Shot Snake

[Frank44]

Where can I buy a shot snake, and what is the best one to get?
Frank

 

[BrownBear]

Track of the Wolf has a snake, as well as a soft leather flask. Owning both, I settled on liking the flask best. Fits in my bag easily and isn't out in the air flopping around all over tarnation.

Something to consider:

A pound of shot is about the same volume as a lemon. And that's about a dozen shots. Fill a shot snake and you have a real chunk hanging around your neck, and you'll never use that much shot. Don't really need a full-fledged snake unless you like them or find them convenient for your uses.

 

[Frank44]

I was going to use the snake for trap shooting. Do they make shotgun speed loaders for low volume shooting?
Frank

 

[Billnpatti]

Talk to your pharmacist and tell him what you want to do. I have a friend who was a pharmacist and he got me a bunch of small screw cap polyethylene bottles that are perfect for pre-measured shot or powder. I carry them in my bag and as I empty them, I move the empty ones to my pocket. If you are trap shooting, you will likely have a loading bench and can leave the bottles of pre-measured shot and powder on the bench. The boxes that mine came in have a top that I simply remove and turn upside down and I toss the empties in the box top. If I am loading out of my bag, I empty my pockets of the empty bottles whenever I get a chance to go to the loading bench.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For trap shooting I like to use a paper shot cartridge. I make mine by rolling three thickness of newspaper around a wooden dowel rod, tie one end shut with kite string, fill with shot, twist and fold over and tie shut. I also make a powder charge the same way only using wax paper for the powder charges. I load powder, left over wax paper, two 1/4 inch leather wads then shot cartridge loaded folded end out. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Lorne Johnson]

TOW sells a shot snake from October Country. They also sell a shot snake attach to the strap of a possibles bag, it bangs around less than a separate snake on its own strap. I like that arrangement for shooting skeet and 5 Stand, which is similar to trap in terms of volume of shooting (I can rely on 50 shots of a 3/4 ounce charge of 8 1/2 shot). In my experience the Irish head can be adjusted or partially plugged to provide for the size charge you want with the size shot you want. The English head is pretty limited that way.

For grouse and Woodcock hunting I generally take preloaded shot tubes. If I had a shot flask in working condition, I would probably use it.

 

[Supercracker]

Fill a shot snake and you have a real chunk hanging around your neck, and you'll never use that much shot.

Two words. DOVE SHOOT!


Also, see "preserve" quail hunting.

Easily shoot 2 dozen shots in an outing.

 

[BrownBear]

Two words. DOVE SHOOT!

Easily shoot 2 dozen shots in an outing.

That's 30 ounces of shot for 1 1/4-ounce loads. Call it two pounds, and you still don't have a wad of shot as big as an average apple.

Our ptarmigan limit is 20 per person. The way I shoot that can be 40 or 50 shots on a bad day.

Gotta carry all those birds somehow, don't you? Put your extra shot in the same vest/bag as your birds and refill as often as your flask or minimally-filled shot snake runs dry. You'll be a whole lot happier with 4 or 5 pounds of shot somewhere other than dangling around from your bag strap.

Seasoned shooters know about lugging weight in rough terrain.

 

[Treestalker]

Back in the day I bought a Traditions 12 Ga 1/2 stock percussion shotgun used from a friend, and it came with an Irish style shot snake. The Irish style has a removeable, adjustable scoop. The gun is long gone but I still have the shot snake. It is comfortable to wear, it's readily at hand, and I can put as much or as little shot as I desire in it. It's just a natural movement to reach down, remove the scoop, pour it, and replace the scoop. No, mine is not for sale, ha! Mine came from Dixie, but I'm sure others sell them. Get one, never look back. And don't tell anyone I use mine with my medieval handgonne! Tree.

 

[Patocazador]

I have one exactly like Tree's. It came in a Pedersoli box from Dixie. I don't use it because the smallest charge the Irish charger will throw is 1 1/4 oz. The other 2 settings go up to 1 3/4oz. Plus it is not real consistent with those charges.

It holds a bunch of shot but is comfortable when over the non-shooting shoulder if about 1/3rd filled.

It is quite expensive for what it is. I just use pre-measured charges in medicine bottles with 1 1/8 oz. of shot.

 

[BrownBear]

...comfortable when over the non-shooting shoulder if about 1/3rd filled.

That's the ticket! :thumbsup:

 

[Frank44]

I ended up buying 20 RMC Shotgun Magnum Shells speed loaders. They work great. For trap I will shoot the BP gun for half the round then switch to my Beretta Auto. I just shoot trap for fun.
Frank

 

[Rifleman1776]

I was going to use the snake for trap shooting. Do they make shotgun speed loaders for low volume shooting?
Frank

Yes. But I have had mine for so long I forget where I got them. Check sources that sell plastic stuff for mls. Or, you can make yer own. Lotsa ways to do it. I have some homemade ones laying around some place. Really, just doing it the old fashioned way is pretty fast.

 

[Dave K]

I fine tune all my shot flasks to the amount I want them to throw. Go to a hardware or hobby shop and get the brass tubing that is a nice fit inside the shot flask spout. Cut to a length and fit it between the 2 gates. Go to your scale an weight the amount of shot you want or pour into a dipper to get the same amount as you want. I rarely ever go with more than 1 oz. of shot and it always works for me. This is my dove load and I like to carry about 4lbs. in my flask. That gives me 48shots for doves. Works for me for years. I do the same thing for trap or skeet. Personally I tried a snake and didn't like it. It was always pulling on me or in the way of shouldering the gun. I use a vest for my shotgunning.Wads, powder, shot and primers in the various pockets makes fast work out of reloading. Turkey hunting vests, make great muzzleloader shooting vests. JMHO

 

[Bear Rider]

If you're only getting 48 one ounce shots, you're either throwing more than an ounce or only carrying 3 pounds of shot.

Either that, or you spill a lot. :grin:

 

[Dave K]

Opps, I must have been thinking inches instead of ounces. Anyhow, the flasks I all have new and old, are wildly optimistic. If your gun likes a certain amount of shot, it is worth the little effort to tune your shot flask. I have them tuned in 7/8,1 and 1 1/8 oz. My usual is 1 oz. up to and including 16ga. and 7/8 oz. from 17ga. to 20ga.

 

[Bear Rider]

It could be worse. You could be using that johnny-come-lately metric system.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Joe Btfsplk! Haven't seen him in years!