Prisons and Pirate Mutinies: the Duck's Foot Pistol
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- Duck’s foot pistols are one of the iconic classic “weird gun” categories. The one exemplifies the typical pattern, with four barrels arranged in a wedge, fired simultaneously with a single flintlock action. Traditionally, these are attributed to people like prison wardens and ships’ captains, who might have to confront mobs of prisoners or a mutinous crew. Whether this is actually supported by historical fact or is just apocryphal communal belief, I do not know…
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2019 gun enthusiast: "Hey check out this sweet double barrel 1911!"
1700's pirate captain: "Hold my grog"
*Hold ME grog, ya landlubber
@@jaceelliott6317 * Me'
T'ain't no grog! Da grog's always gone!
Privateer Captain:"Yar, 'old me rum!"
Giving your pirate crew three water grog instead of straight rum might be why they are planning to mutiny.
Storm the Captain’s quarters, he can’t stop all of us!
Toby Wood those poor bastards didn’t know to naruto run to move faster than the bullets :(
@The Alpha Matt what if the captain had several of those weird guns?
@The Alpha Matt oh snap.....time to side with the captain and kill the rest mutiny.
Thats what guys storming area 51 will expect from "Camo Dudes"
Load it with shot and laugh.
Strange. If I were to design something like this, I'd always use an odd number of barrels, so that I'd have a barrel that fires straight ahead.
@@Oldsmobile69 Perhaps, though those were usually better made because only the wealthy could afford to pay for something like that and they wanted their guns decorated. This does not look like a luxury pistol.
@@ajvanmarle This is clearly a relatively expensive piece, regardless of whether you think it looks "luxury". The engraved name and the scrollwork, not to mention the mere fact of having 4 barrels (which screw off, no less!), all point to this. Inexpensive guns are purely practical.
I'm not sure what purpose a forward facing barrel would have given that the only plausible utility for this piece is intimidating crowds. And in that circumstance, God protect you if you actually have to fire it.
@Yggdrasil Burnes Riots have leaders.
@@ajvanmarle Not to mention that you aim straight at something, usually, so it's good to have something hitting what you're aiming directly at
@@ajvanmarle there are already 1 million guns made for taking out single targets, use one of them if u need to target the mob leader, this gun is made specifically for crowd control
Would make people saying "He can't shoot us all" think twice.
I've seen historians who posit that the psychological impact.of.thay statement may have been more useful than actually firing the duck foot.
it might be intended more for pointing than firing. Also... it wouldn’t make the person saying it think twice, they are usually the ones at the back.
@@AgiHammerthief "He can't shoot you all."
Unless it was loaded with shot.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Seal team 6 called, they want their panoramic NODs back
Somehow my first thought, too
@Caliban777 well the US allots quite a sum of money for their military, so the price surprises me to a point lol
Those things use complicated image intensification photoeletric tubes. It's cutting edge tech. Cellphones used to retail for 20k+ a piece back in the late 80s. But I doubt there will ever be a widespread civillian market for top tier military gear.
Also, have you guys seen those new tubes in development that make night look like day? I imagine how much those will cost.
@@ThZuao i saw a vid of the updated versiom of the new night visiom tech you mentioned. The newest version is less grainy with more realistic color contrast.
@Caliban777 I also don't think they're available for sale to private citizens at any price. I saw some for sale on some website for an obscene sum of money, and it said that it required proof of military/law enforcement affiliation to sell.
Next week on inrangetv: firing Flint locks sideways.
In the fashion of ye olde gangsters
@@svtirefire Brilliant!
Designed for the popular sport .......1 v 4 dueling
Even better--1 v 4 **surprise** dueling.
I nice vertical three barrel model with barrels adjusted for crotch, heart and head shots. Priceless!
Pentaling?
Makes you wonder what sort of Gentleman, would tick off that many husbands at one time. Though I suppose it would compensate for his hands shacking.
