Sodium Chloride in a Shotgun

[Tobie]

Our local melon farmer dusted us several times with rock salt but he snookered us by putting up a sign that said "Free melons". Ended our game. Southern middle TN In the early 60s.

 

[AZbpBurner]

in the mid 60's as kids, my cousin & I would sneak past the No Trespassing sign on the fence to fish from an old, rickety & half sunken dock at the lake down the street from my Aunt & Uncle's place in Michigan. The old guy who owned the dock just wanted to be left alone, but someone kept stealing the fishing gear he left in his boat (it wasn't us). We'd catch buckets full of bluegill, then just toss them back into the water. It wasn't until years later that I discovered my cousin lied & you really could eat bluegill.

One day we got caught. My cousin cleared the fence first, and I got the load of rocksalt in the butt - right thru my new jeans.

My Aunt delighted at picking at the little pieces of salt as I soaked in the bathtub to dissolve them - burned like fire.

 

[Capnball]

We've all heard about the farmer who loaded his shotgun with sodium chloride to prevent the pervicacious, pilfering, precocious plunders or the patch from absconding with the delectable watermelon (citrullus lanatus) but is this true or urban legend?

In the modern world, misdemeanor offences for stealing watermelon are rare. Besides, the judicial system may take a dim view of someone using less-than-lethal force with rock salt in a smooth bore on a street urchin who hasn't begun to shave yet.

With that said, I have a few questions to pose to the highly esteemed group of this forum. I'm asking this strictly for muzzle-loading shotguns.

1) Did farmers really use rock salt?
2) If they did use rock salt, what load would they use? Was the salt loaded by volume or weight?
3) Does anyone, or has anyone, endeavored to conduct external and terminal ballistics tests with the rock salt?
4) We don't need a show of hands for this question but does anyone have personal experience (or know of someone) that has experienced the pain and humiliation of getting shot with rock salt?
5) Follow up question from question 4. Did you get away with the watermelon?

Asking for a friend.

Where I grew up in central NJ had all been comercial farms prior to the end of WW2. We had the last farm hold out right smack in the middle of the town , maybe 20 acres. Farmer Joe's! He grew produce and sold it from the back of his
old flatbed truck around town. I remember him driving real slow honking his horn, selling corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions whatever was in season. I heard the rock salt story AND pigfat! Although I never actually met anyone who had been shot by him nor had I ever seen him with a gun at any time. That was in the early 60s

 

[Enfield58]

I don’t get my fryers out of the barnyard. I buy boneless chicken at the supermarket now.

So maybe it’s better to buy the best watermelon in the produce section than to risk a butt load of rock salt.

Isn’t it marvelous what can be accomplished with modern food processing technology?

 

[Capnball]

I don’t get my fryers out of the barnyard. I buy boneless chicken at the supermarket now.

So maybe it’s better to buy the best watermelon in the produce section than to risk a butt load of rock salt.

Isn’t it marvelous what can be accomplished with modern food processing technology?

View attachment 42333

"You ever wonder what a boneless chicken looks like when it's alive?"

 

[Enfield58]

"You ever wonder what a boneless chicken looks like when it's alive?"

I dare you to call your local market and ask them if they have boneless watermelon.

I double-dog triple dare you with a pinky-swear.

 

[Capnball]

I dare you to call your local market and ask them if they have boneless watermelon.

I double-dog triple dare you with a pinky-swear.

Soon as I finish my fillet of oatmeal.

 

[Intosomthin]

Just got home & read this, my wife dont appreciate yall like I do, may have somethin to do with spittin Dr Pepper on her. Women are funny like that...

 

[Enfield58]

Just got home & read this, my wife dont appreciate yall like I do, may have somethin to do with spittin Dr Pepper on her. Women are funny like that...

My ex-wives never complained about me until I asked them to talk with a french accent and put on a maid's outfit. I never could figure out why they got upset about that.

Oh well, I have my guns to keep me warm

 

[ZUG]

Where I grew up in central NJ had all been comercial farms prior to the end of WW2. We had the last farm hold out right smack in the middle of the town , maybe 20 acres. Farmer Joe's! He grew produce and sold it from the back of his
old flatbed truck around town. I remember him driving real slow honking his horn, selling corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions whatever was in season. I heard the rock salt story AND pigfat! Although I never actually met anyone who had been shot by him nor had I ever seen him with a gun at any time. That was in the early 60s

I lived in Deans, NJ and my grandmother lived in New Brunswick. My dad had 2 acres and my grandmother grew all kind of vegetables including watermelon on those 2 acres. She would take the produce back to New Brunswick and sell them to the neighbors. Across her street (Suydam St.) was an old Italian guy with a horse and carriage that sold fruit and produce out of it as he went around town. This was also back in the early 60's.

