202 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 



process of manufacture of the additional parts in the con- 

 version, this, of course, being away from the point. Readers 

 who are versed in drawings may readily glean our ideas from 

 our rough sketches, and in this we console ourselves that we 

 have done enough. 



We give details of the cartridge for the gun in question. 

 Reference to the sketch of cartridge cases will, no doubt, dis- 

 close the working. The brass piece carrying the dovetail is 

 screwed with a left-hand thread and sweated into a block 

 inside the case. " Sweated " means to solder by heat, running 

 solder into the part requiring it, after tinning the surface with 

 spirits of salts or soldering paste to make the solder "take." 

 The block and the base of the cartridge case turn, leaving 

 the shell base stationary. By this means the screw extracts 

 the cartridge. Cases may be all drawn brass, or half paper. 

 The latter are screwed with a fine thread on to the brass, 

 and hooped with a steel ring. For i^ in. bore the brass case 

 answers well, but for over this size we recommend half paper. 

 A .380 blank cartridge for a i^- in. bore gun answers well the 

 purpose of an ignition tube, but, remember, its charge must 

 be correct. The outside of the brass cases after each shot 

 must be reduced somewhat in size before reloading. 



Mr. Charles Whittle, of Church Street, Lancaster, wrote 

 me some time ago saying he keeps in stock (or can obtain as 

 per order) all sizes of paper tubes suitable for punt-gun cart- 

 ridge cases. Although one can easily make these things, it is 

 cheaper and time-saving to buy them ready made. He also 

 states that he would undertake the converting of punt-guns 

 from M.L. to B.L. ; but we believe he only does this on 

 a design of his own, the breech of which he was kind enough 

 to send to us for inspection. We cannot, however, give any 

 details of it here. In passing, we might add that Mr. Whittle 

 is a keen wildfowler, and one who has experimented a good 

 deal with big guns, punts, and motor craft, and, therefore, 



