[2] The weapon, built of wood and metal, was constructed in a room overlooking the street on the third floor of N. 50 Boulevard du Temple, where it was later used for the failed assassination of Louis Philippe I.

In combination with a trail of gunpowder, the barrels could all be fired at once with a single fuse; in Fieschi's case, charcoal was used.

Had he constructed it so that the gunfire diverged and crossed as opposed to the parallel and converging implementation, the attack might have killed up to 200 additional people and "literally torn the King and his staff to pieces".

[2] The king only suffered a graze to the forehead, a minor injury,[5] but 18 people were either immediately killed or later succumbed to their wounds.

[2] The original gun is on display at the Musée des Archives Nationales, the state museum of French history, in Paris.