Puckle Gun
James Puckle · Machine Gun · Prototype · 1718
Also known as: Defence Gun, Puckle's Machine Gun
Overview
Patented by London lawyer James Puckle in 1718, the Puckle Gun (or 'Defence Gun') was a tripod-mounted, single-barrel flintlock fitted with a hand-cranked, pre-loaded revolving cylinder, and is often called the world's first machine gun. It could fire roughly nine rounds per minute, triple a musket's rate, and was intended to defend ships against boarding by Ottoman corsairs. Hampered by unreliable flintlock ignition and the manufacturing limits of its era, it never entered production and was rejected by the Royal Navy.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 914 mm (35.98") |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Rate of Fire | 9 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
Calibers
- 1.25-inch Ball · primary — also known as 32mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Features: Revolving Cylinder, Hand Cranked, Tripod Mounted, Quick Change Cylinder
Production
Estimated total produced: 2 · Production years: 1718-1722
Essentially prototype/demonstrator level; Puckle's 1721 promotion company failed to attract investors
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: James Puckle
Notes
The brief's .96-inch bore was not supported by sources, which consistently give ~1.25 in (32 mm); the patent specified projectiles between 1 and 1.25 in. Cylinder capacity is commonly cited as 9 (some sources 6-11). Only about two guns are reported sold, privately, for a West Indies venture.
Background
Puckle's patent specified that the gun could fire round bullets at Christian enemies and square bullets at the Ottoman Turks, the square balls believed to cause more grievous wounds; the square-bullet version was never actually built. His 1721 stock-promotion company became a minor footnote of the South Sea Bubble speculation era.