Guycot: A Rocket Ball Chain Rifle From 1879
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Published 2023-10-30
weaponsandwar.tv
0:00 Introduction and Background of Rocket Ball Firing Chain Rifles
1:25 Detailed Examination of Ammunition and Loading Process
3:48 Analysis of Markings, Serial Numbers, and Design Changes
6:16 Discussion on Reciprocating Barrel and Misconceptions about Caliber
7:44 Internal Workings and Disassembly of the Rifles
8:46 Comparison with the Spencer Rifle and Features of the Stock
10:30 Production Numbers, Limited Interest, and Conclusion
The “Guycot” is a rocket ball chain rifle system named for its two creators, Paulin Gay (the designer) and Henri Guénot (the financier). They patented the idea in 1879, and manufactured it in both rifle and pistol form - I have a previous video on one of the pistols and today we are looking at two of the rifles. The chain inside holds a series of compartment links, each sized to fit a 6.5mm rocket ball projectile (a hollow-based bullet filled with a powder charge and set with a primer in its base). This is a baseless style of cartridge, so there is no residual case needed to extract or eject after firing. These rifles have a capacity of 80 such rounds, while the pistol models held either 25 or 40 rounds.
Only a few hundred Guycot guns were made, and they were a commercial failure. This is probably due to several factors. The guns must have been quite expensive to produce, and the ammunition was proprietary, expensive to make, and likely quite fragile. The ammunition was also extremely underpowered, with only enough space for a tiny amount of powder in each bullet. This would have been fine for indoor parlor shooting, but woefully insufficient for almost anything else.
Thanks to Ader of Paris for the chance to film these very cool pieces of firearms history!
Previous video on a Guycot pistol:
• Guycot 40-shot Chain Pistol
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All Comments (21)
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Imagine your surprise, in 1880, fighting an opponent who fired 80 times in a row without loading.... The cartridge may be weak, but the sheer volume of fire would be frightening
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Ian has finally found the perfect gun for The Chieftain. It even has a track tensioning system!
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A "rocket-ball firing chain-rifle" legitimately sounds like something a 9 year old would come up with if you asked them to make the coolest gun they can possibly think of.
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I LOVE your persona. You’re an absolute gun nut, but not from the demolition ranch style. You’re a scholar of firearms, not a clickbait redneck. Your appreciation of firearms, their history, & so much more, really shines through in every video; I respect & appreciate it.
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Imagine Clint Eastwood with this weapon - " You're thinking "Did he fire 80 shots or only 70?" Now to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. "
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Unironically makes for a pretty good period varmint rifle to clear off a large property without needing to reload.
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You know, this mechanism is actually quite elegant. I can totally imagine such a thing today in .22 with some sort of transparent side panel to see how the mechanism operates and some tweaks to the reloading system, like a crank powered tool. It would be a really cool, novelty plinker to have fun with.
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Gives a whole new meaning to chain gun. Honestly one of the most unique guns out there, one I'd love to see in a game
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It's a good thing that the cartridge is so underpowered because it's fairly safe to assume that you will accidentaly fire it a minimum of 5 to 10 times during the full reloading process...
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I would think it would be a lifetime level achievement to get all 80 loaded and have all 80 actually shoot.
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Thanks, this is the very definition of a Forgotten Weapon
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I'm not a gun person but an admirer of mechanics and artistic design. You have nailed it with your description as a cool gun. These guns are brilliant examples of clever design and careful craftsmanship. I really enjoyed this video.
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Here in Italy, from the 1960s onwards, companies like Molgora and EDISON Giocattoli have been manufacturing cap firing toy guns that feed in exactly the same way! :D
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Brings new meaning to the term "chainfire".
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Fascinating. I love to see these “paths not taken.” Makes one think of the Volcanic in America. When I look at my old carton of VL caseless .22 ammunition (relic of Daisy’s short lived venture), I think about alternative arms. I wish the Gyrojet had been further developed. It might be a good gun for Space Force.
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This seems like it'd be an absolute nightmare to load, and I was thinking that BEFORE you revealed you need to pull the trigger dozens of times to load it. Sheer tedium and the risk of negligent discharge, the perfect combination.
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It doesn’t matter how underpowered the ammunition is, by the time you reload your opponent will have died of old age anyway.
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Actually this type of system would be kind of cool to be brought back for like a .22 short or long.. obviously it probably won't happen, but the idea of it just sounds kind of fun
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The ingenuity is pretty impressive. Imagine a modern day version of this in a 22 short or lr.
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Sweet!! Very interesting. Even if it doesn’t have the energy of a modern break barrel pellet gun, props to the dudes who made this work.
