GunnSmokeer
Senior Member
Has anybody toyed with the idea of a black powder, muzzle-loading "shotgun" with a very short and handy barrel for home defense?
Something that could have a 12" barrel but with a shoulder stock, for quick snap-shooting of home invaders?
The National Firearms Act (NFA) would not apply to a muzzle-loading gun that fires black powder. That would make the gun an "antique" even if newly-manufactured and not even a copy or replica of any old design.
ANOTHER IDEA: Instead of having such a blunderbus, which was always a single-barrel, single-shot weapon, how about making it a triple barrel deal?
Three barrels, but one rather long double-action trigger pull, and the firing pin will shift from one barrel to another automatically between shots.
The three barrels together would add some weight to the weapon, which would be good for recoil control.
And, since this would be a muzzle-loader intended for use with shot, not solid balls or slugs, you don't have to stick with a standard bore of 12 gauge.
You won't need to go shopping for "ammunition" anyway. So bore diameter isn't critical.
You could easily make it 10-bore, or even 8-bore, if you're feeling man enough to launch 2 ounces (over 800 grains!) of lead with each blast.
OBJECTION: what about corrosion ?
A common objection to black powder guns is that they are corrosive. Guns shot with BP must be very thoroughly cleaned in a particular way, quite different from normal gun cleaning procedures. AND some people think that just keeping a gun loaded with black powder will corrode the steel barrel / chamber / cylinder.
1-- This home defense blunderbuss / triple barrel shotgun I'm thinking of could be made of stainless steel, with some of the internal parts being either stainless or titanium or other alloys that resist corrosion.
2-- From what I've read, if you keep your weapon in a dry environment the BP inside it won't corrode anything. And since this would be a "home defense" gun, it would naturally be stored in your house, in a climate-controlled environment.
Something that could have a 12" barrel but with a shoulder stock, for quick snap-shooting of home invaders?
The National Firearms Act (NFA) would not apply to a muzzle-loading gun that fires black powder. That would make the gun an "antique" even if newly-manufactured and not even a copy or replica of any old design.
ANOTHER IDEA: Instead of having such a blunderbus, which was always a single-barrel, single-shot weapon, how about making it a triple barrel deal?
Three barrels, but one rather long double-action trigger pull, and the firing pin will shift from one barrel to another automatically between shots.
The three barrels together would add some weight to the weapon, which would be good for recoil control.
And, since this would be a muzzle-loader intended for use with shot, not solid balls or slugs, you don't have to stick with a standard bore of 12 gauge.
You won't need to go shopping for "ammunition" anyway. So bore diameter isn't critical.
You could easily make it 10-bore, or even 8-bore, if you're feeling man enough to launch 2 ounces (over 800 grains!) of lead with each blast.
OBJECTION: what about corrosion ?
A common objection to black powder guns is that they are corrosive. Guns shot with BP must be very thoroughly cleaned in a particular way, quite different from normal gun cleaning procedures. AND some people think that just keeping a gun loaded with black powder will corrode the steel barrel / chamber / cylinder.
1-- This home defense blunderbuss / triple barrel shotgun I'm thinking of could be made of stainless steel, with some of the internal parts being either stainless or titanium or other alloys that resist corrosion.
2-- From what I've read, if you keep your weapon in a dry environment the BP inside it won't corrode anything. And since this would be a "home defense" gun, it would naturally be stored in your house, in a climate-controlled environment.
