Wasp Rice Shot Loads: .38/.45LC

[steve urquell]

Shot a wasp on the ceiling of my deck roof and left a big dent from the wax wad. I am reluctantly going back and capping the rice with a cardboard wad. So I don't have to crimp I melted a thin skin of wax over the wad and it locks it in place. Went out and shot a pine board and the new setup does not leave a wad dent from 2ft but did leave rice dents.



Cereal box wad covered rice on the left vs the thick wax wad on the right.


And a trophy kill. Small horsefly on the porch taken down from 6ft away.

[brokeasajoke]

Loaded some magtec 410 brass shells. Got home from work the other day and my wife was chasing one around and I said "hold up, I got some medicine that will fix it". Went to the basement and popped a shell in my son's pointer 410 and came back up to the porch. Smoked that one. was going to try the 38spl load but I ran out of time before church so I just swatted two more with a badminton racket. Not nearly as fun as shooting them but effective.

[steve urquell]

Loaded some magtec 410 brass shells. Got home from work the other day and my wife was chasing one around and I said "hold up, I got some medicine that will fix it". Went to the basement and popped a shell in my son's pointer 410 and came back up to the porch. Smoked that one. was going to try the 38spl load but I ran out of time before church so I just swatted two more with a badminton racket. Not nearly as fun as shooting them but effective.

You loading with rice? Those .410 shells would be awesome in my derringer.

[brokeasajoke]

You loading with rice? Those .410 shells would be awesome in my derringer.

Yes. Rice, tumbling media and what ever else I can find of the like. I'm on the hunt for some smaller seeds of some kind kind of like bird seed without the larger stuff

[sureYnot]

Yes. Rice, tumbling media and what ever else I can find of the like. I'm on the hunt for some smaller seeds of some kind kind of like bird seed without the larger stuff

I tested some mustard seed. Worked ok, but the pattern opened up a little fast with my revolver. Might work for you, though.

[elmacgyver0]

Shot a wasp on the ceiling of my deck roof and left a big dent from the wax wad. I am reluctantly going back and capping the rice with a cardboard wad. So I don't have to crimp I melted a thin skin of wax over the wad and it locks it in place. Went out and shot a pine board and the new setup does not leave a wad dent from 2ft but did leave rice dents.



Cereal box wad covered rice on the left vs the thick wax wad on the right.


And a trophy kill. Small horsefly on the porch taken down from 6ft away.

Are you going to have it mounted?

[sureYnot]

I am reluctantly going back and capping the rice with a cardboard wad. So I don't have to crimp I melted a thin skin of wax over the wad and it locks it in place.

I've been thinking about the wear & tear on my brass since you posted this. I got to thinking that rice load doesn't weight much (14.5gn in my load) and there's no recoil. Is wax, glue, crimping, or anything really necessary?

I loaded a few for testing. Tried to pound one apart in my hand (simulating a bullet puller) and got nowhere. Shot 4 before all bees & lizards disappeared. (Yes, it does a number on a skink. Be ready to finish him so he doesn't have to die slow.) I checked after each shot and there was no sign of movement. I did make sure the over shot wads had no creases or other defects. Mine are made from Winchester primer box.

I imagine there's no reason to clean or size the fired brass either, unless you want to put it in a different firearm.

[steve urquell]

I've been thinking about the wear & tear on my brass since you posted this. I got to thinking that rice load doesn't weight much (14.5gn in my load) and there's no recoil. Is wax, glue, crimping, or anything really necessary?

I loaded a few for testing. Tried to pound one apart in my hand (simulating a bullet puller) and got nowhere. Shot 4 before all bees & lizards disappeared. (Yes, it does a number on a skink. Be ready to finish him so he doesn't have to die slow.) I checked after each shot and there was no sign of movement. I did make sure the over shot wads had no creases or other defects. Mine are made from Winchester primer box.

I imagine there's no reason to clean or size the fired brass either, unless you want to put it in a different firearm.

No need to resize the brass. I have my progressive set up for 9mm so it does just to punch the primer and seat a new one. I like to cap the rice as I have had a couple fall apart even with a wax cap on so I will cap with a cereal box wad with a tiny bit of wax, no crimp.

And I never kill skinks and lizards. They are awesome little guys. They eat bugs you don't want in your house. I love having them patrol my porch. Natures exterminators.

