I was wondering if BP cartriges make enough power to operate an automatic weapon. I would imagine that gas operated would be out, with all of their fouling. What about recoil-operated? Was it ever done?
What about fouling in the old gatling guns? What was the result of a high rate of fire in a gun that had so much fouling?
Inquiring minds want to know.....
Posts: 7629 | Location: near Austin, Texas, USA | Registered: 15 December 2000
The orginal Maxim machine gun was in 303 british. At the time it was black powder. He is supposed to have demonstrated the prototype by firing 250,000 rounds. I never saw anthing on stoppages during this time.
BP would have enough power, but it's so dirty that I doubt an auto would keep shooting for long before it jammed up from all the crud. As a lark, I once loaded some 9mm rounds with FFFg black. They cycled fine, but at the end of the magazine the gun was CAKED with crud. I don't know how many more mags would have functioned, and cleaning afterwards was a real pain (detail strip, boiling water, solvent, oil, etc.).
Never did THAT one again.
Posts: 345 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA | Registered: 01 February 2001
Browing "Potato Digger": "This weapon was the first successful gas operated machine gun, with the action driven by an arm hinged beneath the barrel - when firing the weapon close to the ground, this arm would make contact with the earth, hence the nickname in American service of "Potato Digger." Operated from the tripod, however, the weapon operated satisfactorily, though British ammunition was prone to jamming, as it was in the Ross rifle."
But was it BP? Seems like by the time it entered service it would have used smokeless powder. What about the prototype? That link doesn't really say a lot.
Thanks. This has been a really interesting thread.
Hey, maybe some CLIII owner could load up some BP to test the idea
Posts: 7629 | Location: near Austin, Texas, USA | Registered: 15 December 2000
The only sample I've seen of the potato digger is in the Aberdeen Proving Ground Ordnance museum. It is chambered in 30/40 Krag and fired smokeless powder. There is an excellent example of one shown firing in the movie The Rough Riders. They are shown using it in the battle of San Juan hill.
Posts: 187 | Location: eastern USA | Registered: 06 September 2001
Pretty sure potato digger was never in 45-70. As to the Maxim, the very first gun he demonstrated was .45 BP, not .303, I think the .577-.450 Martini service cartridge. Had a lever on it to control the rate of fire, would shoot as slow as five shots a minute or as fast as a few hundred, am traveling, don't have my reference books with me to be exact.
The problem with black powder is that 55 % of the combustion products are solids. That means of course that fouling and the necessary frequent cleaning makes it less than practical.
