394 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



ance, and the power of opening and closing the 

 breech action with a snap like a rat-trap, to show 

 how quickly the weapon could be loaded, as if a 

 punt-gun was commonly fired about every three 

 minutes throughout the day. A few unwary novices 

 paid dearly for these articles, but found them to be 

 ponderously heavy, for extra metal was piled on to 

 the breech to satisfy safety scruples ; very soft 

 shooters by reason of their boring, and with tiny 

 loads in proportion to their weight and size. Gun- 

 makers are now at last beginning to discover that 

 ease in working the breech, browning the barrels, 

 fitting and varnishing a huge useless stock, though 

 good things in their eyes, are not of much account 

 to a fowler. Though modern breech-loading punt- 

 guns, if of large bore, are, as a rule, ponderous and 

 clumsy still, and carry a very light charge in pro- 

 portion to their weight, yet they shoot better than 

 those of a few years ago, as they are bored and 

 chambered with greater care. This is an improve- 

 ment, but whether for active service, hard rough 

 work and killing power, they will ever equal the old 

 style, is a question yet to be decided. 



The former show and act well in a dry gun- 

 smith's shop, when well oiled and polished, but that 

 is a different matter to when they are covered with 

 mud and salt water ; and they can't be kept at sea 

 in perfect or even tolerable cleanliness at times, do 

 what you may. A gunmaker, ten to one, in these 

 days, puts to actual trial many of his shoulder-guns, 

 and tries them personally, both at targets and birds ; 

 but where is he to get his experience from concern- 

 ing the shooting of a punt-gun ? He can't take 



