MUZZLE-LOADING PUNT-GUNS 201 



designed as a i^ in. bore. The charge for such a converted 

 weapon, if stout enough at the breech, should be about 4 oz. of 

 powder and 21 oz. of lead. On the screw-block end is cut a 

 female dovetail, which takes in a corresponding male dovetail 

 on the base of the cartridge case. This dovetail secures the 

 cartridge for insertion and extraction. The details of the cart- 

 ridge case we refer to later. The striker works through the 

 screw-block, which is made of wrought steel. The gun is 

 hammerless, with a cocking lever on the outside. The 

 lock should be rebounding. The steel breech-block is 

 fitted into a brass face-piece and held with three iron set- 

 screws (about fin.), as shown in the cross-section view. This 

 brass face-piece contains the lock, the chamber for this latter 

 having been milled out of the brass. The kind of brass we 

 should recommend for this purpose is that which is soft and 

 tough. A lever with a handle to it is fitted with a double-eye 

 hinge and pin to the bottom of the brass part of the stock. 

 This lever is brought at a right angle to the gun-barrel, and 

 used to give better purchase when screwing in and out the 

 breech. It is of further assistance when required to help 

 in drawing out a tight shell. The trunnions of the gun answer 

 as a leverage whereby to hold the gun. With recoil spring 

 gear a similar purchase is secured, but when a gun has only a 

 loop under the barrel to take its recoil rope, then a chain-pipe 

 wrench will be found useful to prevent the gun turning when 

 a "stuck " case has to be drawn. 



When the gun is loaded, this lever lies along and under- 

 neath the gun-barrel. A wood hand-stock is attached to the 

 brass by means of a long set bolt. There are many items to 

 which we do not refer ; but, as our subject is one merely 

 giving an outline of the conversion of punt-guns, and a design 

 whereby the scheme can be carried out, we hope that our 

 readers do not expect details of how the lock and each little 

 part is to be constructed. Moreover, we cannot describe the 



