.24 cal.

[BIGGUY]

The Mrs just gifted me a little caplock blunderbuss. :thumbsup: Nothing real fancy but not junk. The markings on the bbl. are MENDI 24cal. spain. I'm not versed in smoothbores, so is there a .24 RB or is this just for shooting pellets? Also, what would a safe starting powder charge be?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Must be close to your No2 buckshot-no?
Bet 10grn would be fun???

 

[Mountainman56]

.24 calibre? The ramrod looks to be bigger around than that.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Are you sure it is not 24guauge?????

 

[BIGGUY]

O.K. a .490 ball "falls" right in. A .530 stops about 1" in from the muzzle. .24cal = 50cal.?

 

[Rancocas]

No, .24 caliber certainly does not equal .50 caliber.
.25 is 1/4 of an inch, so .24 is slightly less than that. If I recall correctly, number 4 buckshot is .24" in diameter.
.50 caliber is 1/2 inch.
If a bare .490 ball rolls easily down the bore, but a .530 ball stops just an inch down from that belled muzzle, then I would guess that you have a .50 caliber blunderbuss.
The gun looks shootable in the picture, but check it out first. Run that ramrod down the bore to be sure it hits the breech plug and you know the gun is unloaded. Then see if you can run a patched .490 ball down the bore. It should be tight, but go down easily. Don't use too much force. You can then use a ball puller to get the ball out.
If that works out okay, then I would first snap a cap or two to make sure the passage is clear. Next load a small powder charge of only 20 or 30 grains, and a patched ball. Set the gun in some makeshift cradle on the ground and pointing into a good, solid backstop, put a sandbag or something similar over the gun to hold it down, tie a cord to the trigger and step back 15 or 20 yards. Then pull the cord to set the gun off.
If all goes well, you can then try the same method, but with a heavier powder charge. But, I don't think that I, personally, would want to go over 60 or 70 grains in that gun.

 

[trent/OH]

That looks very interesting. Could you post more pictures like that one (very crisp focus) but even more close-up? Are there any other markings on it?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Mendi wasn't famous for their quality especially in terms of fit and finish, so I think I'd start out with very light powder charges at first. Some of them used to leak around the breech, which may explain why they stopped importing them years ago.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The Mrs just gifted me a little caplock blunderbuss. :thumbsup: Nothing real fancy but not junk. The markings on the bbl. are MENDI 24cal. spain. I'm not versed in smoothbores, so is there a .24 RB or is this just for shooting pellets? Also, what would a safe starting powder charge be?

The " 24 cal." has us stumped. 24 GAUGE would be .579" or .58 caliber. your .530 ball would be about 31 Gauge; the .50 caliber is approx. 37 Gauge.

A .24 caliber is and actual measurement in hundredths of an inch, or .24" in diameter. A quarter of an inch is .250". #4 Buckshot is .24" in diameter.

The only way to help you know what you have is to get some kind of accurate bore dimension. You need to remove the barrel from the stock, and inspect it thoroughly, in good light. You need to put a small, powerful light down the barrel, and turn off the room lights to see if any light is coming out of the barrel, other than through the Nipple/flashchannel. If the barrel and breech are sound, its probably going to be safe enough to fire with light charges.

Lots of these kinds of things have been imported over the years as wall-hangers. Some can be fired safely. This may be one of those. I tend to believe that no manufacturer bothers to put a real nipple in the gun if it is not to be fired. Most are used for shooting blank charge to make noise, and smoke. People seem to be in awe of the flared muzzles on these things, with visions of highwaymen stopping stage coaches in Merry old England, only to be met with a guard armed with one of these. The fact that it is a percussion action is lost to those who just don't know any different. Its the " Elmer Fudd " fantasy. The Belled barrel is no help in " spreading " the shot load, as " Elmer " would have us believe. Rather, it was a help in loading the gun from the top of a moving stagecoach or horse, with everything bouncing up, down, and sideways, as well as back and forth. You could measure out some shot into the palm of your hand, and pour most of it down the belled muzzle. The gun is still basically a smooth bore shotgun. Enjoy.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The Mrs just gifted me a little caplock blunderbuss. :thumbsup: Nothing real fancy but not junk. The markings on the bbl. are MENDI 24cal. spain. I'm not versed in smoothbores, so is there a .24 RB or is this just for shooting pellets? Also, what would a safe starting powder charge be?

 

[BIGGUY]

After the leaky breech concern I put a borelight down'er and no light escapes other than the nipple hole (thanks Paul, good way to check.) There are no other markings anywhere on the gun. Also just spoke to the person she got it from and the original owner had passed but used it to break gun-shy beagles so it has been shot. No load info.though.
Trent- dead batt. in camera at the moment but will get a few more pics. shortly. Thanks to all for the input.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Just be careful. Light isn't under pressure and folks training dogs often fire blanks. The problem with these guns was that the breech plugs were only holding by a few threads at most. Light won't show up any weakness in this area. You need to smear grease along the barrel/breech plug seam and fire a live round remotely to check for a gas leak. These guns sold for $50 to $70 when new, so any short cut the Spanish could think of was taken--not a strong selling point in my mind.

 

[jdstrang]

Don't think I'd shoot it... :nono: :nono: :nono:

 

[pennsyltucky]

my navy arms .62 barrel has "20CAL" ctamped on it. they are just idiots across the pond :youcrazy:

 

[paulvallandigham]

There is both a language and technical understanding barrier at work there. I am sure they meant that a .62 caliber barrel is a 20 gauge barrel, too! I have met police officers here who didn't know the difference between caliber and gauge, either, as well as prosecutors, and defense lawyers. I doubt they pay enough money in wages for people making these parts in Italy, to attract anyone who has experience shooting guns, and would know the difference.

 

[Britsmoothy]

:hmm: Interestingly in Italy IIRC they refere to a .410 as 36cal :shake:

 

[pennsyltucky]

i meant that as sarcasm, but it doesnt read that way. i apologize to any oversea-ers on here. :redface: