The Top 10 or 12 Smoothbore guns

[rich pierce]

Drop the blunderbuss.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Agree to drop the blunderbuss - substitute the smoothbore flintlock used by the Russian Promyshlenniki on the West Coast. Insert it between 6 & 7 on your list.

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Stumpkiller what did that look like? Russian flintlock? Here in California we have always learned that they used Charlevilles at Fort Ross. Thanks for the feedback.

Besides you can't do anything with a blunderbuss anyway.

 

[Elnathan]

The humble utility smoothbore - imported fowling piece, New England Fowling piece, PA buck-and-ball

The Dutch muskets deserve at least an honorable mention.

 

[hunts4deer]

"The French model 1728 infantry musket was the most advanced military weapon of it's time." says author Rene Chartrand in his recent book French Military Arms in North America. He cites it's removable barrel for cleaning, durability, etc. It had a barrel fastened by three metal bands. It was used by French colonial troupes from early 18th century, lead to modified versions that went on to the American Revolution, and became the basis for American made military guns used up through the civil war.

 

[hunts4deer]

Duplicated post removed

 

[54ball]

I'll bite.
1 Matchlock musket
2 Snaphaunce musket
Look into Hernando De-Soto's expedition. In the Battle of Mabila Link Mabila
The result of this battle and expedition and those like it, is that disease spread through the waning Mississippians in the interior of North America. It is theorized that untold millions died. In short a apocalypse of the native culture through disease and evasive species like the hog who wreaked havoc on native agriculture.
Lands were virtually emptied of habitation.
The remnants of this die off became the historical tribes encountered over a Century later.
3 Dutch trade musket
The Dutch were the first to really perfect the flintlock. The Bess was well as early French designs were based on Dutch designs....
4 Miquelet escopeta
5 French fusil du chasse more to come on Trade Guns....
6 Brown Bess musket
7 Charleville musket
8 Trade musket.... Whether Dutch,French or English the trade gun is what transformed North America. Empowered with guns the Iroquois League became a well armed Empire spreading it's influence directly and indirectly throughout North America. Sioux who some lived as far east as Virginia are bumped into the Great Plains! Iroqouian Cherokees bumped South...Shawnee flee to Coastal Georgia. All of this eventually leads to the French and Indian War...and Revolution.
Basically the native near Stone Age Hunter, Gatherer, Farmers became armed Warrior/Hunter/Farmers/Trade dependent on European goods. Indian men were counted as...Gunmen in British population counts! This also starts a industrial trade war???between France and England.
Spain weakens....France being Papist like Spain, does not have the Independent minded population with the means and desire migrate to the New World like the Independent minded (Capitalist? Protestant?) British. Look into the Deerskin Trade,Triangle Trade,Iroquois League, Beaver Wars...
Full Circle The American Revolution Begats the French Revolution... Reign of Terror...French Republic...Napoleanic Dictatorship and War. This shapes the 19th Century 20th..World Wars?? and arguably right up to the present day. All from the flintlock Trade gun??

9 Blunderbuss....a non factor
10 Double barrel percussion shotgun very late...post CW for the most part.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Thank you very much! I didn't know this was a question posed by someone at an event, which explains a lot as to why it was so vague. They didn't know enough to know what to ask. And I apologize if my answer was short tempered. I didn't mean it that way, but after re-reading it, I'm thinking it can come across in ways I didn't intend, and I apologize if it was taken that way.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I don't think the blunderbuss was a common smoothbore and I recommend taking that from your list. There were some in use for coaches and certainly for shipboard use.

Far greater use was made of the fowling guns. These were handy, due to the light weight, and came in many gauges / calibers. Unfortunately there are too many different styles to name any one variant of the fowling gun to put on your list. For fowling guns, its the region they were used that determines the architecture. So we have Carolina guns, Northeastern Club Butts, Northwest Trade Guns and many others.

Yeah, replace the blunderbuss with a fowling gun.

 

[Artificer]

Many members offered good advice, but IMHO I thought Flint62Smoothie and Rich Pierce both did a particularly excellent job with their choices.

The problem however, seems to me to be how to incorporate the three major Continental Powers Firearms and try to figure out which was more important? Then it dawned on me that perhaps in some cases, a group of firearms could be made for single choices? However, I am not nearly as familiar with the classifications of some French Arms as others, so please pardon me when/if I make mistakes and corrections can then be made. So here is my poor attempt to offer to incorporate the excellent suggestions made.

1. Matchlock Smoothbore. Such as the Cavalier, though also including some Martial Carbines.
2. Snaphaunce Smoothbore. English and French types were used, not sure about Dutch?
3. English Doglock Fowlers.
4. Early Trade Guns. French, English and Dutch.
5. Spanish Miquelet
6. Flintlock Fowlers. French and English. I put the French first because many English/American fowlers followed or were very similar to French ones.
7. British Military Muskets from the P1730 Brown Bess onward.
8. French Military Muskets from the M1728 onward. I placed the French Muskets second to the Brown Bess as even though the French Muskets were superior, those who used the Bess won. Special exception to this was the 15,000 French Muskets captured at Fort Louisbourg in 1758, that virtually doubled the British Muskets sent here. These were the favorites of British Light Infantry and Rangers as well as British American Forces.
9. The Northwest Trade Gun
10. The American Long Rifle.

While I was working on this list, I noticed 54Ball posted a fine list something similar.

Gus

P.S. Yes, I know the American Long Rifle was not a Smoothbore, but I could not help adding it to the list.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Yes, I know the American Long Rifle was not a Smoothbore, but I could not help adding it to the list.

How about the smooth rifle?

:hmm:

LD

 

[Artificer]

I thought about that, but just HAD to get the real rifle in there. :haha:

Gus

 

[Artificer]

Got to thinking about the double barrel shotguns some mentioned. I know percussion doubles were common enough they were used in large numbers by Confederate Cavalry at the start of the WBTS. What I don't know is when they became cheap enough for the average person to own one?

Gus

 

[nhmoose]

Got something against the rich?

Rich also got robbed.

 

[Artificer]

Got something against the rich?

Rich also got robbed.

Yes, that's true. But in a round about way, maybe you have something there. At the beginning of the WBTS, Confederate Cavalry troopers were often the sons of the more well off. So they more likely would have had double barrel shotguns to hunt with before the war and brought those shotguns with them when they "jined up" as Cavalry.

But I wonder how common a double barrel shotgun would have been for the "average or common" man prior to the WBTS?

Gus

 

[54ball]

Mississippi Militia Captain Sam Dale carried a "Double Musket" or "Double Smoothbore" at The Battle of Burnt Corn Creek July 1813. His gun was likely just a flint double shotgun/fowling gun. It was unusual enough for 1813 to be be mentioned in detail.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Stumpkiller what did that look like? Russian flintlock?

Good question. Third from the left.

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

What interesting museum is that, and what kind of rifle is that? Interesting!!! Thanks for the information!

 

[54ball]

1588 Virginia!
Are you aware of the French Hugenaought Colony in Georgia/SC in that period? They were sacked by The Spanish from St Augustine FLA. The surviving prisoners were then brutally murdered as heretics.
A French admiral, at his own expense, equipped a fleet and sacked and burned St Augustine. He was Catholic, but felt the Spanish must be punished for their murders of fellow Frenchmen.

 

[Darkgael]

Do yourself a favor and get a copy of Grinslade's "Flintlock Fowlers: the first guns made in America". The period is much later than 1588 but there will be a lot of useful info in chapters one (15th, 16th, 17th century) and two (origin of the Fowler).
Pete