NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Gatling Gun

A Gatling gun is a gun with multiple firing pins and breeches connected to multiple rotating barrels. Each barrel fires a single shot as it reaches a certain point in the cycle after which it ejects the spent cartridge, loads a new round, and in the process, somewhat cools down. This configuration allows higher rates of fire without the problem of an overheating single barrel, though accuracy suffers. The gun was designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented in 1862. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1474x1361, 379 KB) Summary A photograph of a British 1865 Gatling gun at Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1474x1361, 379 KB) Summary A photograph of a British 1865 Gatling gun at Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum. ... Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 â€“ February 26, 1903) was an American inventor best known for his invention of the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun. ... This article is about 1862 . ...

The Gatling gun may have been the first "machine gun" because, while it did not automatically reload under its own power, it was capable of firing continuously. The first Gatling gun relied on a hand crank for external power. Some time later, Gatling-type weapons diverted a fraction of gas from the chamber to spin the rotating barrels. Later still, electric motors supplied external power. A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... For other kinds of motors, see motor. ...

History

The original Gatling gun was a black powder field weapon, which used multiple rotating barrels turned by a hand crank, and firing loose (no links or belt) metal cartridge ammunition using a gravity feed system from a hopper. It was first used by the Union Army during the American Civil War. Unlike earlier weapons such as the mitrailleuse which had limited capacity and long reloading times, the Gatling gun was more reliable, easy to load, and had a high firing rate. Gatling guns were used by the US side during the Spanish-American War, most notably during the battle of San Juan Hill.^[1] Download high resolution version (929x1200, 169 KB)Drawing of Gatling Gun, 05/09/1865. ... Download high resolution version (929x1200, 169 KB)Drawing of Gatling Gun, 05/09/1865. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ... Crankshaft (red), pistons (gray) in their cylinders (blue), and flywheel (black) Continental engine marine crankshafts, 1942 Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... The mitrailleuse was a manually-fired volley gun originally developed in Belgium in the 1850s. ... Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Philippine Republic Kingdom of Spain Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey MÃ¡ximo GÃ³mez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Arsenio Linares RamÃ³n Blanco Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (432 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and... Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Spain Commanders William Rufus Shafter Joseph Wheeler Arsenio Linares Strength 15,000 regulars 4,000 guerrilleros 12 field guns 4 Gatling guns 800 regulars 5 field guns Casualties 124 dead 817 wounded 58 dead 170 wounded 39 captured The Battle of San Juan Hill...

Modern Gatling guns

After Gatling guns were replaced by lighter, cheaper blowback-style weapons, the approach of using multiple rotating barrels fell into disuse for many decades. However, Gatling gun-style weapons made a return in the 1940–50s, when weapons with very high rate of fire were needed in military aircraft. For these modern rotating-barrel cannons, electric motors were used to rotate the barrel. Flying machine redirects here. ... For other kinds of motors, see motor. ...

One of the main reasons for the resurgence of the Gatling gun-style design is the weapon's tolerance for continuous high rates of fire. For example, if 2000 rounds were fired non-stop at high rate from a conventional single-barrel weapon, this would likely result in the barrel overheating (to the point of distortion in some cases) or a weapon jam. Ultimately the limiting factor is the rate at which the shells can be loaded and the empties extracted. In a single barrel design these tasks must alternate. A multiple barrel design allows them to take place simultaneously, with different barrels at different points in the cycle. In contrast, a five-barreled Gatling gun-style weapon firing 2000 rounds fires 400 per barrel, an acceptable rate of fire. Their high rate of fire also makes them popular for systems that often have little time to engage their targets, such as CIWS which defend against fast-moving anti-ship missiles. (for paintball markers also)Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. ... Phalanx CIWS A Close-in weapon system (CIWS) is a naval shipboard weapon system for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft at short range (the threat(s) having penetrated the ships available outer defences). ... Image:RBS-15 missile launch. ...

The M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon is the most commonly-used member of a family of weapons designed by General Electric and currently manufactured by General Dynamics. It is a six-barrelled Gatling capable of more than 6,000 rounds per minute, a rate unachievable with a conventional machine gun. Similar systems are available ranging from 5.58 mm to 30 mm (there was even a 37 mm Gatling on the prototype T249 'Vigilante' AA platform); the rate-of-fire being somewhat inversely-proportional to the size and mass of the ammunition (which also determines the size and mass of the barrels). Unmounted M61 Vulcan The 20 mm M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style cannon with an extremely high rate of fire. ... â€œGEâ€ redirects here. ... General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2006 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[2]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. ... For other uses, see Prototype (disambiguation). ... â€œFlakâ€ redirects here. ...

Another Gatling design well-known among aviation enthusiasts is the GAU-8 Avenger 30 mm cannon, carried on the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) ground-support aircraft. It is a seven-barreled cannon designed for tank-killing and is the most powerful Gatling weapon currently active in the U.S. arsenal. The A-10 was in fact built around this weapon and purpose. The GAU-8 Avenger The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm, hydraulically-driven seven-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon that is mounted on the United States Air Forces A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft cannon in the United... The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets, also providing a limited air interdiction role. ...

During the Vietnam War, the 7.62 mm caliber M134 Minigun was created as a helicopter weapon. Able to fire 6,000 rounds a minute from a 4,000-round linked belt, the Minigun proved to be one of the most effective non-explosive projectile weapons ever built and is still used in helicopters today. When used in Vietnam, the Minigun was nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon" because it fired red tracers that gave the appearance of breathing fire. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... A helicopter-mounted minigun operating during the Vietnam War The Minigun is a multibarreled machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand rounds per minute), employing Gatling-style rotating barrels and employing an external power source. ... A disintegrating belt feeding into an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, from a United States Army training manual A non-disintegrating belt feeding into a . ... Puff, the Magic Dragon is a song written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow and made popular by the group Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1963 recording. ...

