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This is my BOOMSTICK!
~ Ash Williams to the people of 1300 AD (Army of Darkness)

The Shotgun, better known for its nickname of "The Boomstick", is the primary firearm of choice for Ash Williams in his fight against the Deadites. A twelve-gauge double-barreled shotgun created by the Remington Arms Company in their Grand Rapids, Michigan factory, the Boomstick has a stock of polished walnut, a cobalt blue steel barrel, and a hair trigger.

The Shotgun first appeared in the 1981 film The Evil Dead, where it was a single-barreled Winchester 37A 20-gauge. When the shotgun returned in Evil Dead II, the Winchester model was replaced with a 12-gauge double-barreled Stevens 311-C model. In Army of Darkness, the shotgun (now a IGA Stoeger Coach Gun) earned it's more famous nickname of The Boomstick.

History[]

Before Ash[]

Prior to being "acquired" by Ash Williams, the shotgun was owned by Raymond Knowby, who presumably used it for hunting on the property which the Knowby Cabin was located. It is unknown if Raymond bought the gun new or second-hand.

Events At The Cabin[]

The shotgun was eventually discovered by Ash and Scotty upon their exploration of the cabin's fruit cellar, where it was sitting beside the Kandarian Dagger, Necronomicon, and Professor Knowby's Tape Recorder. It would primarily be used by Ash Williams later in the evening, using it to defend himself against the Deadite-possessed Cheryl and Scotty.

AshShortensTheBoomstickED2

Ash shortens the barrel of the Boomstick (Evil Dead II).

Ash would use the shotgun more frequently during his second night trapped at the cabin, such as "hunting" his severed hand and accidentally shooting Bobby Joe through the cabin's front door. Upon Bobby Joe's disappearance after seeing Ash's severed hand, her boyfriend Jake took the shotgun from Ash and forced him and Annie Knowby to go out into the woods and find Bobby Joe. After Jake's death at the hands of the Deadite Henrietta Knowby, Ash shortened the shotgun's barrel from 26 inches to roughly 13 inches using a chainsaw. With the shotgun now "sawed-off", Ash used it to deliver the killing blow to Henrietta's severed head, completely obliterating it into nothing but chunks of flesh and bone.

Medieval Times[]

Before he could escape the cabin, Ash was pulled back in time to medieval England, circa 1300 AD. Captured by the knights of Lord Arthur, Ash's chainsaw and shotgun were confiscated by Arthur's advisor, an older figure simply known as The Wise Man. After escaping an underground torture chamber called The Pit, Ash retrieved his shotgun from the saddle bag of the Wise Man's horse and showed off his weapon to the "primitives", where he first dubs it The Boomstick.

The Boomstick was used sparingly during his time in England (presumably due to limited ammunition Ash had with him), and only chose to utilize it for "close-up" fights, such as shooting his evil doppelganger in the face and blowing away Deadites that had climbed on "The Deathcoaster" during a battle in the courtyard of Castle Kandar.

30 Years Later[]

BoomstickAVED

Ash hid the Boomstick in the floor of his trailer (Ash vs Evil Dead).

After the defeat of Evil Ash in 1300 AD, Ash returned to his "present" time, and with him returned his chainsaw and shotgun. 30 years after the cabin incident, Ash properly maintained the Boomstick, and kept it in a secret compartment hidden in the floor of his trailer in-case of the return of evil. When the forces of evil eventually did manage to find him, the Boomstick was called into action once more by Ash, who kept his favorite firearm on or near him at all times.

When Ash was awakened after years of sleeping in a preservation box, he had found his Boomstick attached swiveling mount on the driver-side door of his newly modified Oldsmobile.

Modifications[]

Rock Salt Launcher[]

RockSaltBoomstickMod-HttK

The rock salt tray mounted to the top of the Boomstick (Hail To The King)

In one alternate reality, Ash Williams was sent to the city of Damascus, circa 730 AD while chasing his evil clone. While in Damascus, Ash modified his Boomstick to fire both regular shotgun shells and rounds of rock salt.

8-Round Clip[]

8ShotBoomstick-EDFoB

The eight-round clip attached to the Boomstick (A Fistful of Boomstick)

Assembled by Williams The Blacksmith in the year 1695, the Boomstick received a special modification that allowed eight shots to be fired in succession without the need to reload when Ash was dealing with a Deadite outbreak in colonial Dearborn, Michigan.

Bayonet[]

BoomstickDaggerCombo-AvEDS2E1

Ash and the "Boomstick Bayonet" (Home)

When Ash returned to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan, Ash turned the Boomstick into a make-shift bayonet using the Kandarian Dagger while exploring the Elk Grove Crematorium.

Related Paraphernalia[]

Shell Press[]

After assuming control of his father's hardware store, Ash also acquired a shotgun shell reloading press, which recycles spent empty shells and refills them with powder and shot.

Belt Reloader[]

In the days leading up to his encounter with Kandar The Destroyer, Ash wore a small clip on his belt containing four extra shotgun shells.

Holster[]

Ash wears an adjustable leather shotgun holster that wraps around his torso in an "X" shape. Much like the Boomstick itself, it was presumably used by Raymond Knowby for hunting on his property. After saving her life in his trailer, Ash took Kelly Maxwell's belt to finish attaching the holster to his back.

In Other Media[]

As The Boomstick is an essential part of Ash's character, it has appeared along side him in one form or another in every expanded medium which he has been a part of outside of the films and television series, including comic books and video games.

Video Games[]

  • In one unique instance where Ash is completely absent, the Boomstick appears as one of the many weapons available in the mobile game Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare (along with it's subsequent re-releases: Virtual Nightmare and Extended Nightmare). Modeled by Michael Lee, it is visually based on it's appearance in the Evil Dead II film.
    • The Boomstick's in-game description reads as follows: "Explode some Deadites. Can't miss up close."
  • Boomstick - Back Bling - Fortnite

    Boomstick Back Bling.

    The Boomstick also appears as a Back Bling for Ash Williams in Fortnite.

Comic Books[]

Trivia[]

  • While giving his famous monologue in Army of Darkness, Ash mentions the Boomstick retails for about $199.95 at S-Mart. If adjusted for inflation (from the film's release year of 1993), the gun would cost $360 in 2020.
  • Despite being explicitly named as a Remington in Army of Darkness, none of the guns that have been used as the Boomstick in either the Evil Dead theatrical films or Ash vs Evil Dead television series were manufactured by the company.
  • In the Ash vs Evil Dead episode Bound In Flesh, Ash reveals he has given his shotgun another nickname: Moe, after the "leader" of the Three Stooges comedy team.
  • In the comic book series Ash In Space, the Boomstick is seen to be fully functional even in the vacuum of outer space.
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