 

[sportster73hp]

A classmate of mine “peppered” his older sister with a rock salt round while inside their house. I believe his back side was bruised longer than his sister when mom found out

 

[Notchy Bob]

In my previous post on this thread (#7), I mentioned my grandfather used okra seed in his muzzle-loading smoothbore rather than rock salt in dealing with a couple of vandals. Okra is a hot-weather vegetable crop that is common in home gardens in the deep south, but it occurred to me that some of the brethren in other parts of the country might not be familiar with it. Here's what okra seed looks like:

These are some that I saved from my spring garden two years ago. By next spring, they'll be three years old, and likely not good for planting. I haven't shucked them all out of the dried pods yet, but I probably have a pint or pint and a half of them. So, in the spirit of scientific investigation, if any of you clowns gentlemen want to try load development, penetration testing, ballistic analysis comparison with rock salt, or pest control, using authentic okra seed in your smoothbore, let me know. I'll be happy to give these away. The only thing I would request in return is that you write up the results of your testing and post it here on the forum.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[Enfield58]

In my previous post on this thread (#7), I mentioned my grandfather used okra seed in his muzzle-loading smoothbore rather than rock salt in dealing with a couple of vandals. Okra is a hot-weather vegetable crop that is common in home gardens in the deep south, but it occurred to me that some of the brethren in other parts of the country might not be familiar with it. Here's what okra seed looks like:

View attachment 42911

These are some that I saved from my spring garden two years ago. By next spring, they'll be three years old, and likely not good for planting. I haven't shucked them all out of the dried pods yet, but I probably have a pint or pint and a half of them. So, in the spirit of scientific investigation, if any of you clowns gentlemen want to try load development, penetration testing, ballistic analysis comparison with rock salt, or pest control, using authentic okra seed in your smoothbore, let me know. I'll be happy to give these away. The only thing I would request in return is that you write up the results of your testing and post it here on the forum.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

That hurts just looking at it.

 

[oldwood]

You guys realize how many of those hard soup beans will fit in a smooth bore over a lite load of FFG. Used these on vermin around the house for instance that used to sleep and urinate on my Mom's porch furniture . Sorta like catch and release , and no salt damage to the bore. Ifin it's the neighbors varmint , best ta give it a little head start , that away less chance of visible damage. ............oldwood

 

[Treestalker]

Bob, I've got some drying in the garden right now. As soon as I can, I'm going to try a short range application on the next dog I catch on the spread gobbling up our stuff or distributing our garbage.--Belay that,-- it is now a felony to defend your own animals, property and probably yourself against canine attackers, thanks to a congresswoman from Fayetteville and her allies in the Arkansas assembly. Well I guess maybe range and penetration tests will have to be conducted on some inanimate non-vocal object. Maybe a mail in ballot. Stand by for hanging chads, LOL!

 

[Notchy Bob]

Bob, I've got some drying in the garden right now. As soon as I can, I'm going to try a short range application on the next dog I catch on the spread gobbling up our stuff or distributing our garbage.--Belay that,-- it is now a felony to defend your own animals, property and probably yourself against canine attackers, thanks to a congresswoman from Fayetteville and her allies in the Arkansas assembly. Well I guess maybe range and penetration tests will have to be conducted on some inanimate non-vocal object. Maybe a mail in ballot. Stand by for hanging chads, LOL!

 

[Carbon 6]

Considering the irregular shape of rock salt I would doubt it would pattern very far and with it's sectional density I doubt it travel very far either.

It doesn't.
You walk a fine line between using large enough salt to get range, and being non-lethal.
When you achieve one, you lose the other.
In most states, shooting someone is just that regardless of whether the gun is loaded with salt or birdshot. Shooting someone with rock salt could land you in jail and lose your gun rights forever.

 

[Heyyou48307]

My grandpa shot a guy in the fanny stealing corn during the depression with a 22

 

[Tumbledown]

Well, I saw Sheriff Micah shoot rock salt in one episode of the Rifleman, so it's gotta be legit...

 

[omark]

Bob, I've got some drying in the garden right now. As soon as I can, I'm going to try a short range application on the next dog I catch on the spread gobbling up our stuff or distributing our garbage.--Belay that,-- it is now a felony to defend your own animals, property and probably yourself against canine attackers, thanks to a congresswoman from Fayetteville and her allies in the Arkansas assembly. Well I guess maybe range and penetration tests will have to be conducted on some inanimate non-vocal object. Maybe a mail in ballot. Stand by for hanging chads, LOL!

I thought the 3S rule over ruled a felony. MARK