WB
A revealing discussion with a friend
Saturday, January 18, 2020, 21:04

about the .38 Special CCI Shot-shells he pops off at stray animals and sometime to "sting" his cows when they get into his yard. Something he and most don't realize.

Which is more powerful;

.38 Special Shot-shells
.410 Shotgun
12 ga. Shotgun
10 ga. Shotgun

Actually they are exactly the same in the perspective of individual pellets ballistic performance. All run around 1200 fps give or take.

Taken as a "whole" the more pellets/weight payload the higher muzzle energy. But with shotguns you really need to look at the individual pellets. They are what penetrate to do damage. It matters little the firearm origin, if the terminal speed is all the same. Now bigger pellets that weigh more have more energy and retain it farther. #9's might not penetrate cow hide at 30 yds. but #4 shot might! Traditionally the factory "snake shot" used #8 shot or so. Of late Speer has some "red" capsule versions that contain #4 shot. Much fewer pellets in total but they retain energy longer and actually maintain a more consistent pattern farther. Even though the pattern density is crap. Patterns you could throw a large rat through without harm. But they hold about a 18" diameter size to 20 yrds. or so! Pretty big circle to scatter about 40 pellets but IF one hits! Hitting a snake with a pellet even at relatively close range might take 2-3 shots unless you are real lucky. #9's are far superior for that since the pellet count for #9 in a .38 capsule is around 100.

I had some .510 GNR shotshells custom I made for my revolver that contained 1/2 oz. of #9 shot and up close were devastating for a snake/rat size critter. Later I tried #5 shot and would do on chicken size birds or larger rabbits to 15 yds. surprisingly well.

Point is, think about shotshells. They all have the same power considering individual pellets and respective size.