ON LOADING PUNT-GUNS 207 
Size of Charge of Charge of 
Bore. Weight. Length of Barrel. Shot. Powder. 
1 torfin. soto 75lb. 6ft. Sin. to7ft.6in. 8tor20z. 14 to 2hoz. 
iZtorin. S8o0to120lb. 7ft. gin. to8ft.oin. 16to 200z. 3 to 3$0z. 
1Rto1fin. 130to 150lb. 8ft. oin. to 8ft. Gin. 22 to 2B0z. 4 to 42oz. 
1§ to 1 15-16 160 to 170lb. 8ft. gin. togft. oin. 30to 340z. 54 to 6402. 
2 to2tin. 180to 200lb. oft. oin. toyft. 6in. 34 to 4ooz. 6} to 7$02z. 
Some larger weapons are in existence. These, however, are 
unwieldy brutes, and may really be said to be too large for 
wildfowling. The largest we know of is a gun with 12 ft. 
length of barrel, 300 lb. weight, and firing 3 lb. powder and 
3i Ib. shot. 
As we have said, excessive powder charges used with 
standard loads of shot, increase the velocity and penetration, 
but out of cylinder-bored guns (especially M.L. guns) the 
patterns are invariably patchy and scattered by so loading. 
Some one may say this is not a serious matter with a punt- 
gun. We wish, however, to say that it is, as one desires all 
his shot to be thrown where the fowl are thickest, and, be- 
sides, single pellets, unless they strike a bird in a vital part, 
do not kill. Choke-boring of guns eliminates or rectifies, to 
an extent, this scattering of the shot charge with heavy 
powder loads, since it unquestionably improves or tends to 
close the pattern. Close patterns, however, may still be 
patchy, even with choke-boring ; but when this is so, some- 
thing is generally amiss with the workmanship of the boring, 
or else the loading is a long way from being correct. With 
black powder, penetration can be readily secured by adding 
to the powder charge and slightly reducing the shot. We 
have said this loading tends to give bad patterns, yet have 
pointed out that these latter can be improved by choke-boring. 
This being so, we gain both pattern and penetration, and with 
these two factors combined, a very reasonable argument may 
be held that the modern B.L. punt-guns of to-day are really 
the best weapons for wildfowling that have ever been built, 
