Everything Old Is New Again: Rhino & Jacob Shaw

[Vonderek]

I always thought the discontinued Mateba and the current Chiappa Rhino were novel ideas in mitigating recoil by firing from the bottom cylinder chamber. Thanks to YouTube, today I learned that the idea goes back at least 160 years.
Here is the Jacob Shaw 1857 (the tube above the barrel extended to the back of the cylinder and was for aiming the gun):

 

[22250Rem]

Who'da thunk it? Sometimes old stuff just seems new to us who have never seen the old stuff so upon seeing something unknown to us we figure, " what a novel new idea!". Very interesting and thanks for posting. Did you find out what that was chambered for?

 

[Vonderek]

According to Flayderman's, it was .30-caliber. Here is a link to the patent application which contains fascinating details for those who are into such things as well as original patent drawings:
https://www.google.com/patents/US17698

 

[Dave T]

And a double action to boot! (LOL)

I'll add my thinks for posting this. Very interesting.

Dave

 

[4v50 Gary]

What about chamber/forcing cone gap and the escaping gases?

 

[chicharrones]

(the tube above the barrel extended to the back of the cylinder and was for aiming the gun):

You sight through the tube that runs in the middle of the cylinder? Wow.

 

[C0untZer0]

Ingenious.

 

[bannockburn]

Vonderek

Very cool! Have never seen anything like this before, especially from the late 1850s. Thanks for the link to the patent; quite the description of how it all is supposed to work!

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Ungainly looking thing, isn't it ?

Even so, it's much more compact than the other revolvers of its day and caliber.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

What about chamber/forcing cone gap and the escaping gases?

Hmmmm. Good point. Looks like it could getcha.