By Mike Clark

This is one of the most fascinating guns I’ve ever handled. It abounds with original and well-conceived details—from its push-button trigger to its revolving turret nipple array.

It was made by Valentin Sylvestre Fombuena of Madrid. Fombuena was a craftsman, engineer, and inventor with a series of patents over a vast range of subjects.

When one sees a gun so different from the usual, one has to admire not only the workmanship, but the ingenuity that went into its design.

The photographs tell the story. A magazine for round balls was provided in the buttstock. The lever, mounted on the side, is a gunpowder storage magazine. When the barrel is pointed downward and the lever is rotated, a ball falls into the chamber through a hole in the lever drum. As the lever drum is further rotated, a measured charge of powder follows the ball into the chamber.

This action also cocks the hammer and rotates a percussion cap into place. Returning the lever to its stowed position seals the chamber. The gun can then be fired by pressing the cross-hatched button below the hammer.