They are also used with lethal effectiveness on USAF AC-47, AC-119 and Lockheed AC-130 gunships, their original high-capacity cargo airframes able to house the items needed for sustained operation. With sophisticated navigation and target identification tools, Miniguns can be used effectively even against concealed targets. The crew's ability to concentrate the Gatling's fire very tightly produces the appearance of the 'Red Tornado' [1] from the light of the tracers, as the gun platform circles a target at night. The AC-47 Spooky was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. ... The AC-119 Shadow and Stinger were developed during the Vietnam War. ... The AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground attack airplane. ... Tracers from M16 rifles on U.S. Army firing range Tracer ammunition (tracers) use special bullets that are modified to accept a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. ...

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, many modern systems have the advantage of being externally-driven (as opposed to relying on the energy from fired cartridges). This increases their reliability, as cartridge firing failure will not interrupt the operation cycle. Additionally, certain other stoppages, such as faulty extraction and many feeding-related problems, are eliminated or reduced considerably due to the external power source. It should however be noted that, although complex mechanically and uncommon, modern systems that derive power from the ammunition do exist. The world's fastest Gatling-style weapon, the 10,000 round-per-minute GSh-6-23 uses a gas-operated drive system. Inspection of the gatling gun of an A-10 Thunderbolt II, at Osan Air Base, Korea. ... Inspection of the gatling gun of an A-10 Thunderbolt II, at Osan Air Base, Korea. ... The GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm, seven-barrel Gatling gun that is mounted on the United States Air Forces A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is the largest (it is the size and weight of a family saloon car (sedan)), heaviest and most powerful aircraft gun in... The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets, also providing a limited air interdiction role. ... Osan Air Base, a base of the United States Air Force, is located 4. ... The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23 (also known by its Russian service designation, 9-A-768) is a powerful, fast-firing six-barreled Gatling gun used by some modern Soviet/Russian military aircraft. ... The gas-operated system for implementing automatic reloading of a firearm is one of five such systems, the others being recoil-operated, gatling, chain, and blowback. ...

References

See also

The M242 25mm Chain gun A chain gun is a type of machine gun or autocannon that uses an external source of power, rather than recoil, to cycle the weapon. ... The mitrailleuse - a 19th century volley gun A volley gun or ribaldequin is a gun with several barrels for firing a number of shots simultaneously. ... The mitrailleuse was a manually-fired volley gun originally developed in Belgium in the 1850s. ... A revolver cannon is a type of autocannon. ...

External links

The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... A pistol is a usually small, projectile weapon, normally fired with one hand. ... The Beaumont-Adams Revolver was a . ... The Webley Revolver (also known as the Webley Break-Top Revolver or Webley Self-Extracting Revolver) was, in various marks, the standard issue service pistol for the armed forces of the United Kingdom, the British Empire, and the Commonwealth from 1887 until 1963. ... Enfield No. ... The Browning Hi-Power is a semi-automatic, single-action, 9 mm pistol. ... For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ... Short Land Service musket Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Armys Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ... British Ferguson Rifle The Ferguson rifle was most likely the first breech loading rifle to be adopted by any organized military force. ... The Infantry Rifle, known since the Victorian era as the Baker rifle, was, in addition to the Hompesch rifle used by the 5th Battalion/60th Regiment of Foot, the flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. ... The Enfield 1853 Rifled Musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield Rifled Musket) was a . ... SNIDER-ENFIELD BREECH LOADING RIFLE. The British . ... The MP5 is a third-generation submachine gun that is widely used by law enforcement tactical teams and military forces. ... The Lanchester was a submachine gun used by the British during World War II. History In 1940, with the Dunkirk evacuation completed, the Royal Air Force decided to adopt some form of submachine gun for airfield defense. ... This article is about the submachine gun. ... The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1 IW (Individual Weapon). ... A . ... An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy 1895 . ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... The Lewis Gun is a pre-World War I era squad automatic weapon/machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British Empire. ... The Bren (from Brno, the Czechoslovak city of design, and Enfield, the location of the British Royal Small Arms Factory), usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... Ordnance QF 2 pounder Type Anti-tank gun Nationality UK Era WW2 Target armoured vehicles History Date of design 1936 Production period 1936 - Number built Service duration 1936-1945 Operators War service WW2 Specifications Carriage Calibre 40 mm Barrel length 50 calibres Weight 130 kg Ammunition AP Shell weight 2... QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. ... The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank, was one of the earlier anti-tank weapons using a high explosive anti-tank projectile. ... The Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys commonly known as the Boys or often and incorrectly Boyes Anti-tank Rifle was a British anti-tank rifle. ... The L6 Wombat, (Weapon Of Magnesium, Batallion, Anti-Tank) was a 120 mm calibre recoilless anti-tank rifle used by the British armed forces. ... A field gun is an artillery piece. ... Ordnance QF 25 pounder Type gun-howitzer Nationality UK Era World War II Target general use + anti-tank History Date of design 1930s Production period Number built Service duration 1930s to 1967 Operators War service Specifications Carriage Fixed trail Calibre 3. ... The Congreve Rocket was a British military weapon designed by Sir William Congreve in 1804. ... The Ordnance SBML 2-inch Mortar, or more commonly just 2-inch Mortar, was a British mortar issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies that saw use during the Second World War and later. ... The United Kingdoms Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar was the standard mortar used by the British army from the late Twenties to the late Sixties. ... The Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 (nicknamed Lifebuoy from the shape of the fuel tank), also known as the Ack Pack, was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Contents

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Modern Gatling guns

References

See also

External links

History