POTD: Percussion Rifle and Duck Bill Blunderbuss Combination Gun

Combination guns are multi-barrel firearms that have at least one rifled and one smoothbore barrel. Such guns are not really common but what we have for today’s Photo Of The Day is an absolute unicorn or rather a platypus as it has a duck bill! This 19th-century European gat is a percussion combination gun the smoothbore barrel of which is a blunderbuss with a duck bill muzzle. This type of muzzle design spreads the shot pellets horizontally resulting in an oval-shaped pattern.

This combination gun was sold at the December 2023 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction. Here is the auction house’s description of the lot:

Highwaymen beware! This mid-19th century combination gun features a .54 caliber rifled barrel over a 14 gauge smoothbore barrel with “duck bill” muzzle that flares out to around 3 5/8 inches. The upper barrel has a dovetailed front sight base and “Comendador Dn Carlos Du Villards” in silver inlay on the rib. The locks and furniture have scroll engraving and hunting scenes. The stock is nicely figured.