Bira gun
Encyclopedia
The Bira gun was a .577/450 Martini-Henry
calibre machine gun
designed and manufactured in Nepal
during the latter part of the 19th Century. It was a development of, and based upon, the American Gardner gun
. It was double barreled, but fed through an overhead drum magazine similar to the later Lewis gun
. The Bira gun was never deployed operationally.
Invented by Nepalese General Gehendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1871–1905) and similar in some respects to the American Gardner (especially in the reciprocating bolts), the internal mechanism of the Bira Gun is actually quite different in a number of ways, especially as it is hand-crank fired—but the handle is rotated counterclockwise, as this was found more reliable than the usual clockwise rotation of most other mechanical guns such as the Gatling gun
and Nordenfeldt gun. Bira Guns were manufactured in 1896–97 and are literally hand-made, with few parts from one interchangeable with those on another. They were apparently never used in battle but are interesting artifacts in that they were built at a time when fully automatic machine guns, such as the Maxim
, had been developed and were becoming increasingly common.
.577/450 Martini-Henry
The .577/450 Martini-Henry was a black powder, centerfire round used by the British and British Empire militaries prior to the adoption of the .303 calibre cartridge used in the Lee-Metford, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Enfield series of rifles alongside the Nepalese Bira gun...
calibre machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
designed and manufactured in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
during the latter part of the 19th Century. It was a development of, and based upon, the American Gardner gun
Gardner gun
The Gardner gun was an early type of mechanical machine gun. It had one or two barrels, was fed from a vertical magazine or hopper and was operated by a crank. When the crank was turned, a feed arm positioned a cartridge in the breech, the bolt closed and the weapon fired...
. It was double barreled, but fed through an overhead drum magazine similar to the later Lewis gun
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
. The Bira gun was never deployed operationally.
Invented by Nepalese General Gehendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1871–1905) and similar in some respects to the American Gardner (especially in the reciprocating bolts), the internal mechanism of the Bira Gun is actually quite different in a number of ways, especially as it is hand-crank fired—but the handle is rotated counterclockwise, as this was found more reliable than the usual clockwise rotation of most other mechanical guns such as the Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
and Nordenfeldt gun. Bira Guns were manufactured in 1896–97 and are literally hand-made, with few parts from one interchangeable with those on another. They were apparently never used in battle but are interesting artifacts in that they were built at a time when fully automatic machine guns, such as the Maxim
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
, had been developed and were becoming increasingly common.
See also
- Nordenfelt gunNordenfelt gunThe Nordenfelt Gun was a multiple barrel machine gun that had a row of up to twelve barrels. It was fired by pulling a lever back and forth. It was produced in a number of different calibres from rifle up to 25 mm...
- Gardner gunGardner gunThe Gardner gun was an early type of mechanical machine gun. It had one or two barrels, was fed from a vertical magazine or hopper and was operated by a crank. When the crank was turned, a feed arm positioned a cartridge in the breech, the bolt closed and the weapon fired...
- Gatling gunGatling gunThe Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
- Gast gunGast gunThe Gast Gun was a German twin barreled machine gun developed by Karl Gast of Vorwerk und Companie of Barmen, and used during the First World War...
- Ripley Machine GunRipley Machine GunThe Ripley Machine Gun was a volley gun, an early precursor of the machine gun, patented in 1861 by Ezra Ripley. Although it was likely never actually produced, it demonstrated a number of basic concepts that were employed in the design of the Gatling Gun that was patented the following...