The Firearms Research Center recently hosted Virtual Seminar No. 21 featuring David Kopel, Research Director at the Independence Institute and Senior Fellow at the Firearms Research Center.
Kopel examined the centuries-long development of repeating and multi-shot firearms, beginning with magazine-fed designs dating to the 1600s and continuing through sophisticated 18th-century systems capable of firing multiple shots in rapid succession. The presentation traced examples including the Kalthoff and Lorenzoni systems, Joseph Belton’s repeating firearms, and the Girardoni air rifle, placing each within the broader evolution of firearm technology.
The seminar explored how repeating firearms became increasingly practical and accessible through developments such as pepperboxes, revolvers, and later repeating rifles, while considering what this history reveals about the availability and public understanding of multi-shot firearms long before the modern era.
The full seminar is available below and in the FRC Video Library, along with all previous Virtual Seminars.