Other Best semi auto air pistol for rattlesnakes?

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Arkangel1200

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Aug 23, 2024
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So I live on 3 acres in the county (not city regulated) and my mom just two days ago got bit by a rattlesnake. I'm looking for a little .177 pistol we cam carry that will get the job done. I really enjoy having things of quality that last, so price isn't too much of a factor.
I am currently getting the gk1 shorty, but that won't be for this. I really just want a smaller little pellet pistol that will get the job done for small stuff like a rattler. No blowback cuz that's ridiculous, and the more power the better. C02 is best, but I'm not against a pcp. I've so far looked at the baretta 92fs and the gamo p430, as well as the cp88.
Really for it's use, I just want something that can kinda be thrown around not worrying about how much it costs. But also powerful enough to get the job done.
I know it's a bit of a loaded question lol but really if it gets the job done the gamo p430 may be best in my eyes due to cost. It's not like for $200 more, it would be that much more powerful. What are your thoughts
 
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Chief Ten-Beers said:
If I was on 3 acres, a Pellet Pistol would not be My Choice. .22Mag w Snake shot would be better.
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I'm not a big fan of the WMR, (too expensive, too much blast), but a .22 revolver with an extra cylinder for WMR would be perfect for this. A .22 loaded with a shotshell is just what you want for things like snakes or swallows in a garage.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
Use a stick or snake shot in a .22 pistol. A pellet pistol is a poor choice for a snake IMHO.

You are going to miss by 1/4" sometimes and get a bad shot. The snake will go wild. You will miss 3 more times before he crawls into a bush and dissappears.

Just whack them with a stick. Works every time.

A sick Crosman Co2 BB gun on an empty cylinder is plenty of power to kill the biggest rattler. You don't need to worry about power or FPE. It's hitting the head or spine that is the issue.

You can hit a snake anywhere with a stick and break the spine. If you are afraid to get close just get a longer stick.

Better yet get 2 guinea hens. They make great pets and will quickly eliminate every snake in the area.
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Gamo makes an air shotgun, the Gamo Viper Express.

www.pyramydair.com

Gamo Viper Express | Hunting Air Shotgun & Rifle | Pyramyd AIR

We've got a great price on the Gamo Viper Express Air Shotgun & Rifle. Get a great price and expert advice at Pyramyd for your next outdoor adventure!
www.pyramydair.com

It might be a good replacement for snake shot.
 
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airgunmike56 said:
Stick, good luck with a big rattler. Maybe a baseball bat. Bear/wasp spray one pissed off snake, Like spraying gasoline down the hole in the den, You better be ready,
In my younger day that was a big hobby of mine rattlesnake hunting ,
Mike
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I've killed them all my life with a 5' yucca pole. Hundreds of them. I used to sell the mounted skins and made jewelry from the bones to sell to the touristas.

I had a gold mine and spent 5 days a week out in the mountains. It didn't pay much. I made a little extra income with all the snakes living around the joint.

No problem killing them with a stick. You just don't push them into a defensive pose. You hit them trying to get away.

I wouldn't try to clear out a den with a stick. But one at a time it's my choice of weapons. Even when they are under a rock or in a bush it's an effective tool. A handgun not so much.

A shovel is better than a stick if your not saving the skin. But either one beats a shooter for killing a snake. A lot more fun too.
 
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CharlieF said:
Hatsan Velox. 12 shots as fast as you can pull the trigger.
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Hatsan. Velox. Specs. 400$ (en EEUU).jpg
 
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To actually answer the OP's question... I know of NO .177 semi-auto pellet pistols ever being produced. However the .22 caliber Crosman Model 600 fits all the other stated requisites, and .22 is a better caliber for the stated purpose anyway. That so, I have a pertinent story-

Decades ago while driving a private ranch road in deep south Texas at night I came upon a huge rattler that stopped in the road, as they often do when they sense an approach. Armed with this customized Crosman 600 (but wearing a 2X pistol scope at the time)-

600 Custom.jpg


and shooting from the driver-side window, I started shooting well-aimed shots at his head from probably about 10 yards. After a few misses he started a slow exit as I increased my firing rate. By the time I'd emptied all 13 shots he'd taken refuge in a large cactus. Thankfully I had a fully loaded .22 Crosman Model 38C Co2 (six-shot) revolver close at hand, exited my truck, located him in the cactus, and ended the meelee with ONE well-placed head-shot at about six feet; coincidentally the same length as the rattler. To say I was a bit rattled might be an understatement.

