Volley gun A volley gun is a gun with several barrels for firing a number of shots , either simultaneously or in sequence . They differ from modern machine gun s in that they lack automatic loading and automatic fire and are limited by the number of barrels bundled together . In practice the large ones were not particularly more useful than a cannon firing canister shot or grapeshot . Since they were still mounted on a carriage , they could be as hard to aim and move around as a cannon , and the many barrels took as long or longer to reload . They also tended to be relatively expensive since they were more complex than a cannon , due to all the barrels and ignition fuses , and each barrel had to be individually maintained and cleaned . 15th - century volley guns . The Ribauldequin was a medieval version of the volley gun . It had its barrels set up in parallel . This early version was first employed during the Hundred Years ' War by the army of Edward III of England , in 1339 . Later on , the late Swiss army employed it . Multi - barreled artillery pieces continued in use during the 16th and 17th century . A double - barreled cannon called Elizabeth - Henry , named after Charles I ' s youngest children , was used by the Cavalier s during the English Civil War and fired 2oz charges . It could also fire grapeshot . The barrels were wrapped in leather to prevent rusting . On the continent , 16th century Aragon developed a 15 barrel volley gun ; German and Polish gunsmiths invented handheld multi - barrel guns . These were sometimes combination sword and axe pistol s such as Henry VIII ' s Walking Staff , a 3 barreled gun and battle mace . Henry VIII also owned a multi - barreled German wheel lock rifle capable of firing a superimposed charge . 18th - century volley guns . The Nock gun resembled a conventional flintlock musket with six barrels hexagonally braze d around a central barrel . All seven . 46 caliber ( 12 mm ) barrels were connected to the single flintlock pan in a manner intended to produce simultaneous discharge , but one or more barrels frequently failed to fire . The gun was invented by James Wilson in 1779 and manufactured by Henry Nock for use through the Napoleonic Wars . Five hundred Nock guns were produced for the Royal Navy intended for use in repelling boarders or to clear an enemy deck in advance of friendly boarding parties . Admiral Howe ' s fleet was issued twenty guns for each ship of the line and twelve guns for each frigate . Recoil of the 13 - pound ( 5 . 9 kg ) Nock gun caused dislocated shoulder s and clavicle fracture s among the sailors firing Nock guns ; and the muzzle flash from simultaneous discharge of multiple barrels could ignite canvas sail when fired from positions in the rigging . The Nock volley gun was considered obsolete by 1805 , but a surviving weapon was carried by Richard Widmark in the 1960 movie " The Alamo " . The Nock gun was recently brought to public attention by its inclusion in Bernard Cornwell ' s " Sharpe " novels where it was wielded by Sharpe ' s friend and colleague Sergeant Patrick Harper . 19th - century volley guns . Two notable artillery - sized volley guns were developed in the mid - 19th century , although neither was particularly successful in practice . General Origen Vandenburgh of the New York State Militia designed a weapon in 1860 that had eighty - five parallel . 50 calibre rifle barrels . After failing to sell the weapon to the United Kingdom , he reportedly sold a small number to the Confederate States of America , although there is no record that they were actually used . One Vandenburgh gun was located at Fort Fisher , North Carolina , and another reportedly at Salisbury , NC . Also developed in the 1860s , the French mitrailleuse is an example of a multi - barreled volley gun that could fire all of its barrels simultaneously or sequentially over a short period of time . A few hand - held volley guns were also developed during the 18th and 19th centuries . One of the most distinctive was the " " duck ' s - foot " " volley gun , a pistol with four . 45 calibre barrels arranged in a splayed pattern , so that the firer could spray a sizable area with a single shot . The principle behind this type of pistol is one of confrontation by one person against a group ; hence , it was popular among bank guards , prison wardens and sea captains in the 19th century and early 20th century . Modern connection . More recently , a number of designs of electronically fired explosive - propulsion projectile weapons and non - explosive projectile weapons have been developed which have some similarities to 18th - century volley guns , particularly in that they use many barrels which can be fired all at once or in sequence such as the Nordenfelt gun . However , they are not as yet in general use . Various forms of the weapon have been designed , including aircraft - mounted guns firing downward , man - portable artillery packs and defensive applications , such as ship - based anti - missile defense systems ( for which Gatling gun s are currently used ) . The Spanish Navy also uses a volley - gun system , the Meroka , which consists of twelve 20 mm cannon mounted in a tight cluster with an externally powered automatic loading system . It delivers an exceptionally high rate of fire for a very short burst , and reloads in less than 0 . 3 seconds . This makes it suitable for close - range defense against missiles , aircraft and small boats .