Russian Maxim gun, Type Place of origin United Kingdom Service history In service 1886–1959 Used by Romania United States Belgium Canada Argentina Spain Poland Finland Wars,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, others Production history Designer Variants,,, M32-33, M/09-21 Specifications Weight 27.2 kg (60 lb) Length 107.9 cm (42.5 in) length 67.3 cm (26.5 in) Crew 4 550-600 rounds/min 744 m/s Feed system 250-round canvas belt Sights The Maxim gun was a weapon invented by American-British inventor in 1883: it was the first recoil-operated. It has been called 'the weapon most associated with the British imperial conquest', and likewise was used in colonial wars by other countries between 1886–1914. Illustration of the Maxim Gun in The mechanism of the Maxim gun employed one of the earliest recoil-operated firing systems in history. The idea is that the energy from acting on the breech block is used to eject each spent cartridge and insert the next one, instead of a hand-operated mechanism.

The Bottomless Magazines trope as used in popular culture. Possibly one of the oldest and most abused tropes when it comes to gunplay is the frequent. 2004 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Maxim Machine Gun, Caliber.30, Model of 1904. The Ordnance Department, wanting the gun to be made in the United States, enlisted the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Company to make the gun but problems arose concerning the drawings and seemingly.

Maxim's earliest designs used a 360-degree rotating cam to reverse the movement of the block, but this was later simplified to a toggle lock. This made it vastly more efficient and less labor-intensive than previous rapid-firing guns, such as the,,, or, that relied on actual mechanical cranking. The Maxim gun design was provided with, giving it the ability to maintain its rate of fire for far longer than air-cooled guns. The disadvantage of this was that it made the gun less flexible in attack than the lighter air-cooled weapons, being heavier and more complex, and requiring a supply of water.

Trials demonstrated that the Maxim could fire 600 rounds per minute. Compared to modern machine guns, the Maxim was heavy, bulky, and awkward. A lone soldier could fire the weapon, but it was usually operated by a team of men, usually 4 to 6.

Apart from the gunner, other crew were needed to speed reload, spot targets, and carry and ready ammunition and water. Several men were needed to move or mount the heavy weapon. Production company [ ] Maxim established the Maxim Gun Company with financing from (), son of steel entrepreneur. A on the Factory where Maxim invented and produced the gun is to be found in at the junction with Clerkenwell Road in London. Albert Vickers became the company's chairman, and it later joined hands with a Swedish competitor,, to become. The Post Office Directory of trades in London of 1895 lists its office at 32 Victoria Street SW (London) on page 1579. Finally, the company was absorbed into the mother company, leading first to the Maxim-Vickers gun and then, after Vickers' redesign, the.

History [ ] Development (1883–1884) [ ] Maxim's first patents related to the development of the Maxim were registered in June and July 1883. The first prototype was demonstrated to invited guests in October 1884. Use in colonial warfare (1886–1914) [ ].

1895 tripod-mounted Maxim machine gun A prototype of the Maxim gun was given by Hiram Maxim to the in 1886–1890, under the leadership of. More a publicity stunt than a serious military contribution, in view of the main financier of the expedition,, 'merely exhibiting' the gun was likely to 'prove a great peace-preserver'. In fact the gun was used on several occasions, especially during the expedition's retreat from central Africa, not because of its devastating effects, but as an effective means to scare off native attackers. The same prototype was brought back to central Africa by, where it played an instrumental role in the establishment of a British protectorate over present-day Uganda (then Buganda), which is a strong testament to the sturdiness and reliability of the weapon and its prototype.

The first unit in the world to receive the Maxim was the in 1889. This was a civilian volunteer defence unit on the then-British island. The Maxim gun was first used by Britain's colonial forces in the 1893–1894 in Rhodesia (now ). During the, 700 soldiers fought off 5,000 warriors with just four Maxim guns. It played an important role in the swift European colonization of Africa in the late 19th century.

The extreme lethality was employed to devastating effect against obsolete charging tactics, when native opponents could be lured into in open terrain. As it was put by, in the words of the figure 'Blood' in his poem 'The Modern Traveller': Whatever happens, we have got The Maxim gun, and they have not.

