Ruger LCP
This gun was made famous, in some circles, when Texas governor Rick Perry used one to dispatch a coyote while he was out for a jog. Perry was apparently jogging with his daughter’s dog and the coyote was getting a little too close.
But if you’re not a Perry fan, don’t hold that against the LCP. The key point of that little anecdote was that Perry was carrying the small pistol in his running shorts (apparently).
Weighing in at just over half a pound, this little gun makes a very nice carry weapon — one of the 3 pillars of a good snake gun.
When it comes to safety, the LCP doesn’t have one. Instead it has a very long-pull trigger. So keep a round chambered at your own risk.
Then, of course, there’s the question of effectiveness. The LPC has a capacity of 6+1 rounds, chambered .380 round that’s more than capable of taming a rattlesnake. But as we’ve discussed, a snake is a small target and the LCP can’t chamber a shotgun shell.
The solution to that problem is of course “snake shot” or “rat shot,” except that no .380 shotshells are commercially available. Thus, you may want to go with the slightly larger, slightly heavier Ruger LC9 model.
This segues nicely into the next and final selection…