Throwback Thursday: What's the Most Historically Important Machine Gun?

The very first machine guns appeared in the late 19th century ... but which one cast the longest shadow? American Rifleman TV investigates.

by
posted on November 16, 2023

Did you know that full-automatic firearms (also known as machine guns) are not new? They aren't, not at all. Leonardo da Vinci designed a multi-shot cannon over 500 years ago, in 1480. It was never produced due to a lack of funding, but modern ballisticians believe that it would have worked as designed.

The first full-automatic gun to be produced was the Gatling machine gun, and it was first produced in the middle of the American civil war (1862). The Gatling required hand-cranking, but the next iteration of a full-auto gun didn't. That machine gun was and is known as the Maxim machine gun, and it was first produced 140 years ago, in 1883. But who invented it?

It would seem that the obvious answer would be "Hiram Maxim," and that's where history has landed. But it wasn't actually that simple at all. Like Tesla and Marconi, the invention of a fully automatic, recoil-operated machine gun happened more or less simultaneously an ocean apart. A Brit named William Cantelo designed one just like Maxim's, and then he just ... vanished. Disappeared from the face of the earth. And then it got really weird. (Check out this great article for more on one of history's strangest mysteries!)

In this great video from our friends at American Rifleman TV, you'll get to find out more about the Maxim machine gun, and why it beat out nine other hugely significant machine guns to reach the #1 spot!

Latest

Rossi Rm66 Lede
Rossi Rm66 Lede

Video Review: Rossi RM66 Revolver

Chambered in .357 Mag., this jumbo revolver was created for hunters and target shooters alike.

Throwback Thursday: Desperately Seeking Bo Whoop

What's the sound of the world's most famous mystery shotgun? Bo Whoop!

Video: NRA Instructor Empowers Over 4,500 Women

Celebrating the empowerment of women through firearms training and self-defense education.

Silence! Savage Arms Announces All-New AccuCan Suppressor Line

Looking for a can that reduces recoil and flash as well as noise, with super-easy installation and maintenance? Get Savage!

NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) Returns Summer 2024

The NRA Youth Education Summit is a six-day, all-expense-paid leadership and scholarship experience for rising high school juniors and seniors.

What Camo Does Santa Wear?

Here's how Santa helps keep hidden from the prying eyes of children (if not NORAD).

Interests



Get the best of NRA Family delivered to your inbox.