Snake shot,rat shot, ordust shot,^[1] more formally known asshotshell^[2] (a name shared with theshotgun shell) orcanister shot, refers tohandgun andriflecartridges loaded withlead shot canisters instead of bullets, intended forpest control (essentiallysmall armscanister shot). The main targets for such ammunition aresnakes,rodents,birds, and otherpests at very close range.

The most common snake shot cartridge is.22 Long Rifle loaded with No. 12 shot. From a standard rifle these can produce effective patterns only to a distance of about 3 m (9.8 ft), but in a smoothbore shotgun (orgarden gun) that can extend as far as 15 m (49 ft).^{[citation needed]}

Snake shot is generally used for shooting at snakes, rodents, birds, and otherpests at very close ranges and is also used as foraging ammunition byhikers,backpackers, andcampers. Snake shot is ideally suited for use inderringers andrevolvers (especially "kit guns"), chambered for.22 Long Rifle,.38 Special, or.357 Magnum. Snake shot may not cycle reliably insemi-automatic pistols.

Shot shells have also been historically issued to soldiers, to be used in standard issue rifles and handguns.

The.45-70 "forager" round, which contained a thin wooden bullet filled withbirdshot, was intended for huntingsmall game to supplement the soldiers' rations.^[3][4] This round in effect made the .45-70 rifle into asmall gaugeshotgun, capable of killingrabbits,ducks, and other similar game animals.

During World War II, the United States military developed both the.45 ACP M12 and M15 shot shells cartridges. They were issued to pilots, to be used asforaging ammunition in the event that they were eithershot down orforced to land in known or unknown territory. The M15 cartridges were loaded with 118 pellets of No. 7 1/2 birdshot.^[5] The boxes were marked "For use in hunting small game effective range 25 ft (7.6 m)".^[5] While they were best used in theM1917 revolvers, the M15 cartridge would actually cycle the semi-automaticM1911 pistol'sslide.^[5] The current CCI .45 ACP shotshell cartridge is virtually identical to these rounds.

Both Winchester^[6] and Federal^[7] make star-crimped .22 Long Rifle snake shot loaded with No. 12 shot. These cartridges resemble traditional crimpedblank cartridges.

CCI'srimfire and a few of thecenterfire snake-shot cartridges use a hollow plastic capsule which holds the shot, and is often shaped like a bullet to aid in feeding.^[8][9]The plastic capsule shatters during firing, and allows the shot to disperse after it exits the muzzle of the barrel.

"Garden guns" are smooth-bore guns specifically made to fire.22 caliber snake shot or9mm Flobert shot-shells, and are commonly used bygardeners andfarmers forpest control. They are short range weapons that can do little harm at distances greater than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft), and are quiet when fired with snake shot, compared to standard ammunition. The guns are especially effective insidebarns andsheds, because the snake shot will not injurelivestock with aricochet, or shoot holes into theroof orwalls of a structure. They are also used for pest control atairports,warehouses,stockyards, and similar locations.^[11]

• Snake shot may be mistaken for traditional crimpedblank cartridges.
• Snake shot may not function properly in semi-automatic firearms causing malfunctions.
• Snake shot may not function properly in handguns and rifles not specifically made for their use.
• Snake shot may not function properly in light weight revolvers, as they may cause "cylinder lock" due to the capsule movement resulting from recoil inertia. However, crimped cases do not exhibit this problem.
• Snake shot plastic capsules may shatter when being fed from a magazine. Crimped cases do not exhibit this problem but may fail to extract in semi-automatic firearms.^[12]
• Unsafe in firearms with suppressors, ported barrels, or ported recoil compensators.
• Snake shot is effective only against snakes, rodents, birds, and other small pests, and only at very close range.^[13][14]

• Canister shot
• Marlin Model 25MG
• Rimfire ammunition
• Snake Charmer (shotgun)

• You Tube video... .22 LR CCI Shotshell
• You Tube video...Ruger LCR .22 LR VS Snake
• You Tube video...Snake Shot Test (CCI 38/357 shotshells)
• You Tube video...Snakes & Shot Cartridges
• You tube video...38 special blue vs red shotshell as a self defense load (including slow mo footage)
• All CCI shot shell ammunition loads
• Handgun Shot Loads Work For Pests But Not Defense, Gun Week, 2005

• Ammunition
• Pistol and rifle cartridges
• Rimfire cartridges
• Shotgun cartridges

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from April 2023