Monkey Gun.

[jim gray]

Is anyone familiar with this term?

Last spring I bought a very light .54 caliber percussion smoothbore on gunbroker. It has a 28 inch barrel and with 50 - 60 grains of powder, shoots decently with an unpatched .535" ball. I haven't attempted a heavier charge because it has a very thin-walled barrel.

The story I got from the seller was that these guns were exported by Spain to South America into the early 20th century. The natives there apparently used them frequently to hunt monkeys. Mine is very spartan, the lock plate isn't inletted very well, and the only adornment is a tiny patch box with a scallop shaped cover. The barrel is held on with a hooked breech and a single tapered pin.

 

[Rifleman1776]

hotoSmile:

There were a lot of El Cheapos like that imported from Japan in the 1970s.

 

[Deadeye]

Something like this? This one is .54 and was really light, only about 2 or 3 lbs. I think they were made in South America, sometimes called Monkey guns. This one a friend bought for his grandson. The ramrod went all the way thru to the buttplate.

Deadeye

 

[Carteret Kid]

This is the final evolution of the Trade Musket.

 

[tg]

I think you could still buy those into the 1960's from Herters and such vendors.

 

These guns were available in the 50's and 60's for $20-30, brand new, and the ones I saw were made in Mexico. The barrel was nothing more than a piece of pipe with a little larger pipe sleeved onto the breech area to make a double walled barrel that might not blow up. The story was that they were used by the natives in South America to harvest birds for their faethers. The small bore and "very light" loads didn't do much damage.
Mark

 

[Alden]

Up until a half century ago flintlocks like that were still being made for Africa. You will see these at shows once in a while...

If they look archaic but modern, that's probably what you're looking at.

 

[BrownBear]

Buddy of mine spent a whole bunch of time on the Amazon in the 60's through the 80's, mostly in small villages with the locals. Monkey gun was a prize possession there, beat the heck out of using a blow gun to harvest your monkey for dinner. His personal monkey gun was pretty high tech- An ancient break-action 16 gauge, cylinder bore because the barrel had been whacked to around 18". It was the envy of hunters wherever he went, even though the forend was tied on with a rag and there was no front bead. He sometimes went months without shooting it due to lack of ammo, so it was often dead weight. Locals used mostly muzzleloaders, for which ammo was never a problem.

 

Something like this? This one is .54 and was really light, only about 2 or 3 lbs. I think they were made in South America, sometimes called Monkey guns. This one a friend bought for his grandson. The ramrod went all the way thru to the buttplate.

Deadeye

I have that same exact gun but it looks like the barrel of the one you pictured has been cut back.
It was my second muzzleloader, purchased in '68 or '69 from Century Arms for a staggering $19.95.
Mine killed a ton of tree rats in it's day and I still have it although it's been years since I shot it. I have given thought to bringing it out of retirement.
The breech on mine is plenty heavy enough for reasonable (or even heavy for that matter) 28 gauge loads. I shucked the original ramrod pretty early on and replaced it with some nondescript musket ramrod that slid most of the way into the stock. If it comes out of retirement a ferrel will be added to the end of the barrel for a regular ramrod.
Considering the ammount of shooting I did with it in my early years in the sport, it is probably one of the best bargains I ever got on a gun.

 

[Deadeye]

Randy, I think your right. I think I cut the barrel, replaced the front sight and put a buttplate on it, I'd completely forgot about it.
Old age sneaking up on me.
Deadeye

 

Randy, I think your right. I think I cut the barrel, replaced the front sight and put a buttplate on it, I'd completely forgot about it.
Old age sneaking up on me.
Deadeye

From the years I worked in a nursing home I can reassure you.
You don’t have to worry about old age until the time comes that you think you built it from scratch and forged the barrel from an old wagon tire. :grin:

 

[cynthialee]

I like very simple guns.

Seems like it would be perfect type of old gun to keep in the barn.

 

[tg]

There you go....undeniable proof of the existance of barn guns all the way into the 20th century, 'cause if my father could have kept such a gun in the barn he would have.

 

[Shine]

I brought one home in 410 from central America in the 90s. It was well used. I traded one of those stainless army jackknives for it i still shoot it on occasion.

 

[jim gray]

Sorry, rifleman, I don't have any pics of the gun, but it is very similar to Deadeye's other than the fact that there is no wedge, checkering, and the patchbox which I've described. Of course, the barrel is longer too.

Cynthialee, it is definitely a simple gun, and a nice little shooter with roundballs, but I have to do some work to develop a shot load that patterns decently. I would like to try it out as a grouse gun.

I felt pretty good about the fact that I picked this up along with a .54 cal. pistol for $160 until I read some of the responses here. :surrender:

Thanks for the info everyone. It's good to learn a little about the history of my gun. Just to clarify a little, mine is marked, "SPAIN."

 

[jim gray]

Another difference I just noticed is that mine has a brass bead front sight.