Pandemic Lifehack: Blunderbuss

[Capn Jack]

Oh Oh. I should have never looked under my bench.

In the dust I found a 17 1/2" long, 3" dia. steel bar.

How long did he say that blunderbuss barrel was?

 

[Capn Jack]

I've been looking at the various videos and pictures of blunderbuss, but I haven't been able to get a clear idea of a practical profile. If not cut down quite a bit, that large of a chunk of steel could be excessively heavy

Some look like a trumpet. Some look like a ship board cannon. What about the breach dia.?

I'm thinking of something of about 60 -65 cal., It will be another marble shooter, so I'll have to consider
what would be a safe barrel wall thickness for cold rolled steel.

For my Matchlock I just used a steel pipe plug for a breach plug.

I'm open to suggestions.....

 

[Ura-Ki]

I've been looking at the various videos and pictures of blunderbuss, but I haven't been able to get a clear idea of a practical profile. If not cut down quite a bit, that large of a chunk of steel could be excessively heavy

Some look like a trumpet. Some look like a ship board cannon. What about the breach dia.?

I'm thinking of something of about 60 -65 cal., It will be another marble shooter, so I'll have to consider
what would be a safe barrel wall thickness for cold rolled steel.

For my Matchlock I just used a steel pipe plug for a breach plug.

I'm open to suggestions.....

A lot of the ones I have seen had brass or bronze muzzle flares, or rolled and flared tin!
Most also had the muzzle end of the barrel reamed to a pretty sharp taper!

 

[Capn Jack]

I was thinking more in terms of a one piece barrel, except for the breach. I'm going to have to start making some patterns. The main trick will be supporting the barrel to machine the flare as I don't have an arbor for my lathe.

I'll come up with something, even if I have to use a couple of chair castors, or a temporary rod down the bore and
turn between centers.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

A one piece barrel was used....nothing was threaded on the end , regardless of how it looks.

A Blunderbuss had many a different muzzle "flare" , "bell" , "crown" etc... at the muzzle end.
These differences may reflect the time period when made , cost , what sold , what was popular , whims of the maker , etc...
Andy

 

[Capn Jack]

Thanks Andy. Looks like I've got Carte Blanche.

 

[CountryGent]

In the series:

 

[CountryGent]

Here's the uncensored version. Darn YouTube.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

That's pretty cool. I like the part where he used creosote bush as the wadding and it had same pattern effectiveness as the lubed regular wads. Now taoefladermous has to determine what is the craziest load u can make for a blunderbus.

 

[Ura-Ki]

That's pretty cool. I like the part where he used creosote bush as the wadding and it had same pattern effectiveness as the lubed regular wads. Now taoefladermous has to determine what is the craziest load u can make for a blunderbus.

Historically, one would use a small leather pouch as a sort of wad/cup to allow pretty much what ever was at hand to be loaded and fired! Crushed glass, salt, BBs, bearings, wood chips, sand, ect....
A creative feller could come up with all sorts of fun and useful stuff to use as shot! The leather acted as a nice shot cup to protect the bore!

 

[CountryGent]

Sort of a follow up on this, covering another Blunderbuss option.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

K-4 4 Bore Blunderbuss | sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com

sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com

One of the few arms I feel I need

 

[tac]

I'd like to take a little of your time to point out that the blunderbuss [aka donderbusche - High German for thundergun] saw its main use as a defensive weapon carried by the spare coachman on the old-style stage coaches that were common here in Western Europe until the development of the railways put an end to them.

Them pesky highwaymen, from the end of the 17th century right up to the early 1800's were often less than fifteen FEET away when the coach guard cut loose with one of these things. One such recipient of most of the charge of four ounces - a typical load - of swan-shot - about .35cal [none of your fifteen like this guy uses] could only be identified from his boots.

It was, of course, the boarding weapon of choice - not only was it mostly brass, and therefore immune to erosion, but the multiplicity of shots after about twenty yards or so ensured that most everybody in the way got some. Case shot or canister had the same effect in your recent Civil War, and carries on right now - many artillery systems shoot flechette rounds - the modern-day equivalent and ten times as nasty.

 

[Capn Jack]

WOW !! A couple of glass marbles out of mine should be devastating.

Sorry tac. You're right. I've seen videos of air bursts fired from several miles away by modern self-propelled artillery and there wouldn't be any grass left to mow.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I just emailed to see how hard it would be to do one with a percussion lock instead of or in addition to the flintlock. Methinks I will go through with this soon. Shooting lefty, flintlocks are a bit close to my face. Also, I kind of want the faster ignition.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I just emailed to see how hard it would be to do one with a percussion lock instead of or in addition to the flintlock. Methinks I will go through with this soon. Shooting lefty, flintlocks are a bit close to my face. Also, I kind of want the faster ignition.

Checked with the company today and it is flint only. Still plan on getting this. The question is... before or after the threaded 45-70 encore barrel.

 

[CountryGent]

Shooting Trap ... with the blunderbuss.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Well at least he primed from his main horn...and not a pan primer..so that is good.

I am not surprised he hit the bird...these are , after all a large bored , cylinder choked shotgun....no matter what he said in the video.
With the right amount of shot...hitting a bird is pretty easy , if....
You have a good tuned lock...
A sharp flint...
And a clear vent.
Andy

 

[Member 34319]

I've never really had much interest in all things Black powder, but this thing looks pretty fun. Especially the video where he used a bush as a wad. Looks like Traditions sells a kit. Any other sources one should look at?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The Traditions Kit...comes only in percussion and is .54 caliber...which is a mite small for a historic blunderbuss...
In fact the Traditions Blunderbuss is lacking in many things...to include historical correctness.
I really do not like the coil main spring in the Traditions lock.

If I were to get a Blunderbuss...
I'd get a Indian made one from :
www.militaryheritage.com
( Access Heritage )
Or
www.middlesexvillagetrading.com
( Middlesex Village Trading Company )

The above are more money....but a better gun altogether...even if you have to drill the vent , as is the case with the Access heritage Blunderbuss.
Andy