I’m not envisioning anyone that is not experienced with a side arm, intentionally messing with poisonous snakes. As for a .22, it won’t have much of a kick, but it is much harder to hit, particularly when the blood is pumping and you are dealing with a snake that can seriously hurt or kill them.
Figure I can get them hitting just about anything with a shotgun, and with the variety of loads, they are set for a lot of critters that come around in southern AZ.
I do realize that a .38 or larger gun with shotshell carts is perhaps a better choice than a .22 for very inexperienced shooters or for those who fear snakes. In fact, I’d guess that a .410 pistol with a shotshell, because of the rifled barrel, creates a large “can’t miss” pattern. But even the .38’s & .357 Magnum’s I’ve tried are loud and have some kick - I need to combine the target / learning practice for my wife (with a sidearm she’s comfortable with) with the snake gun function.
In my own case, snakes don’t bother me unduly beyond the (instinctive?) 1st second or 2 of “yikes!” when one comes across a snake unexpectedly. And, I think I can place the pattern on the snake — problem is, with a .22 rifled barrel, unless one is really on top of the snake, the shot may go AROUND the snake’s head. That’s why I think what I’d really like to come up with is a used smoothbore barrel .22 pistol.
P.S. For a real challenge, one can try taking out a copperhead with a Crossman 1322. Not particularly recommended...