Punt guns - enormous old shotguns for hunting waterfowl

[Isambard]

I talked with the head gamekeeper on a large estate in northern England, he had occasion supplied the table for very large dinner parties with one shot of the estate's punt gun. It was of the older style with the gun restrained by two ropes, similar to a cannon.
Later guns used as pintle mount to take the recoil, as per the two pix.

"WW Greener from whose book, the pix came, said this about the punt gun:
"It is usually single barrel one and 1/2 inch bore and weighs about 100 lb it should be chambered for the solid drawn brass case 7 inches long taking a charge of 3 ounces of powder and one and a half pounds of shot. These is cases can be reloaded many times. Smaller guns of one and a quarter bore sheet in 1 1/4 pounds in shot are made occasionally. Recoil breaching of the rope is favourite is the simplest gear for taking the recoil. Others in use are Hawker coil spring, the Indian rubber mount or the the recoil box of Mr E T Booth.* First class punt gum without recall gear is worth about £80 is practically everlasting. The barrel should be choked a left cylinder. Double pump guns have been made, they are a very heavy and cumbersome, require large punt and not recommended..."

[Jon]

[drivermark]

Just what you need to hunt pterodactyls

[nova_robotics]

I'm picturing a lightweight plastic gun around a much smaller gun on the inside. Like all those fake Chinese capacitors from the early 2000s.

[bruce.desertrat]

A modern punt gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_gun

[Elizabeth Greene]

Don't be fooled, that's a normal size shotgun held by tiny John. This is his new job now that he's too old for cereal-box toy photography.