Historical Background
In the early 1700s the blunderbuss (or blunderbess) started to become popular as a weapon for close quarters because of its ability to deliver a blast of shot or buck and ball. Numerous armies and navies produced various versions of this item all the way into the 1840s. However its zenith seems to have been in the mid-1700s when it was used both by soldiers, sailors, and civilians as a means of defence in close quarters. At one point, George Washington viewed the blunderbuss as an alternative to the carbine for the Continental Dragoons. It is no surprise considering its carbine-like length and feel.
Throughout the 18th century many blunderbusses in both brass and steel barrels were manufactured. On board ship often the steel barrels were japanned or blackened. As one could imagine, this item was ideal for fighting on ship particularly in repealing of enemy boarding parties. In addition their use by settlers in the American colonies is also well-documented. By the latter half of the 18th century the blunderbuss found a following with coachmen as a new tool to thwart the pistol-totting highwayman. The blunderbuss has also been romanticized as the choice firearm of the pirate or privateer.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Peter Twist, a staff member of Militaryheritage.com, served as Advisor to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean and he recommends this blunderbuss. If you own the DVD you can see an interview with Mr Twist. If not you can also read about his role by clicking here. |
Close quarter fighting in
boat-to-boat action
Specifications
The blunderbuss is very manoeuvrable in the melée of battle with its 15-inch barrel and 30 1/2 inch length overall (.75 calibre). As the image show, this is an excellent quality reproduction. As with all of our flintlocks, this replica is made faithful to those of the period with tempered seamless modern steel (type:BS970 no.080M40) with a threaded breech plug. The lock is made with strong durable springs and has a case-hardened frizzen (hammer) that throws good sparks. We use a cyanide case-hardening factory process that makes sparking both more reliable and longer lasting. Presently no other musket provider uses this technique.
As with all our other flintlocks, the vent is not drilled so we can ship easily to our door throughout North America and to Europe and the UK. Aside from that they are exactly like the originals. A fine addition to any collection.
Please Note: Because brass is a softer metal and may be easily scatched inside the barrel. Therefore we recommend for safety reasons against the use of steel rammers or steel cleaning rods with brass barrels.
