It can feel really scary to live in a snake-infested neighborhood. Very few people would fancy meeting venomous snakes as they carry on their routines.
Fortunately, controlling snakes can take different angles – one being killing using a pellet gun. Even so, can a pellet gun kill a snake?
As a whole, a pellet gun can kill a snake if you aimed properly and take an accurate shot in the head or spine. You need to ensure that your pellet gun carries at least 20 ft./lbs. of muzzle energy. Before you kill one, check your state laws if the snakes you are hunting are protected.
Killing snakes using a pellet gun can be a bit tricky. Some snakes are docile and non-venomous and therefore may not be a threat as you try to aim at them. Others are extremely active and aggressive taking the slightest opportunity to escape a moment of danger or even retaliate.
If you will be trying to eliminate one with your air rifle, make sure you have the right caliber that has the perfect power for the job.
Can a Pellet Gun Kill a Snake?
The rattlesnake is probably the most common of snakes that will be on your nerves anytime in your front yard or swimming in your pond eating fish. This is not good news.
If you are going to want to use a pellet gun, nothing beats logic other than carrying a small caliber air rifle. Remember a snake is practically running off; they are sharp and speedy when they sense danger.
To hit a snake, it takes composure, expertise, and perfect shot placement. Also, your air rifle of choice must be a top-quality choice.
You need an air rifle that can fire quick follow-up shots just in the event you miss the snake with the initial shots. it should be powerful – generating over 20 foot-pounds of muzzle energy to have a go at the snake.
The caliber of the air rifle you sport matters when it comes to downing a snake. Most .177 air rifles may not be ideal to handle notorious snakes. They just don’t have the power and impact to make that crucial one-shot instant kill.
So, anything above a .22 caliber might be a nice place to start due to the higher muzzle energy expected. The bottom line is to get the right gun and place the shots accurately.
Will a .177 Kill a Snake?
People are always inquiring whether pellet guns can kill a snake and the answer is definitely they can; depending on the power generated among other factors. We’ve mentioned how high-caliber pellet guns are the most ideal rather than low-powered ones and especially the .177 caliber.
Is there a chance that a .177 will kill a snake? Generally, the .177 pellet gun can still kill a snake if the shooter aims carefully and hits the snake on the head or in the spine.
With an expertly executed shot, you will easily drop a notorious snake down in an instant. However, this is not a guarantee.
It’s not always easy to mark and hit a snake with ease given the aggressive nature of some snake species. That’s why even if you are the expert, your .177 caliber pellet gun should provide room for quick follow-up shots.
A good example of a perfect .177 air rifle you can use for snake kills is the Gamo Swarm Maxxim air rifle
that boasts a 10-shot repeating function. With this air rifle, you don’t just have a power-packed weapon but also a very reliable one as far as follow-up shots can go.
Will a Pellet Pistol Kill a Snake?
Among tools with a great variety of uses are pellet pistols. You can use them for target shooting and plinking and some are even powerful enough to do harm to varmints.
A very common question in the airgun community has been: will a pellet pistol kill a snake? The answer is two-pronged meaning a pellet pistol may not kill a snake because it has less power to its shots. But, also, it can kill a snake as long as excellent marksmanship is deployed to ensure the shot hits the right place in the nick of time.
Given that just a few people can take out snakes using a pellet pistol, it’s not a recommended weapon for snake elimination, or else you would risk falling prey to the same snakes.
Also, you don’t want to mishit a snake and let it escape while in the pain of the wounds you inflicted. If it dies later in the hiding, that’s not clean – and you actually doing the wrong thing.
So, you want an air weapon that would hit the critter before it knows it’s dead. With that said, just keep pellet pistols for any kind of snakes.
Will a BB Gun Kill a Snake?
BB guns are gradually getting recognition by all and sundry. Asides from being a nice choice for plinking and target practice, some powerful models can be solid tools for killing varmints.
A BB gun is kind of slow averaging around 400 fps in velocity and fewer foot-pounds of muzzle energy. Again the BB itself is too light to cause any significant impact upon hitting the target.
You don’t expect a lot of damage by a BB. What this tells you is that a BB gun is not the go-to instrument for controlling snakes. You will only end up making the snake madder and things could get out of control
If you have it as the last resort, then you need to combine it with something else like a machete. Shoot the snake in the head and make a follow-up attack with the machete or something else that can do the job in a similar way.
BB guns can only be great tools for training on how to shoot real firearms or for education purposes. Other than that, target practice shooting and plinking are activities BB guns will handle pretty well.
What this means is that BB guns should not be the primary tools for controlling snakes. They just don’t hold the power needed to down a tricky snake.
Why Can’t You Kill a Snake by Shooting Its Body?
While killing a snake by shooting is easy through the head, firing just anywhere on the body cannot guarantee its death. If you do shoot its body, you could end up injuring it which is both unsafe and inhumane.
What happens there is that the snake dies due to the injuries sustained from the shots only that it takes longer. This is not a recommended practice for any shooter.
While you may be contravening the law regarding humane kills to animals, it’s also unsafe for you. A snake doesn’t die that easily. You might think it’s dead when you hit the body with a couple of shots but it could still be alive if you did not destroy the head.
Always target the head for the shot. And after shooting it, don’t cut the head off but rather destroy it, or else it could turn out it was not dead and that’s a danger right there.
With the head still intact, a rattlesnake should never be touched on any part of the body even if you assumed to have killed it. The bite reflex may just be working and you don’t want to fall victim to the bite.
What Is the Best Pellet Gun for Snakes?
The best pellet gun for snake kills should be accurate and powerful. If it comes with the repeating function the better because you might need the follow-up shots in case of initial hits and misses.
Within 10-15 feet, the Gamo Viper Express Air Shotgun & Rifle air rifle (View on Amazon) is a proper weapon for critters like rats and snakes. With a velocity of 750 feet per second, this shotgun air rifle offers serious knockdown power against snakes.
If you find yourself in those tight spaces, Gamo Viper Express is the perfect executioner. Besides, the air rifle is versatile and can take out other notorious pests like squirrels and rabbits in your backyard.
Final Thoughts: Can a Pellet Gun Kill a Snake?
A pellet gun may kill a snake if you place the shot accurately in the head. It must be a powerful air rifle that will destroy the snake’s head.
If you aim the shot anywhere on the body, you may shoot the snake but it won’t die. So, make sure your marksmanship skill is another level to take out the snakes with just one instant shot.
And as a reminder, never ever touch a freshly killed snake especially if the head has not been destroyed. You never know when the reflex bite comes on.
Also Read: Can a Pellet Gun Kill a Raccoon?
