Antique Flintlock Shotguns

Flintlock muskets were often counted on as weapons that fired solid single projectiles and could also be loaded with shot. This flexibility is due to the fact that the weapons often had a very large bore which could handle both shot and solid projectiles.

Other antique flintlock shotguns were often known as fowling pieces. Fowling pieces typically had much shorter barrels than rifles and often, larger bores. These weapons were popular through England, colonial America, and any place the Western empires had spread.

Antique flintlock shotguns designed for fighting and defense were often known as blunderbusses. These muzzle-loading flintlock weapons were popular on ships and with cavalry who appreciated their power and ease of striking moving targets. The blunderbuss was popular worldwide and very simple to design and build. A variety of different blunderbuss models exist, including Dutch, American, English, Indian, and French. Other popular matchlock shotguns were double-barreled models that allowed shooters to rapidly fire two shots.

Quick Facts

• Several blunderbusses were carried by Lewis and Clark on their expedition
• The term shotgun was first used in Kentucky and was a part of James Fenimore Cooper’s frontier language
• British mail guards were armed with blunderbuss weapons to fend off highwaymen