I bought a G. Gardner, Master Nut Cracker knockoff at an online auction today. It came with a antique wood box and this toy. It looks sort of like an old punt gun boat, for waterfowling. It has the right, low, slender shape. Some of the punt guns were mounted at the back.

It could also be a military toy.





What do you think?

Keith

Looks like a toy recoilless rifle. Was something to watch when they fired off the 105 recoilless rifle. Punt guns looked like single shot shotgun on steroids.

All the old pics I've seen of punt guns were mounted with the gun forward, maybe a regional thing.

That is what I have seen as well. Bow mounted with a kerosene lamp near it. Cool old piece no matter what it is.

That is pretty unique. Is it homemade? How old do you figure it is?

I believe it is homemade. The seat and the gun are an old plastic, maybe bakelite. They were probably repurposed from another toy. The man is carved out of some light colored wood. The boat appears to be made out of repurposed wood too. The outside of the bottom of the boat has green paint on it, that may have mostly aged off before the toy was made. There is no other paint on it.

I think Bob56 is correct that it's a toy M40 105mm Recoilless Rifle. The M40s were made in 1956 and were used in the Korean War. I would guess the gun and seat are from around then and the boat and man not much later.

Keith

That is one cool tool ! Had to look it up. Never saw one before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M40_recoilless_rifle
Spotting rifle
The ammunition for the M8C spotting rifle is not .50 BMG, but a 12.7x77mm (22mm shorter) round than used in .50 caliber machine guns. The spotter round was developed to replicate the trajectory of the 106 mm ammunition, and features a tracer element and a point-detonating incendiary filler to create a puff of white smoke at the impact point. Four of the six 106mm rifles on the M50 Ontos mounted spotter rifles.

Thank you.
Sure would be cool to talk to whoever made it!

The base of the toy gun looks just like the first picture. The 3 legs are implanted in the wood. It turns easily.

Keith