In 1830, at a time when improvements in shotgun ammunition usually involved wire, paper, or increasingly clever mechanical contrivances, J. Jenour proposed something far simpler. He suggested baking it.

In an article published in Mechanics’ Magazine, Museum, Register, Journal, and Gazette (No. 367, August 21, 1830), Jenour described what he called “brittle charges,” a method of forming shotgun shot into rigid, bore-sized cylinders using nothing more exotic than flour, water, and gentle heat. The idea sounds absurd until one reads his reasoning, which is methodical, safety-minded, and quietly radical.