Duckbill Blunderbuss
Historical Gunsmiths (generic) · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1700
Also known as: Duck-bill Blunderbuss, Oval-muzzle Blunderbuss, Naval Blunderbuss
Overview
The Duckbill Blunderbuss is an 18th- to mid-19th-century muzzle-loading smoothbore shotgun, a variant of the classic blunderbuss distinguished by a flattened, oval 'duckbill' muzzle rather than the usual round bell. The vertically compressed muzzle was intended to fan a charge of loose lead shot into a wide horizontal arc, making the piece well suited to sweeping a ship's deck or a narrow passage during close-quarters boarding actions. Like other blunderbusses it was typically fired by a flintlock, loaded from the muzzle with a ramrod, and built around a short, large-bore brass barrel that resisted the corrosive sea air.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3100 g (109.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 760 mm (29.92") |
| Barrel Length | 400 mm (15.75") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 250 m/s (820 fps) |
| Effective Range | 15 m (16 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Brass |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- Blunderbuss Bore (loose shot) · primary — also known as ~.75 bore, lead shot charge, buck and ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Duckbill Muzzle, Flattened Oval Muzzle, Horizontal Shot Spread, Muzzle Loaded, Loose Shot Load, Brass Barrel, Ramrod
Service history
Operators
- Royal Navy
Production
Production years: c.1700-1850
Made in small numbers by individual gunsmiths; no centralized production figures exist for the duckbill-muzzle variant.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1850
Notes
The 'duckbill' geometry of this historical piece works on the same principle later revived by the U.S. Navy's China Lake duckbill choke of 1968, which flattened a shotgun's pattern into a horizontal oval for Vietnam-era SEAL use.
Background
Carried aboard naval warships, by privateers and by coach guards, the flared blunderbuss became an icon of close-range defense. The rarer duckbill form flattened that flare into an oval so its shot swept sideways across a crowded deck rather than climbing into the rigging.