Should have one with swivels to adjust spread. Making Mexican standoffs easy.
On a ship, in the early days of continent exploration, I can imagine just possessing a gun like that would have sailors think twice about a mutiny...
my guess is these were most often used as a last ditch method of maintaining/regaining order with a threat of violence, when outnumbered. Be that on a ship, prison or anywhere else. Having to shoot it, means you've probably failed.
Especially if it looked worn and disreputable...the guys used this before...and he's still here.
I think it would also be good for clearing the deck of an enemy ship that you were boarding.
Yeah and then it takes 3 minutes to reload
It still seems like it would do nothing but waste ammo
Single shot, which is why Blackbeard was said to have carried 6+ flintlocks.
John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War and I have seen him depicted in engravings carrying many pistols tucked in his belt.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Paul_Jones2.jpg
With slow match stuck in his beard? Hum, be carful bending over.
@@sejembalm From a practical point of view, going into a fight with all that weight of loose metal banging around? Me smell propoganda.
@@ItsWasted_ Unless you wer ethe one on fire! :-)
@@51WCDodge Reading the history of pirates and pirate hunters, the boss with a brace stuffed with muzzle-loading pistols is a common iconic theme. Plus, I have tried it, myself! Stuff four flintlock pistols in my belt and wrap the belt with a sash and those pistols stay put.
I fired a .41 caliber reproduction one of these....once.....it hurt.
I was wondering about that. I guessed the recoil would be brutal with such a small grip.
@@denisleblanc4506 HELLS YEA!!😂
OUCH!!😆
Then you have to sword fight with your hand all pulsating .🤣
Naaah you would shoot it with your left hand, holding your sword in the right one... Who needs to aim when it got 4 barrels?
Coal fired paradise how heavy was the slug
...successfully hitting the targets on either side.....to the chagrin of the other shooters....
That (W)Raith thing tell you everything you need to know. This was a gun made to shot pirate-ghosts or to be used by pirate-ghost to cap some fools.
ua-cam.com/video/QHZAmBfN1PM/v-deo.html
It's not Pirate-Ghost, it's Ghost-Pirate!
It was obviously owned by the legendary Pirate Ninja, it's no wonder he can't find anything on its history.
No mention of the utility of this type of firearm during naval boarding action?
First thought of potential uses.
Exactly my thoughts, first guy(s) on the ship open up with it to clear deck space. Or even in close quarters below deck, sort of like mobsters used sawed off shotguns for, as you don't know the locations of possible targets until you kick open the door and don't really have time to aim, so you trust in the spread to hit something.
@@clarknapper3933 Well,that was my 1st thought when I saw the thumbnail, was shotgun. Although the thumbnail made it look bigger to me. But this would definitely work aboard A ship or in A crowded hallway like Ian said,A prison. During A riot,as long as you know where your buddies are(behind you hopefully),then blast away.
@@zoiders You aren't going to stand there for 3 minutes and reload it, if you are first, you aren't going to be hitting friendlies, unless you are Wrongway Wheelright.
Because there is no utility for this. Video games != reality.
I always gangster tilt my ducks foot during mutinies.
I was eating while reading this and nearly choked XD
@@sakurasilence6318 Picture it,1 in each hand..🤣
Instead of shooting 4 people at once you shoot one person 4 times
The best gimmick of the DuckFoot gun is it shoots everything but your intentional target. 10/10
There were a myriad of designs. Some had a barrel facing directly forward.
The earliest definition of the combat shooting method know as “Spray and Pray” ! 😆
I need sleep Ian you can’t notify me at 3am with gangster duck foot videos..
Take away the T & it sounds like the making of A good kung fu movie🤣
"Gangster Duck Foo"
Like the movie
"Snake in the Monkey's Shadow"😎
not funny, didn't laugh.
