Pepper-box

Uncommon card · No. 144574

The pepper-box pistol or simply pepperbox (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel firearm, mostly in the form of a handgun, that has three or more gun barrels each holding a single shot. The barrels are fired in sequence by a rotating firing mechanism or, more typically, by rotating the entire barrel assembly to bring each barrel in line with a single lock or hammer, similar to the rotation of a revolver's cylinder. Pepperbox guns have existed for all types of firelock firearms and metal-cased ammunition systems used in breechloading firearms: matchlock, wheellock, flintlock, caplock, pinfire, rimfire, and centerfire. The weight of multiple barrels could make the weapon unwieldy and restricted most to the form of sidearms intended for self-defence, though a few long guns were also made. Popular in the mid-19th century, the design has occasionally been revived for specialty applications.

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