Daniels’ Seven-Shot Smoothbore Turret Musket

There were a surprising number of different revolving rifles produced in the United States in the mid 1800s, including a number of turret rifles like this one. Specifically, we have here a 7-shot, approximately .55 caliber Daniels turret rifle (well, not technically a rifle, as it is smoothbore). It was patented by Charles and Henry Daniels in 1838, and manufactured by C.B. Allen – a man who also manufactured the Elgin cutlets pistols and Cochran turret rifles and pistols. Only about 50 of these Daniels guns were made – none of the turret rifle designs were ever commercially successful.

21 Comments

  1. Advertising slogan for C B Allen: Bring me your unusual and innovative gun designs and I will develop them in marketable niche items for the discerning purchasers. Too bad this concept doesn’t work in that manner today!

  2. The turret idea is actually very old. The “tormentarium”, a variety of ribauldequin of the late Middle Ages worked on the same principle.

    https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BHFF56/military-artillery-rotable-gun-turret-machina-tormentaria-coloured-BHFF56.jpg

    Like the later “turret guns”, it had the problem of several “tubes” pointing back at the gun detachment. With flashover being much more likely if the gunner fumbled the drill with the linstock.

    cheers

    eon

  3. Hi – be safe and be sane. So I guess you will not be bringing this out to the range any time soon. Laughter. But it certainly is an interesting gun.

  4. This is an interesting example.
    If the owner allowed, I should definitely try it.
    Of course, with appropriate precautions.

  5. I wonder of polymer versions of this, say 3 chambers “merc badge style” held in a mag; say fn90 style would work… Work, in the following manner. A caseless round vis a vis hk g11 type… But with Nitinol, springs… Er the caseless round is sat against said spring on a spring cap, and what in theory happens is… Heat forces the “caseless round into the breech” but the point is, the breech is too small, by a bit, so the niti can’t expand fully; upon detonation (a percussion cap being “squished” perhaps in some form; during said movement) well the round fires but the niti still expanding so sort of api.

    Pistol cal maybe… .25 acp try it.

    The gun will spin three rounds, out the barrel rapid, eject the “case i.e. The turret” reload a new one via the mag, point being to fire 3 rnds quick.

    • 2.5 cm radius discs maybe in the mag 1cm deep… Apparently niti must expand, if you try and stop it, it generates lots of pressure “lots” well said pressure, is perhaps a (lock)

      • If it worked, try bigger charges, the point is api in away… The niti has not fully expanded, and is prevented from doing; so the chamber walls prevent outwards expansion of the gas, and the niti prevents rearwards expansion… Thus the bullet exits as per.

        Might work.

        • I hope folk understand this concept, but the key is preventing the niti expanding; so mag aligns round with breech, niti activates, pushes “caseless round” into breech, round detonates prior, gas expansion tries to push back due to chamber walls/bullet in barrel… Can’t via niti expanding I.e. It refuses atomically to contract… Bang, bullet leaves barrel as per.

          • So the cap the caseless round sits on, would be say 5mm thick steel; in .25acp thus it the (cap) can’t bend etc, it is a solid piece… Well if niti expansion can’t be reversed; thats a “lock” as bang has happened and bullet moving up the barrel.

            The speed element is the duration between chamber 1,2 & 3 firing; with less movement i.e. As in back and forth, as a bolt, more mini gun type speeds, compariatively.

          • The premise is niti cannot atomically be prevented from expanded, so if it is; well the pressure generated acts as a “lock”.

            Unfortunately I am no further forward in understanding the properties of niti; on the plus side I an doing great vua duolingo at understanding Welsh or common Brittonic.

    • Well that bits right anyway, tubes were from the evolution of muzzle loaders.

      3 rnd discs, 2000rpm one bullet will likely hit even via shit shots. 7.62x25mm ideally replicated in effective’ness.

      Big fuck off top mounted mag double stacked, disc rounds. Electric round counter.

        • Needs the central spindle; for the niti to have no place to go. Fizz pop, bang!! See can’t move back; as niti is moving forward. So, the bang must go down the barrel.

          Atomic delay, he he; pissed king canute.

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