@@Mau5Muert0 I did but humour is subjective. Thanks for sharing though. 😊
nah im trolling around man. dont take it personal by any means. too many people that take shit seriously. thanx for your dispensable reply though.
everyones gangster till long john silver pulls out a duck foot
Hold it sideways. Now I'm picturing a 'drive by' (well a ride by on a horse) with this. 🤣🤣🤣
I believe the correct way to call it would be a "sail by"
Shoot someone from the crotch to the head..🤣
@@benpeters5851 Probably Tack by.
broadside
1-8-7 in the 1800s.
If it was part of the armament of a ship's locker then "Wraith" could be the name of the ship it was on.
There is no W in that name, its "Raith" which is most likely to be a central european surname.
@@DerLoladin It could have been "Wraith". The scroll work is pretty worn, and it does look like there was suppose to be another, larger letter at the beginning, which would have been typical for a proper name using an all-caps font at the time. Not to mention that would be about the position of your thumb or hand when holding the pistol, causing it to wear off faster.
@@joshyoder871 Is this an alternative English spelling for Wrath? Wrath would be a good name for a ship. Like Conqueror, Terror etc.
@@scottgoodman8993 Wraith is another word for something like a phantom or ghost. Which is already a decent ship or firearm name.
At the time a lot of Birmingham , jobbing guns, were built for export to the colonies etc. Individuals making one part for assembly by others. Trouble is the customers kept complaing the guns exploded and killed them, so the Proof Act and the Proof Houses were introduced. Duced bad form to kill customers y'know. Gives the country a bad name.
The Raith could have been a Scottish whaling ship or from Greenland captured by the UK around 1794. If it was the Scottish vessel, it sank around 1819.
You know an alcoholic made this cuz he always saw 3 of whatever he was tryna hit.
The young Horatio Nelson used one during boarding actions. A set of weapons confirmed as belonging to him came up for auction a while back; two flintlocks, a smaller pistol/knife hybrid and a ducks foot, I think. Presumably carried with a naval cutlass.
No warm coat was among those possessions.
I saw the thumbnail and thought it was like some weird 40mm grenade launcher and laughed my ass off seeing it next to Ian
Duck, duck, duck, BOOM!
Can't imagine how hard that would be to store or carry. I mean, what kind of holster would hold that thing? XD
I'm cracking up at the idea of an 18th century gangsta shooting this thing sideways
RAITH is read as Rais which is used for ship captains in eastern civilizations, original meaning being ruler or manager. This also explains the bombard looking barrels :)
Raith is Rais like Houthi is Husi, it is a deteroriation happens during translation.
It might have etymological affiliation with Raex which has the same meaning. RAEX PUBLICA!
Raith is a Scottish town but your explanation sounds more plausible.
That's feisable, then it could be a Birmingham Jobbing Gun, made from a collection of parts , each built by an individual as cheap trade guns,. The quality of such guns was the reason The Proof Act of 1813 was introduced.
Raith is the name of 33 german settlings, even more austrian settlings and is a family name in the german language area. And it is a area in Scotland. It is an old irish word for ringfort. Even an american officier of german ancestry with this name is known (Julius Raith, 1819-1862, ironically killed in the american-mexican war by a minnie ball). And it is a area in Ontario. So now pick what you like the most ;)
The mental image of somebody shooting that thing sideways is hilarious. Thanks for that, Ian!
If you are really close then you can put 4 holes in 1 person.
Crowd control or "who thinks they are braver than their buddy"
There are historic records of such occurances , and threats in English History when the Riot Act was read.
I wonder what it would feel like to fire that thing. That must be a wacky recoil impulse.
Another fine video! This is the 1st time I've heard of such an infernal contraption. I am a huge fan of your channel, and am especially interested in the very early firearms. Thanks for all the work you put into this!
This might also work for early room clearance when grenades were less than handy, stick it through a window or around a corner and fire.
crap that makes so much sense in the context of ship boarding.
That's a really funky looking gun! Thank you for sharing this.
It's made for a gunfight in a dark room. Should be dual wielded.
