Abstract
MR. HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, the well-known American engineer, has lately brought out a new form of a machine-gun, which is attracting a great deal of attention in military and naval circles. This gun is a completely new departure. It takes the cartridges out of the box in which they were originally packed, puts them into the barrel, fires them, and expels the empty cartridges, using, for this purpose, energy derived from the recoil of the barrel. Of course it is necessary to put the first cartridge into the barrel by hand. When, however, this is done, and the trigger pulled, the gun will go on and fire as long as there are any cartridges in the box. The cartridges are placed in a belt formed of two bands of tape, before they are placed in the box, and one end of this belt is placed in the gun at the time of starting, the action of the gun drawing in one cartridge every time that one has exploded. The gun is really a veritable gunpowder-engine, the recoil of the barrel, the block, and the lock corresponding to the piston and cross-head of the engine. The recoil drives the barrel and its attachments backwards, opens the breech, cocks the hammer, and expels the empty shell. The return of the block is effected by a spring. As the bolt returns, it forces a loaded cartridge into the barrel and pulls the trigger.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
The Maxim Gun . Nature 31, 414–416 (1885). https://doi.org/10.1038/031414b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/031414b0