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Handgun Shot Loads

October 05, 2009

I was once issued shot cartridges for my .45 ACP pistol. It was on Okinawa in the late 1950s and someone had found some of the rounds in an Air Force ammo dump. Left over from WWII survival kits, the rounds were good medicine for the poisonous snakes we often encountered in the brush. They used an extended brass case and a charge of—I think—No.9 shot.

These rounds were too long to cycle in the 1911, but one could finesse a round into the chamber. The idea is a very solid one that still makes a lot of sense today. A small charge of shot is excellent for venomous snakes and other pests, and a compact survival kit should have a few.

For many years, Speer has sold the empty shot capsules for handloaders to load their own. But they also load a good variety of shot cartridges in a number of calibers including the all-time favorite 9 mm Luger.

Ergo, if your woods-walking companion is a 9 mm pistol, you can carry a spare magazine of creepy-crawler loads and be prepared.

Clapp on Handguns

Tags: blogs, handgun shot shells. no. 9 shot, shot loads, wiley clapp