Royal Mail Coach Blunderbuss
Historical Gunsmiths (generic) · Shotgun · Out Of Production · 1788
Also known as: Mail Coach Blunderbuss, His Majesty's Mail Coaches Blunderbuss, Post Office Blunderbuss
Overview
The Royal Mail Coach Blunderbuss is a British flintlock muzzle-loading shotgun issued to the armed guards who rode Britain's Royal Mail coaches from the late 1780s. Built around a short, brass, smoothbore barrel of roughly 14 inches that flares into a bell-shaped muzzle, it was loaded with a charge of loose lead shot, commonly around ten to twelve pea-sized balls over a modest powder charge, to deliver a devastating close-range blast against highwaymen and robbers. Barrels were engraved 'FOR HIS MAJESTY'S MAIL COACHES' around the muzzle and carried regulation brass furniture, and examples were supplied by leading London gunmakers such as Henry Nock and H.W. Mortimer. Carried alongside a pair of flintlock pistols, it was the mail guard's primary deterrent during the golden age of the mail coach.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3200 g (112.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 760 mm (29.92") |
| Barrel Length | 362 mm (14.25") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 240 m/s (787 fps) |
| Effective Range | 18 m (20 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 50 m (55 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, pea shot
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Sliding Safety Catch
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Flared Muzzle, Muzzle Loaded, Loose Shot Load, Brass Barrel, Regulation Brass Mounts, Ramrod, For His Majestys Mail Coaches Engraving
Service history
Operators
- Royal Mail coach guards · adopted 1788
- General Post Office (Great Britain) · adopted 1788
Production
Production years: 1788-1816
Supplied under General Post Office contract by London gunmakers including Henry Nock and H.W. Mortimer; no central production totals survive. Armed mail guards were gradually phased out through the early 19th century.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1816
Notes
An institutional pattern rather than a single maker's model; dimensions and bore varied between contractors. Barrel length is drawn from a circa-1810 H.W. Mortimer example at 36.2 cm. Weight, overall length and muzzle velocity are approximate for a brass-barrelled coaching blunderbuss firing loose shot.
Background
The flared muzzle did little to widen the shot pattern; its practical value was letting a guard swaying atop a moving mail coach pour powder and shot down the barrel quickly without spilling it. The Royal Mail guard's blunderbuss became a symbol of the coaching era, its brass barrel gleaming as a visible warning to would-be highwaymen.