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Famous American gun inventorsand their illustrious inventions

(taken from the www.guncollectorsclub.com )

Pictured: RemingtonModel 90-T Trap Gun

Even though James Pucklewas British, he managed to remain in thehistory of American guns. The Puckle gunattracted the attention ofmany Americans, being one of the first machine guns ever invented. Itsfiring capacity was 9 rounds per minute and it had an innovative designfor its time. In spite of the fact that they were almost a century apart, thePuckle gun and the Gatling gun had a lot of things in common.

The Puckle gun was designed somewhere around 1718 and it was tripod-mounted. Other

characteristics included a single barrel of three feet long, a cylinder with 11 charges and a standardfire rate of 60 shots in 7 minutes. The basic design was functional both for square and round bullets,depending on the damage intended. However advanced the Puckle gun may have been, it didnt getthe attention deserved and was lost in the annals of history.

As for the Gatling gun it remained as one of the most important firearms used in the American Civil

War. It was invented and patented by Doctor Richard Jordan Gatlingin 1862 and it was trulyahead of its times. It had multiple-barrels revolving around a central axis and an innovative coolingsystem between shots. The accuracy of the gun was one of its main advantages and so was thepreventing mechanism against untimely firing of the charge. The Gatling gun was not only used by

Americans but it managed to capture the interest of the British Army in 1865, when it was presented

by Gatling himself. If the first models of the Gatling gun contained paper cartridges, the year of 1866brought technological innovations in the form of metallic cartridges.

Discussing about the American history of firearms,most historians agree that if it was a firearm thatcompletely changed history it was the one invented by

Hiram Maxim. He remained in history as the inventorof the first portable machine gun. Maxim invented the

gun that was going to bear his name in 1885 and in thesame year he presented it to the British Army. TheBritish were especially attracted by the recoil-operatedmechanism, the incredible rate of fire (500 rounds perminute) and they quickly adopted it. Apart from beingextensively used by the United States and GreatBritain, the Maxim gun was purchased by countries likeGermany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Technologywas developing at a faster pace than anyone couldhave imagined; the need for powerful guns was feltand the machine gun seemed to be in the center of

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attention, sharing the stage with the new generationsof rifles.

Arthur Savagewas one of the main gun inventors and manufactures of the 19th century. Heopened his company in 1894, somewhere in New York after traveling half around the world. Being anambitious man, he came up with the first hammerless lever-action rifle and attracted the attention of

all important men with his innovations. Savage Arms Company became famous for producing a lever-action rifle that had a steel receiver, an innovative rotary magazine and was affordable at the sametime. Serving during the war, Savage Arms started to provide the soldiers with powerful rifles, not tomention pistols and the much needed ammunition.

The history of American firearms would not be what it is today without the name of John Marlin. Heis most famous for the forward-looking models that he developed personally: 1891 and 1893. Marlinremained in history for having been the inventor of one of the greatest shoulder arms evermanufactured. The tradition was carried on and up to this day Marlins firearms are still produced.They have gained a reputation in the firearm manufacturing history, especially with the recentinnovations for bolt-action rim-fire rifles.

Robert Parker Parrottwas born in 1804, New Hampshire and was one of the greatest Americaninventors of military firearms. Graduating from the American Military Academy, he occupied a post forthe artillery and had a lieutenant rank. After resigning from the army, he focused on working for afoundry in New York and started to focus on his passions. In 1860, the Parrott rifle came out on themarket, being an innovative rifle for its times and one that was manufactured in several sizes. RobertParrott wanted to be sure that his gun is received well; this is why he invented the 300-pounderversion, with a projectile that may have entered the Guinness Book, weighing almost 140 kg. TheCivil War brought in attention the Parrott rifles, being extensively used by both Union andConfederate armies. The qualities and the strong determination have made Parrott to continue withhis experiments, especially in the field of artillery shells. However, the thing he remains famous for is

certainly the invention of the Parrott rifle.

There are many widely known rifles in the American firearm history. And just as many are the names

of famous gun inventors. Eliphalet Remingtonwas born in 1793 and even though he was only ablacksmith he had much larger aspirations. When he was only 23 years old, he invented aninnovative sporting rifle and designed the barrel for it on his own. The gun was welcomed and soon itstarted to be mass produced. It didnt take long for Remington to become a name widely associatedwith the sporting rifles, his company enjoying steady profits and a continuous growth. Realizing theincreased demand for firearms, Remington started to produce not only rifles but also shotguns,revolvers and ammunition. They always came up with innovative designs and their productionincreased even more during the war. Remington received orders not only from America but also froma wide variety of European countries such as France or Britain. Their success was unbelievable andafter the war it grew even more, being particularly related with the companys decision to focus on thesporting firearms production.

And if you think that politicians didnt have any connection with the history of American firearms, then

think again. Oliver Fisher Winchesterwas an incredible politician but an even better investor.The Winchester repeating rifles was and probably will be for many years to come one of the most

important inventions of all times, originally designed after the Volcanic Rifleof Smith and Wesson.Having Benjamin Tyler Henryby his side, Winchester improved the Volcanic Rifle and turned itinto a definite success. He also designed new rim-fire cartridges and led to the patenting of the more

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than famous Henry repeating rifle. Winchester went ahead with the production of various otherfirearms, including double-barreled shotguns and bolt-action rifles.

You cannot talk about Oliver Winchester without saying a few words about the men who designed the

original Volcanic rifle, meaning Horace Smithand Daniel Wesson. These were twoentrepreneurial spirits and they formed a partnership in 1852, intending to produce a lever-actionpistol. They called it the Volcanic rifle and hoped for its success. However, the rifle was not receivedas well as they expected and they were soon forced to sell to the clever Oliver Winchester. However,

they were not let down by the first failure and reunited again in 1856. And this time they succeeded.The two partners quickly became important names in the American firearms industry, especiallyduring the American Civil War. Apart from producing firearms, theyve also manufactured ammunitionincluding the renowned 22 long rifle, the 32 Smith & Wesson, the 357 Smith & Wesson Magnum andthe 44 Remington Magnum. And what is most amazing about Smith & Wessons recent history is thatthey have started to market various gun accessories, not to mention handcuffs and brand nameapparel.

If there is one thing that history has taught us so far, that is that there were many ambitious men who

became famous gun inventors. John Moses Browningwas the designer of the well-knownWinchester rifle, inventing various other assault rifles as well. And there were many other names,

maybe too many to be mentioned here. But all these men have contributed to the making of historyand they deserve the entire acknowledgement we can offer.