I always thought that it made the most sense for these to be extreme close combat weapons. You're in the middle of a swordfight and you pull this thing out, and blast the guy you're crossing blades with four times.
I've seen pictures of the ducks foot before but until this video I never realized how small the pistol really is. Really cool stuff.
You get biggies but I shudder to think of the push-back of 4 x0.5 barrels...ouch.
There are two channels which are an absolute must for gun lovers, both give genuine, knowledgeable reviews of firearms in an unbiased honest way, these are Forgotten Weapons, and Hickock45, both are destined to be legends in the future
I’m not super into guns but I really enjoy hearing the interesting stories behind these weird and wonderful guns.
Absolutely love that gun, interesting design, nice yet subtle scroll work, and just the right amount of crazy.
Great work as always Ian. If you ever do get a chance we'd all love to know what the recoil of 4 powder loads on that terrible grip feels like!
because the barrel is screwed is most likley portuguese as portuguese guns at the time xvi and xvii have screwed in barrels for easy cleaning. And no one else was doing screws in gun at that time. if you remove the barrel you will see it was hot pressed to make a screw and hand adjuted to make a perfect fit.
Possibly, but not necessarily. So-called Queen-Anne's pistols had screw barrels too and they were found all over northern Europe.
Also Raith is a German/Austrian Surname
It may amaze you to learn Wraith is not a Portuguese word. pompous know-it-alls are easy to surprise like that.
@@Pugiron it may amaze you to learn reading because there is no W on that pistol.
Szuhoj Szuhoj - you did beat me there,, so who is pompous now 🤭
Fascinating! Thanks for this Ian.
When you don't have to fan the gun because the gun is a fan.
You said “I don’t know”...sorry to say Ian that means you ARE an expert, as per Paul’s rule
Benjamin Clayton - indeed that made me give a slight feel of worry... Thousands of watcher might feel their ground shake right now 😳
an*
Paul H fans unite
Alex Lee - Who is Paul H ?
@@remko1238 Paul Harrell. He has a youtube channel.
Ian, I appreciate the frequent uploads every morning. But I'm working, not a good time.
On a side note. Production is down, but the shop has never looked cleaner.
A great way to start Friday! Thank you Ian!
I think it would make exponentially higher psychological impact if used in pairs. I don't think there will be many willing to shout "he cant shoot all of us" when there are 8 barrels pointing pretty much at everyone simultaneously in the first row or two.
Another important thing to consider from a psychological point of view is that in real life, unlike in movies or video games for example, there are relatively few people who would willingly go into confrontation knowing their live is literally at stake, not to mention taking a bullet for the "cause" in case of "he cant shoot us all" situation. Usually it would be enough to shoot toughtest and most decisive fighters and/or leaders, who naturally happen to be in the front row, and the rest of the rabble will disperse. It is akin to street fighting mentality when a group of people fights another group - usually there are few who does most the fighting while the rest mostly posturing and occasionally "helping" those few who do the fighting, and when those "fighters" get beaten down, the loosing side will immediately retreat more often than not. So back in the days, having a duckfoot pistol in situations like ship mutiny or prison riot would actually make a lot of sense.
That looked so much more MASSIVE in the thumbnail and almost lost it at the start with that smol lil baby cannon :3
They sit nicely on a table so are fast to pick up and fire. My brothers 3 barrel reproduction also balances fine on the edge of a table, with the grip and trigger hanging over. So I can see a captain using it at an officers meeting.
I laughed so hard when he fired it from eight feet away and totally missed a refrigerator. Made a nice smoke and noise show though.
Imagine a dozen people each with one of those firing a volley at the same time at the beginning of a battle. That would definitely tip the scales in an even, or even uneven match.
Or better still! A Ribauldequin! Ducks Foot on steroids.
I love the history that you give on gun. I was also wondering about your classes that you give if there's a way I can find information about them. Thank you
Why not load every barrel with shot for even more collateral damage?
