rock salt loads

[farmbif]

has anyone actually made a rock salt shotgun load?
I have vivid memory from childhood of being warned by elders not to even try to cut through a certain cornfield down the road because the old man down there would blast you with a shotgun load of rock salt.
don't know what made me think of this today but thought id put it out here.

[tankgunner59]

I've never made any but I would be interested.
We were warned about the farmer down the road who guarded his watermelon patch with a shotgun and rock salt rounds. My brother once was shot with the rock salt, according to my mom it heals quickly. That was many years ago.

[farmbif]

I don't have any cheap shotguns to try this out with but do have a buldged barrel for the 1100 that I guess I could try it with.
rock salt---I'm thinking the stuff used for making ice cream might fit the bill, I'm not sure.
first thing I guess is to weigh out an ounce or ounce and a quarter and see if it will fit in shell.
my neighbor just got a new refrigerator--the box will work great for seeing what the pattern is like.
I'm thinking these shells would need to be kept real dry the way salt reacts to humidity
--just a few thoughts on the subject--

[Hogtamer]

I thought you Tennessee boys knew it is rocksalt and nails!
JD Crow has reloading advice...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ije0CyGK8

[imashooter2]

We live in a much different world today. You can’t even stand in your front yard holding a rifle when an angry mob threatens you. I can’t imagine how much it would cost for your lawyer to argue that shooting that guy with a shotgun wasn’t really attempted murder because it was only salt…

[too many things]

most was BS but if you did try you best think about a LONG clean time
i have used them many years back before the cups . for dogs and cats
it wont kill but they stayed away
about 20 yd is max 2 powder card over 16gr reddot . but make sure you want to spend 1 hr cleaning if you dont 2weeks the gun is trash
most used in a double or single LOT easier to clean
just info only

[poppy42]

has anyone actually made a rock salt shotgun load?
I have vivid memory from childhood of being warned by elders not to even try to cut through a certain cornfield down the road because the old man down there would blast you with a shotgun load of rock salt.
don't know what made me think of this today but thought id put it out here.

Paul Harrell covered this topic and one of his videos. Basically the rocksalt pulverize and to powder once it’s fired from a shotgunand. not effective at all! Right up there with the old wives tale about Shooting coins (dimes) out of a shotgun. Not only that you would have a hard time explaining to the authorities why you used a deadly weapon when it didn’t meet the criteria by which you’re allowed to use deadly force.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Not rock salt, but have loaded thousands of 12ga with sorgham seed. Absolutely shreds them out to 20 feet! The team of shooters have got over 7,000 rats out of a piggery in the last 4 years.

[barrabruce]

Prilled potassium nitrate (salt petre ) is what you want.
That is what they were referring too.
It is round and solid and flys better than ground chunks of salt.
Sting like all get out when it brakes the skin apparently.
It does on cuts on the hand while playing with it.

Maybe a good clean with warm soapy water first would help cleaning procedure.

[Stephen Cohen]

Prilled potassium nitrate (salt petre ) is what you want.
That is what they were referring too.
It is round and solid and flys better than ground chunks of salt.
Sting like all get out when it brakes the skin apparently.
It does on cuts on the hand while playing with it.

Maybe a good clean with warm soapy water first would help cleaning procedure.

Yes and gets the attention of a stray bull that knocked over Grandads fence to eat his corn. My Uncle shot the poor thing in the Gon---. I can also vouch for tipping out the shot and replacing with as much soap a you can fit in the shot cup and allow it to dry, the resulting bruise with centre of mass shot has to be seen to be believed. When Police showed up he was still screaming and rolling on ground outside the bedroom window. Never underestimate the power of a 410 shotgun in an angry woman's hands. Regards Stephen

[Jim22]

No, but I used to load 20 ga shells with popcorn. Dump out the shot, pour out half the powder, replace the wad and fill with unpopped popcorn. We had a local dog that liked to do his business in our yard. Caught him one day as he was squatting. He never finished his work - took off runnung around the house. I ran around my side reloading the single barrel shotgun and gave him another as he was running awaay. Never came back.

[jsizemore]

Sounds like you POPPED him good.

[Hanzy4200]

I know a guy, who is around 65 year old, who took a load of rock salt to his buttocks when he was around 15. That would make it in the ballpark of 1970. He and his buddies used to break into railroad cars at night in Baltimore MD. He didn't say how far away the rail yard bull was, but that is pockmarked his back and butt as he was running away. Said he cried like a infant. It stung like you couldn't believe and his mom spent a hour picking it out of his bare buns.

In today's climate, there is literally zero possible reason to load this, other than as a novelty. Firing a load of anything at a person is a quick attempted murder charge.

[poppy42]

The only time a fire arm should be pointed in the direction of a human is to the threat eliminate a threat of serious bodily harm or death to you or another person! Doesn’t matter what that firearm is loaded with! Let’s not forget one of the four basic rules. Do you know never point a firearm at something you’re not willing to destroy! Besides, Like I said in my earlier post all the videos I’ve seen where someone has attempted this the rocksalt pulverized as it was leaving the barrel.Like I said in my earlier post all the videos I’ve seen where someone has attempted this the rocksalt pulverized as it was leaving the barre! IMHO all the stories about loading A shotgun shell with Rock salt is nothing more than old wise tales. And if by chance they are true and it’s affective what do you think would happen if someone was hit in the face and eyes with a load of rock salt? As someone else stated I see absolutely no reason to try this other than a novelty!

[pashiner]

I know this is ill-advised, and I'd never suggest anyone try it, but a few summers ago my neighbor and I convinced each other to buy mossberg shockwaves. While they're not ideal for anything but messing around, we had quite some fun loading shells with a magnum primer, a stack of homemade cardboard wads, and some feed corn dusted in carpenter's chalk. Out to 15 yards, it patterns about like #4 buck, you barely feel it hit you, and it leaves pretty identifiable marks.
Now of course we had a strict policy of starting with the guns disassembled, our pockets emptied, and we'd load all the corn ammo on the porch immediately prior to the "gunfight".
No powder or lead allowed anywhere near the loading session.
We could reload the same shells dozens of times, even with loose primer pockets.
Nobody got hurt, and we both got pretty darn good at close quarters fighting with shorty shotguns.
His chickens loved it by the way.
I'd never put rocksalt through any of my guns, but I'll bet with a few grains of red dot, that feed corn would tear you up.