[sureYnot]

They're always going under my siding. I figured that was bad. I'm from the north until the last few years. Some of the creatures here are new to me.
You inspired me to read a little. I've killed 2. Those will be the only 2. Thanks.

[steve urquell]

They're always going under my siding. I figured that was bad. I'm from the north until the last few years. Some of the creatures here are new to me.
You inspired me to read a little. I've killed 2. Those will be the only 2. Thanks.

Oh man that makes me happy to hear. If new to the area it's always a good idea to ID the local animals. Don't be afraid of big black snakes either. They kill copperheads and eat mice and rats. One of the good guys. Below is my buddy who hung around at my house for 7 years.

[steve urquell]

In other thoughts:
Tonight I filled a 9mm case with rice then emptied it in my mortar and pestel and crushed it. It didn't do like I hoped and turned more into powder than granules. After crushing I put it back in the case expecting it to be half full.

Nope. It filled it to the top. Zero benefit in crushing rice IMHO.

[HWooldridge]

You might try filling the case with uncrushed rice then paint the top layer with nail polish to glue it down. A light coat of Elmers white glue may work, too.

[dverna]

You might try filling the case with uncrushed rice then paint the top layer with nail polish to glue it down. A light coat of Elmers white glue may work, too.

Definitely worth trying. Thanks for the suggestion.

[steve urquell]

Are you going to have it mounted?

Yes. I want to do it right though so I'm looking for a horse. Then I'll have to find a taxidermist who can mount both. Trying to move the furniture around so the combo will fit in the house. Wife is wondering what I'm up to.

[sureYnot]

If new to the area it's always a good idea to ID the local animals.

Two days ago, I'd have shot this guy just to be sure. King snake? I think it is. Not sure enough to get any closer though. lol

[HWooldridge]

IMHO, only reason to kill a snake is if it’s venomous or threatening the poultry. Therefore, a person only needs to identify the dangerous ones in your area. We have all four basic species here, but I rarely see cottonmouths or copperheads - so rattlesnakes and coral snakes are about all we need to be concerned with. Out in the wild, I’ll leave most anything alone and just go the other direction, if possible.

I caught a black rat snake yesterday that was about 5 feet long - he was climbing the chicken wire and headed for the eggs, but I pulled him out and carried him about 150 yards then turned him loose near the heavy brush. I don’t think he will come back but we shall see.

[TNsailorman]

The rattlesnake and copperhead have the pit between the snout and the eye that is easily seen. They are called Pit Viper snakes and poisonous. Also your snake does not have the broad arrowhead shape that the copperhead, cottonmouth and rattlesnake will have. If it does not have the pit, it is most likely harmless as far as venom is concerned. Me thinks you shot a good guy. Study that coloration closely and you will see it does not have the diamond of the rattlesnake. Close coloration but not the same. A lot of King Snakes are shot as rattlesnakes and mores the pity. A lot of harmless water snakes are killed as cottonmouths also. There are also a couple of snakes that resemble the copperhead and are killed quite often by mis-identification. It is easy to do if you are not familiar with snakes. james

[sureYnot]

Guys. I did NOT kill this snake. I wanted to let Steve know his post had an impact. I WOULD HAVE a few days ago, thinking I was erring on the side of caution.
I'm resolved to make a greater effort to educate myself on the local creatures.

[steve urquell]

Guys. I did NOT kill this snake. I wanted to let Steve know his post had an impact. I WOULD HAVE a few days ago, thinking I was erring on the side of caution.
I'm resolved to make a greater effort to educate myself on the local creatures.

I understood that you did not and thank you for letting that big guy go. He's a king snake and that means he is the king of the snakes eating venomous ones. A real good guy. In Arkansas I only have 4 snakes to watch out for and the copperhead is the one I see most. Sometimes black cottonmouths when kayaking.

The copperheads are easy to ID with Hersheys kisses on their back. Also diamond shaped viper head. They get no pass from me.

[TNsailorman]

Copperheads and rattlers are my sworn enemies. There are no cottonmouths where I live or at least I have never heard of anyone seeing one around here. I consider the copperhead more dangerous than a rattler because he does not rattle to give warning and also, they seem to be more mean tempered than rattlers. Get within striking distance and they usually strike. It a purely defensive reaction but one than can mean a lot of trouble. I have a healthy respect for both and keep a sharp lookout when in the woods. Don't ever step over a log in the woods without first checking under it and on the other side, I know from experience they like to lay there. It is good ambush territory for them. james