Pyrotechnic Rounds, If They Even Exist

There are 12 gauge bird bombs available. But a lot of states don't allow them except for wildlife control and only when authorized by their conservation departments.

I've seen firework shot shells when I was in Alabama, there used to be flare rounds to.

Used to see some sort of flame thrower type shotgun shells at the gun shows, called dragons breath maybe. Haven’t noticed them in quite one time.

ETA. Found them

https://www.ammunitiondepot.com/rdg...-phoenix-burst-incendiary-dragons-breath.html

I still want bird bombs after seeing ads for them in Shotgun News back in the 90s. No real need for them but I also want the black powder cannon that fires golf balls so it might be a character flaw (I like the term feature).

There's a local who makes special recipes like those. I'd have to check in next gun show, but apparently they're really well made.

My grampa used bird bombs all the time scare off flocks of birds. But that was back in the 1980's. Again check state laws before buying or using them.

Dragons breath is pretty impressive at night.

Great way to start a grass or forest fire and possibly burn down your range or home as well!

I can see why they might be banned.

Master Blaster said:

Great way to start a grass or forest fire and possibly burn down your range or home as well!

I can see why they might be banned.

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Probably way worse than tracers.

I check into those a few years ago, and found a company who makes them. In Wisconsin, at the time, I would have needed an FFL to receive them. They were not cheap. In 2018 they ran $3.50 each plus shipping, plus the FFL guy.
But there were discounts for buying larger packages. Go to the following URL and they claim $5.00 ea. in 25 quantities. https://anthonysfirearmwarehouse.com/exploding

Yep, perfectly legal in TN and work great for starting bonfires at night or lighting up brush piles from a distance .

The Glockodile said:

Those are a little bit more than fireworks...

Are they even legal?

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If you scroll down to the bottom of the page it states: Military and law enforcement are the only customers available for the Frag-12 exploding shotgun load. Too bad as they certainly could be fun for the rest of us too.

https://anthonysfirearmwarehouse.com/exploding-shotgun-ammo-meet-the-frag-12/

And considering those contain RDX which is a high explosive, Then NO they are not legal for civilian use. Unless you want to register each round as an explosive NFA item and pay the tax on east.

I should have replied directly to your post Glockodile, but I was referring to the Dragon's Breath being legal, not the Frag-12

I've had bird bombs and Dragons' Breath shells, and have had fun with both types. I still have a bird bomb shell. Might have to put that in my vest for a 'lender' alabi shell.

I used the bird bombs to chase the coots out of our decoys. If you've every seen a raft of coots try to take flight quickly.......

entropy said:

I used the bird bombs to chase the coots out of our decoys. If you've every seen a raft of coots try to take flight quickly.

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You should have just used steel shot and ate the dang coots. They are actual good eating when breasted out. I like to bread them with Andy's fish breading and deep fry the coot breast. Plus we have a more generous limit on coots, 15 per day and 30 in possession.

Great rafts of coot are a feature of the Everglades backcountry bays during winter... and every raft of them also has a small 'gator trying to sneak close enough to get chicken for breakfast... Since I'm a fisherman (and full time guide...) those birds will never have a problem with me and I use their presence (and other migratory types that come down here to winter over...) as markers for other things happening during that brief season...
Just nothing like the 'glades...

The Glockodile said:

...are there any Roman Candle - type rounds available for pump - actions?

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Just one ball of fire per shot.

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-Safety-Areial-Flare-Refill/dp/B001HWY6A0

12Bravo20 said:

You should have just used steel shot and ate the dang coots. They are actual good eating when breasted out. I like to bread them with Andy's fish breading and deep fry the coot breast. Plus we have a more generous limit on coots, 15 per day and 30 in possession.

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No thanks. When I was 12 or 13, my friend and I begged our dads to let us shoot some coots from a raft we were passing. They finally relented, stopped the boat, and let us shoot at the raft trying to take off. we each got a coot, and our dad's made us eat them for lunch. Even breasted, dredged in flour and fried in butter, that convinced us to never shoot another coot.
the fishiest duck I'll eat is bills, and only breasted and crock potted. I liked hunting them best, the sound their wings made when coming in sounds like little fighter jets on approach.

Pyrotechnic rounds for shotguns.

When I was a kid, my Uncle Ralph introduced me to an abandoned rock quarry, an open pit and five tunnels, just outside of town, generally used as an informal target range.

When fireworks were banned in the city, it was a place to go and shoot off fireworks. Including 12ga Orion Red Meteor flares, Dragon's Breath, and Bird Bombs (cylinder bore shotgun only).

Eventually the city limits expanded past the quarry, it was considered a nuisance, and refilled with demolition rock from construction excavations. Oh well, it was fun the decades it lasted.


I still have a small stash. (The 3 packs on the end are (DB, BB, flare) for signaling.)

I can't recommend firing pyrotechnic shotgun shells as an alternative where fireworks are banned, because they can present the same fire, noise, debris and injury hazards that got fireworks banned in the first place.

The old Meteor flares when fired up in the air will sometimes still be burning when they return to ground, so they are only safe to fire over water. If fired upward, you had better be in distress. Out of date flares can be fired horizontal across water for disposal proposes but only if the coast is clear.

Dragon's Breath is like the mix they use in flash-bang grenades: blindingly bright and deafening loud.

I bought a couple of 5-packs of these a while back. Fired one in the back yard at New Year's Eve, and was very pleased to see it function exactly as advertised from my 9.5" barrelled pistol-gripped 870. I fired from the hip at about a 30 degree angle, saw it track exactly as I'd aimed with no wavering though the 'slug' is extremely lightweight, then explode just as the arc of travel started to become significant. The explosion was very loud, much like the most expensive fireworks one can buy at Hallowe'en. Very satisfying. Like a small flash-bang grenade. I can see this being very effective in frightening off a bear, but will of course have slugs loaded as backup on hikes. Not a pyrotechnic device exactly in the sense that there's no obvious flame, but they do come with a warning not to shoot them into dry brush, as they would bring a high chance of a fire. Shooting up in the air gets that threat down to almost nothing. Not cheap, but a fun and potentially useful thing to have in the toolkit.

https://kodiakcanada.com/products/tru-flare-12-gauge-bear-banger-ammunition

I used to see pyrotechnic shells advertised but not so much anymore. From reading the previous posts it looks like there may be something similar available. As I read the OP, I thought about replacing the shot with steel wool. Not as dramatic but still impressive in the dark.

I had a customer who fired a Dragons Breath shell through the full choke bbl on a nice o/u shotgun. It stuck in the choke section and burned out there. It was an ugly mess, bluing ruined and the ribs desoldered for about 3”. No warning on the box about full choke use.