Unusual Weapons Of The World
In 1718, James Puckleof London, England, demonstrated his new invention, the “Puckle Gun,” atripod-mounted, single-barreled flintlock gun fitted with a multishotrevolving cylinder. This weapon fired nine shots per minute at a timewhen the standard soldier’s musket could be loaded and fired but threetimes per minute. Puckle demonstrated two versions of the basic design.One weapon, intended for use against Christian enemies, firedconventional round bullets, while the second variant, designed to beused against the Muslim Turks, fired square bullets, which werebelieved to cause more severe and painful wounds than sphericalprojectiles. The “Puckle Gun” failed to attract investors and neverachieved mass production or sales to the British armed forces. Onenewspaper of the period observed following the business venture’sfailure that “those are only wounded who hold shares therein.”
According to the Patent Office of the United Kingdom, “In the reignof Queen Anne, the law officers of the Crown established as a conditionof patent that the inventor must in writing describe the invention andthe manner in which it works.” James Puckle’s 1718 patent for a gun wasone of the first to provide a description.
Hiram Maxim (born1853) invented the Maxim Silencer or Suppressor: that attached to thefront of the barrel of a pistol and allowed the firearm to be firedwithout a loud bang. Invented in 1909, the Maxim Suppressor was thefirst commercially successful silencer.
