German combination axe-gun, ~1580 AD
German combination axe-gun, ~1580 AD
It is. The barrel is quite short.
Pretty sure it isn’t. Apart from not being a very logical placement:
Perhaps we are talking past each other. I have marked the barrel and direction of shot.
Oh, got it. Assumed the whole length was a barrel.
Shit, with the barrel that short I think the hatchet is the better bet
According to some cursory searching and Wikipedia referencing (so take the credibility at your own peril), axe guns were primarily thought of as axes, and the firearm part was secondary.
The Swedish navy issued axe gun has a more practical profile than the ornate gun in the OP, if that gives an idea how such an idea might be practical.
Amateur axeologist here.
This isn’t your “I’m going to chop down a tree” tool. The head of this thing was either for messing fools up, or for busting brush, not heavy use.
Given that, the structural weakness is worth it in this case. Pushing the axe head a little farther out lengthens the “handle” (gun) and provides more leverage. That leverage comes in handy when hacking through both bushes and fools.
I’m no expert on this corner, so take this for what it’s worth, but military issued axe guns and guns with bayonets existed at the same time.
If I recall correctly, bayonets were an outgrowth of pike and shot warfare, where eventually the duties of the pike were taken over by the bayonet in infantry use in open field warfare.
Axe guns were used by cavalry, which makes since to have a short and swingable weapon; axe guns were issued to naval troops as boarding weapons, which makes sensible for the close quarter combat compared to a bayonet on a musket.