The Snake Charmer is a
.410 bore
The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small g ...
, stainless steel, single shot, break-action
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
, with an exposed hammer, an 18 1/8 inch barrel, black molded plastic furniture and a short thumb-hole butt-stock that holds four additional 2 1/2 shotgun shells. These light weight 3 1/2 pound guns have an overall length of 28 1/8 inches and will easily fit on the saddle of a horse.
They may also be easily disassembled for "storage in a back-pack or large
tackle box." They are commonly used by gardeners and farmers for
pest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...
. The term "Snake Charmer" would go on to become synonymous with any small, short-barreled, single-shot, .410 shotgun.
History
The Snake Charmer was introduced in 1978, by H.Koon, Inc, of Dallas, Texas.
['']Field & Stream
''Field & Stream'' (''F&S'' for short) is an American online magazine focusing on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. The magazine was a print publication between 1895 and 2015 and became an online-only publication from 2020.
History ...
''. News for 1979 Part II. by Bob Brister. May 1979. page 159['']Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
''. Short Gun. by Paul Wahl. July 1978, p. 58 It originally sold for $89.95
and was marketed as a general purpose utility shotgun perfect for "Fishing - Hunting - Camping - Back Packing - Survival - Home Defense - Truck or Jeep Gun."
Koons would sell the company to Sporting Arms Mfg, of Littlefield, Texas. They added a manual safety switch which blocked the hammer when engaged and re-brand it as the Snake Charmer II. Sporting Arms would introduce the Night Charmer (disc. 1988) which featured a flashlight built into the fore-stock. This flashlight equipped fore-stock was also available as an option and sold separately. Sporting Arms would also introduce a larger version, the Field Gun which featured a full length stock and a 24-inch barrel.
The design was later sold to V.B.E, Inc, of Clay Center, Kansas. They were later made by
Verney-Carron
Verney-Carron S.A. is a French firearm manufacturing company based in Saint-Etienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The company makes a wide range of hunting shotguns and rifles. In 2004, Verney-Carron purchased the traditional artisan gun making compa ...
. Imported ones would have the importer (Kebco LLC) marked on them.
Other versions
Snake Charmer or Snake Tamer type shotguns are also made by
Rossi as well as
Harrington and Richardson
H&R 1871, LLC, or more commonly known as Harrington & Richardson, is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased production February 27, 2015.
History
The original H&R firm was in business for over a centu ...
.
The
Rossi Tuffy
Rossi may refer to:
* Rossi (surname)
* Carlo Rossi (wine), a brand of wine produced by the E & J Gallo Winery
* Rossi Codex, 14th century collection of Italian music of the Trecento
* Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, a satellite
* Rossi (manufacture ...
is a single-shot
.410-bore shotgun. It features half-length thumb-hole polymer stock that holds four additional shot-shells and strongly resembles the original Snake Charmer. Unlike its predecessor, it has ejectors that automatically expel spent shells.
The
H&R Snake Tamer is also a Snake Charmer like shotgun. Available in 20-gauge or .410-bore/
.45 Colt
The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1 ...
only. These single-shot guns have either a blued finish or an electroless nickel finish with a full-length thumb-hole polymer stock. The right side of the stock is open with storage for three 20-gauge or four .410-bore shotgun shells. It also has ejectors that automatically expel spent shells.
See also
*
.410 bore
The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small g ...
*
Garden guns
*
Gauge (firearms)
The gauge (or commonly bore in British English) of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter (bore diameter) of the barrel.
Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the f ...
*
Kit gun
Kit guns are multi-purpose utility handguns, intended to be used for small game hunting, plinking, pest control, and self defense. They are generally small, lightweight, .22 rimfire revolvers, designed to be easily packed in a hunting, camping o ...
*
Snake shot
Snake shot (also commonly known as rat shot and dust shot) refers to handgun and rifle cartridges loaded with lead shot canisters instead of bullets, much like large caliber canister shot. Snake shot is generally used for shooting snakes, rodents ...
*
Snake Slayer
References
{{Reflist
External links
Pictures of Snake CharmerVideo of Snake Charmer 410 shotgun. BATJAC J.WVideo of a Rossi Snake Charmer vs a CopperheadVideo of Collapsible Shotgun 410 / 45 colt / 12 Ga. NEF Survivor Tamer
Single-shot shotguns of the United States
Survival guns
Takedown guns