L-60 Limitation Order - The Frozen Guns Order

[jtcarm]

Many punt guns were used on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake as well as the rivers off the bay. Remember as a kid in the 50s going “ antiqueing” with my parents. Rode a ferry across the Chesapeake bay, ferry had pretty good food too. Those were the days.

If you can find a copy, you’d probably enjoy “The Outlaw Gunner” by Harry Walsh”.

I believe the hunters referred to them as “big guns.”

They used them from a tiny boat called a “sneak skiff”. Not something you’d want to brave the waters of the Chesapeake with. As the name implies, it was for sneaking up on a raft of ducks.

If everything wasn’t setup just so, the recoil could tear the boat apart.

 

[Skeet 028]

Been lost in space. In answer to the question about where the old market gunner hunted. He gunned the upper Chester River area. His punt was approx 14 feet long. the gun was approx 2 1/2 inch bore. but I never really neasured it. The gun was mounted in the boat sticking out about a foot foot and a half. This was in 1960...so I can't remember all. It had a block that went from rail to rail to sight the gun down center line. Have seen quite a few punts and doubt the gun would destroy a boat easily. pretty tough little bay built skiffs. The old fellows name was to me..Mr. Needles. He livd in a little shack on upper Southeast Creek...barely longer than the punt gun. I crabbed and fished/turtled the creek as a kid...commercially. Had a 23 ft bay built inboard at age 10. It had an old palmer motor and that old man could keep up with my speed...standing up sculling the boat. he laid down to scull sneaking on ducks/geese.. I never could scull worth a darn. My father could. It is an art I think. He showed me what he used to kill ducks. and ir wasn't even shot. cul off nails pieces of fishing sinkers good round stones. I know he made a shot...maybe his last.... about the 20th of November 1961. All the duck clubs up and down the river had baited the ducks up pretty good so they were bunched good and corn fed fat. He took his shot at a place at the mouth of Southeast Creek and the Chester called Lands' End...there was a club there.He said he used about 6-7 ounces of #4 or #5 shot I gave him. I don't remember how many ducks he killed but he said the Canada geese kinda stopped him from getting right in the ducks. He bagged a bunch of them. Said he hardly ever shot geese. He disposed of them to a man that had a store and sold waterfowl. I knew Harry Walsh the Doctor who wrote the Outlaw Gunner...and both brothers. Matt had a buisness waterfowl hunting. I guided for him for quite a few years. The other brother was a Md state game warden. Back then the state gave game warden jobs to the outlaws they couldn't catch. My 2nd cousin was a state warden Some Federal wardens too. It was a different world back then and was changing for the good fairly quickly. People on the Eastern Shore lived off the bounty of the land and water. Next door neighbor was boyhood friends with the Ward brothers...makers of some of the best decoy makers in the US. I have 3 of their decoys signed by them in Pencil...one a kinda rare Pintail. I learned a lot as a kid...not always from the "best" teachers. As a guide for about 35 years I met a lot of supposedly famous people. the ones I remember best were baseball and football players.

BTW I can't say I never shot over a limit or never baited but never cited for doing wrong.. but had one Federal Warden that just kept trying to get me for something

 

[Skeet 028]

If you can find a copy, you’d probably enjoy “The Outlaw Gunner” by Harry Walsh”.

I believe the hunters referred to them as “big guns.”

They used them from a tiny boat called a “sneak skiff”. Not something you’d want to brave the waters of the Chesapeake with. As the name implies, it was for sneaking up on a raft of ducks.If everything wasn’t setup just so, the recoil could tear the boat apart.

Thse sneak boats weren't very big Many might not know that they didn't sneak up on 'em during the day..usually at night no moon. When they got in the raft...they would shine a candle lamp Ducks would all raise their head and he'd touch here off. Some of the gunners would shoot a Rem 11 or other like a 97 Win. M-12. into the rise of the birds on large flocks Hold the trigger and pump on the 97 and 12 When I was a kid my grandfather had a sinkbox and accoutrements in his garage

 

[RM Vivas]

It is famously well known that Americans donated guns to defend Britain as evidenced by an ad in American Rifleman asking for the donation of arms to help Britons in case of invasion.

Less well known is that the government sent representatives to various police departments in search of confiscated/evidentiary firearms that would be suitable for the ar effort.

Charlie Pate touches on this in his marvelous book on the secondary handguns of WW2.

Supposedly there is a photograph that shows barrels of handguns, presumably confiscated arms, being loaded into the hold of a ship in NY destined for Britain. I've searched for such images but haven't found any but don't doubt their existence.

Send A Gun To Defend A British Home | An Official Journal Of The NRA

Sandusky Register Newspaper 19FEB44

 

[DWalt]

I remember seeing a period picture of a British Bobby standing next to a large pile of guns on the ground, sort of like he is guarding them. Presumably they are guns donated from the USA.