The invention of the machine gun

The first mechanical firing mechanism, the matchlock, was developed

The first gun designed with a buttstock allowing it to be fired from the shoulder was the harquebus

Guns had already been the decisive factor in several battles between Spain and France.

Alexander Forsythe invented the percussion firing mechanism.

The first machine gun, the mitrailleuse, was designed in Belgium

Dr. Richard J. Gatling patented a gun with six barrels that rotated around a central axis by a hand crank.

Hiram S. Maxim, an American engineer, patented the first automatic machine gun

John M. Browning introduced the principle of gas operation.

The army authorized a regimental machine-gun company.

American ordnance officers replaced the Browning .30 caliber guns with the new M60.