Snake defense gun or weapon suggestion...

[Mystery]

A stick. A hoe is best but a little awkward as a walking stick. Idk why people shoot em. Maybe someone can enlighten me, it's a serious question.

ETA: That wasn't a very helpful response. In rocky desert or mountain country where the main concern is rattlers you want two things, a good stick (Or pole, I prefer sticks) and a pebble pouch. Just a little pouch filled with pebbles you picked up while hiking. Most people get hit when scrambling up boulders or going over overhangs that a sleepy snake is under. If you see something that looks snaky, wing a couple of pebbles at it before going over. This will help wake up the snake enough that it will alarm before you get too close. It's not foolproof but it helps, and if the snake is awake enough it will often move on in a hurry before you get there. If you do roll up on a snake that's close enough to strike, bring your stick out in a sweeping motion straight at the center of the curve of the snake. It's fast and while not lethal, will disturb the strike enough that one or both of you can move your separate ways.

Winging pebbles at snaky spots is a good way to break up the monotony of the trail and you can always poke people with the stick if you get bored.

Not entirely that case here.
We have narrow trails on the mountains and hikers have stepped on snakes that are sleeping on the side or on the trail itself while hiking, specially downhill when you are kind of running at times.
Not only narrow, we have rocks, long grass and shrubs as well as tree roots on the trails.
If we stop and throw rocks at everything that looks like a snake, it's better to just come back.

[Caballoflaco]

It’s the snake you don’t see that bites you, so a gun won’t do you any more good than hiking/ pokey stick or pole. Snakes are easy to kill. A quick whack on the head with a stick or smashing it with a rock works fine, though I generally don’t kill them, even if they are poisonous. Even though I always carry while hiking I’ve never considered the pistol as something I would need to use against a snake.

[Coyotesfan97]

After one of my dogs was bitten I decided the CF spread was rattler free. I had to kill one at my house that was coiled up and buzzing on the side of my kennels one I got home one night. I used a shovel. I had to kill another that was on our field buzzing at my work dog. Fortunately he was far enough away he was ignoring it. Shoveled that one too.

The Western Diamondback is more than likely to buzz first strike later and avoid you. I take care walking in the front yard around my house though. So around my home it’s a shovel.

I’ll ignore them in the wild. I’ve seen several mountain biking. They like to lay in trails at dusk for some reason.

If I had to shot one it’d probably be 9mm because that’s usually what’s one me.

[Joe in PNG]

I'd honestly be more comfortable carrying with the idea of defending against 4 & 2 legged predators over those with no legs.

[Malamute]

The centerfire pistol shot loads seem to work fine at fairly close range. Ive had smallish rattlesnakes be somewhat unimpressed with the CCI and remington 22 LR birdshot loads, though they sometimes worked OK. 22 mag is reportedly better than 22 LR but I have no experience with them.

Ive had one dog get bit in the face by a rattlesnake in my yard years ago, it made her extremely sick and the vet bill wasnt cheap. Ive found and killed quite a few snakes around that place including one IN the house, two under the front porch steps I discovered in the dark when i stepped on the step coming home from town. There were a few in various places in the yard and barn/garage.

For me, I kill all i find anywhere I frequent, and when my dog is along. Dogs can be trained to avoid snakes, but they can also not notice them, or in one case, a snake came out of a small sage bush behind a dog and it had no idea it was there. I make zero apologies for killing rattlenakes to anyone for any reason. If anyone takes exception to it I kindly invite them to go fornicate alone. Zero fs given about rattlesnakes lives anywhere i live or frequent or happen to be with my dogs. Im happy to have all the bull snakes that want to hang around or visit the place, but rattlesnakes are a no go. Screw rattlesnakes.


ETA: I think a Tac 14 or Shockwave in 20 ga would be a dandy snake destroying arm. Any birdshot load would hammer a snake at any reasonable distance, like inside 30 feet. I always thought a 20 ga Remington model 11 such as Miss Parker had long ago would be a nice snake gun.

[UNM1136]

Insert Pat Rogers/Louis Awerbuck story....just cause.

pat

[Clay]

A stick or trekking pole is all you really need.

[GJM]

I ran into two in April, that I deemed an imminent threat to my dog. I used what I had, in one case a 124 Gold Dot through the head from a P2000 and in the other, the same load out of a Glock 19.

[rd62]

When hiking snakes aren't typically what I'm armed against. Usually I carry my normal G19. Occasionally while fishing around the pond, I'll slip a S&W 442 with CCI shot shells in my pocket.

[GJM]

I intermittently carry a J frame loaded with snake shot when hiking around AZ, although never had it when I needed it. The shot patterns WAY better out of a J than a 9mm.