<p>This study experimentally evaluated the effectiveness of a newly proposed shear-strengthening technique for reinforced concrete (RC) beams deficient in shear. The technique involves using widely available mild steel (MS) flat bars, anchored with bolts, to strengthen the shear-deficient beams. The main advantages of this method are its simplicity, speed of application, and cost-effectiveness compared to conventional strengthening approaches. Furthermore, the use of readily available materials makes it a practical and promising solution, particularly for rural areas and developing countries. A total of 15 RC beams were used in the present study, of which 2 were control beams. The potential of the proposed strengthening technique was assessed on both RC beams made of brick and stone chips. It was found that the technique is effective for both types of beams, but it performed better for the brick chip beams. The effects of important parameters, such as the spacing of the MS flat bar, type of bolt, number of bolts, and the orientation of the MS flat bar, were also explored. The results revealed that the beam strengthened in shear with closely spaced U-shaped MS flat bars and an adequate number of bolts can enhance the ultimate load-carrying capacity and ductility by up to 40.44% and 410.28%, respectively, by altering the dominant mode of failure from shear to tearing of the MS flat bar. It was also found that, for shear-strengthened beams without bolt failure, the existing code-based formulas can predict the shear strength of RC beams with reasonable accuracy.</p>