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Mydin In reply to ManushMonitor [2015-07-14 04:21:12 +0000 UTC]

A chain gun uses external power to drive a chain that provides timing and bolt operation. They have a single barrel and tend to be "cannons" rather than guns. That is to say, medium calibre. Most modern designs have mechanisms that will hold the bolt closed in the event of a hang fire. This makes them particularly safe. The advantages of external timing and operation are lost with smaller calibres.

A gatling gun usually refers to the whole family of multi-barrel automatic weapons that use an elliptical cam path to operate the bolts. Because each barrel only fires a fraction of the total cyclic rate, the gatling guns can usually fire much longer bursts than single barreled weapons. They're suitable for medium to small calibres. Because a hung round will still be extracted, there is a slightly higher risk of firing out-of-battery. The actual Gatling gun was hand cranked and invented by Richard Gatling. Most modern designs stem from that.

Both designs can be operated by electric or hydraulic power. A few odd Russian gatling style guns are self-powered. If you like novel firearm mechanisms, look into the Gast gun. It uses two barrels linked together by a lever. The recoil from one cycles the other. Ingeniously simple.

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ManushMonitor In reply to Mydin [2015-07-15 01:52:44 +0000 UTC]

THANKS! This explained more than I could find in a lot of articles. Thanks for the short but to-the-point answer. I will look more into it.

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Mydin In reply to ManushMonitor [2015-07-16 05:33:55 +0000 UTC]

Not a problem. Many of these designs have performance nuances you won't find in online articles.

Another misconception I'd like to clarify is that there's no significant "wind up" time on the gatling guns. The minigun may have a slightly slower start the very first time the triggers are pulled since ammo first needs to feed through the feeder-delinker before it reaches the gun.

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Mydin In reply to CosmOSmocker [2015-03-08 03:45:20 +0000 UTC]

I still get questions about the chaingun/minigun at airshows, so the whole Doom effect seems to be lingering.

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Mydin In reply to LordCastigator [2012-07-26 12:45:17 +0000 UTC]

Ammo in belted form is called "linked." The Chain Gun is called a chain gun because it uses what looks almost like a bike chain to time the mechanism. They have one barrel.

Gatling Guns were invented by Richard Gatling. Miniguns use the same operating principle (elliptical cam path) so it's not entirely inaccurate to call them Gatling guns. They have multiple barrels.

They can use both linked ammo or loose ammo. They can both be made into semi-portable and fixed configurations, but always* require an external power source.

*there are a few Russian gatling style guns that are self powered.

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Mydin In reply to nateman747 [2009-11-09 04:54:11 +0000 UTC]

I blame Doom.

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Mydin In reply to nateman747 [2009-11-08 08:05:44 +0000 UTC]

I have personally been to the range where that video was taken. It's a Dillon Aero M134 DC Drive Minigun. Not a chaingun. Whoever told you that's a chaingun is flat out wrong. It uses an elliptical cam path for bolt timing as per Richard Gatlings original design. A chaingun uses a chain. This is the gun: [link]

Thank you for viewing my photo.

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Fitz-Chivalry In reply to Mydin [2012-03-31 16:14:36 +0000 UTC]

I find it amusing how much you know about guns. I guess when you do something for a living you know what pertains to it.

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nateman747 In reply to Mydin [2009-11-09 04:36:06 +0000 UTC]

hmm thank you, i will have 2 tell them that.

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