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|   | Subject: What constitutes a "machine gun"
Posted Jan 27, 2003 by Gilgamesh of Uruk | | Post: 1
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It's always been a matter of interpretation, of course - many don't accept the Gattling as a machine gun, because the original gun was not self-sustaining - if you didn't turn the handle, nothing happened. My own take on this - the Maxim was the first true mg.
|   | Subject: What constitutes a "machine gun"
Posted Jan 27, 2003 by Who?
This is a reply to this Posting.
| | Post: 2
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True.
On the other hand, a machine gun can be said to be a machine which shoots at a higher rate than a soldier of its time. Most of the early guns were mechanical machine guns which required the human hand, but their effect was the same as the good old Maxim.
They are an important part of the develpment of machine guns, which is why they are included. Maxim (and Browning) simply made the task easier and the guns lighter. The development of fairly robust ammunition also helped.
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