Twelve Foot Muzzle Loading Gun Recalls Days of ‘49 (Apr, 1934)
Filed under: General — @ 1:00 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1934
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Tags: giant sized
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1934
| Buy on Ebay
Tags: giant sized
Twelve Foot Muzzle Loading Gun Recalls Days of ‘49
WHEN they shot game in California in the hard days of ‘49, they really shot game, as is demonstrated hy a 12 foot, muzzle loading gun just added to the Pony Express Museum at Pasadena, California. The gun was acquired from a pioneer at Calaveras,
California.The gun weighs fifty pounds. Being a muzzle loader, it used powder and ball. A huge ramrod was required to stuff in the firing material and bullets. It is easy to understand that the weapon carried a terrific kick, especially if loaded with a little more than the required amount of powder. It was fired from a rest.
Looks like a “punt gun”, used for market hunting of waterfowl. The harvesters would wait for the birds to land, aim the punt(boat) at the flock and fire. Seems like they were more common on the East Coast of the USA than the West.
Comment by Bob — March 30, 2008 @ 10:45 am
Looks like an 80 year old April Fool’s joke to me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.
Comment by scote — April 1, 2008 @ 3:56 am
It’s real and was used. Bob is right.
This was called a “Punt” gun and was used to knock down ducks by the hundreds. It was outlawed but poachers did it anyway until caught.
Comment by Jerry Martin — July 31, 2008 @ 5:15 pm