Feast yar eyes on the Pirate Fashions Blunderbuss! The ideal weapon for clearing a deck o' enemy sailors, sometimes it be called a Musketoon. This basically be a short, carbine-like musket with a flared barrel. While we discuss the blunderbuss we can bust a few myths!

Because o' its flared barrel-end it is assumed that its primary purpose was that it was a shotgun style weapon, in reality the flared barrel allows the shooter to easily load a weapon with shot. While at sea or on horseback it made loading the weapon much easier because ye could dump your ammo into the barrel without worrying about precision. They were shortened muskets essentially so that also helped with loading. They were indeed great compact weapons for close quarters, but their shotgun status should be regarded with some skepticism. If the barrel's flare had an effect on the shotgun's spread we would see more flared barrels today.

We also have a false perception that "anything" could be loaded into a blunderbuss, but the barrel would not last long firing silverware or debris- ye would destroy it internally. With most blackpowder weapons ye could actually load multiple rounds o' shot into the muzzle (two was recommended if ye were to do so.) Ye could fire multiple metal balls with a musket, pistol or blunderbuss. Ye could also load buckshot (numerous small balls) into a weapon n' use it in a shotgun capacity, similar to how a ship's guns could fire Grapeshot.

Arrr Armory has Firing Blunderbusses from most of the Colonial powers in the Spanish Main, n' we also have non-firing replicas- less expensive, but purely for prop usage. Browse Arrr Selection, we've for English, French, Dutch n' Spanish! http://bit.ly/2raJ4vK

Pirate Fashions has its own supply o' Cannon foryar ships! When we talk about cannon itbe important to remember that the second ye put'em on a ship they are henceforth referred to as guns. Takefer example the Swivel Gun! It's a small cannon thatbe designedfer ships n' gun emplacements.

Swivel Guns themselves be a convenient weapon, unlike their larger counterparts they were mounted on a stand or fork that allowed them to "swivel" n' turn in a wide arc. They were small enough that they could be taken ashore by a 2-3 man team, n' used in impromptu land based combat or fortifications. Ye could even mount one on a longboat as ye escape a ship or make your way to a hostile coastline!

A breech loaded gun could be fired in relatively rapid succession using canisters of preparedblackpowder n' projectiles called Mugs. One pirate could feasibly use a swivel gun independently to wreak havoc on sailors aboard enemy ships, they made deadly anti-personnel weaponsfer tightly packed groups aboard a deck. A muzzle loaded swivel gun was still quite a force to be reckoned with!

Check out Arrr Supply o' Cannon n' start building upyar Arsenal!

http://bit.ly/2pvdJ3w

Though not as popular in Hollywood as the pistol or cutlass, the Rifle n' Musket were an important part o' a Pirate's arsenal! WeArrrselves stock firing versions o' bothferyar own pleasure. Though we would be remiss to not tell ye about the differences!

A musket was an upgrade o' the Renaissance Era Arquebus, a shoulder fired weapon that was so heavy ye could only fire it effectively by usin' a stand o' it's own. The musket was a lighter weapon that began to appear in militaries as early as the 16th Century. It could also be fixed with a bayonet to convert it into a spear o' sorts. Though inaccurate they were an ideal infantry weapon, n' the range n' power they offered made them valuable aboard ships as well!

A rifle was a weapon that featured helical grooves etched into the barrel to spin a bullet as it was fired. Inturn this would make the shot more accurate. They were also lighter, but they fired a smaller caliber bullet than a musket (.50 Caliber as opposed to .69-.75) They were ideal among Hunters n' Sharp Shooters, but were expensive n' difficult to load so it never eclipsed the musket entirely.

Moving quickly a rifleman could fire 1 Shot per Minute as opposed to the Musketeer who could fire 3 Shots per minute. Fer a hunter or guerrilla fighter who needed to make every shot count, a rifle was an ideal weapon. Butfer a thrifty pirate or a government trying to bankroll an army the musket was more accessible, it could also be fired into crowds or used with other musketeers to deadly effect.

Aboard ships the Musketoon was popular. It was a shortened Carbine version of a musket that worked well for cavalry n' anyone fightin' in confined spaces!

Check out Arrr French Muskets! People may forget that the English n' Spanish weren't the only powers on the waters! The French were able to ship Muskets like these all around the world, n we make firing replicas just like them. http://bit.ly/2nzKv5u

For Arrr Rogues who be interested in Fully Functioning Blackpowder Weapons, Pirate Fashions has the quality n' authenticity that ye want! Many of Arrr weapons be designed in-house n' proof tested to ensure reliability. Some of these Pirate Fashions Designs result in Firearms ye will not find anywhere else on the Seven Seas!

They also have alife-time warranty as long as ye do not fire them by using a black powder substitute (trust us mateys, it matters.) Any breakage or failure due to manufacturers defect will be repaired at no cost.

