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LOT 3150
Rare and Historic Colt U.S. Model 1897 Gatling Gun with Iron Carriage with Markings Commemorating the Battle of San Juan Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s Inauguration, and Other Historical Events - Serial no. 1067, 30 Army (30-40 Krag) , 31 3/4 inch round
bbl., blue/bright finish. A forerunner to the modern machine gun, the Gatling gun is one of the most iconic American firearms of the 19th century and is often called a“hand-cranked machine gun.”The Gatling gun revolutionized warfare, and Gatling’s invention changed the
way wars were fought forever. They were first used in combat in the
American Civil War but were not officially adopted by the U.S. Army until 1866 and then went on to see service in multiple campaigns into the 20th century before being replaced by machine guns. “The Gatling Gun” by Wahl and Toppel on page 139 indicates this Gatling Gun would have been part of the batch containing serial numbers 1050- 1080 delivered on August 29, 1898. It is mounted on an iron carriage with period painted lettering that reads on the top flat surface: “June 1898 Guantanamo/July 1898 San Juan Hill/Santiago De Cuba”and “July 1900 Tientsin/August 1900 Peking/China” and “1906 to 1928/ Panama...Nicaragua...Haiti...Santo Domingo...Cuba/1906 Battle of San Francisco de Macoris Santo Domingo.....” with the front edge of the carriage reading “President Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration 4 March
1905 Washington, D.C.” commemorating numerous historical events involving Gatling Guns, some possible this very gun and/or carriage. Serial numbers 1040-1043, for example,
were famously used at the Battle of San Juan Hill where Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Buffalo
Soldiers captured Kettle Hill with the support of Gatling guns mounted on this pattern of carriage. The painted markings are of the
style you’d expect from a display in the 1930s. The gun features a ten-barrel cluster,
and the modern made replacement barrels are chambered in rimmed .30
Army (.30-40 Krag) caliber. The top of the brass breech cover is hand
engraved “GATLING GUN PATENTED/ Manufactured by/Colt’s Pt.
F.A. Mfg. Co./HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A.” and “No 1067/ Cal. 30/T.C.D.” along with “MODEL/1897” on top of the right edge. Features a notch front sight mounted on the right ahead
of an adjustable
modern made replacement
V-notch rear sight. The right side of
the cartridge hopper is engraved with an arrow
pointing forward. This Model 1897 utilizes a Bruce feed system and comes with one modern made
magazine. Matching number “5C” is marked on the outside and inside of the
cartridge hopper, and on the crank locking piece. The modern made replacement blued barrels are marked
with numbers “1” through “10” at the breech. The modern made replacement bolts are also numbered “1” through “10” on the top front.
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