However, the destructive power of the Maxim gun in colonial warfare has often been embellished by popular myth. Modern historical accounts suggest that, while it was effective in pitched battles, as in the Matabele war or the 1898, its significance owed much to its psychological impact. A larger-calibre version of the Maxim, firing a one-pound shell, was built by Maxim-Nordenfeldt. This was known in the (in South Africa) as the from its sound and was used on both sides.

The Maxim gun was also used in the (in present-day Nigeria) of 1901–1902. Adoption by European armies and navies [ ]. A large-bore Maxim on the ca. 1898 National and military authorities were reluctant to adopt the weapon, and Maxim's company initially had some trouble convincing European governments of the weapon's efficiency. Soldiers generally held a great mistrust of machine guns due to their tendency to.

Yamaha Motif Xs Rapidshare Files. In the 1906 version of the book Small Wars, the author says of machine guns: 'The older forms are not suitable as a rule. They jammed at, they jammed at, they jammed at and, in some cases with unfortunate results.' However, the Maxim was significantly more reliable than its contemporaries.

A more practical problem was that, initially, its position was easily given away by the clouds of smoke that the gun produced (although the same was true of artillery pieces and units of troops that the machine gun was intended to replace or supplement, so this wasn't viewed as a particular drawback by the early users. The advent of (developed by, among others, Hiram's brother ), helped to change this. The weapon was adopted by the British Army under the guidance of Sir, who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1888. In October that year, he placed an order of 120 rifle-calibre Maxims using the same ammunition as the rifles. Wolseley had previously led military excursions in Africa (the and the in 1884–85) and had a reputation for being a strong subscriber to military innovation and reform, which he demonstrated in Africa. There he used machine guns, explored other unconventional ideas, and founded an Egyptian camel corps.

The gun's design was also purchased and used by several other European countries. Russo-Japanese War [ ] In 1895, the purchased a number of Maxims but later decided to standardize on the. The likewise purchased 58 Maxim machine guns in 1899 and contracted with Vickers in 1902 to manufacture the design in Russia, although manufacturing did not start until 1910. During the of 1904–1906, the Russian Army employed the Maxim in combat and placed a rush order for another 450 units from overseas suppliers, which were mostly delivered to front-line troops before the end of the war. World War I (1914–1918) [ ]. Red Army soldiers with a Maxim machine gun, c. 1930 By, many armies had moved on to improved machine guns.

The British was an improved and redesigned Maxim, introduced into the British Army in 1912 and remaining in service until 1968. Production took place at Erith in Kent, and some models were fitted to early biplanes also fabricated there. The German Army's and the Russian were both more or less direct copies of the Maxim. It also saw use during the, which followed the in 1917.

A picture of the period depicts a Maxim gun mounted on a, a horse-drawn carriage, along with the gunner, firing backwards at a pursuing regiment. Attribute this mobile setup to. American use [ ] The had shown interest in the Maxim machine gun since 1887. Model 1889 and Model 1900 Maxims were used for testing, which lasted for years but not continuously. The gun was finally adopted in 1904 as the Maxim Machine Gun, Caliber.30, Model of 1904 as the first rifle-caliber heavy machine gun for standard service in the U.S.

The first 50 guns and tripods were made by in the U.K. Chambered for. Was selected to produce it domestically, but challenges with schematics and specifications delayed its introduction. By the time Colt began production in 1908 (which was also the last year orders were placed for the guns), a total of 90 M1904s were made by Vickers. Colt made their machine guns for the new caliber, and the ones made by Vickers were re-chambered for the new round. A total of 287 M1904 Maxims were manufactured. Procured other machine guns after M1904 production ended, including the, the, and the.

M1904 Maxims were issued to infantry companies and cavalry. Each company had four guns with associated tripods, ammunition, and 20 to transport the heavy guns. The M1904 was deployed in operations in the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central and South America, but never saw much combat use.

During World War I, it remained in the U.S. For training. Variants and derivatives [ ]. Swiss Maschinengewehr System Maxim Ord 1894 chambered in the 7.5 mm GP11 round • Maxim 5-barrel machine gun, 5-barrel variant fed from overhead inserted magazines and later belt-feed. •: earlier Maxims had been chambered for earlier British service cartridges, but the Vickers was produced for export available in most of the different calibres and cartridges used by countries around the world, and including a large caliber (.50 inch) as used on warships.

