BP fouling/Gatling guns, etc.

[65bsaA65]

Gents:  This may be an off the wall topic, but under sustained firing, how did the Gatling gun crews cope with BP fouling?  were those things built with pressurized lube/cleaning devices, or did they fire them till they jammed (which ought to be exciting during combat)?  This is purely a matter of curiosity.  Any ideas?

[TAkaho kid]

Not an expert on Gatlings by any means. However, I do know they had adjustable headspace which would of helped as fouling built up in front of the chamber. The unfortunate thing was that headspace could only be adjusted while standing in front of the gun!!! Later rigs could be adjusted without risking life or limb.

I also suspect that tolorances were probably quite loose.

Here is a link to Gatling's patents:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT47631&id=Uy8AAAAAEBAJ&dq=richard+gatling&jtp=1#PPP1,M1

[Grapeshot]

Considering that the Gattling Gun was chambered, by 1881 in the US Army, for the .45-70-500 Infantry load, they could get off around twenty five rounds per barrel before accuracy suffered.  As long as the brass expanded enough to keep the fouling out of the action you could fire a couple of magazines before really needing to clean up.

The best Gattling Guns were chambered for the .30 Government (30-40 Krag) and they used a smokeless powder.

A Gattling Gun was in use at the Peking Seige of the Foreign Delegation.  It was found in the basement of the American Counsulate and put to good use.

The best examples of the Gattling Gun is of course the Vulcan 20mm cannon and the 7.62 NATO Minni Gun and it's 5.56 little brother.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho the fire,

I saw one in use at "Hang Um' High" at Oconomowoc.  After several clips full, it jammed.  Don't know if the jam was due to fouling.  It would still run on Five barrrels and did for a while before jamming again.  It would have stopped a charging hoard of indigenous barbarians armed with pointed sticks.

The thing was around 74 Caliber, used it's own cartridge cases and readily cut off foot thick telephone poles, blew up barrels of water and shattered the backdrop.  It was more of a rotary canon.

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

I've been lucky enough to see a few original and replicas being fired, when shooting black they tend to jam.  With the advent of Nitro powder they worked much better, but that also allowed the gas and recouil operated single barrel guns to come in use and they are much lighter.   The fact they were heavy and un-reliable is why Custer left them behind.  However many have said they would have saved him, yep most likely, by the time he got those damned things there nothing would have been left of that village, the horses would have been out of grass and they would have had to move on.

[Sheriff A.E. Moses]

Delmonico,
That is a realy cool pic on your avatar...............the true meaning of cowboying!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Sheriff M:

Del's like that a lot.  He's a real proud Grampa and the dog, Rowdy, is the baby's best friend!

[Fox Creek Kid]

...at Oconomowoc.

What on earth kind of name is that? A kid would've been in 5th grade before learnin' to spell that handle!! 

[Russ T Chambers]

What on earth kind of name is that? A kid would've been in 5th grade before learnin' to spell that handle!! 

It's not hard if you grew up in the area!   My Grandfather had a cottage on McDowell Island on Okauchee just a mile or two northeast of Oconomowoc.  It's always fun to here how some people try to pronounce the names of a lot of Wisconsin towns.

[Grapeshot]

Ho the fire,

I saw one in use at "Hang Um' High" at Oconomowoc.  After several clips full, it jammed.  Don't know if the jam was due to fouling.  It would still run on Five barrrels and did for a while before jamming again.  It would have stopped a charging hoard of indigenous barbarians armed with pointed sticks.

The thing was around 74 Caliber, used it's own cartridge cases and readily cut off foot thick telephone poles, blew up barrels of water and shattered the backdrop.  It was more of a rotary canon.

DD-DLoS

Hotchkiss made a rotating cannon of about 2.5 inch bore that was used by US Forces in Cuba when the Attack on San Juan Hill took place.

[Marshal harpoluke]

 

Ah has a dewalt shell from a 37mm Hotchkis.   It is from the roatery Cannon, yet 2.5" complete with deactivated Nose shell.

Mine is vintage 1914.  Has Hotchkis patent on the casing.