Loading shotguns with rock salt, For the inner groin-blasting sadist Options

[Wounded Ronin]

So, IRL, many farmers load shotguns with rock salt and use them to shoot kids on their property. Although I've never been shot with rock salt it's supposed to be extremely painful.

Anyway, what would be the damage code in SR if you wanted to load a shotgun with rock salt?

It would be pretty funny to blast someone repeatedly with rock salt in the context of SR. You could make called shots to his groin and everything.

[Herald of Verjig...]

My quick suggestions:
Base damage similar to a stun round, maybe penalized by range. Additional pain effect either providing a +1 TN penalty or treated as an Agony spell with force = half power and 3 successes (more if called shot for greater pain).
Edit: Oh yeah, armor. Ok, try that the power is reduced by both impact and ballistic, treating any armor as hardened. This final power is what to use if using the spell style pain effects. (Thanks, forgot that problem)

[fistandantilus4....]

sounds good, but it should do crap against armor.

[Kagetenshi]

Indeed. A quick googling reveals a story in which a would-be robber shot in the backside with this fails to have his clothing penetrated.

~J

[lorthazar]

8L physical and 8M Stun neither of which I would let stage up (the target still has to negate you successes before staging down)

As for the effect when the stun condition monitor is full the victim is not unconscious, they are instead writing in agony as the burning feeling of the salt is just too intense to even try to ignore. Body armor is doubled against rocksalt becuase of the crystals light weight.

[fistandantilus4....]

[Tziluthi]

Yeah. Better to shoot him in the nuts with one of those bean bags. And then you can say "he took a bean bag in his beans" or something equally as poor. :)

[psykotisk_overle...]

When it comes to combat rocksalt just aint worth its salt :P


My knowledge of shotguns and rocksalt are limited, but what about double ballistic and double impact armor (all counts as hardened), and taser or light pistol ranges?

[Foreigner]

Tziluthi:

I agree with you.

Raygun might have more to say on the subject than I do, but the only times I've ever heard of rock salt (or rock salt and birdshot) being effective was when the victim was hit in an unprotected area (such as the face/neck) or in an area where their clothing was rather thin, such as the seat of the pants.

A beanbag round--or even rubber slugs or buckshot, provided that they're reduced-power loads--would be more effective.

Just my :nuyen: 0.02, as the saying goes. YMMV. :)

--Foreigner

[Papadoc]

FYI: It hurts like a son of a bitch! :spin: However, a good leather jacket will stop it a any but point blank range.

[Wounded Ronin]

[Fresno Bob]

Well in that case just have someone hold him down, take his shirt off, then blast him in the chest a few times. I guess you're out of luck if he has a cybertorso, though.

[Enigma]

An idea which I've poached on occasion from the Millenium's End email group thing is the idea of loading a gun with formic acid in solid form. Similar to rock saly, but so much more evil.

In Australia we have green ants, which are vicious little b*stards that bite. Their bite is very painful because of their use of Formic Acid, which basically gives you an intensely painful burning sensation which swells up and burns, and that's from an ant bite. I generally give these things taser rounds for range but give it a +1 per box of Stun inflicted modifier, and generally start it at 9M stun from a 10S shotgun (ie -1 power -1 level). Very good for non-lethal drones packing a shotgun to use, because they hit you with this and all but the most hardened runners bolt. I also dread to think of the effect of getting some of this stuff in the eye.

[bclements]

[Fortune]

[Raygun]

As luck would have it, I have recently found myself in posession of a shotshell reloader. My kitchen happens to be well-stocked with rock salt, though previously for the pupose of making gelato... I think I may have to experiment a bit one of these days. Maybe tomorrow, if I can get around to it.

[Edward]

I feel a sudden need to advise against testing this on people, also any animal that could be considered “cute” and there are very few that can not (if nobody else will like it I probably will).

Edward

[Arethusa]

[Papadoc]

[Raygun]

[blakkie]

[Edward]

I can’t see salt scratching anything of that small iron pelts wouldn’t. I would say clean the gun after use as salt powder can be hydroscopic (absorb water out of the air) so it will increase corrosion in all but the most arid conditions.

Edward

[Arethusa]

I realize salt's fairly inert in a vacuum (like anhydrous HCl is sort of inert in the same); in real life conditions, however, especially if you aren't storing your guns outside in the middle of Baja California, I can imagine corrosion issues (though, as Edward pointed out, salt sure as hell won't be doing physical damage steel or lead balls won't).

[Raygun]

Well, I haven't gotten around to do any shooting yet as the weather has been sucking for the last couple of days, but I did make up the loads. I haven't weighed out the salt yet, but it is, as you would expect, extremely light compared to the loads the powder charges are designed for, so even after backing the powder off a little bit, I'm thinking the salt pieces might just disintegrate unless I reduce the powder charge significantly.

Anyway, I made up five shells so far. The salt is in a WAA12R wad over 34 grains of Alliant Blue Dot in a 2 3/4" Winchester AA plastic case, with Remington 209P primers. I'll probably make up some lighter loads tonight.

[Papadoc]

Raygun, you might try making up a batch using a felt wad rather than a cup. Less tissue damage at close range. :talker: