Blunderbuss

The Blunderbuss is a short, muzzleloading smoothbore gun, similar to a musket or carbine but has a bigger barrel designed for multiple musketballs to be put in. It is considered to be a precursor to the shotgun. A blunderbuss in handgun shape was called a "dragon" which made way for the term "dragoon".
Etymology.
The term "blunderbuss" is from the Dutch language, from the Dutch word "donderbuis", which is a fusion of "donder", meaning "thunder", and "buis", meaning "Pipe" (Middle Dutch: "busse", box, tube, from Late Latin, "buxis", box, from Ancient Greek "pyxίs" (πυξίς), box: esp. from boxwood).
The evolution from "donder" to "blunder" is thought by few to be done on purpose; the term "blunder" was originally used in a transitive sense, synonymous with "to confuse", and this is thought to describe the stunningly loud sound of the large-bore, short-barreled blunderbuss. The term "dragon" is taken from detail of older models that were decorated with a carving in the shape of a dragon's head around the barrel; the muzzle blast would then give the impression of a fire-breathing dragon.