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Thread: 2 Gauge

  1. #1
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    Default 2 Gauge

    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/

  2. #2
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    PSA should clone it and bring it back.

  3. #3
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    OG sky busters
    “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
    -Samuel Adams

  4. #4
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    First they came for our punt guns...

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    Waterfowl widowed maker

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    A must read if you are interested in the duck mashing traditions of old, born of necessity....


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    I believe the book " The Outlaw Gunner " by Dr Harry Walsh gave the best recounting of the Market gunners use of the punt gun. "When Canvasbacks covered the Chesapeake, the market hunters sculled out at night with punts loaded with nails and shot, killing hundreds of ducks with a single shot." Awesome read.
    F**K Cancer

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  8. #8
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    Dammit. JAB beat me to it. The book is available. Great read for sure.
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  9. #9
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    Yeah, but you gave a better description.

    Amazing what we can contrive when our bellies get empty...

  10. #10
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    The chapter describing rail cars of Ducks being sent north to "fill the gullets of New York's Aristocracy " was impressive. The price for Canvasbacks was interesting. They knew then what few know now. The damn things are delicious.

    I have read that book many times. It's a good one.
    F**K Cancer

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  11. #11
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    Yessir and I don't think we have learned a thing. The takeaway shouldn't have been "Limit duck hunters to X" it should have been "Don't commercialize duck hunting"...

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    Makes you wonder how we have any ducks around here....oh yeah.

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  14. #14
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    If you've never been to the Decoy Museum at the Susquehanna Flats in Havre de Grace, MD, you owe it to yourself to visit if ever up that way. Their displays of decoys are great, but their section on market gunning is remarkable.
    Last edited by Simple Man; 02-23-2022 at 10:51 AM.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  15. #15
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    Indeed it is.
    F**K Cancer

    Just Damn.

  16. #16
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    1 1/2 gauge punt shell with a 4 gauge and a 12 ga

    33889480-9135-44EB-93D4-735AC0CCEA5E.jpg
    .
    80-20 Genaration

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    I was listening to the Meat Eater Podcast from this week and they were talking about an antique shop somewhere up in Michigan I believe that had one for sale. $5k range, but apparently it was sawed off to about 5' and not the full 10' length as most were.

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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by nitro5x6's View Post
    The chapter describing rail cars of Ducks being sent north to "fill the gullets of New York's Aristocracy " was impressive. The price for Canvasbacks was interesting. They knew then what few know now. The damn things are delicious.

    I have read that book many times. It's a good one.
    I saw an old market price list for ducks. Near the top was the ruddy duck. I was surprised. I killed one out of shear curiosity that next year. After I ate him, I never gave Ruddys a pass.
    "Think A Guy Like Me Worries About Percentages?" Tin Cup

    "Some get spiritual cause they see the light, and some cause they feel the heat" Ray Wylie Hubbard

    "P.S. I love turkeys. Mostly just hate those who hunt em." Glenn

  20. #20
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    They didn't call them "butterballs" for nothing.

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