Breech-loading swivel gun

It was equipped with a swivel for easy rotation and was loaded by inserting a mug-shaped device called a chamber or breech block, filled with gunpowder and projectiles.

They have been called by many names, sometimes "Murderer", "Base", "Sling", "Port-Piece", "Serpentine", "Culverin", "Pierrier", "Stock Fowler", and "Patterero" in English;[3][4]: 368–369 [5] "Pierrier à boîte" in French; "Berço" in Portuguese; "Verso" in Spanish;[6] "Prangi" in Turkish;[7]: 143  "Kammerschlange" (lit.

"chamber snake", properly means "breech-loading falconet") in German; "Folangji" (佛郎机, from Turkish "Prangi" or Turkic "Farangi"),[7]: 143  "Folangji chong"[8]: 348–349  (佛郎机铳, Prangi or Farangi gun),[7]: 143  "Fo-lang-chi p'ao" (佛朗机炮 or 佛朗機砲, Portuguese cannon)[9]: 45  in Chinese; "Bulang-kipo" ("불랑기포[佛郞機砲]") in Korean;[10] "Furanki" (仏郎機砲, "Frankish gun") or 子砲 ("Child cannon") in Japanese;[11][12] and "Bedil" or "bḍil" (ꦧꦣꦶꦭ) in Javanese.

[17] Usage of the breech-loading swivel gun continued in Europe however, with, as early as the 17th century, characteristics very similar to the modern machine-gun or mitrailleuse.

[24] Pelliot viewed that the folangji gun reached China before Portuguese did, possibly by anonymous carriers from Malaya.

[25]: 199–207  Needham noted that breech-loading guns were already familiar in Southern China in 1510, as a rebellion in Huang Kuan was destroyed by more than 100 folangji.

In 1561 the Portuguese, allied with Otomo in the Siege of Moji, bombarded rival Japanese position, possibly with swivel guns.

a great deal of variation of such cannons were produced, and it appeared in pretty much all of the conflicts of this time, including the Imjin War.

[26]: 505  In early 20th century, Chinese junks were armed with old-fashioned swivel guns, both muzzle-loader and breech-loader.

The breech-loading guns were called "breech loading culverin" by Cardwell, they were 8 feet (2.4 m) long with 1–2 inches (2.54–5.08 cm) bore.

[27] Dyer c. 1930 noted the use of cannon by Makassan trepanger in Northern Australia, in particular the bronze breechloader with 2 inches (5.08 cm) bore.

[28] Steel rifled breech-loading swivel guns are known which were manufactured by the United States towards the end of the 19th century, and used in colonial theaters such as in Madagascar.