The 2-Gauge Punt Gun Was A Cartoonish Monstrosity
You know that saying ‘kill two birds with one stone’? Well the punt gun, an absurd firearm invented in the early 1800s, takes that to a whole new level. One night hunters used it to kill 419 birds in one shot. Yes, you read that right. One shot.
A massive and hilarious-looking gun, the punt gun was an average of eight to ten feet long and two inches in diameter. What wasn’t hilarious, however, was how many birds it could kill. A two-gauge shotgun that fired buckshot, this powerful weapon could knock, on average, 50 to 100 ducks out of the air at once.
The Industrial revolution was all about mass-producing anything and everything. In addition to this, there was also the increased demand for meat, as well as an increased demand for feathers for the fashion industry.
Because of this, a bunch of dudes put their heads together to figure out how they could mass-produce the killing of ducks. That’s how they came up with the punt gun. Back then, the guns were custom made for hunters. The barrels were between eight and thirteen feet in length. They took over a pound of ammunition for each shot, and on average weighed over 100 lbs.
In fact, the gun was so large and powerful that it needed a “punt” (a flat-bottomed row boat) to fire. Otherwise, it could have ripped someone’s arm off. For each shot, the gun would be need to be properly mounted and reinforced to account for the incredible force.
And it got the job done. The daddy of all the punt guns weighed over 300 lbs, had a 14 foot barrel and fired over three pounds of buckshot. The owner claimed that his most “successful” shot killed over 100 ducks.
The punt gun increased the efficiency of duck hunting. However, it also decreased the number of waterfowl dramatically. The hunters would work in groups to maximize the number of ducks they could hit. Because of this, the population of waterfowl in the United States fell to a dramatic and devastating level.
The United States government stepped in and banned the practice of using punt guns around 1860. Following this move, there was a whole bunch of laws enforced all over the States which limited the hunting of endangered birds. In 1918, the practice of hunting endangered birds was outlawed completely by federal law.
This changed the way people hunted, as well as public perception. It was potentially the first time it dawned on them that animals and other living creatures wouldn’t just automatically or magically regenerate to meet their hunting needs.
At the turn of the 20th century, federal law was needed so badly for waterfowl as well as for other birds and wildlife. For example, egrets were sought out and killed for their feathers to adorn ladies’ hats. On land, bison, elk, and deer were nearing extinction.
It was clear to the more responsible sportsmen of the time that if something wasn’t done to conserve these populations, there would be little left for future generations.
The legislation that was enacted during these times was among the first that helped save wild bird populations, as well as other wildlife. At first, hunters debated whether or not it was effective. However, with some tweaking, funding, and more firm enforcement, duck populations began to rise again.
Federal regulations boosted waterfowl populations, and the punt gun ironically helped government and wildlife officials see how important it was to enact conservation on these species.
It took the mass-killing of ducks for them to understand how important it was to preserve and conserve these animals, and the reform that was started back then is still in action today.
Today, punt guns are used for ceremony in Britain, as well as as collector’s items for gun collectors.
https://indie88.com/this-absurd-punt...can-waterfowl/
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