For mostmerchants if ye were to fire the weapon at all ye would voidyar warranty, think about that when you're looking foryar ideal pistol or rifle! Because of the Flintlock n' Pre-Flintlock FiringSystems they are defined as Antique Weapons by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco n' Firearms.

This makes black powder firearms easyfer us to ship within the U.S. with the exceptions of New York City, New Jersey n' Illinois. We will not ship Black Powder Firearms outside the U.S. Purchasing a black powder weapon is also very simple as it does not require a background check. Powder be a different story, as itbe classified as an explosive! Foryar powderneeds we recommendarrr mates over at Powder Inc.

Though theybe easy to purchase, we advise ye that polite society will still regulate where ye be carryingyar weapon as it is not a toy!

Learn more about Black Powder Firearms onarrr website n' of course, please use responsibly me hearties! http://bit.ly/2n0d7m8

On severaloccasions, Pirate Fashions has had the privilege of providin' firearms for several period piece shows. Recently the final season of Black Sails premiered on Starz n' yemaybe surprised that ye could find several o' the firearms seen on the show inarrr own hoard o' goods!

Captain Flint's own signature pistol be a Scottish Dag (or all steel pistol,) specifically a Murdoch Highland that appeared in the early 17th Century n' was found to be in use until the early 19th Century. Itbe a very realistic firearm to have on the show!

They were usually made with metal stocks. This made'em an ideal weapon in the rainy Scottish Highlands or on the rugged seas in the hands o' pirates, when a wooden grip could quickly rot away. To avoid rust, the weapon would have to be oiled n' cleaned on a fairly regular basis. Believe itarrr not, Pirates appreciated Order and Cleanliness! 

Arrr French Sea Service pistols were also Guests on the Show! They were issued to the French Navy in 1763 well after the events in Black Sails, but ye cannot deny that they were good looking pistols! 18th Century British and American soldiers n' private citizens appreciated them as well.

The French Holster Pistol was another guest n' it was also a period appropriate weapon! They first began to appear between 1675 n' 1700 in the hands o' Frenchmen across the seas. Though they were a common Pirate Pistol as well!

There be many details to these stories of how these Pirate Fashions pistols (n' other weapons as well) came to be featured in such a widely renowned piece of pirate media. But we couldn't tellye thedetails, unless we made ye walk the plank! Browse the Pirate Fashions Website n' see where elsearrr weapons have been featured! http://bit.ly/2jRYHRJ

Here be a fun video about how many weapons ye can carry aboard a heavy armed pirate, arrrrrgh!  All the weapons in the video, except fer the damascus knifes come from arrrr store.  We custom build the leather harness that holds all the weapons.  Let me know what ye be thinking.

April 6 be the next meeting of the Dueling Society at Ducky's next door (1719 W. Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606) at 6:30pm.  Come in Pirate Garb, have dinner n' drink.  Get 15% off yar tab if ye show them a receipt from Pirate Fashions.  We be demonstrating the classic French duel with black powder dueling pistols.

Fer more info visit: http://www.meetup.com/duelingsociety/events/171612692/

What be a proof testing? Why be it important? Prooftesting is firing a gun barrel with a black powder charge that is well in excess of any load that it would see in normal use. If the barrel bulges, deforms or explodes, we fail it! It is important to assure that every gun is safe to use. It be the pirates curse to die in battle from his own gun that he fired himself, arrrrrgh!

At Pirate Fashions, we measure each barrel with digital calipers n' record all measurements. We proof test our guns using the old British standard of a triple charge and double ball load. This is loaded into the barrel and bolted into a test stand. It is then electricly fired, cooled, then remeasured. If the dimensions vary by more than .005, the barrel fail the test n' is destroyed. If it passes, we fill out a certificate of proof n' proofstamp the barrel on the tang. This be arrrr way of assuring the saftey of our customers and ensuring the enjoyment of our hobby for years to come.

Note we NEVER proof a barrel in its gunstock. This would destroy any stock n' risk injury to those nearby. If you are going to proof your own personal weapons, do so on a test stand well away from anyone. Allow at least 50 feet and put something solid like a concrete wall between you n' yar test. I don't recommend this fer anyone but a qualified gunsmith.

Proof testing has been in use since the 16th century. Currently there be no US standard for proofing black powder firearms. There are black powder proofing houses in Old World. We view this as a problem! We proof test every single weapons we sell. I am not aware of any other black powder gun maker in the US that proofs their weapons. The British standard be the toughest standard we could find, so that be the one we use.

---

This be arrrr 28th issue of the Pirate Fashions Newsletter for Mar 2013. In transfer the old website to the new one, we had issues transferring the newsletter. So we be reposing the feature article into this blog instead of losing all the past newsletters.