This is a 1/16 scale model of a Civil war weapon known as a Gatling gun. In 1861, Dr. Richard Gatling developed a hand-crank operated, multibarrel firearm destined to become the world’s first gun capable of firing multiple rounds in sustained bursts. The Gatling gun’s operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing-reloading sequence. Each barrel fired a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle, after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and, in the process allowed the barrel to cool. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrels overheating. These guns were made in several sizes. The one modeled here was the largest shooting 1″ diameter shells (wow, that’s hard to imagine !) This model came as a metal kit which gave me the opportunity to do some special things. The provided barrels were molded together as one static assembly. I built up a new barrel assembly with separate barrels that now can revolve when the crank is turned.
Down In The Shop 