The 19^th Century probably had the most pivotal and important developments in firearms in their history.  The percussion cap, the minie-ball, the rifled barrels (which were really a 18^th Century development), precision machine tooled factories, the paper cartridge, the metal cartridge, and smokeless powder all get a lot deserved acclaim, bringing firearms to a point where swords were no longer necessary on the battlefield.  What you often don’t hear about are the flops and mistakes.  Sure, you may have heard about the Pepperbox, with Mark Twain saying that the only safe place to be when this was fired was right behind it.  What you might not have considered is the US Revolving Barrel Percussion Rifle.  At first glance, it seems rather like a great idea.  After all, the revolver is a very successful innovation that is still used to this day, particularly with weapons that fire a heavier round that most automatics aren’t designed for.  The problem with this western rifle is a little deceptive at first glance, but take a look at where you would have to put your hand to rest the barrel as you took aim. Your hand is right in front of the cartridge cylinder.  Percussion cap weapons were still black-powder weapons, and a stray spark on the adjacent cartridges could touch one or all of them off, blowing off your hand.  Considering this might make you think twice about owning such a weapon, but they make great collector’s items because they are an interesting reminder of the perils of innovation, that without the mistakes we make we often don’t figure out what works better.