The Claxton Machine Gun, US Civil War,An invention of F. S. Claxton, the Claxton machine gun was ano

The Claxton Machine Gun, US Civil War,An invention of F. S. Claxton, the Claxton machine gun was another attempt to produce a rapid firing weapon during the American Civil War.  Used by the Union, the Claxton Gun featured two barrels and breech mechanism.  The gunner would turn the handle left and right, which would fire the weapon, while opening one breech for a fresh cartridge and closing the other breech for firing. As the gun was a fired a second person would load cartridges into a hopper or magazine, each of which would be fed by the guns mechanism into either the left or right barrel. Thus the firing rate of the Claxton Gun was dependent on how fast the gunner could turn the lever to and fro, how fast the loader could load cartridges, and the coordination between the two.  With a good gunner and loader, the Claxton Gun could manage around 80 shots a minute.  While pathetic compared to modern machine guns with firing rates of hundreds of rounds per minute, it was a fast firing weapon when one considers that most infantryman of the day could fire 3-4 shots a minute at best.The Claxton Gun saw limited use with the Union Army during the Civil War, however there were many complaints dealing with malfunctions and the overall fragility of the design.  After the war Claxton traveled to Europe to market his gun, but with little success. -- source link

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