Seven-Barrel Flintlock Volley Rifle by Henry Nock, London 1796

[hawkeye1755]

Formed of seven browned barrels, each rifled with seven grooves, arranged in a six-round-one configuration with one of the lower barrels stamped underneath with the serial number 2575, fitted with a case-hardened patent breech, with engraved false-breech tang, with single gold line and gold touch hole, central sunken rib with lozenge shaped foresight, standing rearsight with two leaves, and signed H. NOCK ”“ LONDON ”“ GUN ”“ MAKER ”“ TO HIS MAJESTY; the flat lock with stepped tail and bevelled edges, sliding rear safety, swan-necked cock, gold lined pan, the lock plate signed with a recessed oval gold stamp marked H NOCK, the inner face stamped with the initials AP; highly figured walnut half-stock with integral cheekpiece, fine diamond chequering at both the hand and fore-end, gold barrel-bolt escutcheons and oval gold escutcheon engraved with the crest used by Alexander Davison (a dove, with a wheat-ear in its beak, rising from an earl’s coronet), with engraved and blued mounts comprising scroll trigger guard and butt plate; in its original, green baize-lined mahogany case with accessories including fourteen-cavity gang mould, seven-nozzle powder charger, flint wallet with turnscrew and pricker, with Henry Nock’s trade label for Ludgate Street, LONDON applied inside the lid and fitted with a brass carrying handle engraved with the owner’s name ”“ ALEXR. DAVISON ESQR.

Oh,btw, the price is over £100.000 :shocked2:

:hatsoff:

 

[renovato]

That's gorgeous. I've always thought volley guns are some of the most fascinating weapons ever made. I bet she would have some kick to her!

 

[F.G. Ford]

Now that my eye sight ain't what it used to be..That's my kind of deer rifle..I should be able to hit something at 25 yds....and maybe not need a follow-up shot.
Old Ford

 

[grizzly adam]

:shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2:

 

[F.G. Ford]

What would the purpose be, of this piece?
Most volley guns have a military purpose...this one seems more civilian.
Old Ford

 

[Leonredbeard]

Kit Ravenshear made one in smoothbore .50 cal. I had my hot little hands on it back in the ninties while visiting Don Getz at his shop. I didn't get to fire it. He said it was for clearing decks of ships before hostile boarding. Kit said to load fifteen grains of black powder and a ball in each barrel. Don said the pattern would spread several inches at fifteen yards. A fun gun to play with,but would go through lead pretty fast. He said with the seven mild loads did kick a might. Loading more powder would just make it kick that much more.
volatpluvia

 

[faw3]

I don't have the book here in front of me but someone brought a handfull of them so I'd have something to read in bed...one story with lots of color paintings and pics showed how "deck's are cleaned" in a few sea battles, one painting of a ship John Paul Jones was fireing on the cannon ball was going thru ( I forgot the name of the platform the guys would get up on and fire down on other's decks)this 10x10' deck with maybe8 guys fieing some kinds of hort rifles, another was a B+W of a guy shooting off a 12" long looked like mortar (depending on charge it should clear 20'x20' easy, anyway one was of 2 guys shooting these and guessing from the weight of all those barrels I don't think( except in a John Wayne Alamo movie R. Widmark's volly gun) anyone could hold one up but for a sec or two. :hmm: Fred (wonder what the weight is loaded?)

 

[Dphar]

The first military versions were rifled but the remainder ordered were SB. Rifling was simply silly in this application.
Since this was a privately owned rifle it is probably doubly rare.

Dan

 

[Allan Gray]

The rifle shoppe offers all of the parts for those that would like to build one...a bit pricey, though, especially when you factor in the emergency room visit and years of shoulder mending. :shocked2:

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I have read that Nock did make the first models for the British Navy to " clear the decks and riggins" They must have been loading more than 15 grains because the recoil was too stiff for standing in the riggins. This project was scrapped
soon. The civillian market carried on. I remember Undertaker posting some pictures a while back of a fancy smaller caliber volley gun that was used for taking out a large number of birds with one shot. It was smoothbored talk about a punt gun!
I bet the tree rats down here would run for cover
if you entered the woods with this thing! :grin:

 

[blafen]

i read that these would break your shoulder when firing and had the unwanted tendancy to set your own rigging on fire with the muzzleflash.
the last one sounds sort of iffy however.

 

[Mulebrain]

Very nice :thumbsup:

 

[rickjf]

There was one in John Wayne' "Alamo" movie carried by Richard Whitmark as Bowie. I always thought it was a total fiction. Reload time must be a boogger in combat.

 

[curator]

This gun was also featured in the "Sharpe's Rifles" series. Sharpe's buddy, Sgt. Harper, had a Nock's Volley gun and was big enough to carry and fire the beast. Good reading and video--a whole series about the Penninsular War (against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal) by Bernard Cornwell. Check it out in your local library. Cornwell does his research on firearms unlike many historical fiction writers.