At that point, wouldn't a blunderbuss make more sense?
This is a true forgotten weapon! Thanks Ian
Man, I love these old flintlock guns. Such an interesting yet simple action.
This makes more sense as a naval weapon, at least to me, than anything you would use on land. In the confined places of a ship, trying to board, or shooting through an enemy ship's gunports. People weren't stupid back then, nobody would use this at more than a few feet. If you were at the head of a boarding crew this would make perfect sense, because you don't care what you hit, just that you cause as much damage and confusion as possible, so you can get on board without being stabbed.
I can't imagine anyone would actually carry this around, or try to conceal it. More something you would pick up if you know you're going into a fight. The removeable barrels make sense in that case. I can imagine them sticking all sorts of scrap metal in the barrels to get as much damage as possible done. Being able to change a barrel after ruining it would make sense.
It's the only situation I can ever see myself using one in. Somewhere incredibly confined, where your enemy is right in front of you and clearing space is more important than killing.
Judging by the thumbnail I expected it to be a lot bigger than that lol
"...Oh, and ancient anti-hooligan pistol..!"
One can learn A LOT watching you, Ian.
Many thanks, kind regards..!
The Duck's Foot Pistol: Quack® Perfection
It's a deck sweeper.
And yes, the secondary weapon is your blade.
Weather that be a cutlass, or a long knife, is really up to you.
Go bold, is my opinion. 😆
Did anybody else think this gun was going to be huge from the thumbnail?
I was going to say that! I thought it was going to be shotgun sized.
Youre like the 10th comment(including myself)whos said that. My thought was sawed off shotgun size.
@@Dirtbag-Hyena repeating other people's comments, tsk.
Always loved these odd ducks. Managed to snag a 3 barrel reproduction from a pawn shop of all places for 90 dollars lol
From the thumbnail I thought this was the size of a 40mm grenade launcher; I was a little confused when it actually came into frame.
BleedingUranium lol I don’t know why I had to scroll so far for this comment. I thought it was huge and I laughed when I saw Ian for scale
SPIW, SALVO, ACR etc. The multi-shot idea never goes away...
“A choice aye give ye. It’s the cat o’ nine tails and back into the rigging lively, savvy? Or ye be tastin’ the duck’s foot.”
Edward Kenway like this
Wasn't it unity that had these?
Im playing Odyessy, but BCE is A tad early for these,though it'd be nice.😁👍
Connor had one of these
Not what I expected when I saw the thumbnail 😂 I kinda thought it is bigger....
Amazing!
These things are always a lot smaller than I expect.
Edit: I had always heard that these were primarily for boarding actions (since there would be a lot of people close together on the deck of an enemy ship), but I do not have any source for that. Just what I was told.
Who remembers this gun from Assassin's creed III?
Video request: ian shows the advantages of shooting a flint lock pistol gangerster-style
it used to be a sign of a top quality flintlock that you could turn it upside down and the lock time is so fast it will snap ignite and fire before the priming powder can fall out the pan. I succeeded doing this with one of my flintlocks by polishing the lock parts so everything moves smoothly and fires upside down
Yes grandad you've told us loads of times
:>)
Everybody gangsta till you get a 4 barrel flintlock pulled on you *horizontaly*
[voice=Alex Trebek] Sorry, the word we were looking for was "frizzen"... "frizzen".[/voice]
I see what you did there JA. Nice!
I'm starting to see where Hasbro gets its inspiration for Nerf-blasters from...
Ye olde smart air restrictor system
The thought that this might have been wielded by a real pirate makes me want this.
Probably the coolest find to date; I thought the last duck's foot was scrapped over a century ago.
The captain that has two of these never lost his ship
5:45 The ultimate in Fudd home defense. Just step out on the porch and fire off all four barrels.
One of the purported uses I've heard for these is boarding parties trying to assault another ship; they would first fire a volley of bullets in the general direction of the target ship's deck and then charge in with swords.