Now if I was prone to speculation, and/or had no experience braining rattlesnakes, I might be inclined to opine .22 caliber the wrong caliber for rattler dispatching, Co2 the wrong propellant, semi-auto the wrong action, a scope the wrong sighting system, night the wrong time to shoot rattlers, shooting from a vehicle the wrong approach, and/or a pistol the wrong weapon. But I'm not prone to speculation, especially on subjects in which I'm ill-qualified to do so (like, if I have total lack of personal EXPERIENCE).

The OP is neither wrong nor misguided in his post; nor in his choice of weapon (despite the fact it doesn't exist). So to answer his question with a suggestion as close as possible to what does exist, from the safe and effective distance at which most rattlers are encountered a Crosman 600 is a fine tool for the purpose. I'd recommend a STOCK 600; not one with an extended barrel and optical sights (as pictured above). This is what you want-

600 RS.JPG


Before nay-sayers get all wound up I should point out that YES, it is legal to shoot from a vehicle on private property, and from a PRIVATE (property) road in Texas. I do it with some regularity, with whatever pistol close at hand.

That happened to be a 9mm semi-auto loaded with HOT hollow points on this 5' rattlebug-

.
5' Rattler.jpg


And a Co2 semi-auto airsoft BB pistol on this two foot youngster (not to be confused with bipedal youngster)-

1911 rattlebug.JPG


Happy rattler blasting, Y'all! 😁



.
 
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Ive heard great things about them all over but where would someone find a Crosman 600 that's not $300 + ?? I guess my real question is does anyone make a modern version or is the $400+ Hatsan Velox type stuff all we get? I mean true semi autos not just double action revolver types. Like how Crosman 1077 says semi auto but is really just a double action only revolver. I know Sig has those belt fed pellet magazines which is cool but from what I hear the Crosman 600 trigger is nice and you don't have a super heavy pull rotating the belt mag like Sig per each trigger pull.
 
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Since you mentioned the shorty and not gonna use it for snakes i wont mention that, lol. Ok, i will. Ya mentioned price wasn't too much a factor, so why not another gk1.? I got the shorty too and for me im getting another. I have not read through the other comments so i hope i didnt repeat. I may keep the 2nd one original. Sorry about your mom and i hope and pray she is ok. Good luck to ya.

David
 
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EmptyTin_Tim said:
Ive heard great things about them all over but where would someone find a Crosman 600 that's not $300 + ?? I guess my real question is does anyone make a modern version or is the $400+ Hatsan Velox type stuff all we get? I mean true semi autos not just double action revolver types. Like how Crosman 1077 says semi auto but is really just a double action only revolver. I know Sig has those belt fed pellet magazines which is cool but from what I hear the Crosman 600 trigger is nice and you don't have a super heavy pull rotating the belt mag like Sig per each trigger pull.
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Just look on ebay. There are half a dozen or so for under $300 and that's about as cheap as you're going to find a real semi-auto that shoots pellets.

I've got a gen5 Glock that uses belts and a double action trigger and I can't really recommend it. The trigger is just too awful.
 
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Ta-Ta Toothie said:
A shovel is all you need.
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That’s what I was thinking. Killed a rattlesnake on my back porch a few days ago with a shovel. I keep shovels around places where I spend most of my time for that purpose. Personally I carry a S&W J-frame with 38 special snake shot when working around my place. A semi auto pellet pistol would be far down my list of snake defense weapons.
 
