I just had a technical question about the original Gatling Gun of the 1860s onward. Specifically, the models chambered for .45 caliber ammunition.
That is, exactly what type of .45 cartridge did it fire?
That’s…it, I guess.
.45-70 Government. IIRC a 405 grain lead bullet with a nominal 70 grain charge of ffG black powder. Tremendous fun to shoot too.
As Padeye said- .45-70 was a common cartridge. But there were some other, much larger calibers.
Note that .45-70 was a pretty standard “power” of rifle cartidge back in the last days of Black powder- 11mm Mauser is very similar. I had an 11mm Mauser once. Cool gun.
I wasn’t aware 11mm Mauser was ever used in a gatling gun as .45-70 was.
Several years ago I saw two gatlings in Dixie Gun Works. Beautiful pieces, they were chambered for 45-70 and 30-06. I have no idea if they were reproductions or originals but they were extremely beautiful. Of course, for $13,000 and $14,000 resepctively, they should have been. :eek:
Regards
Testy
Just a small piece of trivia, totally unrelated to anything else:
John Wayne, when playing in Westerns, always had a .45-70 cartridge in his cartridge belt, right in the center of his back. This was a marker to indicate that he was down to his last six pistol cartridges. This technique may have been used by one or more real characters in the old West, and Wayne adopted it as a signature.
They were made in 30-40 Krag later, also.
Nor did I know otherwise- however Germany did have some sort of similar multi-barrel weapon, I think. I was just pointing out that at that point in time- that* sort* of rifle cartridge was in common use, even outside the USA.
Ah, excellent. Thanks for the info! This really helps me out. 