Revolver Shot Shells

[caryc]

When I get a ground squirrel invasion, I trap them then dispatch them with .22 cal shot shells, shooting right through the trap. I can't get .22 cal shot shells anymore so I've used up some .38 cal shells I had on hand. Now, I can't even get .38 cal. shot shells so I'm in a pickle.

I suppose I can start loading my own .38 shot shells but knowing nothing about number sizes for shot, can anyone tell me what size the shot is in revolver shot shells.

 

[Mobuck]

pellet rifle??

 

[Cholo]

You can buy the CCI rat shot directly from CCI. They use #12 shot.

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/rimfire_shotshell/6-39.html

 

[Dave P.]

Most over the counter shot for .38 that I've seen is number nine.
Garbage can full of water would also work.

 

[flyingtiger]

Rat trap from the hardware store. Screw it down to piece of firewood, almonds worked for me

 

[caryc]

pellet rifle??

Too hard to try to get a good hit throught the bars of a cage or trap. Drowning is out...too slow and cruel. Can't get any ammo shipped to California. Have dogs to keep away from rat traps.

 

[JCW64]

I bought the 41 shotshell kit with #9 shot from Sages, loaded them with a few grains of powder and it worked good on snakes out to 8-10 ft.

https://www.sagesoutdoors.com/shotwads/pistol-shotwad-kits/

 

[caryc]

I bought the 41 shotshell kit with #9 shot from Sages, loaded them with a few grains of powder and it worked good on snakes out to 8-10 ft.

https://www.sagesoutdoors.com/shotwads/pistol-shotwad-kits/

Very good to know, thank you !

 

[Funky]

On The Cast Boolits website there is a section dedicated to shotshells for handguns. A great bunch of guys and they actually practice what they preach, not just armchair experts. Good Luck and Good Shooting Chris

 

[contender]

Many of the commercial handgun shot shell ammo types use #12 shot. And yes,, #9 is also used. I'd never go larger than #9 though.

Custom loading your own shot shells in my opinion is great. But also, you can select what size shot & why it may be your choice. #12 might be great for ground squirrels,, while #9 might be better for snakes, which may be further away from you & need more energy.

And custom loading your own isn't hard either.

 

[caryc]

Many of the commercial handgun shot shell ammo types use #12 shot. And yes,, #9 is also used. I'd never go larger than #9 though.

Custom loading your own shot shells in my opinion is great. But also, you can select what size shot & why it may be your choice. #12 might be great for ground squirrels,, while #9 might be better for snakes, which may be further away from you & need more energy.

And custom loading your own isn't hard either.

Don't forget guys that I'm dispatching ground squirrels through the bars of a Havahart trap so distance is not a thing. I just don't want to damage the trap.

 

[caryc]

Don't forget guys that I'm dispatching ground squirrels through the bars of a Havahart trap so distance is not a thing. I just don't want to damage the trap.

Ok guys, I have an RCBS auto primer tool that I used for making my .45 cal blanks. I need to get a shell holder for .38 cal. They sell these things by numbers but they don't say what caliber case that number fits.

What number shell holder do I need for .38 cal cases?

 

[Tenbore]

I load .38/.357 and .45Colt with #9 shot.

 

[Ride1949]

Ok guys, I have an RCBS auto primer tool that I used for making my .45 cal blanks. I need to get a shell holder for .38 cal. They sell these things by numbers but they don't say what caliber case that number fits.

What number shell holder do I need for .38 cal cases?

Out of stock, but here's the #

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/000449206/-number-6-shell-holder-(38-special357-mag)

 

[arfmel]

Midway has Lee .38 spl shell holders for $4.99. They work well for me.

 

[loaded round]

If I'm not mistaken, the current and past several Speer Loading Manuals had a chapter on reloading shotshells. Been loading my own for the past 20 years. Speer was also selling both loded shot capsules and empty capsules in both 38 and 44 calibers. Instructions were on these boxes also.

 

[daveag.]

I tried killing a rattlesnake with .38 shot shell , Speer made. Did not work, but a 158 gr did. Maybe a .44 M would.

 

[David Lee Valdina]

Considering at least two Hollywood people have been killed with blanks, you might try that with animals in the trap. Two more things. I have bought #12 shot which I managed to find on line. And I have filled shotgun shells with fine sand to take out wasp nests with the main motivation being that there were no lead pellets capable of going any distance.

 

[Old and grumpy]

I load these. for revolvers. They come with some load data. The tricky part is crimping. Too much crimp and you crack the capsule. You will not see the crack. When you fire, a unfired round can break dumping shot in the works. When crimping listen for a tiny "click" sound. You have cracked the capsule. I would try a light glue (school glue) instead.Don't over fill the cap. That can crack it also. You won't need a press or dies just a way to prime. They can be pressed in by finger into your form fired brass.. https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=speer+shot+capsules More options latter. Need more coffee.

 

[contender]

Ground squirrels at close range inside a trap, and I'd choose #12 shot to reduce the chances of damage to the trap.
As noted,,, the #6 shell holder works for .38/.357.

It won't take a lot of powder or shot in a .38 spl case for just ground squirrels at close range. A light charge, a cardboard wad on top of the powder, (cut from waxed cardboard if available, such as a milk carton. Using a sharpened .38 spl case to cut some.) Add shot,, then a few more pieces of cardboard wad on top. A light roll crimp, and I like to add wax as a sealer.

