180 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 
of scoring a second and a flying shot. The screw breech 
pieces are exactly similar to that we figure in connection with 
the conversion of an M.L. punt-gun to B.L., except that the 
stock is not attached. The strikers are fitted in the screw 
breech pieces. A small spiral spring keeps the striker from 
pressing on the cap of the cartridge. The extracting device is 
on the same principle as that shown for the converted punt- 
gun and the cartridge cases also. The screw breech pieces 
are turned in or out by means of a ‘‘star”’ spanner, which we 
figure. This method is recommended as being strong and 
simple. The stock of the gun is hinged above the barrels at 
the breech, and secured by a latch lever below, when in the 
closed position. To load, the stock is swung up and laid on 
the breech end of the barrels, where it is then conveniently 
out of the way. Drop-down stocks in practice are found to 
foul the ammunition-box and other things in the punt. To 
withdraw fired shells and load both barrels ready for firing 
occupies from two to three minutes, which is quite fast enough 
for wildfowling. The locks should be arranged to fire as we 
have described above. The most important item in connec- 
tion with firing a double discharge from a double punt-gun is 
that both barrels do not fire exactly together, but one quickly 
after the other—about a tenth of a second. To obtain this 
result in his famous double-barrelled muzzle-loading punt-gun, 
that well-known old-time wildfowler, Colonel Hawker, had his 
gun made to fire one barrel by a detonator and the other by 
flint and steel. Pulling both triggers at once, the flint and 
steel ignition was more tardy than the detonator ; consequently, 
one discharge followed the other a fraction of a second later. 
This plan of firing the gun seems to have answered well in the 
Colonel’s case. The theory and, no doubt, practice of firing 
a double punt-gun in the above manner is that one barrel 
takes the fowl as they sit, and the other the instant they extend 
their wings to rise. 