The machine gun was 20 pounds (9 kg) lighter and had been tested by the Army in 1909. • Maschinengewehr 01, made by (DWM) • • Derivatives (e.g., MG08/15) • Chinese Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun (Copies of the Maschinengewehr 1908) •, made by • Russian/Soviet and lighter variants and • Finnish Maxim M09/21 and M32/33 • American M1904 • Romanian-made 6.5 mm version, at least 8-12 were produced and were used by the Romanian Danube Flotilla during See also [ ] • • • • • • • • • References [ ].

Further information: Because of infighting within army ordnance, Gatling guns were used by the U.S. Army during the. A four-gun battery of Model 1895 ten-barrel Gatling guns in, made by, was formed into a separate detachment led. The detachment proved very effective, supporting the advance of American forces at the. Three of the Gatlings with swivel mountings were used with great success against the Spanish defenders.

During the American charge up San Juan and Kettle hills, the three guns fired a total of 18,000.30 Army rounds in 8 1/2 minutes (an average of over 700 rounds per minute per gun of continuous fire) against Spanish troop positions along the crest of both hills, wreaking terrible carnage. Despite this remarkable achievement, the Gatling's weight and cumbersome artillery carriage hindered its ability to keep up with infantry forces over difficult ground, particularly in Cuba, where roads were often little more than jungle footpaths. By this time, the had been issued the modern tripod-mounted using the round, which they employed to defeat the Spanish infantry at the battle of. Basic design [ ].

A British 1865 Gatling gun at The Gatling gun operated by a hand-crank mechanism, with six barrels revolving around a central shaft (although some models had as many as ten). Each barrel fires once per revolution at about the same position. The barrels, a carrier, and a lock cylinder were separate and all mounted on a solid plate revolving around a central shaft, mounted on an oblong fixed frame. Turning the crank rotated the shaft.

The carrier was grooved and the lock cylinder was drilled with holes corresponding to the barrels. The casing was partitioned, and through this opening the barrel shaft was journaled. In front of the casing was a cam with spiral surfaces. The cam imparted a reciprocating motion to the locks when the gun rotated. Also in the casing was a cocking ring with projections to cock and fire the gun.

Each barrel had a single lock, working in the lock cylinder on a line with the barrel. The lock cylinder was encased and joined to the frame. Early models had a fibrous matting stuffed in among the barrels, which could be soaked with water to cool the barrels down.

Later models eliminated the matting-filled barrels as being unnecessary. Cartridges, held in a hopper, dropped individually into the grooves of the carrier. The lock was simultaneously forced by the cam to move forward and load the cartridge, and when the cam was at its highest point, the cocking ring freed the lock and fired the cartridge.

After the cartridge was fired the continuing action of the cam drew back the lock bringing with it the spent cartridge which then dropped to the ground. The grouped barrel concept had been explored by inventors since the 18th century, but poor engineering and the lack of a made previous designs unsuccessful.

The initial Gatling gun design used self-contained, reloadable steel cylinders with a chamber holding a ball and black-powder charge, and a percussion cap on one end. As the barrels rotated, these steel cylinders dropped into place, were fired, and were then ejected from the gun. The innovative features of the Gatling gun were its independent firing mechanism for each barrel and the simultaneous action of the locks, barrels, carrier and. The ammunition that Gatling eventually implemented was a style round charged with black powder and primed with a percussion cap. Because self-contained brass cartridges were not yet fully developed and available. The shells were gravity-fed into the breech through a hopper or simple box 'magazine' with an unsprung gravity follower on top of the gun. Each barrel had its own firing mechanism.

Despite self-contained brass cartridges replacing the paper cartridge in the 1860s, it wasn't until the Model 1881 that Gatling switched to the 'Bruce'-style feed system (U.S. Patents 247,158 and 343,532) that accepted two rows of cartridges. While one row was being fed into the gun, the other could be reloaded, thus allowing sustained fire. The final gun required four operators. By 1886, the gun was capable of firing more than 400 rounds per minute. The smallest-caliber gun also had a Broadwell drum feed in place of the curved box of the other guns. The drum, named after L.

Broadwell, an agent for Gatling's company, comprised twenty stacks of rounds arranged around a central axis, like the spokes of a wheel, each holding twenty cartridges with the bullet noses oriented toward the central axis. This invention was patented in U. As each stack emptied, the drum was manually rotated to bring a new stack into use until all 400 rounds had been fired. A more common variant had 240 rounds in twenty stands of fifteen. Download Free Technische Formelsammlung Gieck Pdf Converter.

