A DEATH-DEALING MaCHINEGUN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1400, 9 December 1884, Page 2

A DEATH-DEALING MaCHINEGUN.

There does not (says the London Times ) appear to have been from the first any question as to the practical value of that class of weapons known as machine guns. The essence of these guns is rapidity of fire, and a smart shower of bullets can be projected from them by the simple turn* ing of a handle. The fire from these guns is exceedingly rapid, reaching some 150 to 200 rounds per minute, the operator turning a handle with one band, and, for a traversing fire, imparting to his gun a horizontal reciprocating motion with vba other. Remarkable as these results are, they are eclipsed by a machine-gun which we have recently inspected in operation, and which by simply pulling a trigger once will feed itself and fire away continuously at the rate of 6CQ rounds per minute if desired, the operator only having to impart the traversing motion to tho gun as required. This remarkable gun is the invention of an American gentleman, Mr Hiram S. Maxim, who is likewise the inventor of the system of electric lighting bearing his name, winch was introduced into England about three years since. The gun has a single barrel, and is arranged in such a way that the force of the recoil from one round at the moment of firing is utilised, and forms the motive power for loading and firing the next round, and so on round after round in succession ; in fact, one recoil performs all the functions of bringing the next cartridge into position, forcing it into the barrel, cocking the hammer, pulling the triggpr, extracting the empty shell, and ejecting it from the gun. To effect this the barrel is so mounted in its case that at the moment of firing the recoil drives it backwards about three-quarters of an inch, and it is this movement of the barrel alone that actuates tte mechanism of the gun, and enables it to keep up a continuous fire. The gun we saw fired at Mr Maxim's works, 57n, Hatton Garden, London, has a barrel of the ordinary service regulation calibre of ’450 inches, and weighs, with its tripod stand, 1261 b. It stands about three feet high, and is about 4ft 9 n long from muzzle to rear of firing mechanism. The training arrangements enable thi gun to be elevated or pres.-ed and set at any angle by adjusting screws, and traversed radially over any desired horizontal range. Or it may be instantaneously detached from the screws so as to be moved freely in every direction by hand. As the gun is self-firing, the operator can train it just as required while it is being discharged. The cartridges are placed in a canvas belt in a manner somewhat similar to that in which they are carried in a sportsman’s belt. The Maxim belt, however, is some seven yards long, and holds 333 cartridges, and length can be attached to length as each becomes emptied, so that the fire can be maintained continuously. This belt is placed in a box immediately below tho gun, and the leading end of it is inserted in the gun'to start with. As the gun is fired the belt is drawn into it on one side, and one after another the cat fridges are drawn out of the belt, forced into the barrel, fired, and the empty belt and cartridge cases ejected from the opposite side of the gun. By this arrangement the cartridges and tho gunner are both below the level of the gun, and are only exposed to fire ill a minimum degree. The external firing arrangements consists of a trigger or lever, which is placed against a graduated quadrant at the side of the gun, and' the rapidity of firing is regulated by the distance to which this trigger is pulled over. If this trigger be pulled over towards the gunner about an inch, and until the pointer indicates the figure 1 on the quadrant scale, the gun will then fire at the rate of one round per minute. * By pulling the trigger over a little further the rate of fire is increased to aboqt five rounds per minute, and the rate is gradually increased as the trigger is pulled further over until it reaches tbs rear end of the scale, when the fire is maintained at the unprecedented rate of 600 rounds per minute. It is thus possible to fire either single shots, volleys of IQ, 20, or 100, and to maintain a continuous fire either fast

or slow. When the gun is once adjusted for a certain speed it maintains the fire at that speed independently of human agency until all the cartridges have been discharged. Should the man working the gun be killed, the gun will still continue

firing so long as any cartridges remain to bo fired, provided no hitch occurs from a faulty cartridge. The belt system of au-

tomwtic firing has been applied by Mr Maxim not only to’machine guns such feQ

we have described, but also to rifles to be fired from the shoulder. In one instance he altered a Winchester rifle in such a way ft,at. the recoil performed all the necessary functions except pulling the trigger. An ordinary Martini- JBenry rifle has been arranged by Mr Maxim so that the recoil extracted the empty cartridge case and cocked the hammer, while the act of placing a new cartridge closed the breech action. Mr Maxim has also made a third gun, in which all *he functions are performed by means of a slight elongation of the cartridge case at the moment of firing, the case being corrugated to afford the required extension. The system first described by us, however, appears, so far, to be the most practicable, and this gun is well worthy the attention of our I naval and military authorities. Delivering as it does such a perfect hail of bullets, I and being self-acting, it would appear to I commend itself for use whenever ma-1 chine-guns are applicable in war. I