Agreed. It's clear what it's for based on the fact that all barrels fire at the same time and that they're also splayed out. It's for firing into groups of enemies. 15 enemies all huddled together waiting to cross a boarding ramp on to your ship... Boom! You've just hit at least 4 or 5 of them.
Once boarding took place, the fighting was always close and brutal. Men would board a ship, go bellow, flip up their eye patch so they had instant low-light vision in one eye and you can guarantee that after boarding an enemy ship, every soul bellow decks is a target. Being that men were often cramped together onboard a ship, a weapon like this would be good.
One in each hand, pop pop and then fall back to reload while the next guy moves up and clears rooms.
Then again, point blank that into an enemy's chest or stomach and you have an enemy that is now having a very bad day.
Greetings form Croatia !!!!
More of these guns Please !!!!!!!!
It makes perfect sense. Today the concept of area suppression or counter fire against many enemies is done with belt fed squad automatics.
I went to college in Rock Island at Augustana University . The Rock Island Auction house is only a few blocks from the John Browning Museum at the Rock Island Arsenal . Check out the John Browning museum , a breathtaking lace of history
I have a good use for it today in a practica lrole . Smoke screen generator. Load it with powder and patch but no ball and there u go wide angle smoke screen for when the next shooter starts shooting up the area u are in. Or when the next thief comes your way.
I've heard a theory that on a ship, when preparing to board or be boarded you could fire it into the ranks on the other ship's deck to try and hit a few people across the board. They're all about the same elevation and the spread would even be helpful at that midrange.
Also, beat me to it when wondering if you could fire the gun 90 degrees!
Been waiting years for this
So how many sailors do you need this pistol to shoot?
Blackbeard: *Yes*
This was my go to side arm while on patrols in fallujah. Excellent and lethal in desert or dry heat, sandy environments.
Now, nobody in a 30-degree angle do something you might regret!
I always thought this was a primitive room-clearer. Like, for shooting around corners or up or down stairs into an unknown but hostile space.
Clearing parts of a lower deck or a cabin would have been my guess.
Thank you , Ian ,
It's weird being on one of these videos and not having it be 2-4 years old
As always a great video. Could you do a show on the Civilian Marksmanship Program? Maybe explain what is needed to qualify and maybe tour a distributor? I would greatly appreciate any info you might give. Thanks!!
It is so tiny! I was expecting a hand cannon from the thumbnail. It is similar to those wide bladed and/or multi bladed daggers that turned up in history in places like Italy in gun form, a pistol-cinquedea.
Actually flintlock pistols, with side lock, were usually fired slightly canted to left side. And it was done for a reason you mentioned before: to avoid escaping fine powder from a pan.
Love your history lessons.😁👍💪☮️
"in today's view obviously this would be a really bad idea."
Guess you never heard of the Taurus Judge.
shooting shot out of a taurus judge is a terrible idea. just because you "can" doesn't mean you should.
FREN anything followed up by a naval cutlass is a lot more effective.
If you're firing into a mob, as in, a literal wall of people, this tool would be nifty.
Its for intimidation and that sometimes a flintlock is slow enough an adavisary could jump out of the way of a single shot but not a spread of 4
You know when I saw the thumbnail for this one in my notifications I thought it was much much larger. Like four hand held cannons size. When the video started I laughed out loud because it looked so small compared to what I imagined.
From only seeing photos of the gun by itself, I thought that thing was supposed to be about 10 times bigger.
just take a hostage to nullify the wielder of the duck gun!
nobody move or the quack dies
Someone packing a gun like this doesn't care about collateral damage. He probably won't care about hostages either.
Shoot the hostage, didn't you watch the movie Speed? How about the Shadow? Shoot the hostage. It's a Russian tactic also.
@@robertkubrick3738 The awkward moment that you remember your Captain's name is Blazanov and he drinks Vodka as opposed to rum.