Alligator Ammo

One of the highlights from my trip to the 143rd NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits was catching up with my friend Jacob Landry from History Channel's "Swamp People." Jacob, along with his dad, Troy, and his brother, Chase, were visiting with fans of the show at the CCI ammo booth.

The last time I got to hang out with Jacob was during the Gamo Squirrel Master Classic. At the NRA show, we talked about something a bit bigger and more dangerous: gators. Specifically, the ammo Jacob and Troy Landry use to kill gators. I can't be the only one surprised that nearly all the gator hunters on "Swamp People" use rimfires to dispatch the toothy reptiles. But according to Troy, the .22 Mag. is the best gator "headache medicine" a swamper can get.

"It's the perfect gun," he said. "It's strong enough, but it's not overkill. The bullet stays in the gator and doesn't pass thru to my boat."

"Plus," added Jacob, "with as many gators as we shoot, it's affordable."

The Landrys like the CCI Maxi Mag 40-grain JHP load for their gator work. (CCI has a Troy Landry Signature Series line that includes this load.) Alongside the boat at ranges measured in feet, the load's 300-plus foot-pounds of energy anchors alligators immediately with a shot to the brain or the spine just behind it.

"When you're shooting a big animal, 600 or 700 pounds, with CCI it's one shot," said Troy. "I need that quick kill. My safety depends on the bullet I shoot."