I think that was a parachute flare, AKA rocket that they used in that movie.
Still doubt it would have the effect in real life as it did in the cinema.

If you tried to fire a regular 12 gage shell in a flare gun, I bet you'd
lose your hand when it blew up. It would be about the same as if you just
held the shell in a pair of vice grips and hit the primer with a hammer.
Someone used to make a metal sleeve for this purpose though. You just
inserted it into the plastic barrell and it supposedly was strong enough for
you to fire a 12 gage shell. Don't know where you could find one though.

I suppose in a pinch it's better than nothing, but if somebody is coming at
you armed, it'd probably just **** them off and make them kill you.

--


Keith
__
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of
them yourself.


It was in the movie "Dead Calm", but I won't spoil the ending for you.
Sure, why not? Those shells are powerful enough to get to a couple of
hundred feet up, so I bet getting one in the nads at close range would
compromise fatherhood and lead to a blinding headache. Also, I recall
that older flare pistols were metal and generally heavier. They might
be able to take a real 12-gauge shotgun shell, and thus would make a
plausible weapon. Lousy aim, though.


Can it shoot regular shot gun shells?