The CCI Pest Control shotshell (part no. 3738) turns a .357 Magnum or .38 Special revolver into a close-range pest gun, loading a charge of #9 shot instead of a conventional bullet. CCI Ammunition builds this shotshell around a rigid plastic capsule that holds the shot together in flight and breaks apart on the barrel’s rifling, releasing the payload in a tight, effective pattern at the short ranges where snakes and rodents are actually encountered. A flexible base wad seals behind the shot to prevent gas blow-by, and CCI’s own primers handle ignition. For anyone who keeps a revolver around the barn, garden, or campsite, this handgun ammunition round is a purpose-built answer to pests without swapping guns.

Key Specifications

• The chambering is .357 Magnum, and it also chambers and fires in .38 Special revolvers.
• The shot charge is #9 shot, a fine size suited to snakes and small pests at handgun range.
• The payload weighs 100 grains, CCI’s listed shot charge weight for this load.
• The case material is aluminum, kept lightweight since it carries no jacketed bullet.
• The shot rides in a rigid plastic capsule that breaks apart against the barrel’s rifling to release the pattern.
• A flexible base wad seals behind the shot charge to prevent gas blow-by on firing.
• Ignition relies on CCI’s own primers, the same reliable priming used across their handgun lines.
• Cost runs about $1.77 per round, in line with specialty shotshell pricing versus standard ball ammunition.
• Each box holds 10 rounds, a practical count for a pest-control kit kept on hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a handgun shotshell actually used for? It is a close-range pest-control round, loading fine shot instead of a bullet so a revolver can dispatch snakes, rats, and similar small pests without a dedicated shotgun.

What does the plastic capsule do when the gun fires? It holds the #9 shot together as it travels down the barrel and breaks apart against the rifling, letting the shot spread into an effective close-range pattern.

Will this round cycle reliably in a semi-auto pistol? It is built for revolvers chambered in .357 Magnum or .38 Special, where the cylinder does not depend on the round’s profile to feed and cycle.

Buy CCI Pest Control .357 Mag/.38 Special Shotshell

A revolver already on your hip or in the truck becomes a pest gun the moment you swap in a cylinder of these, no extra firearm required. Order from our Lubbock, Texas gun shop and it ships fast to your door.