Loading a single-shot muzzleloading blunderbuss (“Thunder Gun” in Dutch) is an exercise in restraint. First you have to load a precise amount of blackpowder (propellant charge), followed by wadding, a piece of technical cloth that helps the roundball (a metal ball with a girth equivalent to a 50 caliber bullet) eject itself out of the barrel of the gun, and then that projectile itself. You subsequently have to *carefully* pack that combination of ingredients all the way into the base of the barrel with a ramrod designed just for this very purpose. Once charged in that fashion you then have to place a delicate firing cap onto a tiny nipple so you can ‘cock’ the gun. If you have big hands this can sometimes feel like you’re doing open heart surgery with your elbows. Once cocked, you’re ready to shoot. It’s incredible to think people fought wars in this fashion. A highly trained marksman can fire up to 3 rounds a minute. One misstep and the gun will not fire, too much of the powder and you’re going to get one heck of a bruise on your shoulder tomorrow.