Dragon (firearm)

A dragon is a shortened version of blunderbuss, a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore.

[1][2] Dragons were typically issued to dragoon cavalry, who needed a lightweight, easily handled firearm to use while mounted.

The practice comes from a time when all gunpowder weapons had distinctive names, including the culverin, serpentine, falcon, and falconet.

[1][2] In the Nusantara archipelago, the weapon is called a tarkul, terakul, or terakol,[what language is this?]

[7]: 64  However, it is possible that this weapon was only popular among local warriors in more recent times — the terakul was only recorded in Tuhfat al-Nafis from the 1860s.