386 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



punt-gun, both barrels to fire at the same time, or 

 nearly so, as has more than once been tried (notably 

 by Colonel Hawker).* 



My new gun is of an oval bore, the major axis of 

 the muzzle parallel to the water, and my idea is that 

 it will send a lateral belt of shot into a company of 

 birds, most of which will take effect. 



For general work twenty ounces is a handy charge. 

 This will do good execution among large numbers, 

 can be reduced for small, and yet act fairly well if 

 the gun is not too wide in bore. As a rule it is a 

 bad plan to underload a large gun ; a punt is then 

 burthened with extra weight to no advantage, and 

 the capability of the weapon is reduced to that of a 

 small and less powerful one. Better carry a light 

 gun at once than do this. There is a certain charge 

 well suited to every gun, small and large ; on reducing 

 this proportion the best are apt to scatter and shoot 

 soft. For this reason a gun will not kill as well at 

 a small company as would one built to carry the 

 charge you have reduced yours to shoot. Should 

 you by change of locality be driven to such ex- 

 pedients, or possess but one gun, it should be of 

 rather small bore in comparison to its full charge, 



* I have recently tried to get a large double built in Birmingham, 

 and offered to send a wooden model to work from ; but no factory 

 will undertake the job. The gunmakers say special and costly tools 

 would have to be made, and they decline the order with thanks. The 

 fact is, nothing will pay in the gun trade that is not made by the 

 hundred. Even small swivel gun-barrels are forged half a dozen at 

 a time, and afterwards converted into breech or muzzle-loaders as 

 required. Messrs. Osborne, of Whittal Street, celebrated makers of 

 big tubes, turned out the last double swivel-guns (a pair) made in Bir- 

 mingham for Clayton (now Patstone) of Southampton ; and this firm 

 still possess the model from which they forged Colonel Hawker's 

 splendid weapon. 



