Blanket gun

[BadHeart]

First off I hope this is in the right place. After seeing 82 airborne's blanket gun. it got me to thinkin' (this is dangerous, just so you know). A few years ago I traded 2 turkey wing bone calls to a guy in Texas for a .45 cal Junkar long rifle. I thought it was a good trade. It has been sitting in my gun cabinet since. So after seeing 82 airbornes results I had to have one for myself. Yes I am a copy cat. but, I had to have one too. So here is the finished product. Thanks for lookin.[url] http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/Frosty_Balls_2006/blanketgun001.jpg http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/Frosty_Balls_2006/blanketgun002.jpg http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/Frosty_Balls_2006/blanketgun003.jpg[/url]

 

[LFC]

What is a "blanket gun" for, and how'd it get that name?

 

[brubincam]

hope he didn't have it PATTENTED... :blah: :blah: :blah:

 

[tom hargrove]

that look very good ----deadly -but good i like short guns :bow:

 

[jaxenro]

Be nice to do that witha double barrel!

 

[Le Grand]

-What is a "blanket gun" for, and how'd it get that name?-

Comus, The old blanket guns were Trade Guns sawed off on both ends to make them short enough so the Indians could hide the guns under their blankets. Take a look at North Star West's website and their Blanket Gun. (www.northstarwest.com) Le Grand

 

[silverfox]

Mighty fine looking two handed pistol IMHO.
Fox :hatsoff:

 

Hey, That looks better than mine.
Excellent work.
Did you make a scabbard for it yet?
I like the leather wrap.
I might copy some of your ideas.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

A blanket gun is one that someone ruined such that it has to be hidden! :haha:

 

[tg]

There is some very loose decriptions of Pontiacs hideing short guns to sneek into a fort and this is thought to be the basis for the current blanket gun craze, little in history, mostly a current thing.

 

[Many Klatch]

TG, I thought I read of Plains Indians having the women carry a few blanket guns and pistols under their dresses or blankets when they were being herded up by the cavalry to go to the reservations. This would be near the end of the "Indian Wars". I don't study that period much. The short gun as we see it in the pictures isn't that much different from the large horse pistols used by cavalry back before repeating weapons. It would be devastating at close range.

Many Klatch

 

[paulvallandigham]

The Fort was Fort Detroit, as well as another fort in Present day Ohio. They massacred the folks in the Ohio fort. At Detroit, someone got wind and forced most of the indians out of the fort before they could get ready to attack. Pontiac lay seige to the Fort for months, and managed to keep resupply and rescue parties away for a long time. The Fort survived only because the other chiefs lost faith in Pontiac's magic, packed up and went home. Pontiac made several attempts to storm the fort, but was repulsed. He managed to take control of trading posts/forts at Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, at St. Joseph, in western Michigan, and forts in Easter Indiana( Ft. Wayne) and in Ohio, along the shores of Lake Erie. He hit a snag at Fourt Dearborn( Chicago) when local Tribes refused to slaughter soldiers they considered friends, and finally sneaked out of the fort, but many soldiers and civilians were killed in the seige, and battle, and it is still referred to as the Ft. Dearborn Massacre. Pontiac came closer to doing what Tecumsah failed to do 30 years before in uniting the tribes to drive the British and later Americans out of the old Northwest territory( Ohio, Ind., Ill. Wisc. Michigan )

Blanket guns were smuggled into the Fort by Indian women, but the history indicates that another woman who worked in the fort for a family tipped off that family, who in turned tipped the Commander of the Fort. Blanket guns were also found among the dead at the killings at Ft. Robinson in Nebraska, in the 1880s, I believe. That is where Crazy Horse, the Sioux War Chief was killed by Indian Police.

 

Indian blanket gun made from a 1816 Harpers Ferry musket dated 1822.

 

[rich pierce]

I believe that blanket guns were never deliberately made. That is, no intelligent person who relied on a gun for hunting and protection would cut their gun down that way apurpose. Long guns were extremely important and costly for Native Americans. What we see as blanket guns are remains of broken guns, slightly altered to make them still serviceable. Guns with broken stocks and burst barrels, battle field wrecks, etc.

Believe me, if there was a market for blanket guns, Henry and Leman would have made them. These are guns rescued from the junkpile by people who could not get anything better.

The same is true for "canoe" guns.

Did they exist? yes. So do "trailers" made from old Ford pickup truck beds.

In my opinion, if you are going to carry such a gun, your persona should be a down on their luck, nearly hopeless person resorting to shooting acorns out of their last remaining "piece".

A person of reasonable means would be able to get a horse pistol designed for the job(small gun capable of being concealed to some extent, good for close-quarters killing).

Are they fun? Heck, they make a lot of noise and kick plenty, make smoke. That's fun. Why not just have fun with them and not try to justify them just because there is one acocunt of their use and lots of examples of gun wrecks, cut off?

 

[BadHeart]

No scabbard for it yet. It has a two piece stock and I didn't like the brass spacer in it. Covered with leather and it looks like a repair, same with my traditions long rifle, but it is covered with rawhide. I know that it may not be a documented piece, but for what I gave for it I wouldn't be out any thing if I messed it up and I have wanted one for some time cause I think they are cool looking.

 

Same here. I think there cool looking also.
I thought about removing the brass divider and replacing with wood and sanding and blending it together.Still not decided.

 

[jasontn]

at one time i read this or saw it on tv, a story about blanket guns. some indians were playing some kind of sport outside a fort with a ball. they werent allowed to carry weapons, as some trouble with the whites had just ceased. they had all thier women carry short guns under thier robes and purposely kicked the ball inside the fort. well they ran inside, to the amusement of the fort residents to get the ball. this was done a few times and after it worked, they sent the women in ran after the ball and grabbed the guns and went at it.

 

[bob243]

Dumb question, but if I were to build one of these, do ATF laws apply to these? (If it were a modern rifle it would be considered a class III )

 

[paulvallandigham]

Federal laws says these are not firearms, and therefore not covered. But check on state laws where you live. They may have different ideas.

 

[Rod Lassey]

From my research, it looks to me that most of the so-called blanket guns were a Plains Indian modification done in the post Civil War era. In other words, they were cutting down obsolete trade guns into large horse pistols for running buffalo and horse warfare. For longer range work they used their new needle gun or Henry repeater.

What I'm trying to say is that while the practice of cutting down a trade gun was certainly done, and quite widespread (at least on the northern plains), it was being done on old worn out guns by Indians who wanted a big pistol.