The Manville Gas Gun,One of the first less than lethal riot control weapons, the Manville Gas Gun wa

The Manville Gas Gun,One of the first less than lethal riot control weapons, the Manville Gas Gun was intended to be issued to police departments during the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Invented by Charles J. Manville in 1935, the Manville featured a number of chambers in 12 gauge, 26.5mm, and 37mm.  All were designed to fire tear gas cartridges, even the 12 gauge, as the chambers were designed not to withstand the pressures of live ammunition. A clockwork spring rotated the large cylinder, with the spring have to be wound during reloading.  The 12 gauge version can fire 24 rounds, the 26.5 mm version fired 18 rounds, and the 37mm version fired 12 rounds.  Each chamber had its own firing pin, and worked in the manner of a striker fire system.Production of the Manville Gas Gun began in 1935, but only a small number of police departments, National Guard Units, and State Militia’s were interested in purchasing the weapon.  During World War II the 26.5mm and 37mm version were strengthened to fire grenade rounds.  However, no branches of the US Military were interested in the design.  In 1943 the Manville Company went out of business, and Charles Manville reacted by destroying all tooling, machinery, and plans of the gun.  The Manville Gun has become much more popular in movies and TV’s, often used as a prop for a multi-shot grenade launcher. -- source link

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