Garden guns are small bore shotguns commonly used by gardeners and farmers for pest control. They are made to fire small gauges such as .410 bore, .360 bore, 9mm Flobert, and .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, or .22 Long Rifle rimfire shotshell cartridges. They are short-range shotguns that can do little harm past 15 to 20 yd (14 to 18 m), and they are relatively quiet when fired with rimfire ammunition. These guns are especially suitable for use inside barns and sheds, as the low-velocity small shot will not penetrate roofs or walls, nor injure livestock with a ricochet. Such guns are also used for pest control at airports, warehouses, stockyards, etc.
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Garden gun in the context of Rat shot
Snake shot, rat shot, or dust shot, more formally known as shotshell (a name shared with the shotgun shell) or canister shot, refers to handgun and rifle cartridges loaded with lead shot canisters instead of bullets, intended for pest control (essentially small arms canister shot). The main targets for such ammunition are snakes, rodents, birds, and other pests at very close range.
The most common snake shot cartridge is .22 Long Rifle loaded with No. 12 shot. From a standard rifle these can produce effective patterns only to a distance of about 3 m (9.8 ft), but in a smoothbore shotgun (or garden gun) that can extend as far as 15 m (49 ft).
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