The romance of the blunderbuss
By MARJ LAW
A blunderbuss, first made in the late 1600s and used until around 1850, was like a hybrid between a pistol and a musket. Some were about 2-feet long, and some between 3 and 4 feet. The blunderbuss had a different appearance from other guns because its muzzle flared at the end of the bore like a funnel. This flaring allowed shot to be spread, instead of firing a single ball.
The blunderbuss is like a hybrid between a pistol and a musket. Loading it from the barrel, you might liken it to shooting a 10-gauge shotgun. With recoil. What a recoil!
Because of its small length, the blunderbuss was portable, maneuverable, versatile, and concealable. The blunderbuss was cheap to buy. Its wide spread of shot could clear decks or help with crowd control.
Some blunderbusses were oval shaped. Some were made with very wide muzzles. However, although the thought was that the shape and width of the muzzle would determine the pattern of the shot, gunmakers discovered that shape and increased bore width did not make a difference. Up to a point, shot would only expand outward so much. The oval shape did not expand laterally.
Blunderbusses were most useful when used short-ranged. At best, a blunderbuss would shoot up to 75 feet.
The blunderbuss has its place in history, yes, but is remembered more for the storytelling behind the gun.
The word, blunderbuss, comes from German words meaning “thunder gun.”
In handgun form, some of the first blunderbusses had a dragon carved around their muzzles. Can you imagine the gun breathing fire as it shoots? What a story! Flash! Smoke! What a visual! Mounted infantry became named “dragoons” for carrying the short fire-breathing blunderbuss.
And it didn’t hurt that unlike other firearms of this time period, the blunderbuss was easier and faster to load on a moving horse, stagecoach or ship.
Imagine blunderbusses mounted on the front of the Lewis and Clarks pirogues. Like small, swivel guns, these blunderbusses lead the boats on the great expeditions.
Can’t you just see Johnny Depp standing on his pirate ship, his blunderbuss clearing the deck of boarders intent on taking over? Or maybe he’s scrambling up the rigging, aiming his blunderbuss at the oncoming crowd?
Or how about your stagecoach driver? The short blunderbuss can be hidden close by him and whipped out to save your fellow travelers from bandits intent on stealing goods and or murdering all of you?
And, as you travel the Oregon Trail, you’d have a blunderbuss to protect you, your family, and all your household supplies in your wagon. What dangers will you face? Thieves waiting to ambush you? As they come closer, you can grab your blunderbuss to convince them it’s time to move along.
Many of us think we might have been able to load anything into our blunderbuss. Anything meaning pebbles, glass, nails: whatever we can find to save our ammunition. But it doesn’t work that way. Our barrels are made of steel or brass. We won’t take on the possibility of ruining the metal of our barrel, will we?
Unless it is a matter of live or death. If we have no ammunition left, then yes, we’ll pick up stones, nails, or any small hard object and throw them down the muzzle of our blunderbuss. We aren’t planning on ruining our gun, but if it’s the chance to save our lives, then we will toss whatever is handy down that barrel. Our lives come first: the gun next.
And then what? Then we use the bayonet attached to the barrel of our blunderbuss. If we have no bayonet, then we grab the blunderbuss’s barrel with both hands and whack the bad guy over his head. Take that!
If we’re not on the Trail, we’re at home in our mansion. Thieves look at the size of our house and think we’re easy pickings. We’re ready for them. We’ve made plans.
We hitched a tripwire to our blunderbuss. The gun is hidden in a bush beside the path to our house. Mr. Bad’s boot will hit the wire. Bang! The gun fires with a sharp report. Mr. Bad’ll make tracks into the distance. Gamekeepers nearby use the same tactics to scare off poachers.
Back in the bad old days, law enforcement wasn’t as organized or available as it is today. Homeowners, travelers, and riders had to protect themselves, their families and their possessions.
For almost a couple hundred years, the blunderbuss was a tool of choice for self-protection. A lot of stories about the blunderbuss begin with a kernel of truth. Then they are embellished into a tale-a tale of a mythical, fire-breathing dragon. A dragon that will vanquish thieves and kill off marauders, pirates, and robbers. A dragon that will save lives.
Its days are over as newer firearms are easier to use and are more accurate to fire. The blunderbuss though, will remain in history: part real and part romanticizing a past that brought us to today.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.