Puckle's best-known literary work (reprinted as recently as 1900) was The Club, a moral dialogue between a father and son.

In 1718, Puckle patented his new invention, the Defence Gun — a tripod-mounted, single-barreled flintlock weapon fitted with a multishot revolving cylinder, designed for shipboard use to prevent boarding.

[1] Puckle demonstrated two versions of the basic design: one, intended for use against Christian enemies, fired conventional round bullets, while the second variant, designed to be used against the Muslim Turks, fired square bullets which were considered to be more damaging and would, according to its patent, convince the Turks of the "benefits of Christian civilization.

"[2] The Puckle Gun drew few investors and never achieved mass production or sales to the British armed forces.

One leaflet of the period sarcastically observed, following the business venture's failure, that the gun has "only wounded those who hold shares therein."