I was talking to an old timer today, and we got on the subject of shotguns. He said when he was young they couldn't buy shotgun ammo for big game so they would open the end of a shotgun shell and pour in glue to glue the shot together so the shot stayed together longer making it more effective. Then you would close the crimp on the end of the shell and pour wax over it to waterproof it. Have you ever heard of anything like this?

It got me thinking. My first instinct was that this is compleatly unsafe and would bounce around in the barrel like shooting an undersized slug. But then again, I don't think it would take to much pressure until it just broke up.

Were these just the ramblings of an old timer, or was this actually done?

One thing is for sure, NOT IN ONE OF MY GUNS.

Never heard of that glue technique, but I have heard of "ringing" a shotgun shell. In this technique you cut through the hull of the shotgun shell [at the base of the wad if I remember correctly] so that when the round is fired the foward part of the hull breaks loose and exits the shotgun bbl as one piece impacting the game much like a slug would. This method was used when people did not have or could not afford slugs.
I think it was the NRA that tested this technique some years back and reported no damage to the shotgun, and actually lower pressure than produced by the shell fired normally.
Still I would not want to try it.

I was reading about that today, but if you cut through the hull of the shell, how would you keep it together?

Very interesting.

Both methods go into the slug direction, I think.

With the second procedure, the cartrige may stay together when you apply the cut center of wad, but this allows no transportation: you apply the cut before you shoot. Not the optimal hunting condition.
I think they cut the case partially.

And sure you get a lower pressure/velocity when the force to separate the case into two is lower than the force to open up the crimp.

I have used the second method twice on wild boar (on both occasions I wasn't carrying any slugs).
The right way to do it is to make four cuts starting high on the hull and to cut down towards the wad base in a 50 to 60 degrees angle. This will leave the two parts of the hull connected by four small areas.
Of course this works perfectly only with plastic shells.

B.Martins

I use to open up the end of shotgun shells and pour melted candle wax in. Worked better than most slugs. Fuzz

I'm not sure how cohesive "glued" shot would be. The closest to this I've read of was what an Indian guide did to bait for tigers. He had only an ancient 12 gauge with bird shot, so he open the crimp, poured the shot into a metal pan and melted it. He then rough-molded the lead in a to about shell diameter and placed the slug back in the shotshell. With this he killed a sambahr (an Indian deer smaller than an elk or red deer but with a somewhat similar apearance) for tiger bait. Why the hunter who was to attempt to take the tiger didn't just kill a sambahr with his .450 or whatever is a puzzle to me.

Never used glue but I have fired door breaching loads that were made by mixing #7 or 8 shot, with plaster of paris, loading into the end of the shell, when almost cured, you crimped and there you have it. When fired on a door hinge or lock, etc; it would acheive the desired effect with out over penetraion. I have heard that you can use standard round ball molds for BP and load them without to much hassle. Not very accurate, but should do the job in close.

JAG

regarding glue, that is esentially what "MagSafe" pistol ammo is.

I've tried the candle wax thing and it didn't work for me. Maybe I didn't get the wax hot enough to seep down through the shot far enough?

It did pattern a little better than it normaly would.

I like that "ringing" a shot shell thing. I tried it yesterday and it seemed to work great. Did the same thing a low velocity slug would do.