Repeating Rifle - Early Repeaters

Early Repeaters

• The Jennings Magazine Rifle In 1849 Walter Hunt patented a repeating rifle he called "the Volitional Repeater". This rifle featured a tubular magazine beneath the barrel and a lever mechanism to raise cartridges into the chamber. Unable to finance the building of the rifle, Hunt sold the rights to George Arrowsmith who in turn had an employee, Lewis Jennings, improve the lever mechanism. Courtland Palmer placed the first order for the "Jennings Magazine rifle" for his hardware store: Robbins & Lawrence. The rifle did not sell well as the ammunition was a hollow based bullet containing gunpowder. Most of the guns were later converted to single shot rifles. Two employees working at Robbins & Lawrence: Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson improved the design and sold it as the "Smith-Jennings Repeating Rifle".

• French Guycot Chain Rifle - Manufactured circa 1878, this unusual and rare rifle featured a chain housed in the frame and stock which held 80 rounds of centerfire cartridges. The "endless chain" had carrying cups that hold the rounds. Once loaded the rifle could be fired as fast as the trigger could be pulled. At the pull, the belt was revolved until a chamber (or cup) faced the barrel. At the same time a long firing pin was retracted. An inner barrel was drawn back through the heavy outer barrel until it covered the bullet end of the cartridge. At the end of the long drag on the trigger, the final pressure released the needle like firing pin, which drove through a small opening in the base of the cup detonating the cartridge primer. The rifle fired a lead conical bullet which was hollowed out to accommodate the powder. The barrel was octagon and fit into a 2 7/8" round section that extended from the receiver. P. Gay, a French engineer and Mrs. H. Guenot, a French merchant secured British patent #187 in 1879, otherwise the origin of the Guycot remains a mystery and historical facts are sketchy.
• Girandoni Air Rifle - Repeating air rifle designed in 1779
• Meigs Sliding Guard Action Repeating Carbine
• Roper repeating shotgun
• Cookson repeater
• Kalthoff repeater
• Belton flintlock
• Porter Revolving Turret Rifle
• Colt Revolving Rifle
• Spencer repeating rifle