Leonardo da Vinci sketched an organ gun, a multi-barrel weapon intended to fire guns in sequence.
His design arranged many small gun barrels in a broad, organ-like frame. The name comes from the visual resemblance to the pipes of a musical organ. The arrangement could allow repeated shots or a concentrated volley, depending on how the barrels were loaded and fired.
Leonardo’s proposal was not a machine gun in the modern automatic sense. Each barrel still required its own charge and projectile, and the weapon’s practical speed depended on the ignition and loading system. The design belongs to the family of volley guns and artillery experiments.
The sketch illustrates Leonardo’s interest in increasing firepower through mechanical organization rather than inventing a completely new form of ammunition.