Myths of the Blunderbuss

[rickystl]

I find it laughable when people try blasting the 'shot pattern's of a blunderbuss.
While I do know a YouTube guy who says he uses one for Turkey hunts, and claims he has taken some; but other then Saturday cartoons of the 60s and 70s - I have never seen nor read of the Blunderbuss actually being a Hunting Gun...?

Maybe I am missing something but I always was under the impression it was developed as an 'Intimidating Short Range Defense Gun', easy to load, wide Close Range Spread, loud, smokey, BOO! If I didn't kill you then I made you pee your pants!

Accuracy?
I shot a .72 cal round ball out of mine: 80gr 2F, egg carton over card, ball, another egg carton card - I aimed at a friend's Property Line Post at approximately 30-40 yards...I Missed it...BUT, I nicked it and laid it down on the ground, then I turned to my friend and stated "There, i just extended your property three feet!"

I have also hit pumpkins at 30 to 40 yards with it (round ball, not shot).
But taking a deer or bird on the wing?
Come on; I'm Not Elmer Fudd!

It is was it is, made for what it does, and YES, everyone Needs one!!
(Plus; they are good at chasing away Range Kerens who complain about the noise and smoke your .50 cal make, calling it a "G'D Cannon!"....no, I will show you a 'Cannon'!)

Hi Mad

Well, you're pretty much right on. I've never tried shooting a single round ball. I figured these were made for a variety of shot. So I never had the interest in trying.

Rick

 

[rickystl]

Hank, I am simply flabbergasted by the beauty of your blunderbuss. Coming from Oregon, I have seen, felled, bucked and split my share of madrone for firewood -- it contains more BTUs than oak -- and marveled at its grain structure and patterns. While one would very occasionally see it used for cabinets and flooring, it was always considered very difficult to work with both for hardness and for the tendency of the wood to twist and or check. Curing and stabilizing it was considered to be the realm of alchemists and necromancers. Apparently Ron had cured your blank very well. I have spent some time in his studio --clean and very well lighted as you might imagine.
Thank you for posting, and Dale, thanks for this thread.

Hi Bill

I'm not good at I.D.ing wood. Is madrone similar/same as what;s called orangewood ?

Rick

 

[BillinOregon]

Rick, I have never heard it called orangewood. It is an evergreen smooth-barked tree with thin, reddish-brown paper-like bark that peels and thick, waxy green leaves. It bears small white flowers that produce red-orange, inedible berries.
There is a somewhat rare relative, the Texas madrone, that grows in west Texas and on south into Mexico.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_menziesii

 

[Mad L]

Blunderbuss shot pattern:

 

[Mad L]

Here is that guy who hunts turkey with Blunderbuss:

 

[wganz]

 

[BillinOregon]

Just happened on this older Youtube. Very interesting miquelet 'buss!

 

[PhDBrewer]

I tend to like the ornate, functional art...
Folds up nice to fit under coat... the "original" street sweeper!

 

[SandWatcher]

If I’m reading that article right, there seems to be a major flaw in how these tests were conducted. The author concludes that the pattern is larger for a flared muzzle compared to a cylinder bore of the same length. He does not seem to consider the pattern for a shortened barrel, where the cylindrical portion is the same length as the cylindrical portion of a blunderbuss barrel (for example, a 20 inch flared barrel may actually be the equivalent of a 17 inch non-flared barrel). So, we don’t really know if the expanded pattern is caused by the flare or by the effectively shorter length of the bore.

 

[PhDBrewer]

Well... how do you all think this patterns?
It definitely has a nice flare! Barrel is probably only 8" long... the rest is flare.
William

 

[Old Grunt]

Been years since I did a lot of reading,but I do believe I've read more then once a blunderbuss was a Navel weapon to repel boarders and a wide pattern at very short range makes a lot of sense for that, especially if you are at a good angle to side of ship,you could ventilate several fellows climbing over side,and the Marines way up high in the Masts could pick off the leftovers.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Those dogging the old blunderbuss sometime fail to see their strengths.

They were the first combat shotguns. The wide spread was a GOOD thing. When everyone had single shot weapons, throwing a cloud of shot helped ensure at least some lead got on target.

They were close range affairs. Their great popularity over so many decades and made in so many nations seems to indicate they did, in fact, serve a useful purpose, and that wasn’t bird hunting.