Gatling M1874, .45-70

Gatling M1874, .45-70 Springfield (USA, 1874-1877)
In 1862, Dr. Richard Gatling patented a gun that consisted of a cluster of barrels rotated by a crank on the righthand side of the breech and fed by a gravity hopper (much like a coffee mill). Each turn of the crank fed, fired, and extracted a round. About 1,200 “Gatling guns” of various
designs were produced in the U.S. The American military acquired some 725 of these; the rest were either bought by citizens and police departments or exported. Hundreds more were license-made in Austria, Britain, and Russia, and copied in China.

The 10-barreled M1874 was the classic Gatling used by the U.S. Army, which acquired 82. It was mounted on a two-wheeled artillery carriage (560 lbs. with gun) and came with a separate two-wheeled limber (840 lbs.) holding 2,000 rounds in 50 magazines. Carriage and limber (which add $6,500 to the gun’s cost) were linked together and drawn by four horses. A 40-lb. tripod was offered ($1,800) but seldom bought, despite allowing a single pack animal to carry both mount and gun.

The M1874 fed from a detachable 40-round hopper magazine (8 lbs.). It could also use the 400-round Broadwell drum ($500, 60 lbs.). This was a circular cluster of 20 vertical, 20-round hoppers; after firing 20 rounds, the gunner had to rotate the drum manually to align the next
cell with the feeder. (Rotating the drum takes two Ready maneuvers – or one, if an assistant does it. Installing a new drum takes 10 seconds.)

The original, six-barreled M1862 (1862-1866) fired the .58 Berdan rimfire cartridge: Malf. 14, Dmg 5d pi+, Acc 3, Range 230/2,300, EWt. 390/7, RoF 3, Shots 50(3i). It was mounted on a two-wheeled wooden artillery carriage (450 lbs. with gun) and, with a 580-lb. limber holding 2,000
rounds, pulled by four horses. Very few were built; General Butler of the Union Army bought 12 and used them during the American Civil War. The New York Times acquired three, which were manned by staff during the New York riots in June 1863.

The six-barreled M1866 (1866-1871), in .50-70 Government, was the original-series production model: Malf. 15, Dmg 5d+1 pi+, Range 490/3,100, EWt. 224/3, RoF 10, Shots 22(5). The first 50 entered U.S. Army service in 1867; 22 more went to the Navy. It was mounted on a twowheeled artillery carriage (426 lbs. with gun) and, with a 470-lb. limber, drawn by four horses.

At least 68 M1866 guns were made in the much larger 1” caliber (1866-1871): Malf. 15, Dmg 7d+1 pi++, Acc 5, Range 420/2,700, EWt. 1,008/18, RoF 5, Shots 20(5), Cost $30,000/$60. These often fired canister: Dmg 2d-1 pi+, Acc 3, Range 60/1,100, RoF 5x15, Rcl 1.

The five-barreled M1877 Bulldog (1877-1883), in .45-70, was the smallest variant: Dmg 4d pi+, EWt. 90, RoF 7, ST 22M, Bulk -8, Cost $14,000. It was mounted on a 40-lb. tripod ($1,800). Intended for police service, it wasn’t very successful. Adventurers could surely find a niche for it,
though...

The 10-barreled M1883 (1883-1889), in .45-70, had its barrels encased in a bronze shroud, protecting them and making them look like one fat barrel: Malf. 14, EWt. 237/24.5, Shots 104(5). It introduced the 104-round Accles Positive Feed drum ($650, 24.5 lbs.), a donut-shaped device
driven by the gun. This drum didn’t rely on gravity, allowing it to feed from the side instead of the top if required, thereby lowering the gun’s silhouette and allowing installation in places with low ceilings, such as bunkers (or steampowered mecha or ether flyers . . .). Unfortunately, the
drum’s feeding was less than “positive” and led to more jams. The M1883’s crank had two positions; installing it at the rear raised RoF to 25 but worsened Malf. to 13. Forty were made and mounted on two-wheeled artillery carriages (831 lbs. with gun), pulled with a 754-lb. limber (holding
four drums and 6,040 spare rounds) by four horses. The 10-barreled M1903 (1907-1911) was the final version, chambered for the .30-06 cartridge: Dmg 7d+1 pi, EWt. 200/4.

From 1868, the Russian army acquired at least 520 guns similar to the M1874 but chambered in 10.75x58mmR Berdan (Dmg 5d-1 pi+). Known in Russia as the Gorlov, after the Russian military attaché who inspected it, it was still in use against the Japanese in 1904. Argentina, Chile,
Cuba, Guatemala, and Mexico used similar Gatlings in 11.15x58mmR Spanish Remington (Dmg 5d pi+), while Egypt bought it in 11.4x50mmR Egyptian Remington (Dmg 5d pi+).

The British Army’s 10-barreled Gatling Mk I (1874) was chambered in .450 Gardner-Gatling: Dmg 5d pi+, EWt. 200/70, RoF 13, Shots 352(5), Bulk -9. Its 352-round Broadwell drum had 16 vertical cells, each holding 22 rounds. A lighter, 240-round drum (50 lbs.) held 16x15 rounds. The gun was mounted on a two-wheeled artillery carriage (444 lbs. with gun) and, with a 387-lb. empty limber, drawn by four horses.

The British Army’s 10-barreled Gatling Mk I (1874) was chambered in .450 Gardner-Gatling: Dmg 5d pi+, EWt. 200/70, RoF 13, Shots 352(5), Bulk -9. Its 352-round Broadwell drum had 16 vertical cells, each holding 22 rounds. A lighter, 240-round drum (50 lbs.) held 16¥15
rounds. The gun was mounted on a two-wheeled artillery carriage (444 lbs. with gun) and, with a 387-lb. empty limber, drawn by four horses.

GUNNER (MACHINE GUN) (DX-4 or other Gunner at -4)

See pp. B268-271 for an explanation of the statistics. Empty Weight (EWt.) and Cost assume neither ammo nor mount, but ammo weight
follows the slash as usual.

[1] Very Unreliable. Malfunctions on 15+ (see p. B407).