Pirates and Flintlock Pistols

Pirates and flintlocks go together like sharks and water. No self respecting swashbuckler would have been caught without a proper pistol by his side. Flintlocks can come in a variety of sizes and shapes, engraved with ivory, double barreled, antique brass or silver. What they all have in common is the classic look of a long, lean pistol with flint trigger action and effective targeting. This classic pirate weapon would be an excellent addition to anyone’s pirate collection.

Today’s replica pirate flintlock reproduction is similar to ones found in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Pirate Flintlock Pistol features wood stock detailed with skull & cross bones and a steel finish barrel. This practical 18th century French pirate flintlock does not boast much decoration, except for the skull and crossbones embossed into the handle. In contrast to the lean look of a classic flintlock, there is also the blunderbuss. This huge, intimidating weapon were particularly adapted to ship-based combat, where loading a pistol in the middle of an attract was as easy and conducting surgery on a moving bicycle.

The Historical Weapons Store allows everyday collectors to experience pirate collectibles with high quality and reasonably priced items. A replica pirate cutlass, collectible pirate costumes and much more can be found at Historical Weapons Store. Also learn more about the history of pirates within our Articles Directory.

Pirate's Sword, Scabbard and Flintlock

Which weapons were most used by pirates?

Other than swords and scabbards, a pirate would typically use a gun called a flintlock. A flintlock is a wide mouthed ‘blunderbus’ design, though the design changed according to the country of origination. Most 18th century pirates were Spanish, Indian, French and English, though there were pirates of every nationality, including Portuguese, and North African. The Corsairs were French and the Barbary Corsairs were Turks.

They tracked ships for days deciding whether to attack them or not, but rarely used shots since that would damage the vessel that they wished to capture, not to destroy. They used more skilled tactics to capture ships. They would fly a friendly flag as they approached a ship, then strike it and raise the pirate flag, the skull and crossbones. They would then fire one shot to persuade the captain of the competing vessel to strike colors and surrender. In that way they took the ship complete and none of the treasure on board was damaged.

A typical pirate cutlass had a thick, slightly curved blade just over two feet in length. There were many variants to this basic design, and many of these are available as replicas.

A replica pirate cutlass, scabbard, or collectible pirate costume can be found at Historical Weapons Store. Also learn more about the history of pirates within our Articles Directory.