Gatling gun
Hand-cranked rapid-fire
A Gatling gun is an early rapid-fire weapon with multiple rotating barrels, each firing in sequence as the barrels spin.
Operated by a hand crank, it was the first practical machine gun, used extensively in the American Civil War and colonial conflicts.
The rotating-barrel design lives on in modern aircraft-mounted weapons capable of thousands of rounds per minute.
Manual rotation lever
- rate of fireShots delivered per timeframe
- ammunition beltStrap holding linked rounds
- tripod mountThreaded attachment platform
- brass casingAmmunition's metal container
drum magazine · muzzle velocity · recoil · jamming · overheating
Countrymen fighting countrymen
- 1860sSeventh decade, nineteenth century
- Union ArmyNorthern military in 1860s
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
- black powderOriginal firearm propellant
breech-loading · siege warfare · Spanish-American War · Wounded Knee · Victorian era · antique firearm · museum piece · military history
Simultaneous firing burst
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
- salvoSimultaneous weapons discharge
- fusilladeRapid series of shots
- sustained fireContinuous weapons discharge
suppression · spray · torrent · onslaught
New device or method
- patentObvious; inventor's monopoly
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- mechanizationConverting to machine operation
engineering · pioneering · mass production · A-10 Warthog · chain gun
hand crank
Manual rotation lever
- rate of fireShots delivered per timeframe
- ammunition beltStrap holding linked rounds
- tripod mountThreaded attachment platform
brass casing · drum magazine · muzzle velocity · recoil · jamming · overheating
Civil War
Countrymen fighting countrymen
- 1860sSeventh decade, nineteenth century
- Union ArmyNorthern military in 1860s
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
black powder · breech-loading · siege warfare · Spanish-American War · Wounded Knee · Victorian era · antique firearm · museum piece · military history
volley
Simultaneous firing burst
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
- salvoSimultaneous weapons discharge
- fusilladeRapid series of shots
sustained fire · suppression · spray · torrent · onslaught
invention
New device or method
- patentObvious; inventor's monopoly
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- breakthroughSudden important advance
mechanization · engineering · pioneering · mass production · A-10 Warthog · chain gun
Gatling gunmusket
Muzzle-loaded infantry firearm
muzzleloader · flintlock · arquebus · muzzle-loader · matchlock
Gatling gunclub
Organization with membership
spear · sling · rock · bare hands · knife
Gatling gunshield
Handheld defensive armor
armor · fortification · bunker · body armor · barricade