The Paradox of the Northwest Trade Gun

I've been itching to get into more research-focused projects and this is my first go at that. Trade Guns are a class of firearm made in northern Europe during the early 17th century. These guns were made specifically for barter to the natives of sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and South America By 1670 they had earned a reputation for being the “Cheapest, most dangerous to use firearm that money could buy” - SJ Gooding We’re going to look at how these arms went from being cheap trade trash to some of the finest, notable arms made before the 20th century When this was just an idea, I had a simple view of the NW trade gun. After researching, I’ve found a whole lot more that really shifts what I thought the North West trade gun was and is. It’s a fascinating story, this is just scratching the surface.

This project was part of “Firelock & Quill”, a new collaborative project I’m participating in with Jason from Muzzleloader Magazine, and Ryan from Blue Lion Coffee & Townends. You can watch the full video below;