Gatling Gun M1874
Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1874
Also known as: Model 1874 Gatling Gun, Colt Model 1874 Gatling, M1874
Overview
The Gatling Gun M1874 is a hand-cranked, multi-barrel machine gun manufactured by Colt and chambered in .45-70 Government. Featuring a cluster of ten rotating barrels turned by a hand crank, it fed metallic cartridges from a gravity-fed magazine and could sustain a cyclic rate of up to 400 rounds per minute. Mounted on a wheeled carriage or tripod, the Model 1874 was a standard rapid-fire weapon of the U.S. Army and Navy during the Indian Wars era and saw service well into the late 19th century.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 89810 g (3168.0 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 92360 g (3257.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1245 mm (49.02") |
| Barrel Length | 813 mm (32.01") |
| Action Type | Breech Loading |
| Firing Mechanism | Externally Powered |
| Magazine Capacity | 40 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Drum |
| Muzzle Velocity | 411 m/s (1348 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2215 J (1634 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 914 m (1000 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 400 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 559 mm (22.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .45-70 Government · primary — also known as .45-70, .45-70 Govt, .45-70-500, 11.63x53.3mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Gravity Feed Magazine, Feed Case
- Features: Ten Barrel Cluster, Hand Crank Operation, Gravity Fed Magazine, Tripod Or Carriage Mounted, Rotating Barrels
Variants
- Gatling Gun M1874 Camel Gun — Short Barrel
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1874 · as Model 1874 Gatling Gun
- United States Navy · adopted 1874
Conflicts
- American Indian Wars (1874-1890)
- Spanish-American War (1898)
Production
Production years: 1874-1890
Built by Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company under Richard Gatling's patents; succeeded the Model 1865/1866 and Model 1871 patterns.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Richard Jordan Gatling
Discontinued: 1890
Notes
The Model 1874 was produced in a long (32 in barrel) standard model and a short 18 in barrel 'Camel Gun' light model. The crank-operated mechanism was not self-loading; sustained fire depended on the operator's cranking speed.
Background
Invented by Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling in 1861, the Gatling gun's rotating-barrel design allowed one barrel to fire while others cooled and reloaded, achieving a high sustained rate of fire. The .45-70 Model 1874 became one of the most widely issued patterns by the U.S. military in the post-Civil War decades.