Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1879 — The Gatling Gun. [ARTICLE]

The Gatling Gun.

Scientific American. Among the many important and valuable inventions in firearms, of which the present century has been grolific there is none that equals the latling gun in originality of design, rapidity of fire, ana effectiveness. The severest teste and trials, and its practical use in warfare, have indisputably established ite high reputation as a most formidable deatbdealing weapon. The main features of the gun may be summed up as follows: It has usually five or ten barrels, each barrel having its corresponding lock. . The barrels and locks revolve together; but in addition to this action, the loexs have a forward and backward motion of their own. The forward motion-places the eartrlgee in the chambers of the barrels. and closes the breech at the time of each discharge, while the backward motion extracts the empty cartridge cases after firing. The gun can be fired

■ gm» is the several operations of loading*!*ing and are on The gun is supplied from feed cases (containing forty cartridges each) which lit into a hopper communieatinr with the chambers; as soon as one Is emptied another takes its place, and thus continuous firing is kept op at the rate of over 1,000 shots per minute. ’ « We believe the Gatling is the oaly firearm in the world in which the three sets of parts, namely: barrel, locks, and inner breech, all revolve. Having the barrels, lode and inner breech revolve simultaneously, enable* the gun to be loaded and fired rapidly and continuously, while under revolution, and without producing recoil to destroy its accuracy. - That the gun is simple and durable is evinced by the foot that 100.000 cartridges have been fired from it without injury to any of its parts. The gun has recently been greatly improved, and also its ammunition, so that now its rate of fire is over 1,000 shots per minute. *