Nock gun
Nock gun | |
---|---|
Type | Volley gun |
Place of origin | Great Britain[1] |
Service history | |
In service | Royal Navy 1782–1804[1] |
Used by | United Kingdom[1] |
Wars | Napoleonic Wars[1] |
Production history | |
Designed | 1779[1] |
Specifications | |
Barrel length | 20 inches (510 mm)[1] |
Caliber | .46 inches (12 mm)[1] |
Barrels | 7 |
Action | Flintlock, multiple barrel[1] |
Rate of fire | Seven rounds per discharge, reloading rate variable[1] |
Muzzle velocity | Variable |
Effective firing range | Variable |
Feed system | Muzzle-loaded[1] |
The Nock gun was a seven-barrelled flintlock smoothbore firearm used by the Royal Navy during the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars. It is a type of volley gun adapted for ship-to-ship fighting, but was limited in its use because of the powerful recoil and eventually discontinued.[1]
Its operation and historical importance has led to it being portrayed in modern fictional works, notably in
History and design
The weapon was invented by British engineer James Wilson in 1779,[2] and named after Henry Nock, the London-based armaments manufacturer contracted to build the gun. The Board of Ordnance rejected it for army use but adopted it for naval use in the role of being fired from the tops of Royal Navy warships.[2] The simultaneous discharge of seven barrels with a single pull of the trigger would have devastating effect on the tightly packed groups of enemy sailors.[1]
The volley gun consisted of seven barrels welded together, with small vents drilled through from the central barrel to the other six barrels clustered around it. The central barrel screwed onto a hollow spigot which formed the chamber and was connected to the vent.
The gun operated using a standard
The first two test guns featured rifled barrels but all the later ones including those used in trials were smoothbore.[2]
Deployment and use
In 1780, 500 Nock guns were purchased by the Royal Navy at a price of £13 per gun.[2] However, attempts to use the gun during combat quickly revealed design flaws. The recoil caused by all seven barrels firing at once was more powerful than had been thought, and frequently injured or broke the shoulder of whoever was firing the gun, and in any case made the gun very difficult to control. Furthermore, officers were reluctant to issue the guns during battle out of fear that the flying sparks would set fire to the surrounding rigging and sails.[1]
A smaller, lighter version was produced, which shortened the gun's range, but the recoil was still too powerful for sailors to feel comfortable firing it. A total of 655 guns of all models were eventually purchased.[3] The guns were removed from service in the Royal Navy in 1804.
Examples are available for viewing in the Hollywood Guns exhibit at the National Firearms Museum, the Royal Armouries Museum, and the Charleston Museum (SC).[1]
Private purchasers
Henry Nock and others managed to sell a number of guns in the sporting market.
Popular culture
The Nock gun was brought to modern attention in the 1960 film
In
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Matthew Sharpe "Nock's Volley Gun: A Fearful Discharge" American Rifleman December 2012 pp.50-53
- ^ a b c d Blackmore, Howard L (1968). British Military Firearms 1650-1850. Arco Publishing. p. 91.
- ^ Blackmore, Howard L (1968). British Military Firearms 1650-1850. Arco Publishing. p. 92.
- ^ a b Blackmore, Howard L (1968). British Military Firearms 1650-1850. Arco Publishing. p. 93.
- ^ "14-barrel rifle (Purchased in Paris, 1911)". grandcurtius.be. Musée Curtius. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Weapons — Harper's Nock Volley Gun — The Sharpe Appreciation Society". Southessex.co.uk. 2002-10-26. Archived from the original on December 10, 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-23.