Four of the gun's 25 barrels burst when fired, four others did not fire, and a further one was not loaded as it lacked a touch hole. This meant the number of deaths and injuries was lower than might have been the case had all components functioned. The gun barrels that exploded caused considerable damage to the room in which the weapon was fired. Fieschi received severe head, facial and hand wounds and he was quickly captured. Two of his fingers later had to be amputated.