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Have you ever wondered what would happen if you added a little extra kick to your shotgun?
No, not literally. I’m talking about unconventional ammo.
As a shotgun owner, you may have thought that you’ve already shot all there is to shoot – buckshot, birdshot, slugs, high brass, low brass…you know the deal.
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1. The Flashbang Round
Have you ever looked at your shotgun and thought to yourself, “hmm, I wonder if I could turn this into a concussion grenade?” Probably not, but you absolutely can with Flash Thunder Grenade Ammo from Firequest. These rounds don’t fire a projectile, but they do produce an intense flash of light accompanied by a 182dB sound that will disorient anyone without ear protection. While it’s hard to say whether they’re actually effective in a tactical situation, these rounds do exactly what they’re advertised to do: cause a lot of ruckuses. Check it out in action. These rounds aren’t cheap, though. A pack of three will set you back about $18, whereas 25 of them will cost you $120.2. The Incendiary Round
Another interesting creation from the folks over at Firequest is the Dragon’s Breath. Available for the 410, 12 gauge, and 20 gauge, this flame-throwing round really lets you push your shotgun to the limits. Every shell gives you a 4000 °F magnesium flame that extends anywhere from 100 to 300 feet outward. Needless to say, this one shouldn’t be fired anywhere around dry grass and trees. Watch the video below to see Dragon’s Breath go. The cost of Dragon’s Breath is similar to the Flash Thunder Grenades. It’ll cost you anywhere between five to six bucks a shell. But for a chance to shoot your very own incendiary round, why not try it at least once?3. The Flechette Round
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to shoot 19 tiny little darts from your 12 gauge, now you can with Sabot Ammo’s Flechette shotgun shells.
4. The Bolo Round
The bolo round is one of the more common exotic shotgun ammo types. It’s essentially two relatively large ball bearings (0.5” each) connected by a thin metal wire. While the bolo round may not look like much, it can cause a great deal of damage to anything that it hits.
5. Rubber Rounds
Fiocchi Rubber Buckshot ($25.99) is commonly used as anti-riot ammunition. These non-lethal rounds are similar to regular buckshot except that they have rubber ball bearings in the place of metal ones. Don’t let the name fool you. Just because rubber bullets are non-lethal doesn’t mean they won’t mess you up. Getting shot with one will leave you with a nasty sting, and there have even been cases of people dying due to a rubber bullet shot to the head at close range.
6. The Triple Threat
Did you know that there’s a type of shotgun shell out there that gives you the best of all three worlds? Triple punch shotgun shells are sold under a variety of different names, but serve the same overall function – to fire a soul-crushing combination of a slug, followed by #8 shot, and finally a #4 buckshot.
7. The .50 Cal BMG Shotgun
In one of the most unorthodox moves in ammo, the Wolf Hill Trading Company manufactured a hybrid shotgun shell that combined your average 12-gauge load with a .50 BMG/M17 tracer.
And That’s a Wrap
Now that we’ve looked at a handful of different kinds of exotic shotgun ammo, let’s talk practicality. Much of the exotic shotgun shells you find on the market fulfills a purpose that your regular slug or buckshot cannot – at least in a home defense situation. The more functional versions of unconventional shotgun shells are the non-lethal/less-lethal rounds like bean bags and rubber balls. But the flamethrowers, bolas, and combination pieces are fun to shoot, but I wouldn’t want to rely on one in a situation where I’m feeling threatened. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t see myself using non-lethal rounds for anything more than target practice either. If the situation occurred where I needed to protect myself, I’m going to feel much more comfortable with a buckshot or slug than I am with some rubber balls.
13 Leave a Reply
Firequest pricing is absolutely criminal.
A lot cheaper and a lot more fun when you make them yourself.
I use an old single shot 12 ga. Don't mess up my good ones
Great article. Too bad the incendiary shell demo was done during the day. It's much more impressive at night. If anyone is using a flashbang round, please fire them into enclosed areas for the proper effect. Reading about these rounds is all I can do for now because of where I am. I have to move and let the games begin. Most of these rounds aren't desirable to criminals anyway so to me, outlawing them is just another bonehead move.
military string shot
Can one be made using metal jacks?
There is a 12g she'll that fires a flare
you can fire anything that will come out of the barrel. I make my own.
If will fit into the cartage that you have opened and emptied out the shot, NOT THE WAD. I have loaded Kitchen match heads, finishing nails, marble sized balls of black power rolled in paper towels, Black cat fire crackers. You get the idea.
Be careful and be safe!
For the .50 Cal BMG Shotgun, I have to wonder if they are all really tracer rounds. Only about 1 in 5 in a .50 cal chain will be a tracer round. I realize the manufacturer should know this if that was their source, but it's a funny coincidence, to say the least.
Military loading of belted ammo is a tracer every few rounds, not each and every one. It points back to the firing location too much as it is, which is why the MG's are tightly controlled to prevent being exposed to return fire, up to and including artillery.
Riot rounds with rubber shot have a place in self defense more than ever. Had that influencer sticking his camera in the face of a door dash delivery guy gotten shot with rubber things could have been less escalated.
Of course, throwing the food at him would have worked, too.
Most riot rounds aren't directly targeted, either. They are bounced off the ground in front of protesters to scatter them and hit lower than chest level. Those of us with that training learned a lot on how to disperse crowds effectively. It brings to mind how it could be used with a Shockwave - and if 1 3/4" rubber shot loads are even available.
Pb Phoenix burst shells not sure if there similar to the dragons breath shells
Wow, it's amazing that the shells can shoot flames that are 300 feet long. My brother is an independent filmmaker, and he needs to find creative ways to do special effects. Maybe he could look for dragon breath 12 gauge shells for sale.
Superb !!!.