well there not really blunderbusses but they are the for-runner to the blunderbuss, they are original large gauge naval short side weapons used to put a very big holes in anything very close.
at the time true ammo was very exspensive and the newish royal navy realised that their sailors used a lot of it so that commissioned the above, the flared nozzed alowed the use of anything that could fit down the barral, eg: old metal fragment ect, a dual use weapon really, if you were issued with true shot you would aim just above the plimsol line of the target ship, if you were not a good shot but lucky enough to be issued a gun and powder then you aimed for the gun decks or quarter deck, just trying to put "flak" and if very lucky take a few heads, legs off
the 3rd from top is from around the late 1700's to the early 1800's, very nasty indeed, used spelter and lead shot, which when fired, due to air frition; would heat up to around 400 - 700 degrees.
this all ment that when the shot hit a body it would first quauterize the entry wound, normally hit a bone, expand to about the size of a dinner plate and, well just keep moving taking eveything in its way with it. this principal is still used today to some extent, it has been discovered that with a single shot loaded over double issued powder the shot could take out up to 7 men, if they go in the way....
oh and npsken, sorry mate but i need a little more time than that, sorry if you still need it let me know. oh and there a hunderds of battles you could re-create, just look at english hisory, i dont think there was much time that we were not attacking someone somewhere
