When did the term Shotgun come about?

[dkloos]

I was curious when the term shotgun came about and was in use... as it seems that any flintlock piece that fired shot was just called a fowler or birdgun. Thanks

 

[RC]

Not sure but I'm thinkin it came about at a wedding. as in "ah shoot,her daddy's got a gun"

 

[Lonegun1894]

now that sounds kinda familiar. Another bit of trivia i was told years ao by an OLD friend, is why no one ever mentions a rifle wedding. According to him, if the daddy was a rifleman, instead of a shotgunner, it wouldnt be a weddin, it'd be a funeral. :thumbsup: :rotf:

as to when the term seriously came into use, sorry, but cant help much there.

Paul

 

[AZ-Robert]

I was curious when the term shotgun came about and was in use... as it seems that any flintlock piece that fired shot was just called a fowler or birdgun. Thanks

Great question! Here is what wikipedia says: "The first recorded use of the term shotgun was in 1776 in Kentucky. It was noted as part of the "frontier language of the West" by James Fenimore Cooper. "

found here:[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun[/url]

 

[Wehrmacht]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term "shotgun" first came into English language usage in the United States in 1828. How the OED knows this is anybody's guess.

 

[AZ-Robert]

They usually use the date from the oldest text they can find the word in. In this case that is probably Cooper's use of it. OED usually has the final say... makes you wonder where wikipedia got that 1776 date.

 

[dkloos]

The problem with Wikipedia is that ANYONE can post ANYTHING on the website. Although I do appreciate the input from anyone who looked it up on Wik., I think that it would be safer to use the OED information.

 

[musketman]

I believe it may have been a local term that spreaded as people migrated west, like the term scattergun...

 

[Okwaho]

The earliest use of the term that I have seen was in estate inventories in Jefferson County, Tennessee Ca. 1800-1810 where a "shot gun" was among the items on the inventories along with "rifle gun","shot pouch", and "wipers". Note that the term shot gun was comprised of two words.There are also the the account books of Leonard Reedy {1774-1837} a gunsmith of Dauphin County,Pa.who worked from about 1792 until his death in 1837.There are two account books in existent covering the period from 1819 to 1837.They are in German and English with German being the earlier.He refers to guns,rifles,a smooth rifle,a shotgun,and a double barreled rifle.The entry for the shotgun was made in 1828.he also recorded entries for gun restocking and repair as well as general repair for other items.He restocked 31 guns and charged from $2.00 t0 $4.75.These accounts also show the 18th century terminology for gun parts as well as fascinating picture of an early 19th century gunsmith/blacksmith who was also a jack of all trades.
"Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in it's Golden Age" by Joe Kindig Jr.PP.13-22

 

[Capt. Jas.]

1782 Inventory of Jeremiah Whitney, high sherrif and justice of Buckingham Co. VA. Inventory proved in court February 1782.

1 SHOT GUN valued @ 1:16:0

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Forgot to cite my source fo the 1782 date.

Inventory of Jeremiah Whitney, Accounts of Legals transcribed from the Austin-Twyman Collection of the Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Anyone out there have an earlier date than 1782? I know I have a 1770's documented reference in some of my material but I hav not been able to locate it this weekend.

 

In Kindig's book on the Kentucky rifle he reproduces a gunsmiths ledger of jobs completed in the early 1800s (last entry was 1836 or7; first entry was 18teens--it isn't handy now). The list descriminated between rifles, smoothrifles,'guns' and a shotgun. Interestingly, he made about twice as many rifles as other guns. He lists 48 longguns made. In the same period he freshed out 128 rifles.