# Salt in shotgun shells **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576 "2015-12-15T22:54:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/1 "2015-12-15T22:54:20Z")
Old timers in rural areas would joke and boast and spin stories about putting rock salt in shotgun shells for a nonlethal deterrent weapon. Was this in fact done? Why would riot control people not use it instead of bean bags or rubber-bullets? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/2 "2015-12-15T22:58:06Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > Old timers in rural areas would joke and boast and spin stories about putting rock salt in shotgun shells for a nonlethal deterrent weapon. Was this in fact done? Why would riot control people not use it instead of bean bags or rubber-bullets? Every get an eye full of salt traveling at 500 fps? Better to get hit with a bean bag that covers more area. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/3 "2015-12-15T23:13:50Z")
A couple of friends of mine got shot at with salt one night while they attempted to go cow tipping. This was in rural WV back in the late 70s and early 80s time period. That was actually their second attempt to go cow tipping. The first time, they went into the wrong field and got chased by a bull. They never did tip a cow. I also knew several other people (again in rural areas) that kept salt shells to chase trespassers off of their property. I don’t know if they ever actually used them or not, but I know they had the shells already made up. So yeah, it was definitely done. Salt at any distance isn’t going to do more than sting you, or just scare the bejeezus out of you from the sound of the gun (as it did my friends). In a riot situation, it’s not going to be enough of a deterrent to stop rioters. A bean bag round or a rubber bullet is going to hurt enough that the rioters will think twice about pressing forward. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/4 "2015-12-15T23:30:25Z")
In rural Wisconsin, the combination was rock salt, lard and quicklime. The lime would burn, and the grease would make it hard to wash away with water. The salt would sting and give the load mass. My older brother took a round of this while out rambling one night. ---
**Author:** ![Dodgecity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cab0a1/32.png) [@Dodgecity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgecity)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/5 "2015-12-15T23:54:28Z")
I remember my father saying Wheat didn’t corrode the barrel . ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/6 "2015-12-16T00:12:45Z")
[A field test](http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-33-rock-salt-in-a-shotgun/). Bean bags are intended to knock people down. Salt will either not work or be unsafe. If you’re just relying on the sound to scare people, go nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/7 "2015-12-16T01:29:36Z")
I know of these brothers, who use salt in shotgun shells to dispel ghosts and a few other things that go bump in the night. They swear by it. I think their name is Winchet…, Wintester…, Wincest…, Winchester! That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/8 "2015-12-16T03:06:24Z")
Salt forms a cheap blank, but it can also be dangerously injurious at short range, so you might have learn its safe at 10 metres, but then it might be deadly at 8 metres… and highly inaccurate of aim at 8 metres… The example was already given, blinding an eye, or penetrating an ear or artery. The thing with a rubber bullet or similar is that its accurate until its not so injurious … This means it is able to be aimed if its in a dangerous range… so long as it was aimed at first, its not going to hit something too sensitive… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/9 "2015-12-16T18:23:44Z")
I recall a case in Indiana years ago where a homeowner, tired of repeated burglaries, set up a booby-trap with a shotgun set to fire rock salt. The next burglar died and the homeowner was charged in the death. I don’t recall how that case turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/10 "2015-12-16T18:30:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [A field test](http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-33-rock-salt-in-a-shotgun/). Excellent. The boxoftruth is a great web site. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/11 "2015-12-16T18:47:51Z")
Don’t recall where I read this: In England poachers would be shot with rock salt if caught. The gunman would yell “Run!” before firing so he’d hit the guy in the back and/or ass but avoid blinding him with some shot in the eye. It’s supposed to hurt like hell to have that salt dissolving in open wounds. ---
**Author:** ![Annadroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Annadroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annadroid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/12 "2015-12-16T19:12:46Z")
Mostly, we use bird food in bear grease. Coons and skunks do not like it. Salt works for bears better, though. Even better is having a couple farm dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/13 "2015-12-16T20:13:39Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The example was already given, blinding an eye, or penetrating an ear or artery. You mean… you’ll shoot your eye out? And taking a beanbag in the eye can’t be good either. Seems like worrying about one and not the other is silly. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/14 "2015-12-16T21:40:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You mean… you’ll shoot your eye out? > And taking a beanbag in the eye can’t be good either. Seems like worrying about one and not the other is silly. Pretty sure salt will spread a lot more than a beanbag will. A beanbag will stay in one piece, but a rocksalt load will disintegrate into a bunch of tiny shards of varying size. There’s a far higher chance of getting hit in the eye when there’s thousands of tiny shards aimed vaguely at you than when there’s one beanbag that’s presumably been aimed at your center of mass. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/15 "2015-12-17T09:10:49Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Salt forms a cheap blank, but it can also be dangerously injurious at short range, > so you might have learn its safe at 10 metres, but then it might be deadly at 8 metres… and highly inaccurate of aim at 8 metres… > The example was already given, blinding an eye, or penetrating an ear or artery. > > The thing with a rubber bullet or similar is that its accurate until its not so injurious … This means it is able to be aimed if its in a dangerous range… so long as it was aimed at first, its not going to hit something too sensitive… Rubber bullets are/were designed to be bounced of the ground. It can and sometimes has broken a leg with a direct hit. Certainly it could kill you with a head wound, but I’ve not read examples of that happening. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/16 "2015-12-17T10:55:38Z")
The Doctor use shotguns with rock salt cartridges to defeat the [Fendahl](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Fendahl). ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/17 "2015-12-17T12:46:21Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Rubber bullets are/were designed to be bounced of the ground. It can and sometimes has broken a leg with a direct hit. Certainly it could kill you with a head wound, but I’ve not read examples of that happening. I don’t know if these were head wounds, but here’s a list of 17 people killed by rubber/plastic bullets during the troubles in Northern Ireland. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/violence/rubberplasticbullet.htm](http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/violence/rubberplasticbullet.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/18 "2015-12-17T13:09:13Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Salt forms a cheap blank, but it can also be dangerously injurious at short range Pretty much true of all blanks, as Jon-Eric Hexum and Brandon Lee can testify. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/19 "2015-12-17T13:50:39Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > A couple of friends of mine got shot at with salt one night while they attempted to go cow tipping. Cow Tipping ? Urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576/20 "2015-12-17T13:54:11Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > Cow Tipping ? Urban legend. He said attempted. That part isn’t a legend. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-in-shotgun-shells/740576.md?page=2)