Lots of good ideas to be found here, but the best snake gun I ever saw was one of those little NEF .410s, called a snakeslayer or something like that. Wanna stay with a handgun? And it's gotta be a .22, nothing else?
Kinda limiting yourself IMO... If I'm dealing with a poisonous snake I want something that will kill his ass for sure...
I'd treat myself to a cheap .38 of some kind, cheap enough that if I lost it somehow it wouldn't take too much of my money with it. Or, a Charter Bulldog... that would work even better.
Too loud? Maybe one of those hoe-type implements from the box store that has the blade turned out longways to be used for scraping etc, (sharpen it up real good) and a bowie knife on your hip? Cut him in half, or pin him down with your hoe, bash him up good with a stone and decapitate him. It would be silent...
OTOH I used to hang out with some good ol' boys out in western Oklahoma who had these things that I'd describe as a small lasso on the end of a pole... they used them to go out and collect rattlers in the fall as they were going torpid. Not for me...
I know it's not what you axed for but I just had to share... :)
That’s all good info. to consider. I may get one of those Puma 1873’s that Rural King still has on sale, and do some tests. It would probably make a decent “1st handgun” to learn / practice with, for my wife & daughter, if nothing else.
Thanks to all, BTW, for all the info. and responses (except for the one poster who called me an ignorant hulking moron who apparently wants to kill every snake possible.)