gatling 1860 machinegun american 3d model - GATLING 1860 MACHINEGUN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR by De Espona

A Gatling gun is a gun with multiple firing pins and breeches connected to multiple rotating barrels. Each barrel fires a single shot as it reaches a certain point in the cycle after which it ejects the spent cartridge, loads a new round, and in the process, somewhat cools down. This configuration allows higher rates of fire without the problem of an overheating single barrel, though accuracy suffers. The gun was designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented in 1862.

The Gatling gun may have been the first 'machine gun' because, while it did not automatically reload under its own power, it was capable of firing continuously. The first Gatling gun relied on a hand crank for external power. Some time later, Gatling-type weapons diverted a fraction of gas from the chamber to spin the rotating barrels. Later still, electric motors supplied external power.