Rock salt shotgun shells

[belton-deer-hunter]

i make them every once in a while i will have to make some soon to try out of my 870 but there is one thing to note here always clean your gun really good after putting salt throught the barrel
*as if must needed to be told*

 

[HankB]

These days, I'd never consider using rock salt on a trespassing kid pilfering my garden . . . if not for all the legal reasons that prevail today, it's the likelihood of the kid coming back and doing some serious damage to my property when I wasn't around. (Thinking back to my younger days, I wasn't a thief to begin with, but if I'd gotten a backside full of rock salt, reprisals would've been forthcoming . . .)

 

[bakert]

My Dad, 85 yrs old, tells me my grandfather dumped the shot and refilled the cases with pinto beans for use on a neighbor stealing his chickens. Said at very close range it worked pretty good. No real damage but a very load squeal.

 

[Dave R]

Probably an urban legend, but I read on the Internet a tale about an old granny who shot some n'er-do-wells with rock salt. But the distance was too short. Only about 20 feet. Both died, and she got tried for murder.

Like I said, probably not true, but a legitimate danger.

 

[sealer]

i have used broken glass on rogue dogs with outstanding success.
dennis

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Rock Salt Done That

When I was a commercial Police ammo reloader, word got out from some satisfied customers that I could load special shotgun ammo to order and I wound up loading the salt in every caliber but .410.

When I retired to my Northern ranch I put some of my remaining loads to good use on feral dogs and met one rather big dog nose to nose with my wifes Yorkie dog. I let it have a load of the salt in its really long rear end and that mountain lion screamed for a full half mile through the forest til couldn't hear him any more.

The next time the Yorkie told a lion off it had my wifes cat in its mouth and a load of #6 shot made the lion drop the cat. It sure was a chore catching that cat. Wrapped up the cat in towels and sewed up a hole in its side.

The next time it happened it was at night and that time the lion got a load of police buckshot in its rear end and there was that half mile scream again. That was one brave female yorkie and it really told that lion off because my wifes cat was in its mouth again. There was three pairs of eyes up the hill so had to figure where the lions rear end was. It took a week to catch that cat in a have a heart trap. The cat had a hole in its throat this time and it meowed out that hole. Sewed it up again and the cat went crazy a month later screaming constantly so my daughter drove down the mountain to the closest town Vet who put the poor cat to sleep as it had enough misery.

That Yorkie was a survivor.

I still have some 16 Ga salt loads left but have never found another 16 ga shotgun owner bothered by feral dogs.

Everybody knew enough to clean their weapons after just in case.

I did have a kill permit at the time and still have it 20 years later for being the first one issued for stock losses after a long moritorium.

 

[Tidewater Tom]

I once had an old timer tell me he loaded some shells with raw bacon to use on kids stealing from his fields. They always wore shorts in the summer time and he would aim low. He never saw the welts they made on their legs but by the screams coming from the kids as they ran it must have been something!

 

[ball3006]

My buddy's butt remembers rock salt well....

It was around 1958 and we were stealing watermelons and the farmer caught us at it. We ran in opposite directions and luckily for me, he shot at my bud and not me.........Just open a shotshell, dump out the shot and reload with rock salt. Push the crimp closed and seal with a dab of melted wax......chris3

 

[bogie]

Keep in mind that if you're close, you basically have the same effect that a lead load would have. When I was in college, one of the frat rats darn near got one of his legs blown off - he was watering one of his neighbors' shrubberies when the neighbor decided he'd had enough, and popped him from the rear. Problem was what he was too close, and there was a LOT of muscle damage.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Used to have a neighbor who suffered from dogs tearing up his trash. He didn't want to really hurt them, just run them off. He'd pull the bullet from a 22LR, dump about 3/4 of the powder, then ram the case down on a bar of soap about a half inch thick to 'cookie cutter' out a new projectile.

Coming out of a rifle fired from inside the house, they were real quiet, stung the heck out of a dog, but didn't really hurt the critter. I never tried it, but he claimed it worked well for him.

