I believe that black-powder guns are excluded from the definition of "firearm". And, only fully automatic firearms are classified as machineguns. So, technically, if you could develop a full-auto black powder gun (i.e. doesn't use cartridges) I doubt that it would be classified as a machinegun.
However, BATFE has a way of ruling things to be machineguns that are not machineguns - they do what they want without regard to consistancy in their rulings or with regard to the law. Look up Akins Accelerator. See also, USAS-12 v. Saiga shotguns; open bolt guns v. AR-15's; unregistered DIAS's, etc.
BATFE - "If you make it and it works, we will figure out a way to make it illegal."
FWIW, there are full-auto airguns and they are not regulated as machineguns.
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