Difference between revisions of "Machine gun"
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| − | '''A machine gun''' is and automatic weapon that is capapble of rapid sustained fire. The machinegun was first used way before WWI, in the 19th century. | + | '''A machine [[gun]]''' is and automatic weapon that is capapble of rapid sustained fire. The machinegun was first used way before WWI, in the 19th century. |
The first machinegun could fire seven rounds per minute, it was known as "The Gardner" or "Puckle's Gun". | The first machinegun could fire seven rounds per minute, it was known as "The Gardner" or "Puckle's Gun". | ||
Revision as of 02:04, March 29, 2007
A machine gun is and automatic weapon that is capapble of rapid sustained fire. The machinegun was first used way before WWI, in the 19th century.
The first machinegun could fire seven rounds per minute, it was known as "The Gardner" or "Puckle's Gun". The first well-known machinegun was the Gatling Gun, the original of which fired two-hundred rounds per minute. The machinegun was placed on top of a metal tripod and required a crew of about five people to operate it. They could fire four to six hundred bullets per minute at the beginning of the war and nearly double that by its conclusion. The machinegun was not quite as perfect as it sounds, and overheated approximately every two minutes, and had to be cooled with water before further use. The machinegun changed the lives of soldiers it did not kill by conserving time wasted by loading a gun before every shot. The time used in loading rifle is at least three times that used in shooting. The machinegun eliminated that waste of time and allowed soldiers to fire bullets continuously. This ability significantly increased the chance of mortally wounding the enemy instead of giving him a chance of recovery.
