A turret gun is a type of multi-shot hand-held firearm.
It is a variation on the percussion revolver, designed with chambers in a drum mounted so it would rotate horizontally (around a vertically mounted pivot), rather than around a horizontal axis, in an attempt to circumvent the patent of Samuel Colt.
Chambers opened in all directions, and the weapon was prone to row ignition[citation needed], all chambers firing in sequence, resulting in fatal accidents[citation needed] because one chamber always faces the shooter.
Several designs were attempted, including an 1837 Cochran and an 1851 Porter.
None of these weapons were successful, due to the row-firing hazard.