James Puckle was an English inventor, lawyer and writer from London chiefly remembered for his invention of the Defence Gun, better known as the Puckle gun

Puckle gun

The Puckle gun was invented in 1718 by James Puckle an English inventor, lawyer and writer.-Design and patent:...

, a multi-shot gun

Gun

A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...

 mounted on a stand capable of (depending on which version) firing up to nine rounds per minute. The Puckle gun is sometimes considered the first machine gun

Machine gun

A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

 and resembles a large revolver

Revolver

A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

.

Puckle's best-known literary work (reprinted as recently as 1900) was The Club, a moral dialogue between a father and son.
In 1718, Puckle demonstrated his new invention, the Defence Gun—a tripod-mounted, single-barreled flintlock

Flintlock

Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...

 weapon fitted with a multishot revolving cylinder, designed for shipboard use to prevent boarding.