Adragon is a shortened version ofblunderbuss, afirearm with a short, largecaliberbarrel which is flared at themuzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore.[1][2] Dragons were typically issued todragooncavalry, who needed a lightweight, easily handled firearm to use while mounted.[3]
The termdragon is taken from the fact that early versions were decorated with a carving in the form of a mythicaldragon's head around the muzzle; themuzzle blast would then give the impression of a fire-breathing dragon.[2]
Early dragons were shortwheellock firearms. It is called a dragon because the muzzle is decorated with a dragon's head. The practice comes from a time when all gunpowder weapons had distinctive names, including theculverin, serpentine, falcon, andfalconet.[4] The dragon was effective only at short range, lacking accuracy at long range.[1][2]
In theNusantara archipelago, the weapon is called a tarkul, terakul, or terakol inMalay andIndonesian and seems to have been preferred by cavalry due to its size. The term may refer to a blunderbuss in pistol form, but can also refer to the flintlock musket.[5]: 211 [6]: 5 They used aflintlock mechanism, and might be derived fromDutch flintlocks which entered the area in the 17th century.[7]: 64 However, it is possible that this weapon was only popular among local warriors in more recent times — the terakul was only recorded inTuhfat al-Nafis from the 1860s.[8][5]: 211–212 The manuscript mentioned that Bugis troops withchain mail and armed withterakul pemburas (dragon-blunderbusses) defeated Raja Kechil's troops armed with cannons and swords in 1721 CE.[9]: 318
