PIRATE FLINTLOCK BLUNDERBUSS SHORT RIFLE by RELICART
Circa 18th Century. A great highway/boarding piece. Simulated hand carved wood stock. The strike-plate adjusts, the hammer cocks, and the trigger releases the hammer. Constructed of high-grade metal alloys, the metal parts including the 8 3/4 inch barrel (2 5/16" diameter at flared end), are covered with detailed designs and completed with an antiqued finish. Length: 18". Weight 3 lbs. This is not a firing decorator gun and cannot be made to fire real ammunition.
Note: You must 18 years of age or older to purchase this pistol. These handsome collector model guns are made of antique finished zinc cast metal and simulated wood resin. The screw heads are molded into the metal and cannot be removed. These models cannot withstand misuse or excessive dry-firing. Cannot be made to fire real ammunition.
FLINTLOCK BLUNDERBUSS - THE "ONE PERSON CANNON"
This short-barreled, large bore flintlock gun was known as a "blunderbuss" from the old Dutch words doner (thunder) and bus (gun). Its distinctive, widely flared muzzle was designed to scatter shot at close range, making it popular as a weapon for boarding parties and personal defense. The blunderbuss, perhaps best known as the weapon of choice of buccaneers and pirates, was also adapted for use as a standard issue British Sea Service weapon (1790-1815).
A blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a flared, trumpet-like barrel and is the predecessor to the shotgun. Most of these weapons are mid-sized, being smaller than most shoulder-fired arms, but larger than a pistol. Although fitted with a butt, the dimensions suggest that most were not really intended to be fired from the shoulder and were instead fired from the hip. The compact dimensions of a blunderbuss would facilitate use in small spaces (e.g. on a ship, or in a house) and would also make storage easier. For those requiring an even smaller weapon, blunderbuss pistols were also produced.
One of the most deadly weapons ever made, the Blunderbuss was able to fire just about anything that would fit in it's barrel. Pirates would use them to spray nails, shards of glass and sometimes small rocks as they boarded a ship. These guns were usually small and cleared the decks in a hurry. This muzzle loading 'thunder gun' was like a shotgun with the firepower of a one-person cannon.
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