What is this massive rifle?

[brouta]

Can someone tell me what gun this is?

I'm sure it wasn't meant to be fired like it's held in the picture... They probably just took the photo like that for laughs, but the gun's real, right?

I remember seeing what I think was the same thing in someone's forum avatar here?

Thanks.

[Hucka]

I think you'll find they were originally mounted in rowing longboats.

I'm only saying that from pictures I've seen though, don't know the name of the gun specifically sorry.

[Usurper]

Here's a picture of one mounted up.

row bot gun

row-boat-gun.jpg (24.82 KiB) Viewed 8482 times

[Hatter]

You could just about use the recoil instead of rowing from the looks of it

[headspace]

They were known as "Punt Guns" and apparently had a very devastating effect on Waterfowl.

They were obviously used a long time ago (and prior to the Greens arriving) I'm not sure whether they were just as devastating at the butt end.

They were also available in double barrel.

JD

[Humir]

I'm not sure whether they were just as devastating at the butt end.

They'd be pretty heavy obviously. I reckon the weight would be the only thing that would save you.

[Carter]

Here's a picture of one mounted up.

row-boat-gun.jpg

The way it's set up makes it look like the boat is the ultra heavy-weight version of a mule tamer bag

[Fujix]

The way it's set up makes it look like the boat is the ultra heavy-weight version of a mule tamer bag

Have many rivers to sit the boat in are your local shooting range do you?

[Ken]

They were known as "Punt Guns" and apparently had a very devastating effect on Waterfowl.

Holy crap that's a shotgun...

[Will]

An illustration of it in action from Wikipedia:

[Will]

Holy crap that's a shotgun...

Same, I assumed it was an old American civil war rifle or something, not a hunting shotgun

[Boatman]

People obviously had big families to feed back then. Everyone must looove duck

[Warrigul]

Holy crap that's a shotgun...

Same, I assumed it was an old American civil war rifle or something, not a hunting shotgun

There is actually one in a collection down here, they were never aimed by hand, the gun was mounted in the boat firmly but able to recoil otherwise it would damage the boat. It was aimed by moving the whole boat with small hand paddles, usually at night when the ducks or geese were in a flock on the water. They are essentially a long barrelled cannon.

[chickapow]

There is actually one in a collection down here...

That get's fired? Or just for display?

[Warrigul]

There is actually one in a collection down here...

That get's fired? Or just for display?

Just for display, though apparently it was used down here in the early days as a market gun (shoot a heap then take them around for sale straight away)they are now illegal in every state in Australia.

[Aster]

Just for display...

Shame... It would be quite an experience to unleash one of these puppies

[threeoh]

apparently it was used down here in the early days as a market gun (shoot a heap then take them around for sale straight away)

I was about to ask "why not just use a regular shotgun", but that makes sense.

Probably take down an hours worth of hunting in one blast if you're lucky.

[Warrigul]

apparently it was used down here in the early days as a market gun (shoot a heap then take them around for sale straight away)

I was about to ask "why not just use a regular shotgun", but that makes sense.

Probably take down an hours worth of hunting in one blast if you're lucky.

40-80 birds in one shot apparently, depending on how many were sitting and how well it was aimed and loaded.

[disko]

40-80 birds in one shot apparently, depending on how many were sitting and how well it was aimed and loaded.

Geez you'd be pretty chuffed with yourself if you knocked over 80 birds in one shot

[jeebo]

Geez you'd be pretty chuffed with yourself if you knocked over 80 birds in one shot

A months worth of hunting with one pull of the trigger

[tripletwo]

A months worth of hunting with one pull of the trigger

Wish I could do my shopping that way

KABOOM!

[feedr]

They need delivery cannons at supermarkets. You just give them the co-ordinates of your house and they key it in, stick all your food in a rubber ball and launch it into your back yard for you to collect

[Atter]

stick all your food in a rubber ball and launch it...

Last time I checked, rubber balls bounce... I'm seeing some logistics problems here

[Berper]

Last time I checked, rubber balls bounce... I'm seeing some logistics problems here

We need solutions, not problems!

I want cannon-delivered groceries too!

[Harts]

Some sort of catchers net is in order perhaps...

[headspace]

Remember men, this thing would have been black powder. Can you imagine the cloud of smoke after the shot. It would have taken half the day just to find all the birds. These days we'd probably need counselling after that sort of slaughter. Well some of us would.

[Sender]

Remember men, this thing would have been black powder. Can you imagine the cloud of smoke after the shot. It would have taken half the day just to find all the birds.

I looooooove the smell of black powder in the mornings!

[Die Judicii]

I think it is what used to be called a "punt gun" or,,,,,, a Great Wall of China Defence gun.

I remember they did feature an article about punt guns in an early 1960s issue of Outdoors Magazine.
They had illustrations of punts armed with smaller diameter barrels,,,,, but 10 - 15 of them side by side.
They said that a cord was looped through the triggers and was held by the operators teeth.
He would lay behind and paddle with hands and line the bow of the punt up with a flock on the water,, then jerk the cord back to fire.

Bloody devastating effect.

As a point of interest, the picture at the head of this thread is also very similar to the "Great wall of China" defence gun.
There is one on display in the Canberra War Memorial.
It would take two people to fire it (just like in the picture), and the one at the recoil end usually died as a result.
The plaque describing the guns origin/use etc says that they (chinese) considered it an honor to fire the gun.

[deadkitty]

Punt gun, my grandfather used to use one in Ireland (circa 1920-1930's ) and my grand mother hated it because he used to pinch cutlery (her's ) to add to his mix of projectiles. Cheers

[duncan61]

I believe a 12g is twelve shots to the pound on average.That monster is a 4g so quarter a pound of shot when you let it go.They were mostly mounted and pulled with a cord on a small rowing boat.They were banned when some gentleman bragged about getting 138 ducks in one go and it was considered unsporting by the gentry.You needed to be wealthy and landed to have one so most people would have agreed.