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Punt Gun

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There is one huge flaw in your plan...., :haha: it is a Federal violation to hunt migratory birds with anything larger than 10 gauge. So a very cool toy, and maybe you can have sombody put some targets out on the water for you and video tape your firing at them..., but black powder or not, touching off that monster at waterfowl is a huge no-no. :nono: If you used lead shot..., that would be a double no-no. :nono: :nono: .

Hey is your friend capable of making barrels for other folks? I'd like to make a rampart/wall gun, and I'd like a bigger barrel than 1"..., say 1.5". The Rifle Shoppe has 1" barrels for $500.00 btw.

LD
 
Well I can certainly talk to him about it. I have no plans to actually use the gun for killing or hunting water fowl. What I have done and seen in the past is they inflat ballon and weight them to the bottom of the water like duck decoys to allow the crowd to get an idea of what the gun can do killin wise, is murders the balloons and before any enviormentalist tag me we collect all the weights, strings, and as much or the balloon parts as possible.
 
My father's family lived on Holland's Island in Chesapeake Bay until 1920 and market waterfowl hunting was part of their livelihood. When I was a boy spending my summers in Oxford, one of my friend's grandfather had a percussion double-barrel 6-gauge stored in a shed. Don't think anyone fired it from the shoulder; they sandbagged it in the bow of a camouflaged skiff and baited the ducks.

Of course, we all wanted to shoot it so we could brag that we did...
 
After you get home and make your punt gun are you going to hide it in the front yard under some statues of Snow White and the seven Dwarves? Just a little reference to James Michner's CHESAPEAKE................watch yer top knot............
 
Well, there was an episode of American Guns where they built a "modern interpretation" of a punt gun. If you want a good, safe gun, try to find that episode and do the absolute opposite of every thing they did to build that one.

And they only charged him $10,000. What a steal. :rotf:
 
AlanA said:
Well, there was an episode of American Guns where they built a "modern interpretation" of a punt gun. If you want a good, safe gun, try to find that episode and do the absolute opposite of every thing they did to build that one.

And they only charged him $10,000. What a steal. :rotf:

Saw that episode. Wadda joke. Basically they built a pipe.
 
I had one for a short time,short story, mike moore wanted it and i needed a cannon barrel.
this one was made in france, was converted perc. very crude wood stock,barrel was well made, oct to round. 1.5 bore as i recall.barrel was 12 feet long, wood stock had a piece spliced at front to add to length. had a butt stock to shoot from shoulder. any how i did have it for about an hour. the guy i got it from bought it from a pawn shop in San Francisco.
I think Mike still has it in rafters in his shop.
I would build one just for the heck of it. too much fun ..... :thumbsup:
 
In Mitcheners' Cheapeake there is an interesting, on going side-story about an Uncle or something and his Punt Gun (they called it the "Twombly" I think). As interesting as the description of its use are the amusing Antics engaged in to keep it secret and hidden from the Authorities....

Eric
 
Little John, I for one would appreciate you sharing info as you go along, as I too have a desire for such a gun. Thanks, Jim
 
Will do.. But be advised I have 3 1/2 guns remaining left to build before this project gets underway. Plus I have to get back statside as well. But if ya want I will try and share all the learning curves and tips I discover.
 
"Safe" is also dependent on the MATERIAL used.
If you are using cold rolled free machining steel then its not safe.
If you are using low quality hot rolled its not safe.
Barrels need to be made of high quality hot rolled steel with little or no lead, sulfur and phosphorus. Steels with lead/sulfur/phosphorus as lubricants to ease machining have increased levels of flaws and inclusions that seriously weaken the material when used to contain internal pressure.

Dan
 
This is a Holland and Holland breech loading punt gun. 1.3" bore.

Puntgun2_2.jpg


Breech Mechanism
Puntgun1.jpg


SFAIK punt guns are still legal for hunting in England.


I believe a 2" bore with one pound of powder is too large for a gun shot from the typical punt (the boat they were mounted in) controlling recoil in a light boat would be an issue. One pound was the service charge for 4.6" bore 12 pound MTN howitzer. http://schwartz.eng.auburn.edu/ACW/arty/12howitzer.html

They are using 2000 grains here. http://video.search.yahoo.com/vide...com/search?ei=UTF-8&p=punt+gun&sigb=11i7a50ea
I do not think shooting "BB gun" BBs is wise but its not my gun. But then Dad shot them from choked shotguns for geese when he was a kid. Don't know what damage it may have done though.
Dan
 
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Depending on your Dad's age, BB's then may have been lead. Steel BB's will destroy almost any barrel. They are harder than steel (iron) shot.
 
That could be a cracker jack hog herd gun.

By the way, from an ill spent childhood I can say with certainty that half a pistol flask of FFFg in Uncle Jimmy's galvanized pipe antenna pole would make a half a dozen old spark plugs cut willow limbs off in the swamp on the other side of the pasture. With that being my only experience to gauge by a full pound sure seems like a lot.
 
A one pound powder charge certainly does seem like a lot - the load for a CW 10pound Parrott was one pound as was the load for a 12 pound howitzer with a 4.62" bore. A punt gun would still pack a huge punch with one pound of shot, not powder, and the charge for that pound of shot would be maybe 3 ounces of powder. The punt boats were small, lightly built one man things, not built for the weight or recoil of an actual cannon.
 

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