"auto loader" flint lock?????

P

Prof Young

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In his book, Jubal Sackett, L'amour describes a flint lock pistol that is reloaded by pointing the barrel down and turning a lever on the handle. At the turn of the handle a ball and powder charge drops into the chamber and the flash pan is also refilled. The handle hold 12 loads. In terms of geography, weapons, and cultural practices most of L'amour's work is historically accurate. Does this kind of gun exist?

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
Never heard of a 12 shot flintlock pistol like that, have seen a( I think french made) 5 shot flint revolver with a hand rotated cylinder that had to be primed before each shot and pictures of a 12 round flintlock rifle. Rifle was made by Isaiah Jennings in 1818. loaded 12 rounds down the barrel and the lock indexed from top to bottom of the stack of loads. It was also said to be as likely to start shooting like a roman candle, each round igniting the next one in line till rifle empty. (First flintlock machine gun?)
 
nothing I've ever heard of but not impossible to concieve. they were probably problematic and mroe than likely were encased in a paper casing to keep powder and ball contained so they more than likely would have had serious problems with hang fires and misfires.
 
Sir, are you casting doubt on anything Louis L'Amour has written. I will meet you at dawn behind Dunking donuts and I will bring the dueling pistols. A pair of Lorenzoni Flint Lock Repeating pistols. All joking aside, One reason I like his books, if he writes about a certain object or land feature you can bet your booty the object was ln existence and or the land feature is or was there. I have been lucky in being able to visit many of the places he has featured in his books and if for example he states a hill or a water hole is in a certain place you will find it:D
 
Hello, Prof Young. He might have been refering to the magazine fed Lazeroni..I don't have my books with me, but there is a photo of such a gun in The Pagent Of The Gun. This was produced in the 1700's, I believe. The drawback with any such magazine-fed firearm before the advent of the self-contained ctg. was the very real possibility of a flash-back or leak setting off the whole works!
 
Have never seen or heard of those. But it doesn't mean they never existed. In the history of firearms thousands of ideas and manifestations have been tried. Today, most are only curios in museums but were practical failures. I once saw and held a CW period bolt action multi round muzzle loading rifle. Think it was known as a "Smith". Multiple rounds were loaded then brought up after each shot by using a bolt action. Clever but a failure. Your pistol could have existed.
 
" your pistol could have existed " could have existed and did exist The Lorenzoni flintlock Repeating pistol :)
 
The Lorenzoni and other "spigot" type breechloading flintlocks were not without their risks. I had a book showing one with the grip blown open by a little fire leaking back into the powder magazine.
 
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