mating and there are rattlesnake witness's, I don't see how there would be any intuitive or much less, genetic knowledge of this occurance. They are not flock or herd animals. I understand you say a small percentage that didn't rattle continued their genes but I don't buy that is the reason all of a sudden they have quit rattlihng. They only rattle anyway when they feel threatened. Step near one in tall grass or brush that doesn't see you and you will be struck. I read a theory that feral hogs are the cause of some rattlers not giving the telltale warning and I am more inclined to believe that.


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

Haute Pursuit said:


> I read a theory that feral hogs are the cause of some rattlers not giving the telltale warning and I am more inclined to believe that.


Ostriches will wear a rattlesnake out too.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Haute Pursuit said:


> So how were the snakes that rattled and were killed able to pass this down the genetic lines?


That's just it, they DIDN'T. The snakes that had the predisposition not to rattle had a very high survival rate because most people passed by them and never knew there were there.



> I read a theory that feral hogs are the cause of some rattlers not giving the telltale warning and I am more inclined to believe that.


Both feral hogs and javelina can smell a snake long before they can hear it. If they are going to eat the snake it doesn't matter if it rattles or not.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

I had a huge fear of snakes until Clint "The Snake Man" Pustejovsky, of Spring Branch, gave our landscape employees a tutorial on snake identification. We ran across all kinds of snakes on landscape jobs, both venomous and non-venomous. Unfortunately, most snakes met the rath of a weed eater or sharp shooter! Clint educated us (with live snakes) and it wasn't long before we determined the good from the offensive. The beneficial snakes lived to see another day and the venomous snakes were picked up by Clint and taken to Kingsville for research and venom extraction for anti-venom serum.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> That's just it, they DIDN'T. The snakes that had the predisposition not to rattle had a very high survival rate because most people passed by them and never knew there were there.
> 
> Both feral hogs and javelina can smell a snake long before they can hear it. If they are going to eat the snake it doesn't matter if it rattles or not.


I don't buy it. The vast majotity of rattlesnakes never see a human. Plus 200 years is a flash in the pan to make a genetic change.


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## mywifeshusband (Nov 19, 2006)

Haute Pursuit said:


> I don't buy it. The vast majotity of rattlesnakes never see a human. Plus 200 years is a flash in the pan to make a genetic change.


 I have heard its because of the cows but I have killed several rattlers at the lease and know of others killed that never shook the tail had 1 that did that was 40ft away his mistake he was headed toward us his mistake Beau


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Haute Pursuit said:


> I don't buy it. The vast majotity of rattlesnakes never see a human. Plus 200 years is a flash in the pan to make a genetic change.


The vast majority of rattlesnakes never see a feral hog either.

200 years certainly caused a genetic change in the American Indian. The ones who were most aggressive and fired off arrows at the sight of a white man were soon taken out of the gene pool.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> The vast majority of rattlesnakes never see a feral hog either.
> 
> 200 years certainly caused a genetic change in the American Indian. The ones who were most aggressive and fired off arrows at the sight of a white man were soon taken out of the gene pool.


That was not a genetic change. Nice try...


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

mywifeshusband said:


> I have heard its because of the cows but I have killed several rattlers at the lease and know of others killed that never shook the tail had 1 that did that was 40ft away his mistake he was headed toward us his mistake Beau


I don't disagree that some of them are not as disposed to rattle, I have seen it too. I just don't believe that it is a genetic thing. They are not herd/pack animals that adapt that quickly. I heard rattles several times in the last couple of years and we don't have that many snakes that we see or come into contact with.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Haute Pursuit said:


> That was not a genetic change. Nice try...


The result is the same. For example, if the state started offering a $500 bounty for every set of spike whitetail antlers, then over a period of time (far shorter than 200 years) seeing a spike would become a very rare thing. Would this change in the herd makeup be a genetic change? You tell me.

As a theoretical ecologist, such conclusions don't come lightly, however research on this subject has only scratched the surface due to lack of serious funding.

There are, however, learned naysayers like Stephane Poulin, Curator of Herpetology at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson and biologist Randy Babb of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, who hold that rattlesnakes never rattled that much in the first place. Also, Keith Boesen of Arizona's Poison and Drug Information Center, holds that there is no evidence that rattlesnakes striking without warning constitutes a "recent phenomenon."

I don't disagree with their opinions because the area where they are observing rattlesnake behavior doesn't have enough history of dense European settlement to have made significant impact on changing the gene pool.

