Blunderbuss vs. Harquebus — What's the Difference?

The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly considered to be an early predecessor of the modern shotgun, with similar military and defensive use.

A heavy portable matchlock gun invented during the 1400s. Also called hackbut.

A short musket of wide bore and flaring muzzle, formerly used to scatter shot at close range.

An obsolete matchlock firearm.

A person regarded as clumsy and stupid.

A portable gun, varying in size from a small cannon to a musket. When used in the field it was supported upon a tripod or trestle.

An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range.

A firearm with match holder, trigger, and tumbler, made in the second half of the 15th century. The barrel was about forty inches long. A form of the harquebus was subsequently called arquebus with matchlock.

(transitive) To shoot with a blunderbuss.

An obsolete firearm with a long barrel

A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.

A stupid, blundering fellow.

A short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle