The Wandering Minstrel

Posted by Minstrel on 19 Feb 2010

If I were these guys, I’d be wearing ear and eye protection. If I were the guy in front, I’d need gloves to prevent blistering from holding the hot barrel.

3 Responses to “Long, Long Gun”

Glenn B on 21 Feb 2010 at 0634 #

Imagine being the guy in the back! If I were him I would need back and shoulder surgery after one shot. Hopefully he would have used a shoulder pad and butt padding for when he would have landed on his behind after firing that monster.

Paul on 22 Feb 2010 at 1111 #

That’s officially known as a “punt gun.” Usually anywhere from 4 to 8 gauge, these were placed in a small boat - a punt - and paddled through the reeds to a point where one could fire upon a flock of birds on the water. One wouldn’t want to be too close to shore or to a stack of rocks when touching off one of these cannons! The recoil will move one back smartly for about half a city block!

I know, because a friend of mine and I paddled a small dinghy onto a local lake when I was young, and touched off an 8-gauge blackpowder punt gun at a flight of blackbirds on the shore. Killed about 20 blackbirds, my friend’s shoulder and banged us up onto the opposite beach!

End of those adventures!

Minstrel on 22 Feb 2010 at 1123 #

Thanks for the information and your great anecdote, Paul! One can’t afford not to respect the power of recoil.