Shot Sacks

These vintage lead shot bags are becoming more difficult to find...they’re old, worn sacks that contained lead shot pellets for use in a shotgun. You can occasionally find a little pellet trapped in the seam! Their patina makes them a very interesting piece to use in slow stitching -  Lara’s brother is a target shooter - she made him a wine bottle bag from one by attaching a leather strap at the top. The fabric is tightly woven and has traces of graphite and lead (so please don’t store your sandwiches in them!

Here's more information on the history of the bags:

These are quite interesting pieces of French industrial textile history, rather than ordinary agricultural sacks.

The mark reads “PEÑARROYA – CHILLED SHOT – FRANCE”. They were packaging for lead shot (grenaille de plomb) produced by the Société Minière et Métallurgique de Peñarroya, one of France’s major lead and zinc companies. Peñarroya acquired the large Noyelles-Godault works in northern France in 1920. In 1924 it erected a remarkable 60-metre shot tower specifically for manufacturing lead shot for hunting cartridges.

What does “Chilled Shot” mean?

“Chilled shot” isn't referring simply to the sacks having been refrigerated. It describes a type of hardened lead shot.

Traditionally, molten lead was poured through calibrated sieves at the top of a very tall shot tower. As the droplets fell, surface tension made them spherical and they partially solidified before landing in water at the bottom. Antimony and sometimes arsenic were added to make the lead harder; the finished pellets were subsequently sorted and often treated with graphite.

The resulting little spheres were principally intended for shotgun cartridges, particularly hunting ammunition.

The graphic logo therefore makes perfect sense: the bird within the diamond is almost certainly a game bird, advertising the intended use of the contents.

The numbers

The large 3, 4, 5 and 6 printed or stamped beneath the logo appear to be shot sizes rather than sack identification numbers with what appears to be an additional weight/quantity marking beneath.

The faded black printing, staining, creasing, repairs and traces of handling are all part of their industrial character, but be aware when using them that they have contained lead.