But before the gas and recoil MGs there were...

the manually operated guns like Dr. Gatling's invention. Here is one of the .22 LR guns with the Accles drum. These things are just too cool. They are cool mechanically, cool as an example of the machinists art, and cool as an expression of frivolity. There is absolutely no practical use for such a thing. Thank God we're so blessed as to be able to be frivolous.