I ran across this post by accident, and thought the following might be useful to those interested in the fusil boucanier, AKA buccaneer gun:
The "buccaneer gun," called a "fusil boucanier" by the French at the time, existed from at least the mid-17th century, and quite possibly earlier, until the late 18th century, its heydey being the latter half of the 17th century through the first half of the 18th. Its origin is unconfirmed, although it may be Dutch. The gun was a long barreled, club-butted, heavy caliber flintlock hunting arm. Fusils are flintlocks, not matchlocks, and the French flintlock was a true flintlock, not a doglock, although there are buccaneer guns with doglocks still extent--the variety of barrel, lock, and furniture of buccaneer guns was apparently quite broad. ("Mousquet" in French of the period referred to a matchlock, "fusil" to a flintlock.) The version described by Exquemelin and referring to the 1660s to 1670s, and by Labat, referring to late 17th and early 18th centuries, had a barrel of four and a half feet (converted to French pouces, roughly 57 inches or so, although there were buccaneer guns with barrels longer and shorter than this), and a caliber of 16 balls to the pound. French calibers of the period are not equivalent to English calibers. To allow for windage, a French caliber of 16 balls to the pound ranges from a bore diameter of .732 inches (caliber) to .777 inches, due to the wide manufacturing tolerances of the time. The ball itself averaged .68 inches. French buccaneer guns ranged from 21 to 12 balls per pound, and perhaps even a bit larger and smaller. In the late 17th century, buccaneer guns manufactured for the French Navy were standardized at 18 balls to the pound (.689 to .732 inches). Unfortunately, although the buccaneer gun was manufactured in large numbers, it was a weapon put to much hard use, and few remain today.
As to the matchlock versus flintlock discussion, primary sources, as well as secondary sources written by experts in early firearms, agree that the flintlock was the preferred arm for warfare at sea and in the New World from the mid-17th century onward, and was quite common. This does not mean that sea rovers of the period never used matchlocks, but after circa 1650 the flintlock was the principal long arm in use among sea rovers, Native Americans, and colonists engaged in warfare in a woodland environment. Hunters always preferred the flintlock, and were some of its earliest users. Any period reference to a "buccaneer gun" is to the 17th century translation of "fusil boucanier"--a flint arm.
The Rifle Shoppe carries parts cast from an original 18th century fusil boucanier, as well as other furniture and locks suitable to buccaneer guns.
The best (and most accessible) photos and illustrations are in Bouchard's Fusil de Tulle, Gilkerson's Boarder's Away!, and Hamilton's Colonial Frontier Guns. Hamilton also discusses French calibers of the period in detail.
Hope this helps.
Benerson Little (The Sea Rover's Practice)