 

[wolfe28]

This one's for Butch.

When I was a kid, one of the leaders of my scout troop, Butch (who passed away about a year and a half ago), had a few stories about this. Butch was a gun collecter, Life member of the NRA, taught Rifle and Shootgun merit badge, and had a collection of firearms at the Cowboy Hall of Fame (just to name a few things).
Anyway, when he was in the Army Core of Engineers (Demolitions, 1950's) in Hawaii, he would often have to pull guard duty. For this, he carried an 870 loaded with table salt (not rock salt). Reason: while rock salt will travel a respectable distance, and sting like crazy, the table salt will burn like hell at close range, and there is nothing to dig out. You just have to sit there and let it disolve (which will take a while).
One story he told involves someone hopping over a fence to get on base. Butch caught him trying to get back over the fence, and put two rounds into his back side (one for each cheek). Who ever it was, didn't sit down for about a month.
After he got out of the army he still kept some table salt rounds arround for home defence. I believe, he had a mossburg bulpup shotgun converted to a left hand eject (he was a south paw, as well as being a machinest), and that was the only gun that was ever stored loaded in his house, with table salt.

 

[chrisbfd]

B.S. Salt loads

This makes for an interesting read.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot33.htm

 

[Buckshooter]

cazz223- You sure that was tea in your britches?

 

[jhco]

I've always been told that you make your own, but this day in time Some body has to be making these. Try google searching it
If not just open the shot shell pour out the shot refill with salt then close the crimp back up and seal it with a little candle wax. Broken glass works well too in place of salt.

 

[Supertac45]

I can't imagine the use for rock salt or broken glass. On animals, it's cruel due to the amount of suffering they have if you penetrate the skin. On humans, it's a law suit that will cost you everything you own. If lethal force is legal to use, use it; if not, call the police is what I'd do if anything. I'd never shoot anyone for stealing some food. And yes, I've had it happen several times over the last few years when I looked out and saw people stealing my apples, pears, or plums. If they would have asked, I'd probably would have said yes.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I knew an old man in Maine that liked to shoot kids who took his wormy apples wth rocksalt. I wish that I could remember his name. I would like to return the favor!!!

 

[Nanook]

40 years ago, on the south side of Chicago, us kids always "knew" that the railroad guys had shotguns loaded with rock salt.

We would yell for chalk, don't remember why now, and usually would be rewarded with a chunk of chalk.

Sometimes a kid or two would do something stupid, and the old saw would come out. "The railroad guys will shoot you in the butt with rock salt!"

I never actually saw anyone shot this way, just heard the stories.

 

[ljnowell]

Salt & Pepper?? You could pre-season you food and not worry about picking the shot out

They actually make those, I will see if I can find the link

eta: http://www.seasonshot.com/Home.cfm

 

[shiftyer1]

I didn't read that site mostly because i'll laugh to loud and wake the wife and kids. If that exists and works it's crazy.

 

[z28orshoot]

a reduced powder charge and airsoft bb's also works great....

 

[velojym]

I wonder whether that site was put up on April 1.

 

[hso]

Considering the legal climate it is foolish to think about doing this these days.

 

[kyhareraiser]

my dad and grandpa used to open the end of a shot shell and pour out the shot ,stuff epson salt and bean seed back in them and use for wild dogs roamin' arround. i remember some that went bawling alway across the hill

 

[[email protected]]

When my dad was a kid here in Bakersfield a Chinese man had a field of sugarcane the kids would rob, he threw knives at the kids, never heard of a blade hitting a kid, always in the fence as the kids ran by.

As a kid in NC I got nailed by a load of rocksalt for hunting tree squirrels on a farmers property, not only did it hurt like sin but telling dad (who was a doctor) what happened only got me in more trouble for trespassing, no love for the wounded lol.

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone ask that question? No, you can't buy them. Just pry open the end of any shotgun shell, pour out the lead (or steel) and replace with anything you like. My grandfather always used split peas or rice to run off dogs and raccoons when they got in his trash cans......