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In 1868/69 the War Office conducted trials at Shoeburyness on a variety of different calibre Gatling guns and a Monigney Mitrailleuse under the auspices of Major S.V.Fosbury V.C.
These weapons were:
1 inch Gatling
0.75 inch Gatling
0.65 inch Gatling
0.42 inch Gatling
11mm Montigmy Mitralleuse.
The result of the trials was a recommendation that the Gatling should be adopted for service both in the field and on board ship. In 1870 the Admiralty asked that 12 small and 12 medium Gatlings should be included for the Navy in the 1871/72 Army estimates. These descriptions meant the 0.45 inch and 0.65 inch guns respectively.
The manufacturing license for the Gatling in Great Britain was held by Sir W. Armstrong and Comapny and they maintained a close relationship with the military.They had conducted early trials of a .45 inch Gatling using the regular coiled case Martini Henry round and found it completely unsatisfactory. This was because the large head diameter compared to the calibre caused jams in the ammunition feed.
Instead they suggested a .500/.450 inch cartridge designed by Capt. Nobel of Armstrongs which had a slimmer bottlenecked case. Knowing the Woolwich preference for a Boxer type case he submitted case made of coiled 33 WG tin with a Boxer head and using the Martini Henry bullet and propellant charge. In trials these were found to perform badly due to the bases being too thin and so the decision was made to proceed with a solid drawn copper cartridge.
It is believed only 1000 of these cases were produced and sent to Woolwich for loading but some were sent to India for climatic trials where this example was recovered.
Other coiled tin case types were also tried but by 1872 drawn brass .45 inch Gatling cases were being delivered to Woolwich for loading by Armstrongs who were obtaining them from either Mr. John Abraham or the national Arms and Ammunition Co. Ltd., the latter being considered the better.
A sample round with its drawing was sent to the Director of Artillery and this formed the basis for the sealed pattern of the Gatling service cartridge.
Note: Air Service variants of the Gardner Gatling rounds are covered separately on their own page.
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