OLDEST REVOLVER ?

[Philip]

Michael,
Your multi-barrel mace and the Apache pistol (I concur with Fernando in that it falls in the pepperbox category) may be of questionable utility as regards to some aspects of their construction, but the psychological effect cannot be ignored. A person without a superior weapon in his hand, staring at those muzzles pointing at him from close range, is more likely to picture the likelihood of being hit by multiple shots than he is to analyze whether the spikes, the handle, or the little bayonet are sturdy enough.

At the very least, these odd weapons are a good illustration of our species' mechanical ingenuity through the ages and across national boundaries.