Gatling gun info?

Dr. Bob · October 16, 2010, 10:56:11 PM

When the 20mm Vulcan was first tested in an aircraft, the found that the pilot could not let go of the trigger fast enough to keep the plane from stalling as a result of the recoil. They installed an interrupter and solved the problem. My dad worked at Lake City Arsenal where the 20mm ammo was made and a friend went to Florida for the initial testing and brought back the story. Can't imagine being that first pilot!

Drayton Calhoun · October 26, 2010, 08:36:02 AM

Quote from: Dr. Bob on October 16, 2010, 10:56:11 PM
When the 20mm Vulcan was first tested in an aircraft, the found that the pilot could not let go of the trigger fast enough to keep the plane from stalling as a result of the recoil. They installed an interrupter and solved the problem. My dad worked at Lake City Arsenal where the 20mm ammo was made and a friend went to Florida for the initial testing and brought back the story. Can't imagine being that first pilot!

The CIWS for naval ships uses, from what I recall, a 20MM sabot round, using a 50 CAL bullet. Awsome firepower.
Also understand they used electric motors on some and tried mounting them, on an experimental basis, in the B-17 during WWII.

Forty Rod · October 26, 2010, 10:46:18 AM

Quote from: Wild Billy Potts on October 16, 2010, 09:49:23 PM
The first electric motor for a Gatling gun was patented in the mid 1890s. I forget the exact date, but they were definately thinking of how to speed up this awesome weapon.

There were a number of ship mounted guns equipped to fire by a steam system, too.

Dr. Bob · October 26, 2010, 10:53:41 AM

I'm learning a lot here! 4T, glad to see you're back in the City again!

Doc Cuervo · October 28, 2010, 10:43:32 PM

I can tell you that touching off the Dillon Aero M35 7.62mm gun is orgasmic. Mounted on uparmored HUMMVs and MRAPS, they wreak havoc in Iraq.

Drayton Calhoun · October 29, 2010, 12:36:47 PM

The Berman Museum here in Alabama has a Gatling on display, but it has the shrouded barrels and the drum magazine. Still an awsome weapon. Has anyone noticed some of the most impressive weapons were designed by Doctors? Gatling, LeMat etc.

Forty Rod · October 29, 2010, 04:44:11 PM

Little John's auction had two .22 scale Gatlings up last Wednesday. One was a shrouded ten barrel with the Accles drum, the other was a ten open barrel version with the vertical drum Broadwell system.

Priced just a hair out of my range, I fear.

Four-Eyed Buck · October 29, 2010, 06:42:43 PM

a Hair?

??

Forty Rod · October 29, 2010, 11:31:46 PM

Yeah, a really big old fatass hair... 'bout 17 feet in diameter and 155 feet long.

Russ T Chambers · October 30, 2010, 10:40:34 AM

Forty
Saw a video on the hew Peterson Gallery at the NRA Firearms Museum. Peterson had a great collection of Gatling guns of all models. They may be able to help you with your reaserch.

http://www.nramuseum.com/the-museum/the-galleries/robert-e-petersen-gallery.aspx

Forty Rod · October 30, 2010, 12:07:36 PM

It's worth a look.

Great pictures of the Gardner gun.

Thanks.

Dead I · November 11, 2010, 05:08:12 PM

Quote from: Dr. Bob on October 16, 2010, 10:56:11 PM
When the 20mm Vulcan was first tested in an aircraft, the found that the pilot could not let go of the trigger fast enough to keep the plane from stalling as a result of the recoil. They installed an interrupter and solved the problem. My dad worked at Lake City Arsenal where the 20mm ammo was made and a friend went to Florida for the initial testing and brought back the story. Can't imagine being that first pilot!

