1883 Gatling question, and request for help

NavyShooter

NavyShooter

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Goodday all,

There's a museum in Halifax that has a model 1883 Gatling gun, that has a fairly unique history. (I don't pretend to know it all, but it went from RCMP, to Army, to Coast guard....or so I was told.)

At some point in the various transitions, it's managed to lose it's magazine.

So, I'm looking to build for the museum, an external replica of said magazine.

This is a picture of the 1883 Gatling:

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And this is the missing magazine:

06026e.jpg


Has anyone seen one of these around, that might be able to get close-ups and measurements from?

Or perhaps someone knows a source for plans/patent info on this to make use of in the project?

Any suggestions are welcome.

I don't know if I've bitten off more than I can chew, but hey, it's for a good cause.

NS
 
Gatling Gun

I saw that gun years ago (25-30) and I thought it had a Magazine. The museum wouldn't know where it went after years of shifting things around. I thought it was missing something when I saw it two years ago. You should have seen the pile of ordenence the first time I went there. When you could actually touch the guns.
 
I too vaguely remember seeing a gatling gun at the war museum in Ottawa, if anybody in Canada can get you the outside specs of the beast I would think it would be them ...
 
... Just a thought, but if you can't get the dimensions/drawings anywhere else, would searching the original Patent drawings be possible ? .... David K.l (Smithsonian Museum? )
 
IIRC the Cdn gatlings bought in 1885 were 45-70 cal. The ammo shown looks like 43 Egyptian. British Gatlings were made in special .450" Gatling cal.
 
The thought just occured to me that there may be quite a few regs to worry about though, unless you build it in such a way that it can never be converted to actual magazine status.
 
RobSmith said:
The thought just occured to me that there may be quite a few regs to worry about though, unless you build it in such a way that it can never be converted to actual magazine status.
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I think you could get away with just building an empty shell since it's for looks and not for function.
 
HPL said:
I think you could get away with just building an empty shell since it's for looks and not for function.
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Until someone down the road decides to complete the project and throws on the "missing" parts, at which point the mag becomes a prohibited device. Also, let's not get started on the RCMP's ability to perform "creative interpretation" of the regs (they come knocking several years down the road and ask for your manufacturer's license).

Which is why I would STRONGLY advise to make the extra effort of making sure that the internal structure is constructed in such a way that it cannot, without significant effort, be made into an actual magazine. Just a little extra insurance.
 
John Sukey said:
After reading the postings, I just wonder when some crazed individual is going to commit mass murder with a GATLING GUN!:rolleyes:
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Not just a GATLING GUN, but a GATLING GUN with an empty can stuck on it!
 
John - a Gatling is classed as a prohibited firearm in Canada - along with Hotchkiss, Gardner and other such manually operated firearms. A complete magazine would be a prohibited device. Now this gun is in an approved museum, so the magazine would be covered, but technically, an appropriate licence would be required to manufacture a magazine. I'm just wondering if the Canadian War Museum has deactivated their Gatling - they have deactivated a lot of the other specimens they are holding.
 
Gatling

I think there is a clause in the firearms act that excludes certain magazines from modification if they are rare or of historical significance. I think it would apply to something like a rare Gatling magazine.
 
tiriaq said:
John - a Gatling is classed as a prohibited firearm in Canada - along with Hotchkiss, Gardner and other such manually operated firearms. A complete magazine would be a prohibited device. Now this gun is in an approved museum, so the magazine would be covered, but technically, an appropriate licence would be required to manufacture a magazine. I'm just wondering if the Canadian War Museum has deactivated their Gatling - they have deactivated a lot of the other specimens they are holding.
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I think thats another example of idiots at play in parliament. Obviously a hand cranked machine gun south of the border is not prohibited.

HOWEVER, The A-Salt weapons ban prevented our group from getting more Hi cap mags than the 5 we had. so the guy who owns the guns had to use a Bruce feed.
Can you imagine something that weighs almost as much as a small cannon being used by a gang-banger in a drive-by?:rolleyes:

All you Canadians had best beware since I believe we will be bringing one of those EViL prohibited weapons to Halifax in July for the Changing of the Guard Festival.
 
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It wasn't Parliament that made the Gatling a prohib. It was an administrative interpretation made by a faceless gnome in the CFC. In Canada, as in the US, Gatlings were long considered to be manually operated repeating firearms. Then one day they were listed in the FaRT as prohibited. You won't find a reference to Gatling, Hotchkiss, or Gardner guns in any law or OIC. They are also not antiques, because no centrefire repeating rifled longarm can ever be an antique in Canada.
Because it is classed as a prohib, I do not believe that it would be possible to bring one into Canada. Best to ask, before arriving at the border.
 
I am certain arrangements have been made to bring the gatling. We took it to Ft. George in Scotland without a problem. As the one we took was in .308 the Army kindly provided the blanks.;)
We did have to load the Martini-Henry blanks on site. Thats 2000 rounds that had to be reloaded more than once. The other one is in 45-70.
 
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