So much for the claim that guns have changed so much in modern times -- first machine gun in 1718, eight shot revolver in 1597

This revolver is from 1597.



The Puckle gun was the first machine gun, patented in 1718.  one of the earliest weapons to be referred to as a "machine gun."  The gun could hold 11 shots in its cylinder.  It was able to fire 63 shots in 7 minutes, a rate of 9 per minute.  That compared favorably to the normal rate for muskets of 2 to 3 per minute.