Welcome to immediately’s Photo of the Day! The Montigny Mitrailleuse was an early multi-barrel “volley gun” developed within the 1850s-1860s, with numerous fashions produced for various militaries. This uncommon 37-shot Austro-Hungarian variant, manufactured by G. Sigl in Vienna in 1871, was one among round 80 produced. It used a lever to concurrently fireplace all 37 rifled barrels chambered for 11.15x42mmR ammunition. Whereas touted as an early “machine gun”, its effectiveness was restricted in comparison with artillery, and European militaries remained skeptical of such weapons till machine weapons noticed wider adoption throughout World Struggle I. The Montigny was utilized in a defensive anti-personnel position, with crews of as much as 7 males capable of quickly load and fireplace the gun from its giant carriage that would carry over 15,000 rounds of ammunition.
“That is an extremely uncommon 37-shot Austro-Hungarian Montigny Mitrailleuse Szorloveg (“Spray Gun”, and/or “Volley Gun”) Mannequin 1851/65 manufactured by G. Sigl of Vienna, Austria. The Mannequin 1851/65 was manufactured by OEWG Steyr for the Austrian Military in 1870, and by G. Sigl for the Hungarian Military in 1871, with solely roughly 80 or extra items reportedly made in complete between the 2 firms (this instance is numbered 84). This Austro-Hungarian Mannequin 1851/65 is a licensed variant based mostly off of the Montigny Mitrailleuse (translated “machine gun” or “grapeshot”), which was developed by the Belgian Engineer Joseph Montigny between 1859-1870 as an improved model of the Mitrailleuse, initially invented in 1851 by Belgian Captain Fafschamps as a 50-barrelled volley gun. Montigny approached the French Military along with his gun for the aim of a sale in 1863, and Napoleon III confirmed curiosity in it; with roughly 200 examples made referred to as the “Reffye Mitrailleuse”, a 25-barrel variant fired by the usage of a crank and chambered in 13mm, manufactured in secret below French supervision for the French Military and used within the Franco-Prussian Struggle. The idea was nonetheless very new when it comes to learn how to successfully make the most of weapons equivalent to this, and the French commanders selected to make use of them like artillery, firing at lengthy vary the place they had been discovered to be inaccurate and underpowered in that position. They had been outperformed by the Prussian Krupp artillery, which might lend to the thought in Europe as an entire that “machine weapons” (together with Gatling weapons of the time) had been usually not as efficient as artillery items; to not be successfully utilized till World Struggle I with the widespread use of Maxim machine weapons on both facet of the trenches (some Montigny weapons additionally noticed restricted use in a protection position as late as World Struggle I!).”
Lot 304: Montigny Mitrailleuse 1851/65 37-Shot Volley Gun with Carriage – Extremely Uncommon Austro-Hungarian Montigny Mitrailleuse Mannequin 1851/65 Speedy Repeating 37-Shot Szorloveg Volley Gun with Carriage. (n.d.-b). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/88/304/montigny-mitrailleuse-185165-37shot-volley-gun-with-carriage.
