Turret gun
Encyclopedia
A turret gun is a type of multi-shot hand-held firearm
. It is a variation on the percussion
revolver
, designed with chambers in a drum mounted so it would rotate horizontally (around a vertically-mounted pivot), rather than around a horizontal axis, in an attempt to circumvent the patent
by of Samuel B. Colt
. Chambers opened in all directions, and the weapon was prone to row ignition, all chambers firing in sequence, resulting in fatal accidents because one chamber always faces the marksman.
Several designs were attempted, including an 1837 Cochran and an 1851 Porter, whose designer was killed in a demonstration by a row ignition.
A number of turret rifles were also attempted. None of these weapons were successful, due to the row-firing hazard. As a result, they are very rare and much sought-after.
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
. It is a variation on the percussion
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, designed with chambers in a drum mounted so it would rotate horizontally (around a vertically-mounted pivot), rather than around a horizontal axis, in an attempt to circumvent the patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
by of Samuel B. Colt
Samuel Colt
Samuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
. Chambers opened in all directions, and the weapon was prone to row ignition, all chambers firing in sequence, resulting in fatal accidents because one chamber always faces the marksman.
Several designs were attempted, including an 1837 Cochran and an 1851 Porter, whose designer was killed in a demonstration by a row ignition.
A number of turret rifles were also attempted. None of these weapons were successful, due to the row-firing hazard. As a result, they are very rare and much sought-after.
Sources
- Jeff Kinard, Pistols, 2004, ISBN 1-85109-470-9 (page 64) (Google Books)
- de.wikipedia.org