Stalling? Really? i flew Skyhawks in VN and we mounted two Mark 12 20 mm's in the wing roots. When you pulled the trigger the guns fired at 2,000 rpm and since I carried two I'd be shooting 4,000 rpm. (I only carried 75 to 100 rpg.) and one was thrown forward into one's straps. I'd lose maybe 20 kts. Far from stall. However the Vulcan gun fires much faster! But slowing to stall? Wow! I'd guess most guys fired a three second burst and at 6,000 rpm (they could set the rounds per minute rate.) that's 1800 rounds. Sure you'd slow down, but to stall? That required one to lose 300 plus knots. As I recall we fired that gun at 420 knots.

It was really neet to see one of those A-10's draw a bead on a tank! They were firing a 30 mm gun. They blew the living dickens out of things.

kflach · November 12, 2010, 04:43:48 PM

Dead I,

Navy or Air Force?

Drayton Calhoun · November 25, 2010, 08:19:25 PM

They are advertising hand built 45/70 Gatlings, fully functional, in Dixie Gun Works. A little out of my range though. 35K+

Story · November 29, 2010, 07:18:04 AM

About ten years ago, I was talking to a gentleman about other weapons and he'd mentioned his interest and experience rebuilding Gatling guns.

He claimed that a company in the US had approached him to restore @ 250 Gatling Guns the Turks still had in a warehouse, but that his compensation would have worked out to $8/hr.

Apparently, these were "built by E. Paget of Vienna, Austria for Halil Pasha, Grand Master of Artillery, of the Ottoman Empire.
The Turks bought over 200 of these guns in the very early 1870's, and used them quite aggressively in the war of 1877 against Czarist Imperial Russia. These guns have many features different than the Colt made guns of the time, enough difference that Colt severed relations with Paget."

Dead I · December 22, 2010, 06:44:56 PM

Quote from: Doc Cuervo on October 28, 2010, 10:43:32 PM
I can tell you that touching off the Dillon Aero M35 7.62mm gun is orgasmic. Mounted on uparmored HUMMVs and MRAPS, they wreak havoc in Iraq.

And that, my friend, is wonderful!

WaddWatsonEllis · January 24, 2011, 07:35:45 PM

All I can tell you that is that if you saw an officer with a long screwdriver in his helmet, he was an instructor and used it to get the 'attention' of students riding front seat ...

However, if the crew were enlisted and carried a screwdriber, it would be to put the screwdriver through the barrels of the miniguns .... the batteries would invariably fail on our peacetime guns, But if the gun was 'racheted' with a screwdriver, the gun would spin and fire without use of the dead batteries ...

Forty Rod · January 25, 2011, 12:42:39 AM

Netflix sent me a copy of The Rough Riders with Tom Berenger playing Teddy Roosevelt. There are some great scenes with 1" Gatlings being used as artillery and several shots of them being loaded. Also some smaller caliber Gatlings (.47-70? Too big to be .30-40 Krag), and a bunch of wonderful scenes of Colt "potato digger" and German Maxim machine guns (On Nordenfelt mounts) in action.

I can't say how historically accurate the movie was but it's a humdinger to watch.

Pancho Peacemaker · January 25, 2011, 09:08:57 AM

At our last NCOWS SW Regional, we had a feller bring a Gatllin' for demo. I took a bunch of pictures and video of the gun in action.

Pictures: http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b231/gsonnenmd/NCOWS/10%20SW%20Regional/?albumview=slideshow

Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/panchopeacemaker?feature=mhum

Delmonico · January 25, 2011, 10:12:07 AM

Quote from: Forty Rod on January 25, 2011, 12:42:39 AM
Netflix sent me a copy of The Rough Riders with Tom Berenger playing Teddy Roosevelt. There are some great scenes with 1" Gatlings being used as artillery and several shots of them being loaded. Also some smaller caliber Gatlings (.47-70? Too big to be .30-40 Krag), and a bunch of wonderful scenes of Colt "potato digger" and German Maxim machine guns (On Nordenfelt mounts) in action.

I can't say how historically accurate the movie was but it's a humdinger to watch.

The 1" is not a Gatling, it is a Hotchkiss, uses the same round as the single shot Hotchkisses that were used at Wounded Knee. I saw a repro of one of the Hotchkisses fire in 1996, it was impressive even with just plain lead bullets.