Museum Minute: A Royal Blunderbuss

Throughout history, it was common for royalty to present another noblemen or royalty with a firearm. The gift usually symbolized peace between countries or two parties.

The Cody Firearms Museum has a blunderbuss that was given to King Louis XV by Catherine the Great. A blunderbuss has been dubbed the grandfather of shotguns. The barrel of the gun doesn’t stay straight but flares out at the muzzle. This design makes it easier to load a muzzle.

It’s not entirely sure for what occasion Catherine the Great presented this shotgun to Louis XV but it’s assumed to have to do with a treaty between France and Russia at that time. The piece is highly engraved. It has a French seal and a portrait bust of Louis XV on the barrel.

Museum Minute was a series co-produced with Wyoming Public Media (WPM).