Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Heinrich Genhart invented a unique horizontal cylinder firearm system in the 1850s in Liege, Belgium. It had a design of ten-chambered cylinders that rotated on a vertical axis and was available in both pistol and rifle versions. The calibers varied from 9.5mm for pistols to 10.5mm for rifles. This system employed specialized cartridges made of tin or lead foil with tube primers for ignition. Among the key innovations was a sliding barrel that locked into each chamber to reduce flash gap issues. The patent was filed by Genhart in Belgium (1853), the US (1857) and sold primarily to the UK market. However, despite evidence of its ability to fire at high speed, it faced challenges arising out of safety issues and difficulties associated with loading. Production was limited as Genhart registered as an official arms maker for only two years (1857-1859). By 1860, changing firearms technology rendered this design obsolete. Consequently, the Genhart system represents a brief but significant experiment in firearms development during an era of intense industrial revolution in the industry.
“Heinrich Genhart of Liege designed these interesting turret guns and pistols in the 1850s and received patents for the design in 1853 in Belgium and 1857 in the U.S.. They are known to have been displayed at World’s Fairs, including the Centennial Exposition (1876) and Columbian Exposition (1893) in the U.S.. They fire tube primed metallic cartridges which are held in the ten-round turret and struck from below by the hammer. The lever on the right side cocks the hammer and also slides the barrel forwards and back. The rear of the barrel fits into the face of the turret creating a tighter gas seal. The turret is revolved by hand, and a small button on the right side releases the stop.”
Lot 307: H. Genhart Brevet Turret Gun – Scarce and Unusual H. Genhart Brevet Marked Turret Gun. (n.d.-k). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/76/307/h-genhart-brevet-turret-gun.
