Sylvester Roper was a great example of the classic American inventor – he had a wide range of interests, and affected technological development in more than one industry. This shotgun is a design he patented in 1866, which uses a 4-round magazine of the 12ga shells. It has an unusual mechanism which fires from an open bolt. This particular example is missing its magazine internals and has a broken bolt, but is the first actual Roper I have come across.
Roper went on to work with Christopher Spencer developing the pump-action shotgun, although he is best known for his work on motorcycles (which he was actually the first inventor of, according to some).
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At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
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