Others like Steve Reaves, owner of Tucson Rattlesnake Removal in Arizona, says it's true that rattlesnakes have stopped rattling to avoid being killed by humans and that those born with a genetic predisposition to stay quiet have a better survival rate wherever they come into contact with people. Jerry Feldner of the Arizona Herpetological Association agrees, as does herpetologist Daryl Sprout of Dallas, who says that "natural selection is already beginning to prefer snakes that do not bring attention to themselves and therefore draw incoming fire from humans."

Also in agreement with the general proposition is Gene Hall of the Texas Farm Bureau, though he holds that the behavioral change is due to the threat posed by snake-eating feral hogs, not people. But while feral hogs sometimes will kill and eat rattlesnakes, their sense of smell is much more acute than their sense of hearing so I doubt that any non-rattling snake is safe if a hog passes downwind of it.


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

So as a theoretical ecologist can you show me where it is written that a Rattlesnake must rattle everytime just because it is equipped with rattles?


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

If you really think you need to kill one a 410 is a good choice . I rarely kill snakes but when I do I use a shovel or hoe .


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## nate56 (Dec 11, 2010)

I wear both when im on the ranch...snake boots and judge....


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## GUNSNREELS (Aug 17, 2010)

I recommend the snake charmer,they have a thumb hole stock that you can get a good grip on and the recoil is easy on your hands.Not like the judge,where you really have to hold on to shoot it.The recoil is not to friendly either.


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## PEACE OUT (May 3, 2011)

GUNSNREELS said:


> I recommend the snake charmer,they have a thumb hole stock that you can get a good grip on and the recoil is easy on your hands.Not like the judge,where you really have to hold on to shoot it.The recoil is not to friendly either.


I used to hear that a lot about Taurus Judge's...that they kick but I picked one up last year for my new snake gun. When I first took mine to the range I was actually disappointed cause it hardly kicked at all. This was with 45 long colt ammo and 410 buck shot...what ammo were you using that made it kick so much?


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## mlp1024 (Aug 9, 2011)

nate56 said:


> I wear both when im on the ranch...snake boots and judge....


Same here and killed one about 3 weeks ago with the judge.

If you can get an indigo to be your buddy and follow you around, you wont have a problem at all. LOL.


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## Dgeddings (Sep 16, 2010)

my vote is for the judge with 410 also, most of my encounters with the critters on the water they stay away from me just as much as I stay away from them


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

Judge and 410 is the best pistola going both for rattlers and also for general self defense IMO.
As far as rattling, I have to say that I have seen little change i the past 50 years in the snakes. I got struck at when I was about 6 by a big snake that did not rattle until he had already struck. We used to say they rattled after the fact.
I have seen them rattle much more when you are horse back, because, IMO they feel the horse coming and want to make the horse aware they are there.
Most Rattlers would prefer to avoid us, and will usually try their best to get away if they can. When we get in trouble is when they are cornered, or stepped on. They just don't like to pick a fight if they can avoid it.


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## fluffycharm (Jun 20, 2005)

*snake/zombie weapon*

A wooden bat with nails driven thru them so u would mutilate them upon impact...if you miss the instant kill shot then you would still got them on the end of your bat...and let go so they are stuck with the bat as you regroup.

Gore factor - 10
Damage - 9
Fun - 10

:biggrin:


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

fluffycharm said:


> A wooden bat with nails driven thru them so u would mutilate them upon impact...if you miss the instant kill shot then you would still got them on the end of your bat...and let go so they are stuck with the bat as you regroup.
> 
> Gore factor - 10
> Damage - 9
> ...


First, go ahead and punch in "9-1" on your cell phone......that way you only have to hit the final "1".


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## gray gost (Jul 8, 2010)

use 38 special with shot shells.


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## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

read through all of the posts. Looks like a lot of you guys and ladies grew up in town. Snakes are just snakes. I am more scared to get between a BMW and a Starbucks than face a snake.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

Bobby Miller said:


> read through all of the posts. Looks like a lot of you guys and ladies grew up in town. Snakes are just snakes. I am more scared to get between a BMW and a Starbucks than face a snake.


:rotfl:


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bobby Miller said:


> I am more scared to get between a BMW and a Starbucks than face a snake.


Classic!

The only thing more dangerous is getting caught between a news camera and Sheila Jackson Lee.


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## CDHknives (Mar 17, 2012)

'Best' snake charmer is the pistol you will carry. The Judge is pretty bulky for sure!

A single shot 410 or a revolver with shot shells (38 or 44 spl) would get my vote.


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