The Goose Gun

The big bore guns are more associated to goose shooting and other large wild fowl They are mainly used on the fore shore at geese that flight out too their feed grounds in land, bore sizes range from a modest 8 to the mighty 4 bore .The only other shoulder gun that is used on the foreshore are the bank guns which the largest is a 2 bore and is the largest shoulder gun. The charge for a 2 bore bank gun can be 12drms plus of powder to 6 oz of shot They are shot from the sand dunes or a sea wall at mostly waders feeding along the incoming tide and when within range the shot was discharged in the flock, shot size varied depending on the quarry with the largest BB
Big bore guns are mostly S/B but some are built has D/B mainly 8 bore with the odd 6bore and percussion .Other guns used for wild fowl were the punt guns these were large bore guns and were fired from a boat known has a punt they were better known has tools of a trade for which these fowlers made a living but this is another later thread
Feltwad
A Stand Of Fowlers

6bore Tubelock

A D/B 6 Bore

Very nice! :thumbsup:

Another grand set, Feltwad!

I have never seen a back action tubelock before. Thank you for showing it.

Also I don't think there were very many double six bores produced. It looks a lovely gun.
Does that flint have a dog-lock ?
Can't see it too well but to me looks like it.

Congrats on them all, and for taking such good care of them!

Richard.

beautiful!

RJDH said:

Another grand set, Feltwad!

I have never seen a back action tubelock before. Thank you for showing it.

Also I don't think there were very many double six bores produced. It looks a lovely gun.
Does that flint have a dog-lock ?
Can't see it too well but to me looks like it.

Congrats on them all, and for taking such good care of them!

Richard.

Click to expand...

The tubelock was made by Alfred Clayton who was mentioned in Hawkers Diaries along with Joseph Manton has his Gun makers .

Better image of the bank gun showing the dog lock


Feltwad

Feltwad,

The doglock has me a bit confused.
The fore-end with no ramrod looks like a live pigeon gun, yet the barrel is too long for such, and no-one would use an old dog-lock for this purpose. Have you any ideas why no rammer in this case?
V intriguing gun!

The stocking up on the tubelock appears a bit provincial. What do you think?

Thank you again for these photos Feltrwad!

Richard.

Sweet! Thanks for the photo's :hatsoff:

RJDH said:

Feltwad,

The doglock has me a bit confused.
The fore-end with no ramrod looks like a live pigeon gun, yet the barrel is too long for such, and no-one would use an old dog-lock for this purpose. Have you any ideas why no rammer in this case?
V intriguing gun!

The stocking up on the tubelock appears a bit provincial. What do you think?

Thank you again for these photos Feltrwad!

Richard.

Click to expand...

The dog lock bank gun never had a ramrod When I bought it from Grafton Water along with two punt guns .This gun was in a bad state the stock was almost gone with wood worm so I restocked it from the old stock dimension there was no signs of a ramrod rib or a ramrod hole in the stock and no barrel loops .The stock was true shoulder style ,it may have also been used has a small punt gun so no ramrod.

Has for the tubelock I have come across a lot of these big bore fowlers with plain stocks .We must remember that these guns are not the game gun type with fancy stocks and furniture these guns had to take a lot of punishment with mud , salt ,and such I still believe that's why they used plain wood for the stocks .
Feltwad

Love the Light Artillery! :grin:

Thanks for the photos.

I think too we sometimes forget the setting, the intended environment meant for some guns when they were built.

Consider the Swedes used the dog-lock on their military muskets into the 19th century, a good seven or eight decades after the dog-lock left standard British Army use. The Swedish muskets were even more utilitarian than even the 3rd Model aka India Pattern Bess. Why might that be?

Consider the very cold, and maritime settings where Swedish troops would contend, in contrast the British, French, German, and Spanish armies. The dog-lock has one feature that may have kept it in use in Sweden..., it is obvious to the user both by eye and by mechanics when the lock is at half-cock.

So if you have fellows going out for waterfowl, in cold and damp conditions, so wearing mits or mittens, perhaps in a small boat subject to the motion of waves when the shooter is loading..., perhaps the person who had the gun built wanted not only a large, robust lock, but one very obvious when set at half-cock. :wink:

LD

Very interesting and informative post. I can't imagine shooting one of those big 'uns. :shocked2:

Rifleman1776 said:

Very interesting and informative post. I can't imagine shooting one of those big 'uns. :shocked2:

Click to expand...

Another stand of Fowlers with the long barrels
Feltwad

Rifleman1776 said:

Very interesting and informative post. I can't imagine shooting one of those big 'uns. :shocked2:

Click to expand...

Enclosed is a image of shooting the big 4 bore at the local country fair .
Feltwad

4 Bore

This is one of the big 'uns. :grin:



Spence

George said:

This is one of the big 'uns. :grin:



Spence

Click to expand...

This is a punt gun not a shoulder fired gun. these guns are used in a punt on both the inland marshes{ings} and the double punt on the foreshore
Feltwad

Feltwad said:

This is a punt gun not a shoulder fired gun.

Click to expand...

Yes, I assumed so. I've always wondered, though, if it was made to be mounted on a boat, why did they put a regular gun stock, trigger guard, etc., on those big guns?

Spence

I've long wished Pedersoli of Italy would make an 8 gauge front stuffer side by side!!

Spence,
Most punt-guns don't have a regular stock, most end about where the grip would be.

The gun is aimed by manouvering the punt with your paddles.

I do like that long bank gun, Feltwad!

Smokey Plainsman said:

I've long wished Pedersoli of Italy would make an 8 gauge front stuffer side by side!!

Click to expand...

THAT I would HAVE to buy!

Or even a 4GA (for my moose like son and/or buddies to shoot, not me :shocked2: :rotf:

George said:

Feltwad said:

This is a punt gun not a shoulder fired gun.

Click to expand...

Yes, I assumed so. I've always wondered, though, if it was made to be mounted on a boat, why did they put a regular gun stock, trigger guard, etc., on those big guns?

Spence

Click to expand...

There were different designs of punt gun stocks most were designed to fit into some device in the bottom of the punt and were secured with a rope I will explain this more on my next thread on punt guns
Feltwad

This is a punt gun not a shoulder fired gun. these guns are used in a punt on both the inland marshes{ings} and the double punt on the foreshore
Feltwad

Click to expand...

I thought perhaps it was a rampart gun adapted for field use by The Continental Army, later, converted to caplock. :shocked2:

LD