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Is this really a serious question? If my mom got bit by a rattler I'd get a shotgun plain and simple. I've killed one rattler with an airgun. That wasn't fun. If you're not using an air shotgun with shot pellets, I think you are wasting your time and playing with a venomous snake. If you can't legally own a firearm, I'd say keep a hoe and a machete close by and grab that before an airgun.
 
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A couple guinea hens in the yard are cool. Excellent guard birds. In snake country lots of folks keep them.

They will turn every snake in the area into piles of bony birdsh!t in a hurry. And they will sit on your roof and yell at any stranger that comes near.

Not as much fun as an airgun for snakes. But a whole lot more effective for eliminating them. They will hunt 12 hours a day until every snake is gone. And then keep hunting them. You never risk a bite.

You will risk a bite trying to gun one down with a pellet pistol....unless you have a stick or a shovel too.

Get a couple guineas and a brand new PCP pistol. Have fun plinking and shooting targets with your new pistol while the guineas are eating snakes.

I hope your mom is better and she's getting the care she needs. I know how expensive and painful snakebite can be. I wish her the best. And I wish you success in eliminating your snake problem.
 
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airgunmike56 said:
I have killed well over 40 rattlers with my open site Beeman P17, One shot in the head and dead,, I have killed a few with the PP 750 and the Huben GKi
But a red dot makes for some bad shooting at one or two foot,,
Mike
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Can you clarify as in "bad" or "really good" bad? I don't know how well a red dot works at close range. Thanks! You seem to have a good understanding of "hold over" for close range shooting to have those results. I have shot a 4 1/2' foot pine snake 2' from my face when I was picking up firewood from a tall stack.
a red dot makes for some bad shooting at one or two feet
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Bedrock Bob said:
A couple guinea hens in the yard are cool. Excellent guard birds. In snake country lots of folks keep them.

They will turn every snake in the area into piles of bony birdsh!t in a hurry. And they will sit on your roof and yell at any stranger that comes near.

Not as much fun as an airgun for snakes. But a whole lot more effective for eliminating them. They will hunt 12 hours a day until every snake is gone. And then keep hunting them. You never risk a bite.

You will risk a bite trying to gun one down with a pellet pistol....unless you have a stick or a shovel too.

Get a couple guineas and a brand new PCP pistol. Have fun plinking and shooting targets with your new pistol while the guineas are eating snakes.

I hope your mom is better and she's getting the care she needs. I know how expensive and painful snakebite can be. I wish her the best. And I wish you success in eliminating your snake problem.
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My only issue with the guineas is that we have a lot of vegetable gardens, fruit trees, exposed drip system water lines, as well as other regular small trees growing. From what I've read the guineas prefer bugs and snakes and of the sort, more than the fruits and vegetables. But that they still do definitely eat them and will tear em up. As well as the possibility of flying over on to our neighbors property.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
Is this really a serious question? If my mom got bit by a rattler I'd get a shotgun plain and simple. I've killed one rattler with an airgun. That wasn't fun. If you're not using an air shotgun with shot pellets, I think you are wasting your time and playing with a venomous snake. If you can't legally own a firearm, I'd say keep a hoe and a machete close by and grab that before an airgun.
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Yeah brother I'm a federal felon. As much as I'd like to go get a Shotgun, the feds would be all over me. They know im a threat to their communist world order so they gave me a federal felony for an internet threat. For saying something to someone. Didn't hurt anyone, didn't take any action, but basically like a "mother ****er **** you imma kill you blah blah blah" as we have all done pissed off being dumb.
So now I have all my rights stripped away for the rest of my life. That's not even mentioning my dealing with the law on getting arrested for disorderly conduct by foul language in Texas -_-

With that being said we use shovels, but it's much much safer to give my mother a small little pistol and carelessly throw lead at it from a distance. Than to get within biting distance with a shovel. I'm sure you know this, but rattlers and snakes can jump ****ing far getting that bite. So being that my mother is elderly...that's not a good combination.
 
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