Blunderbuss

Object Name:

Blunderbuss

Object ID:

1946.037.04

Place of Origin:

England?

Date:

circa 1780

Description:

Blunderbuss, flintlock. Smoothbore, muzzleloading flintlock with round barrel. Barrel and trigger guard are pin-fastened to stock. All iron parts are browned: ramrod, lockplate, trigger, barrel. Iron ramrod is intact. Furniture includes trigger guard with acorn finial, flash pan, curved butt plate with 3.5" butt plate tang, and two oval sideplates that are fastened to stock by two screws. ~2" of forestock is missing. Ramrod pipe is missing. Top jaw and screw of cock are missing. All metal furniture is decorated: long arrow is engraved at muzzle of barrel and two ornamental rings are filed at breech end. Barrel tang is incised with an anchor; a 1/16" border is created around the barrel tang through the use of an incised line; lockplate is unornamented. The same border is created on the trigger guard; also, an arrow is incised on the rear portion of the trigger guard, while an anchor is found on the trigger guard bow. An anchor is incised on the butt tang, as is a 1/16-inch border that angles down to a point at the screw located at the heel of the butt plate. The oval on the forward side plate is incised with a laurel-wreath decoration, the rear sideplate is decorated with half a sun and its rays.

Material:

Wood
Metal

Dimensions:

L-31.4 inches

Provenance:

Acquired from estate of Samuel Dana Bell, Exeter, NH.

Credit Line:

Bequest of Samuel Dana Bell

People:

Bell, Samuel Dana (1798-1868), Bell, Samuel Kent (1888-1946)

Subjects:

Firearms, Muskets