Would You Shoot This?

[TheGrandPoohBah]

Next man up, it's your turn - would you shoot it?
4 gauge shotgun - YouTube

[DockShootinJack]

Sure. I may absolutely regret it. But I definitely would shoot it. Not many 4 gauge shotguns around. Plus I would expect a Damascus barreled gun. Probably a pretty pricey gun. That load looked stiff but manageable. Thinking he played it up a little.

[TheGrandPoohBah]

I'd like to see what He shot at, or perhaps what's left of it...

[DockShootinJack]

Should be capable of a 1/3 of a pound payload

[BobC]

In Chesapeake by James Michener there were several legendary guns (I believe 5) that the old timers used to illegally shoot rafts of geese. These were essentially canons, and your story reminded me of that. The authorities were always trying to capture them. One was hidden in plain sight in front of a trailer under ceramics of the 7 dwarfs. Off topic but maybe give you a smile.
Bob

[DockShootinJack]

In Chesapeake by James Michener there were several legendary guns (I believe 5) that the old timers used to illegally shoot rafts of geese. These were essentially canons, and your story reminded me of that. The authorities were always trying to capture them. One was hidden in plain sight in front of a trailer under ceramics of the 7 dwarfs. Off topic but maybe give you a smile.
Bob

They also had market guns meant to be rested on the ground and shot into a flock of fowl.

[BobC]

Yes, these probably were market guns - the one in the story was named “The Thwomby (spelling wrong)” and was named after one of the last owners. The current owner in the story wasn’t a real upstanding citizen but went back many generations.
Bob

[DockShootinJack]

Certainly interesting pieces of history

[skeetbum]

I wouldn’t shoot it with my shoulders like they are, but would probably say yes when I was younger. I saw a video somewhere of a punt gun mounted on a low profile sneak boat. The operator pulled a rope like a cannon and when it went off the front of the boat raised up a good foot of more, and ducks fell out of the sky in huge numbers. Market hunters did some things that were very different than what we do today. The shot may have been steel, brass, or anything small enough to get the job done.

[DockShootinJack]

I wouldn’t shoot it with my shoulders like they are, but would probably say yes when I was younger. I saw a video somewhere of a punt gun mounted on a low profile sneak boat. The operator pulled a rope like a cannon and when it went off the front of the boat raised up a good foot of more, and ducks fell out of the sky in huge numbers. Market hunters did some things that were very different than what we do today. The shot may have been steel, brass, or anything small enough to get the job done.

Gravel, pottery, almost anything they could vet stuffed down the barrel. I am sure the flocks of birds then were massive