Machine Guns

Photo of the day: The M134D-H Hybrid Gatling Gun

The M134D-H Hybrid Gatling Gun is the standard lightweight Minigun design from Dillon Aero. The Hybrid Gatling Gun combines the titanium and skeletonized parts that were originally engineered for use in the M134D-T titanium Gatling Gun with the steel housing of the M134D steel Gatling Gun. The Hybrid gun was designed to offer the weight savings of the titanium gun and the longer service life of the steel gun. The Hybrid system is only two pounds heavier than the original titanium gun, is between 10-20 pounds lighter than the steel system, and has a service life of 1,500,000. The M134D-H is in widespread use in both Crew Served and Fixed Forward applications.

Photo by Nick Betts

M134 Minigun: Forgotten Weapons Video

The General Electric M134 “Minigun” is essentially an electrically-powered Gatling gun – the conceptual operation of the gun is identical to Dr. Gatling’s original creation. What has changed, however, is the chambering (it’s in 7.62 NATO), the power source (an electric motor), and the feed mechanism (belt-feed using M60 links instead of the Gatling’s Accles, Broadwell, or Bruce feeds).

Minigun in slow motion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeyVr…

The M-134 is a scaled down version of a 20mm rotary powered cannon devised for aircraft armament after WW2, hence the “mini” name. It was used primarily as helicopter armament, although it has found its way only ground vehicles as well.

Firing between 3000 and 6000 rounds per minute, the Minigun is ideal for aerial engagements where the gunner only has a brief moment on target and needs to fire as much as possible during that moment. It is a truly awe-inspiring weapon, and quite an experience to fire!

In addition to destroying a truck with it, we will look at disassembly and functioning of the minigun – the delinking mechanism is really the most complex part of the weapon, and a very interesting device.

Modern Arms of Tempe, AZ provided the Minigun for this video! They offer the gun for rental, if you are interested in trying it out yourself.

More gun videos at http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons

Photo courtesy of US Navy

Machineguns and Silencers: The National Firearms Act Explained byThe Legal Brief!

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the National Firearms Act… today on The Legal Brief, Adam Kraut breaks it down for you!

Links for this episode:

The National Firearms Act https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te…

The Regulations Pertaining to the National Firearms Act https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/…

National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) – 26 USC § 5841 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te…

National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) – 27 CFR § 479.101 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/…

Special Occupational Tax – 26 USC § 5801 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te…

Special Occupational Tax – 27 CFR § 479.32 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/…

Transfer Tax – 26 USC § 5811 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te…

Transfer Tax – 27 CFR § 479.82 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/…

Tax on Making – 26 USC § 5821 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te…

Tax on Making – 27 CFR 479.61 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/…

Definition of a Person https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/te… ————————

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Watch H&K MP7 Sub Machine Pistol: 4.6 Millimeters of Awesome

In this episode of TFBTV, James and Patrick interview representatives of Battlefield Vegas and Heckler and Koch to get some basic information about the mysterious H&K MP7 Submachinegun.

If you want a little background on the MP7 before watching the mini-doc, no one sets the stage better than TFB’s own Nathaniel F. The following excerpt is from Nathaniel’s article “The HK PDW: The Origins Of The MP7” http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/20…

“Though rare in the wild, mostly seeing use with special units and some police departments, is a favorite of Hollywood movie-makers and Triple-A video game developers, thanks to its compact size, striking looks, and fully automatic firepower. The gun itself, however, was originally intended to be an inexpensive, compact, and unobtrusive weapon that would be better for troops far from the front, the MP7 eventually became a weapon more commonly associated with the tip of the spear, direct action teams, and SWAT officers.

The MP7 began life in the last year of the 20th Century as the Heckler & Koch PDW, which was intended to compete directly with the Fabrique Nationale P90 in NATO trials to standardize an echelon weapon for second-line troops, vehicle crews, and support personnel. The resultant MP7 differed somewhat from the PDW, in that it was heavier (1.9kg/4.2lbs vs 1.6kg/3.5lbs) had a longer rear receiver, a flash hider, full length top Picatinny rail (deleting the molded in fixed ironsights of the prototype), taller buttpad, and mounting points for rails on the sides of the forward receiver housing, all changes which hastened the PDW’s evolution from a dedicated personal defense weapon to a more generalized submachine gun that could be used equally well by echelon troops or direct action teams. This evolution is ongoing today, as Heckler & Koch recently released the MP7A2 variant, which does away with the folding vertical foregrip of previous versions in favor of a tri-rail mount.”

Note that the version fired at Battlefield is an MP7A1, while the model used by H&K’s rep is the A2 variant. Shoot this gun at Battlefield Vegas: http://www.battlefieldvegas.com/

Photo courtesy of H&K

SMG, MP, PDW…Oh My: Forgotten Weapons Explains Submachine Gun Terminology

The guys at Forgotten Weapons have done a great video which explains small caliber machinegun terminology: submachine guns, personal defense weapons, and machine pistols. Terminology. Forgotten Weapons tells us who makes them, why they exist and their place in military history.

Submachine Gun: Pistol caliber, fully automatic, and fitted with a shoulder stock. For example, Thompson, MP40, MAS-38.

Machine pistol: Handgun form factor and fully automatic. For example, Glock 18, Mauser Schnellfeuer, Stechkin.

Automatic Rifle: Shoulder or hip fired, limited magazine capacity, minimal sustained fire capacity. Examples: M1918 BAR, Chauchat.

Persinal Defense Weapon: (1) Armor-piercing or (2) holsterable submachine gun, not intended for front line combat. For example, FN P90, H&K MP7, Czech vz.61 Skorpion, Polish PM63 Rak.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

Photo courtesy of US Marines. A Marine of the 1st Marine Division draws a bead on a Japanese sniper with his tommy-gun as his companion ducks for cover. The division is working to take Wana Ridge before the town of Shuri. Okinawa, 1945. S.Sgt. Walter F. Kleine. (Marine Corps)

LMG, MMG, SAW, HMG, GPMG…Oh My: Forgotten Weapons Explains Machine Gun Terminology

The guys at Forgotten Weapons have done a great video which explains Machine Gun Terminology. Not only are there way too many different categories of machine guns, some of these terms have changed over time. Forgotten Weapons tells us who makes them, why they exist and their place in military history.

Automatic Rifle: Shoulder or hip fired, limited magazine capacity, minimal sustained fire capacity. Examples: M1918 BAR, Chauchat.

LMG: Magazine fed, rifle caliber, bipod fired. Examples: Bren, Madsen, Lewis.

HMG: Belt fed, usually water cooled, minimal portability, fired from tripod only. Examples: Maxim, Vickers, Hotchkiss 1914. Evolved into guns of caliber 12.7mm – 20mm, like the M2 and DShK.

MMG: Air cooled, tripod fired only, belt fed. Examples: Browning 1919A4, SG-43.

GPMG: Bipod or tripod fired, belt fed, rifle caliber, quick-change barrel. Examples: MG42, PKM, M240.

SAW/LSW: Intermediate caliber, magazine fed, bipod fired. Examples: L86A1, FN Minimi, RPK.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

Photo courtesy of US Army. A New Jersey Army National Guard Soldier from fires his M249 SAW during live-fire battle drills on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., April 9, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)