CHAPTER VII 
CONVERSION OF MUZZLE-LOADING PUNT- 
GUNS TO BREECH-LOADING 
BREECH-LOADING guns are, without doubt, the order of the 
day in every class of shooting. Although they have not such 
great advantages over muzzle-loading punt-guns as many 
people would imagine, yet they are, nevertheless, the weapons 
used nowadays by a large percentage of amateur wildfowlers. 
SIDE VIEW 
Converted M.L. Punt-Gun to B.L. 
The special features in a breech-loading punt-gun are, greater 
convenience in loading and cleaning, and the power of readily 
changing a cartridge on sight of fowl for one which the size of 
shot will best suit the intended immediate purpose. And we 
think these aids to the comfortable working of punt-guns, if we 
may be permitted to term them as such, must surely be enough 
to place the breech-loader first in this respect. But we find 
many skilled fowlers who are prepared to argue to the con- 
trary, so we must leave the question an open one. It is 
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