MINOR UPDATE FEBRUARY 5, 2026
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| Drawing of a soldier firing Xun Lei Chong, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'. |
One of the most complex weapons developed by Ming Dynasty firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨), and his signature work, the Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃, lit. 'Quick thunder gun') was a self-contained weapon system that incorporated a five-barrelled matchlock gun with a detachable trigger mechanism, a layered leather-and-cotton composite gun shield, an axe that doubled as a musket rest, and a spear with a flare launcher mounted on its butt—allowing adaptation to a variety of combat situations.
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| Top: A Xun Lei Chong being dissembled and used in close combat. Bottom: A gunner shooting Xun Lei Chong while his fellow soldier stand in watch. From 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'. |
Due to the weapon's heavy weight and bulky size, Xun Lei Chong was designed for a two-man team. It could fire five shots in quick succession by manually rotating the barrels, then quickly disassemble into an axe-and-shield set and a spear for close combat, with the gun barrels serving as a hand guard for the spearman.
I take it from your comments that this weapon never saw actual use?
ReplyDeleteYes, that is what I mean.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I've been pouring through your archives looking at posts tagged "handgonne" and "fire lance." I've come to two conclusions about weapons designers of the Ming dynasty.
ReplyDelete1. They were the most blood-chillingly creative bastards ever to take up the pen.
2. They were, to a man, f***ing ape$#!%.
Well, I was thinking the same thing when I wrote about all those weird guns...until I chanced upon this gem.
Deletehttps://greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2017/01/chong-di-tie-tou-che-Ming-bulldozer.html
So I found out I totally underestimated how crazy-creative they were.
I remember a manchu emperor in the ching dynasty was presented with a Puckle gun and he said that China already has such contraptions.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Guangxu-era (1874-1908) Chinese-manufactured Puckle gun sitting somewhere in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, so that gun definitely made its way to China and caught some interest. However, by that time China already adopted the more practical Gatling Gun so Puckle gun probably remained as some kind of curiosity item.
DeleteI remember in the ching dynasty, a manchu emperor was presented with a Puckle gun and he told the person who brought it that china had already such contraptions.
ReplyDeleteIn Europe, handgonne did operate along with shield and it worked pretty well.
ReplyDeleteBut as with everything, being used together doesn't mean it is practical to combine them together into one weapon, then add more stuffs unto it.
The weapon works okay from a usability standpoint, but scaling up mass production would be a big headache.
DeleteProbably why it wasn't too common
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