# The "Blunderbuss" -- How Effective? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501 "2012-10-02T17:54:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/1 "2012-10-02T17:54:36Z")
I has a weird dream last night, where someone was carrying an antiquated firearm called a blunderbuss : > **[Blunderbuss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunderbuss)** > > The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly considered to be an early predecessor of the modern shotgun, with similar military and defensive use. It was effective only at short range, lacking accuracy at long distances. A blunderbuss in handgun form was called a dragon, and it is from this that the ter Th... It was an interesting visual, but I don’t remember much from that dream. Well, anyway, it got me to thinking – just how effective was the blunderbuss as a weapon? Could you reliably kill someone with it at a distance? Or did you need to be very close for it to be effective? Any info would be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/2 "2012-10-02T19:16:19Z")
Aimed at a group of men, on the deck of a ship, just a few feet away and I would say it’s the right tool for the job. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/3 "2012-10-02T21:10:01Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Aimed at a group of men, on the deck of a ship, just a few feet away and I would say it’s the right tool for the job. Yeah, I figured that the effect from just a few feet away would be pretty devastating! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/4 "2012-10-02T21:17:09Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > It was an interesting visual, but I don’t remember much from that dream. Well, anyway, it got me to thinking – just how effective was the blunderbuss as a weapon? Could you reliably kill someone with it at a distance? Or did you > need to be very close for it to be effective? > > Any info would be appreciated! A blunderbuss is just a primitive shotgun. The effective range of modern shotguns is fairly short compared to rifles and they have the advantage of modern powder and shells. The blunderbuss used black powder and, more importantly, did not use shells with carefully packaged shot pellets. The shot was packed in the barrel before each shot. The effective lethal range would have been much lower than a shotgun. I would guess that it wouldn’t cause lethal damage past 20 yards or so even if it was aimed at a person. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/5 "2012-10-02T21:31:08Z")
That would entirely depend on the size of the shot and the amount of powder. If a large piece of shot hits you in the head, you may well be dead. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/6 "2012-10-02T22:03:07Z")
Did the OP see the movie “Looper”? 😛 Obviously, they weren’t really blunderbusses\* but they were called that in the movie because they resembled one (short and stocky) and had a similar range. IIRC, one of the characters says something like “you can’t hit anything beyond 15 feet, and you can’t miss anything within 15 feet.” \*Typed out, it doesn’t look like a real word. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/7 "2012-10-02T23:04:20Z")
Blunderbi? /dog Latin ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/8 "2012-10-03T17:25:42Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > A blunderbuss is just a primitive shotgun. The effective range of modern shotguns is fairly short compared to rifles and they have the advantage of modern powder and shells. The blunderbuss used black powder and, more importantly, did not use shells with carefully packaged shot pellets. The shot was packed in the barrel before each shot. The effective lethal range would have been much lower than a shotgun. I would guess that it wouldn’t cause lethal damage past 20 yards or so even if it was aimed at a person. In combat, I expect that lethality isn’t the absolute minimum requirement. A disabling hit from a shot ball would probably be good enough, especially in the heat of a boarding action where the primary weapon was a blade or cudgel of some type (cutlass, bayonet, club, gunstock, etc.). Knocking down several adversaries and being able to rush them to engage in melee at an advantage would be fine reason to sweep the decks with blunderbusses. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/9 "2012-10-03T17:55:27Z")
The bell doesn’t really give extra spread, it just made reloading with improvised “shot” faster & easier. It also added to the “scary’ factor. Most of these were just 10ga black powder shotguns. Sometimes if the shooter ran out of a cartridge load he could just scoop nails or pebbles or whatever and fire it. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/10 "2012-10-03T17:59:10Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > In combat, I expect that lethality isn’t the absolute minimum requirement. A disabling hit from a shot ball would probably be good enough, especially in the heat of a boarding action where the primary weapon was a blade or cudgel of some type (cutlass, bayonet, club, gunstock, etc.). Knocking down several adversaries and being able to rush them to engage in melee at an advantage would be fine reason to sweep the decks with blunderbusses. Interesting point! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/11 "2012-10-03T21:05:19Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Blunderbi? > > /dog Latin Blunderbera. Third declension dog Latin. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/12 "2012-10-03T23:25:06Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Blunderbera. Third declension dog Latin. But the root is Greek, so properly, it’s “blunderbode.” ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/13 "2012-10-03T23:35:09Z")
In reality it’s from the Dutch donderbus, from _donder_, thunder + _bus_, tube, corrupted into English _blunderbuss_, “perhaps with some allusion to its blind or random firing” says OED. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/14 "2012-10-04T01:33:57Z")
Of course, but there’s nothing proper about dog Latin. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/15 "2012-10-04T03:38:48Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > In reality it’s from the Dutch donderbus, from _donder_, thunder + _bus_, tube. ‘This is my **Boom Stick**.’ ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/16 "2012-10-04T11:33:11Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > ‘This is my **Boom Stick**.’ [Long Stick Go Boom.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7_7COXa1yQ) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/17 "2012-10-04T13:01:23Z")
“Boomstick? Did you just say Boomstick? That, my friend, is a WInchester 30-06!” (Gary Larsen) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/18 "2012-10-04T13:28:17Z")
In addition to shipboard use, they were customarily carried by 18th C. British stagecoach staff as a defense against highwaymen, ISTR. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/19 "2012-10-04T13:54:59Z")
You should watch Lock N Load with R Lee Ermy. He had an episode on shotguns that started with the blunderbuss. Pretty good. I think its on netflix. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501/20 "2012-10-04T15:50:39Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > You should watch Lock N Load with R Lee Ermy. He had an episode on shotguns that started with the blunderbuss. Pretty good. > > I think its on netflix. I’ll have to watch that sometime! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blunderbuss-how-effective/636501.md?page=2)