 

[Johnnu2]

Ground squirrels at close range inside a trap, and I'd choose #12 shot to reduce the chances of damage to the trap.
As noted,,, the #6 shell holder works for .38/.357.

It won't take a lot of powder or shot in a .38 spl case for just ground squirrels at close range. A light charge, a cardboard wad on top of the powder, (cut from waxed cardboard if available, such as a milk carton. Using a sharpened .38 spl case to cut some.) Add shot,, then a few more pieces of cardboard wad on top. A light roll crimp, and I like to add wax as a sealer.

Contender... that's genius (to me at least).... didn't think of wax cardboard .. then you said like a milk carton. Then.... I wondered how I might cut to proper dimensions... you said: use a 39 Spl case for gutting... YOU DA MAN... thanks for the ideas. I may never use them, but they are now 'cemented' in my memo. Really, great stuff.THANKS
J.

 

[contender]

To get a bit more technical,, you can weigh out shot to give you a "bullet weight" to match the powder charge you might need. I normally use 148 grn wadcutter info, and weight out a similar (close) amount of shot. Also, after you put in powder, and add a wad, then add the shot,, you aren't "full" you can easily add a little more shot to fill it up closer to the top. I've also done this,, and after I reach a "full" case,, before adding the top wads, I weigh the shot again. If necessary, I reduce the powder charge a bit. But I usually have a powder charge that's well within the safe specs of a little heavier bullet. Remember,, these are designed to be "light" loads.

 

[Chief 101]

I use 44 mag cases starting with primer then a few grains of Bullseye then a 44gas check then fillerup with reclaimed traprange shot then upsidedown 44gascheck and heavy crimp. I am sure that can be adapted to any smaller revolver strwalled cartridge. I am guessing that this combo has velocity of 1000-1200fps and is good for Grouse at at least 15 yds outofa OM SBH.

 

[aciera]

Considering at least two Hollywood people have been killed with blanks, you might try that with animals in the trap. Two more things. I have bought #12 shot which I managed to find on line. And I have filled shotgun shells with fine sand to take out wasp nests with the main motivation being that there were no lead pellets capable of going any distance.

Macaroni and rice if shooting in the house
Just sayin

 

[moparlou]

All I can say is GOOD LUCK on finding the speer capsules for reloading, I've been on Midway's notification list for at least 3 months, they won't even let you backorder them, I contacted Speer directly, just got the excuse, we are loading millions of rounds a day (of all calibers) and things are running behind. I found some on Flea-Bay 3 months ago for .38, the guy made me a "deal" if I took all 4 remaining boxes he would let me have them for 27 bucks a box, plus shipping and tax!!!!! Gee. they only retail for 19.95 IIRC. so I passed. For what it's worth, anyone living in the Tri-Cities area of Tn, I have a combination of factory and reloaded .44 mag that I would trade even for .38 loaded ones, and the .44 cost quite a bit more than the .38 in the factory loads. Also for what it's worth, I use .22 bird/rat shot to kill carpenter bees, wood boring bees whatever, I have a Rem 572 with "choke" bore, same as Routledge bore, it gives me at least an extra 10 feet of killing power for those bees. Actually I've found that a Hi Std double 9 revolver will pattern better than a Rem 510 with a rifled bbl, guess less spinning of the ball of shot to disperse it. I'm sure a plain .22 cal smooth bore would pattern better than it, but the choke bore works great!! After 40 rds though I need to clean the chamber, they start getting hard to extract. Also somewhere in the back of my 68 year old brain, I read an article once upon a time that the crimped .22 shotshells worked better than the CCI capsule ones, and were MUCH cheaper!!! I used to buy bricks of it from Widners back in the day. Almost all of it is #12 shot, BUT I still have partial boxes of both Federal and Remington, that was loaded with #10, which will carry farther, but might damage your trap, but I kind of doubt it. I don't load shotgun shells, but somewhere back in the 80's I got hold of about 15 pounds of #6 so that is probably what the .44's I loaded with are filled with. The factory loads I have left for it are so old they use the Yellow capsule instead of the clear blue ones. I noticed on a close up of the box that the empty capsules are made in USA, so they arent stuck on a container ship in the Pacific, with spring coming up and more snakes getting out MAYBE Speer will get their act together.... those I found on flea bay were in Fl, and I've lived there 3 diff times for short periods, and they have snakes year round, at least in the St.Pete area, dispatched a pygmy rattler once at "toytown" the dump for St.Pete.

 

[moparlou]

Chief 101, you mentioned your Old Super Blackhawk, a fun thing to shoot, prime an empty case, get some of that Gulfwax, in the canning area of your grocery store, take out a section of it, let it get a little warm, or your case a little warm, push it through the I guess 1/2'' or less thick section of the wax, twist remove, you now have a wax wadcutter, they are actually surprisingly accurate to about 10 feet, a non magnum primer makes less noise, I couldn't afford a Python back then, (although I later owned an Anaconda) but I loved vent ribs, Poly Choke made a vent rib for the super blackhawk, you epoxied it on, it looked great, although not very "cowboyish" I need the .38 shotshells for the New Model .357 blackhawk made in 89 that I've got now. Also thinking of putting a stainless grip frame on it, think it will improve the balance, any of you guys have experience dong this conversion, I'm pretty sure they are an investment cast either from Ruger, or their contractor, Midway, and Brownells both sell them, and they have the same vendor number, I used to do a lot of customizing on 1911's, sounds like only a little file work needed to finish it out.????