Pom-pom guns - what's the purpose of the shape of the end of the barrels?

Factual Questions
1

I still remember the first time I became aware of pom-pom guns. My father had come back from a business trip and brought with him a set of toy pom-pom guns. I was thrilled by it - there was something about the name ‘pom-pom’ that struck a chord, and I also loved the sound it made (pom pom pom pom pom . . . duh ;)). But it was their unique shape that really enthralled me.

To this day I still don’t know why pom-pom guns have the shape they do. I am referring, of course, to the business end of the pom-pon’s barrel and its iconic cone-shape. Here is a nice picture of them from the Wikipedia article linked to above. And here’s another.

Is the purpose of the cone shape to act as a muzzle brake? Flash suppressor? Since they’re not held or fired by a person, it wouldn’t seem that a muzzle brake or flash suppressor would even be needed. So, why are they shaped that way?

Thanks!

2

If you follow your first link to the page on the Bofors gun, you find this quote:

So, it’s a flash hider.

3

Necessary because the barrels are so short.

4

Thanks for the answers.

Just to be clear, then, the flash hider is required to protect who/what in a system like that? The loaders? And from what? ‘Back-blast’?

5

Loaders and gunners. Short barrels = incomplete combustion of propellant = lots of “back-blast.” Not so much “flash hiders” as “flash shields.”

6

I would imagine that under low light conditions, not being blinded buy the muzzle flash would be critical.