Lesson plan
Harmonica gun
in Virginia, USA A harmonica gun or slide gun is a firearm design which was breech loaded with a steel slide, containing a number of chambers bored in it that were filled with projectiles. Most harmonica guns are percussion cap guns, although some designs exist for compressed air guns and some examples were made in pinfire cartridge form. In percussion cap guns, each chamber contains a separate primer, powder charge, and projectile. The slide was inserted in an opening in the breech action and could be advanced by releasing the camlock, and moving the slide by hand. The gun comes in both pistol and rifle models, as well as single-action and double-action. The earliest example of a harmonica gun is probably the one constructed by the Swiss inventor Welten in 1742.
Article summary
in Virginia, USA A harmonica gun or slide gun is a firearm design which was breech loaded with a steel slide, containing a number of chambers bored in it that were filled with projectiles. Most harmonica guns are percussion cap guns, although some designs exist for compressed air guns and some examples were made in pinfire cartridge form. In percussion cap guns, each chamber contains a separate primer, powder charge, and projectile. The slide was inserted in an opening in the breech action and could be advanced by releasing the camlock, and moving the slide by hand. The gun comes in both pistol and rifle models, as well as single-action and double-action. The earliest example of a harmonica gun is probably the one constructed by the Swiss inventor Welten in 1742.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.