198 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 
shot much better. Consequently the earliest breech-loading 
punt-guns did not meet with favour in the eyes of men who 
knew what wildfowling was; and one could not wonder that 
these serious matters of extra weight and worse shooting 
could be overlooked for the sake of being able to push in or 
pull out a cartridge easily at any moment—a thing they all 
knew in practice was of little value, since they generally set 
out in quest of a certain kind of fowl, and loaded with a shot 
size most suitable for the work expected, and for which they 
were, as a rule, fully prepared. Thus we may see how 
hard the old muzzle-loading punt-guns have been to obliterate, 
even with amateurs. 
We are now in the days when the most modern weapons 
find a place with the amateur, no matter what has been or is to 
be. So to our subject. Before attempting to have a M.L. 
punt-gun converted, it would be well to have expert opinion 
on it as to whether the weapon is sufficiently good and strong 
for the purpose. As a rule, most M.L. punt-guns are strong 
enough in the breech to convert, but, as we have said, their 
charge invariably has to be reduced. If the barrel is a good, 
stout one, then it can be re-bored, and, although the gun may 
fire a smaller charge, this charge can be made to give a better 
pattern by choke-boring. Some M.L. punt-guns cannot be 
converted, having in the first instance been built as light as 
possible. These weapons are generally of the small class, 
built to be fired on the boot-jack recoil system, and weighing 
from fifty to seventy pounds. 
To those who have muzzle-loading punt-guns and wish to 
have them converted, we trust our design will prove of assist- 
ance. It is not original on the part of any single person, but 
is the result of several trials and improvements gained from 
experiments and practice with many converted weapons of this 
kind. Of course, a better gun might be constructed, but 
remember we have in hand only an old gun to start with. 
