>Why would such a thing be needed?

Beats me, but it is; the reloading animations for That Gun in Fallout: New Vegas clearly show that the cylinder crane is motorized. It's quite heavy for a handgun - 5 pounds - and it shoots 5.56mm NATO, which is a rifle cartridge (the M-16/AR-15 family uses it), so perhaps it's just to speed up the process. That doesn't necessarily imply that the chamber advance is powered as well, but if you're building a servo into the works at that point anyway, why not?

It's worth noting that some DA revolvers have woefully stiff lockwork, too. I have a Soviet-made Nagant 1895 revolver which is ostensibly double action, but you'd have to be Dean from The Tick ("he has the strongest hands in the criminal world!") to fire with any alacrity in that mode, and the deflection from such a heavy trigger pull would mean you'd be all over the shop accuracy-wise.

>If the answer is "Because it's cool" then well, rock on.

This is also entirely possible. That Gun is based on Deckard's gun from Blade Runner, and that in turn is a wholly illogical combination of two guns and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't go together in any way that makes sense beyond "the prop guy thought this would look badass, and he was totally right."

Also, when you've finished reloading and close the cylinder again, it makes the photo-strobe whine, which is never a bad call art-design-wise. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.