The 1 Inch Buck and Ball Gatling Gun,Although the US Army used the Gatling gun sparingly during the

The 1 Inch Buck and Ball Gatling Gun,Although the US Army used the Gatling gun sparingly during the American Civil War, it was after the Civil War that officers began to warm up to the new “proto” machine gun.  The later half of the 1860′s saw the first large scale purchases of gatling guns and similar devices by the military.  One of the more interesting designs was the 1 inch gatling gun designed by Cooper Firearms Company of Philadelphia.  More like a cannon, the gun fired a 1 inch caliber bullet at a rate of 80-100 rounds per minute.  While having a large caliber gun with such firepower may seem deadly, it was the buck and ball cartridge that most impressed ordnance officials.  The buck and ball cartridge came in three variants.  The first had a regular 1 inch caliber bullet with six .57 caliber balls loaded behind it.  The second was a canister round consisting of 21 lead balls of .41 caliber each.  The third was loaded with 18 cylindrical slugs.Essentially what Cooper Firearms Company had created was a hand cranked rapid fire shotgun.  In fact when the weapon was first tested in 1866, it was compared to the 24 pounder howitzer firing canister shot.  The gun was also demonstrated to President Grant himself, who believed the weapon would be excellent for close up defense against enemy assaults involving large masses of men.  The US Army adopted the 1 Inch Gatling in 1867, with 50 being produced by Colt in that year.  Despite the advantages the Gatling had to offer, few saw any combat with American forces until the Spanish American War.   -- source link

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