What if I did this with a shotgun shell

[Wilsknife]

I have some 12 Gauge shells that I've taken the shot out. They still have the powder in them/
1) What would happen if I fired it w/o shot?
2) Could it be made into a flamethrower shell by putting gunpowder in the place for the shot?

Please keep in mind that I am a safe and sane gun user and reloader.
These hypotheses are simply ideas that took a jog through my brain.

Thanks for your input
Wil

[megasupermagnum]

1: Try it, there is no danger. Just make sure after you shoot there are no barrel obstructions. I've done it, and it more or less goes pop a little more than just a primer, wad flies out, nothing too exciting.

2: I wouldn't bother with this. If you wanted a flamethrower, you would be much farther ahead to make a blank of a full shotgun shell of blackpowder, with a thin card wad on top and crimped. They spit fire and smoke, and are LOUD.

[Winger Ed.]

It's more fun to let a kid dump out the powder on the ground and throw lit kitchen matches at it.

[rancher1913]

fill them back up with rock salt and save for a problem animal.

[Minerat]

Stuff them with tp and shoot confetti blanks. Make the tp damp and shoot big spitwads.

[15meter]

With no shot in the hull there won't be enough pressure to get the powder burning efficiently.

Stuck wads are the most common problem. I had one on Thursday when I was shooting sporting clays. Wad was stuck in the bore.

Check the bore after every shot if you shoot any of them. Wad stuck followed by normal load makes for a bad day.

[bedbugbilly]

When I was a kid, well over a half century ago, family friends would give me old shotgun shells of various gauges and I would break them down for the shot to use in my muzzloadind shotgun. I popped a few of them in a shotgun after removing the sho - soon got bored with it - from then on, I jest cut them and dumped the powder and tossed them. Every once in a while, I would receive old black powder shells - on those I would save the powder an recycle it in the front stuffer shotgun.

[richhodg66]

This discussion came up on here a few years ago, someone had a friend who died who wanted his cremains to be shot in the air by friends. Seems the consensus was it wouldn't work well due to the almost non-existent weight of the payload.

[Wilsknife]

I would do this.
Except the problem animal is directly related to the owner.
If the owner's an *******, more than likely their dog is too.

[Wilsknife]

Great idea 8-) What's the range on these?

[Wilsknife]

Number two sounds like fun 8-)
And I even have some black powder in inventory.
Rats! I have to wait until it's no longer fire season.
I sincerely hope it would scare the **** out of my neighbors :-P

[megasupermagnum]

This discussion came up on here a few years ago, someone had a friend who died who wanted his cremains to be shot in the air by friends. Seems the consensus was it wouldn't work well due to the almost non-existent weight of the payload.

I certainly didn't post this. Who said it wouldn't work? I've been rather secretive, because this still hurts bad, but I lost one of the closest people to me in 2019. He was a duck hunter, he is 1/2 the reason I was am a duck hunter. I tested this a bunch before I did it for real, but I ended up loading some shells with a normal charge of 700x powder and a normal lead shot wad. I then added a pinch, maybe 1/4 ounce of lead shot, along with a pinch of glitter for effect. I then had his son pour in his ashes and crimp the shells. We made about 10 of them. I had his son fire them around his favorite duck hunting spot. It was a sunny day, and it produced a pretty good effect. Stand upwind.


@Wilsknife, if you are just trying to mess around, one thing I've done in the past was take a primed shell, no powder, then put a lead shot in BACKWARDS. Depending on the wad, they fly ok. I seem to recall a winchester AA wad working the best. They may look slow, but I once shot a rabbit in the garden with one from about 20 yards away, hit it in the neck. It broke it's neck, and I had to kill it. Now that I think about it, they flew great from a rifled barrel.

[Mr_Sheesh]

If pressure is a problem i.e. with rock salt loads, make them BP rounds, then clean the gun well afterwards. Pressure won't be an issue.

[Half Dog]

Glitter!!! Now I’ve got to try that.