CARE OF GUNS AND GEAR 231 



pour down it a large kettleful of boiling water. After the 

 barrel has absorbed the heat, run out the water quickly. The 

 heat retained in the barrel will rapidly evaporate what little 

 water stands on the metal. Finish by oiling or greasing the 

 inside with soaked flannel. If guns are to be laid by for some 

 time, their barrels may be half filled with oil, plugged, and 

 shaken, to lay the oil evenly inside. Muzzle-loading guns are 

 a lot of trouble to clean inside compared with breech-loading 

 guns. Few get proper attention, though it pays to look well 

 after them if one would seek to be on the safe side. 



A wooden plug made to fit the swivel gun-muzzle is a good 

 thing to keep out sea- water. It should be fitted with a large 

 leather collar or washer, which can be easily seen, and the 

 chance of firing the gun with the plug in is made hardly 

 possible. Saw down the part of the plug which fits inside 

 the barrel. This causes the plug to "spring fit." If left 

 solid, it may swell and stick. Do not plug with oakum. It 

 is a dangerous practice. 



To keep guns clean when punt-shooting, necessitates great 

 labour. If neglected, fowling guns soon get beyond cleaning 

 and become dangerously rusty in a very short space of time ;,. 

 in fact, one has plenty of work to keep them anything like in 

 good order, as they require careful attention both before and 

 after each time out. 



The care of the punt is also an item of importance. 

 She should be kept, when not in use, out of the sun, especially 

 the summer sun. A boat-house is a useful adjunct to the wel- 

 fare of the punt, yet a good roofed barn is not a spot to be 

 despised. Whatever place is used to store her in, should 

 be free of draughts. Draughts will dry her up too quickly and 

 warp her timbers. Do not sling her up, but place her about 

 six inches from the ground, on three cross-pieces of timber, 

 one fore, one amidships, and one aft. These will raise 

 her sufficiently to permit a current of air all round. The 



