Some Early American Machine Guns in Istanbul

[daniel griffin]

I was at the Turkish Military Museum in Istanbul today and saw these very interesting early American machine guns.

This one is marked, Improved Gardner Gun Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Hartford Conn USA with 1880's patent dates.

[daniel griffin]

This one is marked, Lowell Battery Gun Made By Ames Mfg Co Chicopee Mass USA.

[daniel griffin]

.

[daniel griffin]

This one is Gardner's Patent 1880

[daniel griffin]

Another Gardner

[KurtA]

Great photos, Dan. Really interesting. I'll bet Bannermans sold them all to the Ottoman Empire well over a hundred years ago as military surplus.

[45govt]

I was at the Turkish Military Museum in Istanbul today and saw these very interesting early American machine guns.

This one is marked, Improved Gardner Gun Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Hartford Conn USA with 1880's patent dates.

 

They are fun to shoot as well, this is a friends.

 

[45govt]

[45govt]

[Cavdoc83]

How does the action work in the Gardner?

[tarbridge]

Cool Guns Danny. Do they know you are loose in their country yet? Robert

[45govt]

How does the action work in the Gardner?

 

Hello Cavdoc83

Here is a description from another friend

 

"Each barrel had its own feed in the magazine and inside the mechanism alternated from barrel to barrel. Activated by a cam that rolled over center to cycle . It was really two guns tied together. Not nearly as fast as the gattling gun [ insert picture of Don firing same]. Hole in top of brass housing was to pour water in to cool gun."

 

Ok so as directed, [ insert picture of Don firing same]

 

Here I am

[daniel griffin]

Cool Guns Danny. Do they know you are loose in their country yet? Robert

 

They didn't get enough names on the petition to keep me out!

[bob lamoreaux]

A number of years ago (about 5 or so) I ran into a fellow at either the Harrisburg (PA) or York (PA) [probably the East Coast SAR show) who was into making exact scale (model) replicas of Gardner machine guns. He was a hobbyist, not selling them. Think he was hanging around Curt Wolfe's display (Curt was then making Gatlings and possibly Gardners -- don't know if he is still in business or not). Absolutely beautiful (and expensive!) guns. I think Curt was the only one making Gatling's at that time, I think it was Thunder Valley that made "modern" Gatlings before Curt started his business.

[ludwigh1980]

Wow, gorgeous pieces. I especially like the Lowell Battery Gun by Ames. Wonder what these bring in the U.S. ? I don't recall seeing one sale for quite some time (even rock island auction).

Probably will never come out of Turkey. I have heard it is next to impossible to take antique weaponry out of the country.

Thanks for all the posts. Great stuff,

Terence