.45 Auto Shot shells- for Shaketails?

803 Views 29 Replies 17 Participants Last post by Todd, 11 d ago

Ugly Hombre

According to the lady who runs the local range- we have a small shake tail invasion going on out there, made me think about getting some .45 ACP shot shells. A 5 Ft. one came out from under the conex next to the outhouse to get some sun. Caused a commotion.

Any one use them- have a brand you could reccomend?

The ammo not the out house. lol

Roll your own? like to hear about 38/357 versions as well.

Thanks!

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Mr.Sixgun

· #21 · 14 d ago

I like making my own stuff……it’s not a money thing, it’s an achievement thing.

45 shotshells are easy but time consuming to make. First I take a .308 rifle case and cut it down just short of a loaded 45 acp round. …take a 38-55 sizing die and form part of the case down…….put in a new primer, 5 grns. of Unique….thin cardboard wad made from primer boxes, fill it with #11 shot, another wad with some glue on top…..

These cycle and eject perfectly but do not work the action….

I don’t shoot snakes…..they leave me alone I leave them alone. Besides, we have no poisonous snakes except a rare copperhead.

Just for play and to see if I could make a cyclable 45 acp.

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Plainview87

· #22 · 14 d ago

I'm partial to the CCI .38 shotshells in my old knockaround Mod. 10; great medicine for the more dangerous danger noodles.

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lboos

· #23 · 13 d ago (Edited)

A little over Kill ?
Have you guy's ever thought about using a Thompson with a 100 round drum, or maybe a WW-2 flamethrower ?
The few that have got close to me in my lifetime I always just use a stick and pick the snake up and throw it back where it came from, I grew up in Fla, Ga, So. Texas and have never had a prob. with snakes, the only prob. I have had with animals is with dog's barking at night or stray cats walking on my car's at night after I wash them, [and none of them mine.]
OK, I feel a lot better now.

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Fast enough

· #24 · 13 d ago

lboos said:
A little over Kill ?
Have you guy's ever thought about using a Thompson with a 100 round drum, or maybe a WW-2 flamethrower ?
I always just use a stick and pick the snake up and throw it back where it came from, that is unless you plan on killing 100% of those killer snakes. I grew up in Fla. and Ga. and have never had a prob. with snakes, the only prob. I have had with animals is with dog's barking at night or stray cats walking on my car's at night after I wash them.
OK, I feel a lot better now.

I will spend whatever it takes on my dogs. Two have been bitten, both lived, neither cheap vet bills. A guy I knew was bitten, was allergic to the antivenom and died. He was not a careless man, retired Border Patrol with rank. I use bullets, shotgun, shovel, whatever is most convenient on buzzworms near the ranch house. Add to that, my hearing is on a par with or a bit worse than most old shooters, so I must be watchful all the time - constant Orange.. Not afraid of them, but will kill all I find in my way.

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MLV

· #25 · 12 d ago

I do go looking for rattlesnakes but will kill any around our home, barn and outbuildings. I treasure my dogs and cats and horses more than any snake.

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Ugly Hombre

Discussion Starter · #26 · 12 d ago (Edited)

IBoo I a'int picking up no Shaketail snake

* If I find some .45 ACP shot will use that RX- if I see one and have my 1911 or New Vaq. 45 acp. I do admit a 12 gauge might be a bit much depends on the size of the snake. lol ymmv-Melvin the Rattler in the OP may have been Melvina- and laid some eggs under the Conex by the outhouse. That might be why baby buzz worm's are out and about up there.

*Unless its dead, dead, dead as hell- and I want to try to make a hat band. lol

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Todd

· #27 · 12 d ago

Mr.Sixgun said:
I like making my own stuff……it’s not a money thing, it’s an achievement thing.

I made a couple of dies in .44 & .357 that - after I scored the brass - would make a shot case like those wonderful federal; .22 bird-shot noses. I think I favored copper-coated #10. Eventually, a pal wore me down on borrowing them to copy them but following his untimely death - they were no where to be seen again. I'll build up another pair on a slow lathe week eventually since I too like to 'roll my own' for the satisfaction if nothing else. Too, I LOATHE CCI shotshells which are usually the most common retail versions to-hand.
Really resolved the issue of rough-handling and bad weather for me since I always had shot in chambers one and maybe two. Like these:

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Mr.Sixgun

· #28 · 11 d ago

Dang Todd, I like that and never saw anything like it! That is pantentable if that’s a word.😀

I’ve tried incrementally sizing down the end of the case….pretend here…44 mag and a touch from the 41 mag die and then a 40 cal. die…..gave it a nice “roll” but nothing like yours.

nice work dude!—6

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Mr.Sixgun

· #29 · 11 d ago

Rattlesnakes are protected here in Pa but thankfully there are none in my part…..at the cabin upstate I saw one and pulled out a SA Colt in 38-40 and my bud says, “hey, they are protected”. I told him, “yup, and I’m protecting him from getting shot AFTER he bites someone so I’m being “proactive” Bang!

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Todd

· #30 · 11 d ago

Mr.Sixgun said:
Dang Todd, I like that and never saw anything like it! That is pantentable if that’s a word.😀

I’ve tried incrementally sizing down the end of the case….pretend here…44 mag and a touch from the 41 mag die and then a 40 cal. die…..gave it a nice “roll” but nothing like yours.

nice work dude!—6

Those are the Federal .22s for comparison. Mine ended up with 8-9 folds too.
The first dies were from brass to see if it'd work and then bronze and lastly mild steel. They were 3 pieces in the end with a body, a thread-on head and an insert in the head for the shaping. I never really thought about patenting them but it'd be a kind of fun retirement activity and then run some sets through Brownell's.
Waxed felt kept everything composed inside the tip. Even with rifled barrels they patterned pretty neatly and I didn't have to contend with the weirdness of the CCI shot-cups. those things can't be trusted to be at all consistent in my experience through the calibers.
.357 maximum cases for the one and .44 mag cases for a .44 Special load. It was lot of fun and performed well when I sorted the powder and the wadding issues. Wadding was particularly vexing to get it to maintain the shot evenly in the barrel and yet not queer the pattern after leaving the muzzle.

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