-
Vickers Mark 1
The Vickers Mark 1 machine gun was designed by the Vickers company in 1811. It was adopted in Britain on November 26, 1812. The Vickers Mark 1 was very similar to the Maxim, except it was water-cooled and used “belt” ammunition. -
Gatling Gun Patent Date
Dr. Robert Jordan Gatling patented the Gatling gun on November 4, 1862. He thought the gun would reduce the sizes of armies and therefore the number of deaths in battle and disease. It consisted of six rifle barrels that revolve around a central axis. They are controlled by a crank on the side and ammo is fed through a small chute on the top. -
The Maxim Machine Gun
The Maxim machine gun was designed by Hiram S. Maxim between 1883 and 1885 and was the first true automatic machine gun. The shooter would press the firing button, and a cartridge would be fired, ejected, and a new cartridge would automatically be slotted in. Maxim designed the gun for the British government, who showed surprisingly little interest in the breakthrough. -
The Maxim Machine Gun
The Maxim machine gun was designed by Hiram S. Maxim between 1883 and 1885 and was the first true automatic machine gun. The shooter would press the firing button, and a cartridge would be fired, ejected, and a new cartridge would automatically be slotted in. Maxim designed the gun for the British government, who showed surprisingly little interest in the breakthrough. -
Schwarzlose Model 7
The Schwarzlose Model 7 was designed by an Austrian Company named Skoda in 1912. It used the gas powered “blowback” method, which boosted the firing rate to 400 rounds per minute, much higher than the two previous models. -
Browning M2 Machine Gun
The Browning .50 cal. is considered the longest serving and most successful machine gun that is still used today by military forces. It was designed by John Browning in in 1918. It is often mounted in military vehicles, and helicopters. -
The Thompson Machine Gun
The Thompson machine gun, or the Tommy gun, was designed by General John T. Thompson, and the first guns were used on November 11, 1918. This was one of the world’s first light machine guns and revolutionized them. -
End Date
Present day
