P.W. Porter Revolving Turret Rifle
Click on the action of the rifle to see a close-up of it
Produced during the early 1850's, the Porter Revolving Turret Rifle was a step in the evolution of the levergun. The turret, a 9-shot .44 caliber on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Models, was loaded just like the chambers of a cap & ball revolving cylinder, except the priming was accomplished during the action of the firearm.
Working the lever revolved the turret, cocked the hammer and pushed a cap into firing position.
The big drawback of the Porter design - as with most other turret designs - is that there is a chamber pointing directly back at the shooters face at all times!