We nearly skipped over this Listverse list.

But after reading the list and looking closer at the firearms on the list of the “10 Worst Firearms” – they’re so curious that we decided Columbia news, views & reviews’ readers might find them interesting, too.

O-w-w-w-w! This is the Nock Volley gun, which “first appeared around 1780 and fired seven .50 caliber slugs at the same time. It was good in repelling boarders in naval combat but its recoil could break the firer’s shoulder. It also had a tendency to set ships rigging on fire from the muzzle blast.”

The other pieces on the list are equally painful, yet interesting, “advances” in weaponry. Take a look; read Listverse’s “Top 10 Worst Firearms in History” here.