Yeah I wasn’t comparing specifically with .45 ammo just pistol ammo in general.
The ChatGPT info doesn’t seem too far off the mark but I’m not sure how much I would trust AI with ballistics information. It is just scrounging the internet for the info and there is a lot of conflicting and outright bad data out there.
For instance I know there are people who hunt deer with a .410 but I have never met one and suspect that most who do keep the ranges pretty short. I would be fairly surprised if a .410 slug was very effective out to 100 yards given the light weight and correspondingly poor ballistic coefficient. I would think it would start loosing energy pretty quickly.
I haven’t really looked into .410 or .45 ballistics since I don’t own a .410 and the only .45 I own isn’t my go to SD tool. But I have seen tests that show that the relatively slow 147gr 9mm hollow points perform better than the much faster 115gr HP options at 100 yards due to the better ballistic coefficient, sectional density and mass. They lose speed and energy less quickly than the lighter options.
One of my relatives in LE once told me he and several other officers had to shot a woman who pointed two handguns at them. Over 60 rounds in her body before she hit the ground, 12 of which should have been fatal. She survived somehow.
Shot placement does help, but if the attacker has adrenaline / drugs in their system, an entire mag may not be enough. But no, no one ever needs more than ten rounds….
I used to have a “snake charmer” single shot 410 very short rifle that I carried in a holster on my riding lawnmower. Thats usually when I wouldcome across the occasional rattlesnake. South Texas. I gave it to my wife when we divorced. It was civil & she wasn’t afraid of it.
I think that I am going to get the new Rossi Brawler which is a pistol, single shot, break open. It will also shoot the 45LC but with a 9" barrel. It’s about $230.00. For snakes & varmints it’s really all I need. I have many better options for home protection.
If it can shoot 45LC I assume that means it has a rifled barrel? Wouldn’t the rifling mess up the shot shell pattern if you are looking to use it for snakes? Probably doesn’t matter if the range is short enough?
I have to deal with rattle snakes all the time for work. I usually just step around them or move them with a snake hook or snake tongs and bucket if they won’t leave the work area on their own. Recomended that you practice on non venomous snakes first if you choose to use that method.
I wouldn’t tolerate rattle snakes near my home either especially with a young son playing in the yard. Have you looked into getting your dogs snake trained? I know some folks who have and they say it works really well for keeping their dogs away from the snakes.
Lots of dogs in EKY get bit by copperheads when they first come out in late spring. Usually doesn’t kill the dog. They just lay around whining for a few days with a lesson learnt.
I don’t have a lot of experience with copperheads but know that adult rattlesnakes often (but not always) inject little to no venom when they strike defensively. They like to save their venom for their food. It’s the younger snakes you usually have to worry about since they haven’t learned how to control how much they inject.
I was once bit by a good sized rattlesnake. He was under a thick shrub and we both surprised each other and he struck without rattling. I didn’t even realize I was bit until I looked down and saw the puncture wounds. Fortunately it was a dry bite since I was a long way from the nearest road and cell phones weren’t a thing back then.