rattlesnake pistol

[Dusty Stevens]

Man i was just kidding! Im a redneck from the south- you have no idea how many fried spam sammiches ive ate and how many potted meat crackers my dad has fed me in the woods or on the water.

 

[JamesnTN]

You may want to check with your game commissioner as well. Many states it's illegal to kill snakes. I actually knew a guy I went to school with posted pics of rattle snakes he killed on his Facebook page. He had a not so nice visit with the game warden and they confiscated all his guns, and took his home. He was fined several thousands of dollars and can not ever have a hunting or fishing license again. If I remember they found 20+ snakes in his freezer and he had several mounts as well.

 

[CaptainMal]

Whole thing has been ignoring a major issue. Will you actually be carrying something if needed?

Sure I have a S&W Governor. Super nasty with those 410 or even the 45 Long Cold shot shells. Also have smaller 22's and 38's that seem a bit large. The BEST of me is what I carry all day, every day, from church to high water.

North American Arms 22 mag.

I have killed 5 rattlesnakes at my place in Georgia, one in Pennsylvania and one nasty cottonmouth here in my pond in Florida. Each took one shot to do the job using those CCI 22 mag shotshells. I keep the first shot in the 5-shot cylinder ready with the shotshell. The next four are Hornady Critical Defense.

I, and another I know, literally don't move if clothed, without it in my back pocket. That "other" I know keeps his in his watch pocket. Swim trunks, shorts, athletic gear, work clothes, dress clothes ... it does not matter. The gun is so small I live with it on me.

22 mag also works.

Now if I had my druthers, any shotgun would be first choice. Larger handguns would be second choice to buy time to get the shotgun. Talk all you want about what works. Now talk about what you just might have on you at all times.

North American Arms 22 mag. Think and talk no more.

 

[Outrider27]

Get a nice pellet pistol or a hoe.

My great uncle was absolutely lethal on rattlesnakes with a hoe - one hack and you were looking at a rattlesnake head with 1" or less (usually less) of neck attached, and a snake with unblemished hide ready to skin. With a little practice, the hoe has a lot going for it. That was back when it was legal to kill rattlers in PA, and up in the Big Woods area they usually had a bounty on them.

I've had OK luck with a revolver and .22 shot shells on rattlers, mostly because pit vipers have relatively large heads, so they're easier to hit. Some have been two shot kills, but always a head shot. When I was around 13 and bounty hunting them in Cameron and Potter counties, I used a single shot Winchester .22 rifle with a 27" barrel with regular 40gr roundnose cartridges. When the rattler coiled, you could hold the rifle out with one hand like a pistol, move the muzzle back and forth a couple of times, and the rattler would be looking pretty much right down the muzzle, which made the shot real easy (I made sure the muzzle got max exposure to the sun as I hunted to keep it warm - pit vipers sense heat, among other things, which undoubtedly helped my method just described). Unfortunately, packing a .22RF rifle doesn't fit OP's needs, but the hoe is a great alternative, though it does require a bit of practice to reach my great uncle's level of proficiency.