352 PUNT-GUN. 



Target, 26 sheets of thick brown paper, 2 feet 4 by 

 2 feet 2. Distance, 90 yards. 



Shot No. 1 (but the gun was not more than two-thirds 

 loaded, for want of safe means of fixing it). 



No. of grains in 1st sheet. Ditto through 26th sheet 



Flint barrel . .75 . . .31 



Detonating barrel .64 . . .30 



Both barrels together 102 . . .53 



A round was then fired from the best barrel of a 

 common double gun, at 26 sheets nearly double the 

 size of the above. 



8 ... 



Then a reputed good single gun. 



9 ;> . . 



We then stuck up a very large open sheet of brown 

 paper, in order to try the difference at 40 yards, with 



No. 1 shot. Result 



*y^- 

 fr- One barrel of great gun ' * ' 69 



Ditto of little gun . . . \ V 50 



Ditto of single gun . " .' . . 80 



[N. B. Since this trial, we fired the barrels, at the 

 same distance, from the punt, and on the water, where 

 we could put the full charge of 20 ounces in each 

 barrel; and the result was 



Flint . 106 Detonater . 102, and equally strong.] 



By the foregoing trial we see how ridiculous it is to 

 draw 7 any comparison (which many people are ignorant 

 enough to do) between a common shoulder-gun, and a 

 huge punt-gun ; though the punt-gun had here every 

 disadvantage, by being tilted out of its true aim, every 

 time it was discharged ; as the make-shift, by which I 



