Punt Gun
Various Gunsmiths · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1820
Also known as: Punt-Gun, Market Gun, Fowling Punt Gun
Overview
The punt gun is an enormous large-bore smoothbore shotgun used for commercial waterfowl hunting in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Far too large and heavy to shoulder, it was mounted along the centerline of a small flat-bottomed boat called a punt, which was paddled silently up to rafts of resting birds on the water; the hunter aimed the entire boat. With bores commonly 1 to 2 inches (roughly 38 to 51mm) firing up to a pound of lead shot over an equal volume of black powder, a single blast could kill dozens of waterfowl at once. Market hunting on this scale decimated bird populations and the punt gun was banned in most places by the early 20th century.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 50000 g (1763.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 3700 mm (145.67") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- Punt Gun Bore (1-2 inch) · primary — also known as 1 gauge, 2 gauge, 4 gauge, large bore fowling
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Features: Punt Mounted, Single Shot, Market Hunting, Black Powder, Mass Kill Charge
Service history
Operators
- Commercial Market Hunters
- Chesapeake Bay Waterfowlers
Production
Production years: 1820-1918
No mass production; each gun was custom-built. Many were confiscated and destroyed once large-bore restrictions took effect.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
Overwhelmingly custom one-off tools built by individual gunsmiths and watermen; some fine examples were built by the British gun trade (Holland & Holland, W.W. Greener). Originated in the English fowling tradition but heavily developed in the US around Chesapeake Bay. Specs vary widely because every gun was bespoke; weight (~45-57kg), length (~3.5-3.7m), and bore (~38-51mm) are typical midpoints. Effectively ended by the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918; the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 caps legal bore at 1.75 inch (44mm).
Background
A single punt-gun blast could realistically drop 40 to 60 ducks at once, and its recoil was violent enough to shove the entire punt boat backwards across the water. The guns were ultimately outlawed for decimating waterfowl populations to feed the meat and feather markets, a key driver behind the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act.