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CHAPTER IV. 



PUNT-GUNS. 



COL. HAWKER 3 PUNT-GUNS BREECH-LOADIXG 

 PUNT-GUNS. 



The shoulder duck gun is only a long single- 

 barrelled gun of large bore, and, as far as I 

 am aware, is always ina.de in the form of a 

 muzzle-loader, and usually with a pistol grip, 

 as shown in fig. 63. According to Colonel 

 Hawker, when intended to be used in the 

 punt with a breech-rope or spring swivel, 

 the length of barrel should be from 7 to 9 

 feet, bore from 1^ to 1^ inch, weight from 

 70 to 801bs. The smaller the bore the 

 longer the range, but the charge of shot is 

 necessarily diminished. With the above 

 weight the old flint lock must be used on 

 account of the great recoil when the powder 

 is fired so rapidly as is done by the deto- 

 nator lock, and for which the weight of 

 metal is not sufficient. If, therefore, any 

 kind of percussion cap is employed, the 

 weight must be increased from 301bs. to 

 401bs. For an ordinary shoulder duck gun, 

 which is fully described at p. 87, in an ex- 

 tract from Colonel Hawker's book, the bore 

 is usually about No. 6; length of barrels, 

 3, 6, to 4 feet; and weight, 12 to 201bs. 

 Double-barrelled guns of a peculiar principle 

 are recommended by Colonel Hawker in his 

 book, to which I must refer my readers for 

 all particulars. 



The loading of the ordinary shoulder duck 

 gun is performed exactly as in all the muzzle- 



