5 Easy and Unusual Uses for Shotgun Shells

Shotgun shells. When you think about them, you think they are just pieces of plastic and metal used to hold ammunition for a shotgun. If you say this, you are right, but also wrong! There are many different unusual and more peaceful uses for shotgun shells. So please read them all, and if by some weird circumstances of events you find yourself with a load of empty shotgun shells, I encourage you to try some of these, and think of your own ideas to recycle these items.

(The image shown is use five, a magnet)

Step 1: Use 1: Shotgun Shell Planter

yes, this is what it says. You can make a planter out of a shotgun shell. There are two methods on doing this, depending on how serious you are about it, and how much time you have to do it. Method one doesn't involve actually planting anything while method two does have you actually plant something. Whichever method you choose to do, it can still be a great and creative way to make anything look a little nicer.

What you need for method one:

A trowel,

A shotgun shell,

A back/front-yard with grass,

First, take your shell and trowel outside to wherever your grassy area is. Next, find a few different types of grass that you think go well together, and carefully dig them up trying to get the whole thing. Then, kind of shove them into place in the shell, and make it look however you want. I put some flower petals around the edge to make it look nice, and you can really put whatever will fit

What you need for method two is:

A trowel,

a shotgun shell,

a pocketknife,

some plant seeds that need barely any space to grow,

and some good soil.

For this method, you will actually be planting something, so it will be a little harder. First, you need to poke a small hole in the shotgun shell so when you water it after its done, the water will drain out. Next, fill it halfway with soil, and put a seed in. Then, fill it the rest with soil, just making sure to not pack it too tightly. After that, you will have to just water it every once in a while based on the plants needs, and care for it as you normally would. Soon enough, you'll have a nice plant in your shell!

Step 2: Use Two, Money Holder

If you want a way to store your money that is safe, secure, and more unexpected than a wallet, try a shotgun shell! This use is showing how to easily store money and make sure it wont get lost. Also, if your someone who gets the feeling someone is going to steal your wallet, now you don't even need a wallet.

You will need:

A shotgun shell,

some dollar bills,

some dimes,(optional)

some masking tape.

What you need to do is quite simple. First take whatever dollar bill you want to use, and fold it down on the short end so it will fit, and start rolling it up. Sometimes while rolling it up, it tries to unfold, so just be careful. when it is rolled up, put it inside the shell. You will notice there is more space available in the shell that can be used, and the width of the shell is the perfect size to fit dimes. You can put as many dimes as you want to, and then when you are done, fold in the edges of the top, and and tape it all together. Now that it is done, you can take it around with you in your pocket, and when it's time to buy something, take off the tape, and pour out the contents.

Step 3: Use Three, Match Holder

Have you ever been camping and then noticed when you got to your campsite that condensation from your water bottle got your matches wet? Well with this, you don't have to worry about that anymore, and you can keep your matches dry.

You will need:

Two shotgun shells (One has to be slightly smaller than the other),

Matches,

and tape (optional).

With this one you will need to take both of the shotgun shells, and slide them together so the small one goes into the large one. Make sure that it will stay in place and not fall apart and when you do, take them apart again. Now do the same thing, but with the matches inside. This is almost all that you need to do, but there is one more step. If you have the tape, tape it at the top to give even better water protection. Now that it is done and sealed, you can take it on your next camping trip, just remember to bring extras for when your friends get their matches wet.

Step 4: Use Four, Card Holder

Do you need a random item to hold all of your random pieces of paper, well now you can have one! I wasn't completely sure what to call it because it can hold a lot of things, it could be a sign holder to tell you what your looking at, it could hold your long lost family recipes, or even your Pokemon cards!(well at least that's how I used it). You can put about any thin paper item in it that you want, so get those note cards ready!

You will need:

A shotgun shell,

a pocket knife,

whatever you want to put in it,

and tiny heavy objects (optional).

First, get the shotgun shell and knife, and make two slits at the top of it on opposite ends of the shell. Next if you have some small heavy objects, put them in the bottom of the shell, they will help to weigh down the shell so it doesn't fall over. Now put in whatever object you want it to hold so it rests in the two slits. Now that it's done, put it wherever you need to showcase it, or where people will see it and say "Hey, that's cool!"

Step 5: Use Five, Magnet

The fridge is a great place to put things that you need to remember, or just look nice, but one thing, you need a magnet to stick to the fridge! Magnets can look very different, and can be made differently to. You can even make a magnet out of shotgun shells if you want to! This step is going to show you how to make a shotgun shell magnet.

You will need:

A strong small magnet, (I found mine at a local hardware store)

a Shotgun shell,

and a pocket knife.

making this is simple. First take the shell and cut most of the top off, leaving about 3/4 inches. Next, put the magnet inside so it will stick to the metal on the bottom, and your magnet is complete! This is definitely the easiest one, but still a fun thing to have on your fridge to "spice up" your kitchen (pun intended).

Step 6: Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for reading through all of this and I hope that you try some of these things yourself!* Please comment what you think about my ideas, how I wrote my inscrutable, and if you have any ideas yourself. I encourage you to do the same thing that I did, and make unexpected and useful things out of not so useful items! So once again thanks for going through this, and have fun creating!