science · 15 May 1718 · 306 years ago
In 1718, a "Defence" rapid-fire gun was patented by a London lawyer, James Puckle (1667 - 1724). It is sometimes considered an ancestor of the machine gun. It was, in effect, a flintlock revolver with a barrel 3 feet long and a bore of 1.25 inches. A pre-loaded "cylinder" held 11 charges and could fire 63 shots in 7 minutes. (This rate of 9 shots/min was three times quicker than the fastest infantryman.) The patent described it as "A portable gun or machine called a Defence, that discharges soe often and soe many bullets, and can be soe quickly loaded as renders it next to impossible to carry any ship by boarding," which indicates shipboard use was intended. British patent No. 418 (1718). He began manufacture at White Cross Alley factory in 1721.
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