Rock Salt

[Joe Chartreuse]

Quick question: How long can I keep rock salt shot chambered before I have to worry about the casing breaking down and the salt damaging my shotgun? I use rock salt for the first round before getting serious. Before you answer, please note that I don't care about opinions on my use of it, only the information that I requested. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Jakeintexas]

The rounds themselves can last anywhere from 1 year to several decades depending on how they were packed and storage conditions; particularly humidity.

Unless perfectly sealed (ie salt not leaking out from the shell) depending on conditions (humidity and temp) they will begin damaging the chamber on the day they’re put in. Salt water is one of the worst things you can do to steel.

I can not think of a dumber thing to do to a shotgun. And something less effective in every way but still carrying legal consequences and liability. If you ever fire it you’ll get a cloud of salt which won’t project or impact anything like you think it will or really do much outside of ten feet. And still have the same deadly force civil and criminal liabilities as if you shot buckshot or a slug. You’re better off with a blank cartridge in every way.

It’s an old wives tale that has the real world effect of screwing up the shotgun.

 

[jimbo1096]

I would think that if you’re using plastic hulls and your sealing the end of the crimp, you can probably use it for several years, but I would really consider pulling it every six months to check into chambers and cleaning if necessary
I don’t think I’d like to do it with my better shotguns. Just load number six or seven shot instead.

 

[protoolman]

I don't know, Doubt anyone does as I think rock salt is 90 percent wives tale an 10 percent ignorant people who heard something about it. I'd be afraid if it was actually fired of the corrosion it would cause. But hey, experiment and let us know?

 

[Paul B]

W ell, I for one think it's a pretty dumb idea. Probably useless for anything other than a warning shot. I'm hearing more and more people saying use number 6 or 7 shot and be done with it, especially if you're shooing within the home. My shotgun is loaded with double ought buck because I thought that was the way to go, I still think that way to some degree because if I'm at one end of my hallway and the bad guy is at the other???? After all it is a 60 foot hallway. Hopefully the need to use it will never come up.
PJ

 

[Mobuck]

this is a joke, right?

 

[blume357]

seems most above failed to either read the whole post or just ignore part of it.
I'd say plastic shell well sealed at the crimp and remove, examine and clean the chamber anyway every month at least.
I have no opinion on its use in this regard and would not give one anyway since the the OP requested we not.

 

[Yaworski]

For those insisting on offering an opinion, here's a article about the subject.

https://www.ammoman.com/blog/rock-salt-shotgun-shells/

In a dry environment, I wouldn't think that there's be a problem with the shells in the shotgun. If it is very humid, that salt will start absorbing water like mad and eventually salty water could leak out of the shells.

 

[gjgalligan]

I happen to know about a couple of young guys, around 12 or 13, had to pick rock salt out of each other's back side back in the 60s.
For them rock salt was very convincing that they should change their behavior.

 

[Mike J]

A couple of guys I grew up with & one co-worker all told me that rock salt stings really badly. I'm grateful I never learned about that.

 

[PapaDetail]

They make rubber buckshot and rubber slug shot shells, would not have to worry about corrosion.

 

[Terry Morgan]

 

[Jakeintexas]

I’m kinda doubting that.

Or it was a very close shot; inside of 10-15 yards.

https://www.theboxotruth.com/threads/the-box-o-truth-33-rock-salt-in-a-shotgun.357/

 

[s4s4u]

I use rock salt for the first round before getting serious.

 

[375hh1973]

Hows rock salt pattern at 10 yards?

 

[Jakeintexas]

Hows rock salt pattern at 10 yards?

Mostly a cloud of fine salt. With a few granules making it through. Plenty of internet videos on it. Likely wouldn't make it through a T-shirt. Definitely not denim.

The wad itself is probably the thing that's going to hurt the most. So you get all the legal and civil liability with none of the benefit.

3:10

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

seems most above failed to either read the whole post or just ignore part of it.
I'd say plastic shell well sealed at the crimp and remove, examine and clean the chamber anyway every month at least.
I have no opinion on its use in this regard and would not give one anyway since the the OP requested we not.

Thank you.

 

[Jakeintexas]

this is a joke, right?

seems most above failed to either read the whole post or just ignore part of it.
I'd say plastic shell well sealed at the crimp and remove, examine and clean the chamber anyway every month at least.
I have no opinion on its use in this regard and would not give one anyway since the the OP requested we not.

I'm kinda thinking the whole motivation behind the thread was a kind of farce of something ridiculous to do to a gun (or ever to use in any form of defensive situation; no one knowing anything about guns or self defense would actually use rock salt in a defensive shotgun for any reason) and see what kind of responses surface.

 

[blume357]

Seems many of you did not grow up in the rural south....

 

[turd]

I agree with Blume on this one. If loaded in a plastic shell and sealed, the shells should be good for at least a month. But I then would remove them and clean the firearm before reloading them. How you would seal the shell could be the issue. I also would fire them after a certain period of time or destroy them, because salt attracts moisture and will clump up and perhaps become a solid if any moisture penetrates that shell.

I love all the stories about rock salt being fired at the behinds of miscreants, but I doubt those were loaded and left in the firearm for any length of time.

 

[Yaworski]

Seems many of you did not grow up in the rural south....

My mother-in-law is from South Carolina and tells stories of raiding farms in the middle of the night. Often the farmer would blast a way with rock salt.

 

[rovernut]

I'd never keep anything as corrosive and horoscopic hygroscopic as salt in ANY firearm.

Edited to fix autocorrected word.

 

[Yaworski]

I'd never keep anything as corrosive and horoscopic as salt in ANY firearm.

You use salt for augury? Interesting.

On second thought, do you mean hygroscopic?

 

[Mike J]

I grew up in town but there was probably about 80-100 acres of woods in between subdivisions. I'm not sure how that happened but it wound up that way. There was an old man that lived on the edge of them & had an acre pond. The boys I grew up with were messing around back there. He lit them up.
A co-worker told me he & his older brother had a hole in a bank they would hide in & throw rocks at the new cars being shipped from the Hapeville Ford plant on the train. Apparently one of the railroad men had enough of it. I wouldn't volunteer to stand in front of it.

 

[edm1]

I can think of dumber things…

Anyways, if it works, it will be great to use if you were planning on storing the meat pre-salted and just throw it right on the smoker

 

[3manfan]

 

[pisgah]

Why don't you load your shotgun for 5 or 10 years, and let us know. Meanwhile, try explaining how your rocksalt-loaded shells are not still lethal force, and what happens physically and legally when you shoot people with such things...

 

[Yaworski]

Meanwhile, try explaining how your rocksalt-loaded shells are not still lethal force, and what happens physically and legally when you shoot people with such things...

So many people who can't follow instructions . . . .

 

[rovernut]

You use salt for augury? Interesting.

On second thought, do you mean hygroscopic?

I hate autocorrect, especially when it comes up with something that is nonsensical in the context.

 

[Johnnu2]

So many people who can't follow instructions . . . .

I REALLY WANTED TO GIVE MY OPINION especially when it was CLEARLY NOT REQUESTED, but so many people beat me to it, I finally forgot what the question was.

J.