Six shot pistol with rotating barrel.;The pepperbox pistol, with its rotating barrel instead of just a rotating cylinder, was first popularized in the 1820s. The the 1830s a mechanism was introduced that rotated the barrels automatically when the gun was cocked. This gave the pepperbox a faster rate of fire than any other pocket weapon of the time, and the pepperbox soon exceeded even the famous Colt revolver in reputation and popularity. Unlike other pistols of the time, the pepperbox's hammer struck upwards, so as not to block line of sight.;Allen and Wheelock