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Nock Gun
The Nock gun, also known as the Volley Gun was a seven-barreled flintlock smoothbore firearm produced briefly by the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. It was invented by the firm of Henry Nock, for the purpose of arming snipers in the rigging of ships. Nock believed that it would allow British sailors to fire devastating volleys onto the decks of enemy ships during close-quarter engagements, but manufacture was discontinued after only a small number were produced.
The weapon proved to be impractical for a number of reasons, chief among them being the recoil: the force of seven half-inch barrels, firing simultaneously, was enough to dislocate or break the shoulder bone of a man using it and made the weapon nearly impossible to aim. Additionally, for someone firing from high in the rigging of a ship, the gun greatly increased the risks of being knocked down and plunging to the deck, or accidentally setting fire to the sails (one of the reasons why Nelson refused to allow his captains to post snipers of any kind in their rigging during the Battle of Trafalgar).
Specifications
- Barrel length: 20 inches (508 mm)
- Cartridge: .52 inches (13.2 mm)
- Action: Flintlock
- Rate of fire: Seven rounds per discharge, reloading rate variable
- Muzzle velocity: Variable
- Effective range: Variable
- Feed system: Muzzle loaded
The Nock Gun aka 'The Volley Gun' has been seen in the following used by the following actors:
Films
- Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie in Alamo, The (1960)
- Seen in the antique weapons collection, tripod mounted in The Living Daylights.
- Seen in the armory of Smith (Lance Reddick) in Jonah Hex.
Television
- Daragh O'Malley as Patrick Harper in Sharpe's Company and subsequent episodes of the Sharpe miniseries.
- Pete Postlethwaite as Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill in Sharpe's Company.
Video Games
- Gun.