"Ringing" a shotgun shell???

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Hypnogator

Hypnogator

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Has anyone ever heard of a practice called "Ringing" a shotgun shell? A letter my wife found in The Backwoodsman magazine asks about it.

Apparently it involves "cutting in front of the brass on a shotgun shell lightly so when it is fired that part breaks off from the shell and goes to the target.":what::eek::confused::confused::confused:

Sounds idiotic and dangerous to me, plus I fail to see any purpose to it, other than to convert a shot shell into a pseudo-slug. I guess that might be the purpose, since The Backwoodsman is chock-full of info on survivalist and free-living tips such as how to reload .22 rimfire cartridges using match heads for priming compound, etc.

I doubt it could be done with a modern plastic shell, though it might be possible with an old high-base paper shell. I don't think it could be done successfully without sealing the crimp so it wouldn't open, and I would think it would be just asking to leave the front of the hull in the barrel as an obstruction. :uhoh:

I'm posting this in the General forum to get wider exposure. Mods feel free to move this to Shotguns if appropriate. I had never heard of anything like this and am wondering if anyone else has. :confused:
 
Thanks, Sam! Knew I could count on the knowledge base here.

Doesn't sound like something I would care to try!
 
Pour wax in the wad cup amongst the shot. It will work as a solid as well and maintain the diameter it is supposed to be. Then you can go home with all your fingers and eyes.
 
There is a you-tube video making the rounds of gun forums of this very thing.
It's being touted by the unknowing as a great thing.:eek:
Maybe in the old days with paper hulls it MIGHT work, but with todays plastic shells....................?
I'm not a ballistician, but common sense tells me that trying to force something larger than barrel diameter down the bore at 1200 fps (give or take) is going to cause a large pressure spike.
Maybe I'm just old school, but I only fire the ammo that my firearms are designed for.
 
EMC45 said:
Pour wax in the wad cup amongst the shot. It will work as a solid as well and maintain the diameter it is supposed to be. Then you can go home with all your fingers and eyes.
Click to expand...

And in California get arrested if you are caught. Hunting shotguns are intended to be used in a sporting manner by appropriate ammunition for the task at hand.

You can get slugs in a number of configurations and shot loads of all sizes and types right off the shelf. Why risk damaging a good shotgun by dinking with the shells? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Dan
 
Search function is your frield. I've done it in my mis-spent youth and survived and so did my 16 gauge full choked single shot shotgun. It's good knowledge to have if the apocalypses comes, but not something I ever do. Probably tough on bores and breeches and such considering the pressure HAS to spike pretty bad pushing the shell down the bore like that.
 
Back in the days when slugs weren't all that common, some of the older shot-gunners in these parts would shoot cut shells. With the availability and variety of slugs now, I see no purpose in it.
 
I've heard of them mostly from old timers using way back when slugs weren't common, or during the depression turning bird shot into something useful for larger game. I can't really see a use for them today which also explains why it seems rare to hear about them.
 
I've seen people use ringed loads a number of times, also shells loaded with air rifle shot, nails, pieces of coathanger wire, bolts and small nuts. most are harmful to the bore or ineffective.

Waxed or epoxied birdshot loads are a lot safer than ringing a shell, I've done it as an expedient defense round, never for hunting (Illegal where I live). removing some shot from the shell, then adding an equal weight of wax or fast-setting epoxy is something I'd do at a pinch, but I'll pass on using any steel items, thank you.
 
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EMC45 said:
Pour wax in the wad cup amongst the shot. It will work as a solid as well and maintain the diameter it is supposed to be. Then you can go home with all your fingers and eyes.
Click to expand...
No. Pour out the shot and then melt the wax into the shot and then pour/put that mixture back into the shell while still liquid.
If you just pour hot wax into the shot column it will not be homogenous.. it'll harden before forming/becoming a glue-like matrix.
 
Take a normal, loaded shell and try to push the crimp end into the muzzle...you will see why this is a VERY BAD idea.

a FORMER Shooting Budd tried that with his then new Rem 1100 Full choke barrel. Peeled the choke end alomst like you see in cartoons.

After buying a new Full Choke barrel, he tried the 'stack-o-dimes-in-the shell'. Peeled back the SECOND barrel, just like cartoons.

Now you see why he is a FORMER Shooting Budd.....
 
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Agreed that it is not a great idea. VERY suprised that the barrel of an 1100 couldn't stand up to it!

It has been done many tens of thousands of times. Obviously exceeds the design pressure of the gun, but rarely exceeds the yeild strength or "safety factor" or "proof" strengh.

I've done it myself (once). Past relatives of mine told me it was fairly common back "in the day". Even if those were all paper-hull shells, I don't see those being any more compressible (probably less so!) than modern plastic hulls.
 
As mentioned its been done for years and can be done today with pretty much any load. It is a easy way to turn #8s into a slug. Necessity is the mother of invention as slugs were either expensive or unavailable.

It's not 100% safe and shouldn't be recommended but that doesn't mean its not good to know.
 
its a good thing to know if you were in a spot were you needed
a slug and had to make one i would do it
 
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