By 1893, the Gatling was adapted to take the new smokeless cartridge. The new M1893 guns featured six barrels, later increased to ten barrels, and were capable of a maximum (initial) rate of fire of 800–900 rounds per minute, though 600 rpm was recommended for continuous fire. Gatling later used examples of the M1893 powered by electric motor and belt to drive the crank. Tests demonstrated the electric Gatling could fire bursts of up to 1,500 rpm. The M1893, with minor revisions, became the M1895, and 94 guns were produced for the U.S.

Army by Colt. Four M1895 Gatlings under Lt. Saw considerable combat during the Santiago campaign in Cuba in 1898. The M1895 was designed to accept only the Bruce feeder. All previous models were unpainted, but the M1895 was painted olive drab (O.D.) green, with some parts left. The Model 1900 was very similar to the model 1895, but with only a few components finished in O.D.

Army purchased a quantity of M1900s. All Gatling Models 1895–1903 could be mounted on an armored field carriage. In 1903, the Army converted its M1900 guns in.30 Army to fit the new cartridge (standardized for the M1903 Springfield rifle) as the M1903. The later M1903-'06 was an M1903 converted to. This conversion was principally carried out at the Army's Springfield Armory arsenal repair shops.

All models of Gatling guns were declared obsolete by the U.S. Military in 1911, after 45 years of service. Development of modern Gatling-type guns [ ]. Main articles: and After the Gatling gun was replaced in service by newer recoil or gas-operated weapons, the approach of using multiple externally powered rotating barrels fell into disuse for many decades. However, some examples were developed during the interwar years, but only existed as prototypes or were rarely used.

The concept resurfaced after World War II with the development of the and the. Many other versions of the Gatling gun were built from the late 20th century to the present, the largest of these being the 30mm autocannon. See also [ ] • • • • References [ ]. • Weight listed for Colt's Model 1877 10-barrel gun, w/o carriage or mount. • ^ Parker, John H. (Lt.), The Gatlings At Santiago, Middlesex, UK: Echo Library (reprinted 2006) • Chambers, John W.

(II) (2000).. The Oxford Companion to American Military History.

HighBeam Research Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-24. Gatling, U.S. 36,386 (issued: Nov. • ^; Leon Case (1872).. • Paul Wahl and Don Toppel, The Gatling Gun, Arco Publishing, 1971. • Paul Wahl and Don Toppel, The Gatling Gun, Arco Publishing, 1971, p.

• Randolph, Captain W. S., 5th US Artillery • (1984). Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History.:.

• Civil War Weapons And Equipment by Russ A. Pritchard Jnr. Retrieved 2015-11-03. • ^ Emmott, N.W. 'The Devil's Watering Pot' Proceedings September 1972 p. • Julia Keller, Mr.

Gatling's Terrible Marvel (2008), p. 168-170 • Rauch, George v (1 January 1999).. Greenwood Publishing Group – via Google Books. • ^ Emmott, N.W. 'The Devil's Watering Pot' United States Naval Institute Proceedings September 1972 p.

• Emmott, N.W. 'The Devil's Watering Pot' United States Naval Institute Proceedings September 1972 p. • Farwell, Byron (1985).. Google Books. & Company, Inc. Retrieved November 17, 2017. • Patrick McSherry..

Retrieved 2015-11-03. • Parker, John H. (Lt.), History of the Gatling Gun Detachment, Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co. 20, 23–32 • Parker, John H.: Cranked by hand at its highest speed until the first magazine of ammunition had been emptied, the M1895.30 Gatling Gun had an initial rate of fire of 800–900 rounds per minute.

Ordnance Dept., Handbook of the Gatling Gun, Caliber.30 Models of 1895, 1900, and 1903, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, (1905) p. 21 • • Wahl and Toppel, 1971, p. 155 • (1917).. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. External links [ ] Wikimedia Commons has media related to. • Randolph, Captain W. S., 5th US Artillery • • • • -- Gatling gun • -- improved Gatling gun • -- revolving battery gun • -- improvement in revolving battery guns • -- feeder for repeating firearms • • • • (Requires QuickTime and not suitable for slow-speed links) •.