"Before Gatling – Who Was The First To Invent A..." Topic
7 Posts
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Tango01 | 01 Mar 2014 3:29 p.m. PST |
Rapid-Fire Gun? "One of the great ironies of history is that the inventor of the first modern machine gun, Dr. Richard Gatling, devised his famous rapid-fire weapon because he wanted to prevent human suffering. The North Carolina-born physician recognized that the mass armies of the 19th Century were ideal breeding grounds for infectious diseases. As such, far more soldiers perished in overcrowded and unsanitary army camps than ever died on the battlefield. By inventing a weapon that put the firepower of an entire regiment into the hands of individual infantrymen, Gatling hoped that the commanders of the future could march off to war with much smaller armies – tens of thousands, perhaps even millions, would be spared from the health risks long associated with military campaigning. It didn't work out that way. While Gatling's 1861 hand-cranked, six barreled, rotary gun could spit out 200-rounds a minute, it didn't make armies any smaller. But it certainly made the battlefield deadlier. In fact, the weapon, which made its combat debut in the Civil War, was so effective at mowing down enemy troops, armies and navies throughout Europe and the Americas snapped them up as quickly as they could. In the decades that followed its invention, Gatling guns were used against North American Indians, Chinese nationalists, African tribesmen and samurai warriors. While the Gatling gun may be the best-known early-machine gun, the mechanical marvel was by no means the first attempt to fire lethal projectiles in volleys or in rapid succession. Several ingenious inventors, some going back centuries, had already attempted (and not without some degree of success) to create rapid-fire weapons. Here are some of their innovations
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Full article here. link Hope you enjoy!. Amicalement Armand |
DyeHard | 01 Mar 2014 4:36 p.m. PST |
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Porthos | 02 Mar 2014 3:45 a.m. PST |
James Puckle (1667-1724). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puckle_gun The gun could fire round and square bullets, square ones being more damaging. Those were used against the Turcs. |
tinned fruit | 02 Mar 2014 9:13 a.m. PST |
I'm with Porthos and the Puckle Gun. |
Patrick R | 02 Mar 2014 10:37 a.m. PST |
The Puckle gun is a large revolver rather than a machinegun. I think Leonardo and the Renaissance would like a word with you.
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spontoon | 07 Mar 2014 8:40 p.m. PST |
The Gatling Gun isn't a true machine gun either. By definition the true machine gun operates by the force of recoil from the proplellant gases of its discharged projectiles. The Gatling, Nordenfeldt, Gardner, Minigun, and chain gun, all count as rapid fire weapons but not true machine guns. That had to wait for Hiram Maxim. |
Tango01 | 07 Mar 2014 10:05 p.m. PST |
You are right my friend. Amicalement Armand |
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