I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the reloading section so I hope you will entertain this thought. When I was young I remember reading a fictional story about a guy who was protecting his watermelon patch with a 12 gauge shotgun. Since he did not want to actually kill anyone he loaded all of his shells with rock salt instead of buckshot. I was curious as to whether anyone here has done this just for kicks and if it would actually be practical. Any personal experience that you wish to share?
Shot Shells Filled With Rock Salt
- Thread starter D-Rock
- Start date
- Location
- Where the sun shines
Heard a guy from my hometown tell a story about taking some rock salt in the arse during a cornfield raid...
Supposeably it hurts like nothing else. Not willing to find out personally, though...
Supposeably it hurts like nothing else. Not willing to find out personally, though...
MasterPython
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary AB
Back when we could still use lead shot for ducks my Uncle and late Gradfather used to load alot of shells. They had a problem with stray cats on the farm and one used some shells load with 1 1/2oz's of rock salt, the chunks like you put on the side walk, because my Grandmother didn't want the cats killed. Well it didn't go as planned. It was my job to clean them up and when shot at close range (5 yrds) I needed two shovels or a shovel and a rake to get the job done. Dont plan on shooting anything with rocksalt unless you dont care if it dies.......!!!!
Tim
Tim
50 years ago, any kid getting his ass shot because he was stealing or trespassing would know enough to keep quiet, because he would get a spank from his old man too.
Nowadays, the ERT team would do a full contact take down of the land owner, and he would face prison time for pointing a firearm
Nowadays, the ERT team would do a full contact take down of the land owner, and he would face prison time for pointing a firearm
As a kid growing up in Enland alll the local land was owned by Lord Lambton ( As a coincidence he's a descendant of a govenor General of Canada.) Anyways this guy employed numerous gamekeepers. We always heard stories that the gamekeepers loaded shells with salt to shoot us kids out tresspassing and poaching rabbits. I never met one single kid that had actually been shot though and I tresspassed a lot. I did get my arse kicked a couple of times though.
300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
I heard lots of stories too about farmers with rocksalt spewing shotguns. I've never seen a shell loaded with rocksalt though. Is it a rural legend?
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Not a story ... fact.
When on one of several hunting/fishing vacations in Cuba, I became friendly
with one of the hotel's security guards at the complex I was staying at.
Knowing I was a Canuck, he was very interested in hearing about hunting & fishing up here, so I was glad to oblige ... his English being better than my Spanish. As an aside, one evening, I asked what his sawed-off tactical looking Spanish-made shotgun was loaded with. He popped out a couple of loads ... 20 gauge, Cuban made ("Cohma" brand) shells loaded with rock salt. His job was to patrol the perimeter of the inside of the resort and to keep out any potential baddies who might take a shine to the guest/tourists belongings. He told me it was not a common occurence, but on the few times a local or two tried to scale the fence, a couple of rock salt rounds sent them scurrying !
When on one of several hunting/fishing vacations in Cuba, I became friendly
with one of the hotel's security guards at the complex I was staying at.
Knowing I was a Canuck, he was very interested in hearing about hunting & fishing up here, so I was glad to oblige ... his English being better than my Spanish. As an aside, one evening, I asked what his sawed-off tactical looking Spanish-made shotgun was loaded with. He popped out a couple of loads ... 20 gauge, Cuban made ("Cohma" brand) shells loaded with rock salt. His job was to patrol the perimeter of the inside of the resort and to keep out any potential baddies who might take a shine to the guest/tourists belongings. He told me it was not a common occurence, but on the few times a local or two tried to scale the fence, a couple of rock salt rounds sent them scurrying !
Rock salt is a fact...there are also folks in our area that are rumoured to still use it on trespassers/vandals.
One thing is it becomes extra nasty, and potentially lethal if the salt has a chance to gather moisture, and turn into salt slugs.
Prob' also not good for the barrel over time.
One thing is it becomes extra nasty, and potentially lethal if the salt has a chance to gather moisture, and turn into salt slugs.
Prob' also not good for the barrel over time.
Use those little soft rubber ball rounds instead. Although I don't think it would do too much damage if that's what you want. Or you could use some bird bangers and scare the #### out of someone.
Or if you're really evil........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon's_Breath
Or if you're really evil........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon's_Breath
- Location
- Where the sun shines
Calum said:OMFG! That would be a great gag at a trap event.
(
Oooooh... that would be fun...
Yup, salt slugs, seen at one year at band camp, er I mean, hunt camp.
There was a phsyco dog that kept coming around, fighting with our dogs and getting into the garbage. Buddy grabbed rocksalt loaded 12ga shells that had been sitting in the damp cabin all year. From 40 feet, it dropped the dog where it stood, went right through, in one side and out t'other. We checked the other cartridges in the cabin, cut one apart to find that the crushed salt was like concrete, had solidified and was a solid chunk.
That is why non clumping table salt is ionised, to keep it freeflowing.
There was a phsyco dog that kept coming around, fighting with our dogs and getting into the garbage. Buddy grabbed rocksalt loaded 12ga shells that had been sitting in the damp cabin all year. From 40 feet, it dropped the dog where it stood, went right through, in one side and out t'other. We checked the other cartridges in the cabin, cut one apart to find that the crushed salt was like concrete, had solidified and was a solid chunk.
That is why non clumping table salt is ionised, to keep it freeflowing.
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No doubt I speak for all members of CGN - a law abiding and peaceful group of hobbyists and enthusiasts involved enjoying and PRESERVING shooting sports - when I say:
And thank god for that! Some things deserve to be a part of history and nothing more.
So close to 30 years ago I got the idea to help out our terrier with the cat problem in town. Coarse salt was chosen, as well as wheat, and a salt load with 3 Tylenol stacked in the center.
Testing revealed the following (which led to not using it on the cats):
Too noisy for use in town.
Tylenol will dent plywood at 15 yards and leave a pulver smear
Salt will clump and turn into a slug
Wheat carries better than salt but patterns terribly
I never used any loads on the cats as the last thing I wanted was kitty to crawl its way home with an eyeball hanging out, or some other cruel and grotesque flesh wound. If that was to happen it would have to be the dog's fault, but a quick shake by the scruff of the neck kept kittys from crawling anywhere...
The wild cats at the town dump always got #5 lead or a 40gr .22 slug - no experimenting, just plain dead.
Testing revealed the following (which led to not using it on the cats):
Too noisy for use in town.
Tylenol will dent plywood at 15 yards and leave a pulver smear
Salt will clump and turn into a slug
Wheat carries better than salt but patterns terribly
I never used any loads on the cats as the last thing I wanted was kitty to crawl its way home with an eyeball hanging out, or some other cruel and grotesque flesh wound. If that was to happen it would have to be the dog's fault, but a quick shake by the scruff of the neck kept kittys from crawling anywhere...
The wild cats at the town dump always got #5 lead or a 40gr .22 slug - no experimenting, just plain dead.
A few decades ago it was common practice in south west MB to let all the horses except for the winter chore team roam the countryside scrounging whatever they could find (usually at the neighbours haystack/strawstack). It was also common practice to load a few shells with coarse pickling salt to urge the strays on their way. The salt slug that resulted if these "reloads" were kept too long never killed any of them but on at least one occasion I was sent to hitch our team up to drag the incriminating evidence back over into the neighbour's quarter only to have the problem get shakily to its feet and leave.
