Definition of "needle-gun" [needle-gun]

• A form of breech-loading rifle in which the cartridge is exploded by the rapid impact at its base of a needle or small spike. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "The carnage that repelled the Chancellor was due in part to the French infantry rifle, the chassepot, which proved to be a more effective instrument of destruction than the Prussian needle-gun."
• ""Easy," Niven said, gesturing with the needle-gun."
• "Earlier, he had seen the shape of the needle-gun lumping her underwear in a dresser drawer."