And not just every day hunting. These were used for shooting as many waterfowl as possible for commercial harvesting. A single shot could kill over 50 waterfowl resting on the water's surface.
Punt guns are just really big shotguns and were used mostly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The bore diameter could be over two inches and it could fire a pound of shot at a time!
They were so big that a person couldn’t just pick one up and fire it. They were mounted to the punt used to get to the waterfowl, hence the name.
These guns were so good at killing waterfowl that they were actually banned in most US states by the 1860’s due to depleted waterfowl stocks! Commercial hunting was outlawed in the early 20th century in the U.S. anyway, though.
Punt guns didn’t go away when the US stopped using them. They are still in occasional use in the UK, though there are fewer than 50 of them and they limit their size. Since Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 there has been a punt gun salute every Coronation and Jubilee over Cowbit Wash in Cowbit, Lincolnshire, England.
