The Ripley Machine Gun was a

volley gun A volley gun is a gun with multiple single-shot barrels that shoot projectiles in volley fire, either simultaneously or in succession. Although capable of unleashing intense firepower, volley guns differ from modern machine guns in that they la ...

, an early precursor of the

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles ...

, which was patented in 1861 by Ezra Ripley.Google patent entry for the Ripley machine gun
/ref> Although it is likely that it was never actually produced, it demonstrated a number of basic concepts that were employed in the design of the

Gatling Gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...

that was patented the following year.

Method of action

The design, as patented, consists of nine fixed barrels attached to a limbers and caissons. The weapon was loaded with a cylinder containing nine rounds of ammunition, arranged so that the rounds lined up with the barrels of the weapon. A firing handle was then attached, which locked the cylinder into place. The weapon was fired by rotating the handle, with the barrels firing in sequence. By rotating the handle quickly a high rate of fire could be achieved, or slowly, single shots. Once the nine rounds of ammunition in the chamber were expended, the cylinder could be removed for reloading and a fresh cylinder could be inserted into the breech. The weapon was probably never built,George M. Chinn, ''The Machine Gun'', Volume I, 1951 and was passed over in favor of volley guns like the Billinghurst Requa Battery.

Notes

References

* George M. Chinn, ''The Machine Gun'', Volume I, 1951 Early machine guns Multi-barrel machine guns Trial and research firearms