Musketoon or blunderbuss Help

[offtarget]

A friend of mine has acquired this Blunderbuss.
While I was looking at it, another friend turned up and said he thinks its a Musketoon.
An argument started.
He’s thinking of selling it. So another argument started about the value.
I had never heard of a Musketoon, so I have no idea.
After an hour or so of Google I am still none the wiser.
So the font of BBS knowledge is required to stop two friends falling out.
Does anyone know what the difference is and any idea of its value.

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/...lunderbuss.jpg

[acmsarh]

This perhaps. http://www.icollector.com/W-Bond-Bra...onet_i11027971

[offtarget]

This perhaps. http://www.icollector.com/W-Bond-Bra...onet_i11027971

Thanks for that.
Unfortunately this is what is adding to my confusion.
They call that a Blunderbuss but "SOME" of the info I found on line says that
only the Musketoon had a bayonet.

[tacfoley]

Thanks for that.
Unfortunately this is what is adding to my confusion.
They call that a Blunderbuss but "SOME" of the info I found on line says that
only the Musketoon had a bayonet.

The image in your first post is a blunderbuss, of that there is no doubt. It is fitted with what is called a snap-bayonet

The blunderbuss is a smoothbore shotgun.

The barrel on a Musketoon is STRAIGHT from one end to the other and is rifled and has fine sights fitted. A blunderbuss has no need of sights - it is a point-and-shoot weapon whose primary uses were offensive boarding of a ship, defensive protection of a ship, stagecoach guard protection against robbers or highwaymen.

Most brass blunderbusses are genuinely antique - come to that, I've never seen an iron [not steel] working replica blunderbuss. Your second link also shows such a blunderbuss - a genuine brass-barrelled and fitted Naval issue or purchase gun, again with a 'snap' bayonet.

The Musketoon, or Short rifle, is also usually rifled - the inside of the barrel has grooves in it, and made by Parker-Hale. AFAIK, nobody else has made a replica Musketoon except Navy Arms/Euro Arms in Italy using left-over Parker-Hale parts after the company sold out in the middle-90s. In the reality, the Musketoon was carried by artillery troops on horseback, Dragoons [light and heavy] and by foot sergeants of the line.

ALL musketoons were made to take the sword bayonet on the lug at the right-hand end of the barrel - set at three o'clock when viewed from the back - ie. you looking down the sights.

All Musketoons have a ram rod under the barrel - blunderbusses, usually do not, because of the trumpet-like shape of the muzzle.

Look at Muskteoon on Youtube - either by Hickock45 or by me, tac, on tac's guns musketoon and you'll see what it looks like.

Remember that if it is a replica - made by Parker-Hale or Euroarms/Navy Arms, it is a Section 1 firearm and you will need a FAC. Even the smoothbore version needs an Shotgun certificate. No GENUINE antique musketoon [around £1500-2000 or so] needs any kind of certificate, nor does a blunderbuss.

Or just look at THIS -

http://www.shootingandscuba.co.uk/st...-loading-rifle

Any more queries, come back to us.

tac

[tim56]

Love my musketoon. 60gns of the black stuff with a bloody great big bullet on top. Boom, 6 foot flame and enough noise to wake the dead. I even hit the target sometimes.

[offtarget]

Tac. Thank you for the info and taking the trouble to help.
The crap picture of mine doesn't show that the gun does have a ram rod and
also that the trigger fires a sprung loaded bayonet
I see that you have gently emphasized the fact that the barrel is straight on a musketoon
As I said in my first post that I did Google for a while for info.
My reason for my confusion is because of the following.

This is in the dreaded Wikipedia
“ Musketoon barrels were often flared at the muzzle, resembling a cannon or blunderbuss.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musketoon

Bonham's Action House was selling “A Flintlock Blunderbuss Or Musketoon”
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22749/lot/304/

From Museum of New Zealand
“ Percussion blunderbuss or ’musketoon’, with folding bayonet.”
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/50887

[gtpkeeper]

Love my musketoon. 60gns of the black stuff with a bloody great big bullet on top. Boom, 6 foot flame and enough noise to wake the dead. I even hit the target sometimes.

tim,do you know what power they produce,ever chrono yours