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59-607: The Barrett XM500 is a gas-operated , semi-automatic , anti materiel / sniper rifle in development by the Barrett Firearms Company as of 2010. It is fed by a 10-round detachable box magazine situated behind the trigger in bullpup configuration. Based on the design of the Barrett M82/M107 , it is intended to be a lighter, more compact alternative. Since the XM500 has a stationary barrel (instead of

118-465: A wind tunnel and later building a whirling arm test rig. Construction started in 1889 of a 40-foot-long (12 m) craft with a 110-foot (34 m) wingspan that weighed 3.5 tons, powered by two lightweight naptha -fired 360-horsepower (270 kW) steam engines driving two 17-foot-diameter (5.2 m) laminated pine propellers. Conceived of as a test rig, the machine ran on an 1,800-foot (550 m) length of rail track which Maxim laid down for

177-547: A British inventor called Richard Paulson, who a year before had patented a straight blowback-operated rifle and pistol, again, one year after Maxim’s first blowback patent, patented a gas piston-operated rifle and pistol which he claimed could be used with sliding, rotating or falling bolts. He would also patent a gas-operated revolver in 1886. Paulson did construct models of his rifle and tried them in France shortly after filing his patent. Furthermore, according to A. W. F. Taylerson,

236-406: A Protestant. Maxim, a longtime sufferer of bronchitis , patented and manufactured a pocket menthol inhaler and a larger "Pipe of Peace", a steam inhaler using pine vapour, that he claimed could relieve asthma , tinnitus , hay fever and catarrh . After being criticised for applying his talents to quackery , he protested that "it will be seen that it is a very creditable thing to invent

295-476: A biography of his father titled A Genius in the Family , containing about 60 anecdotes of Hiram Percy's experiences with his father throughout his early life (until about age 12). Most of these short stories are entertaining; they give a reader an insider's (and a child's) view of the man's personal and family life. So Goes My Love , a film loosely based on these memoirs and starring Don Ameche and Myrna Loy ,

354-436: A book he called Li Hung Chang's Scrapbook . This book was addressed to Li Hung Chang (also spelled Li Hongzhang and Li Hung-chang) and endeavored to address a belief that "The Chinese were generally puzzled as to how it was possible for people who are able to build locomotives and steamships to have a religion based on a belief in devils, ghosts, impossible miracles, and all the other absurdities and impossibilities peculiar to

413-468: A child named Romaine by her. The case was eventually dropped, being settled for under $ 1,000 (the original amount asked for was $ 25,000), and Maxim put behind him the near public humiliation the case caused. In October 1898, Helen Leighton again brought charges against Maxim for bigamy and abandonment in Poughkeepsie, New York. Later in life, he left 4,000 pounds sterling to a Romaine Dennison, perhaps

472-427: A family of French Huguenot origin. He became an apprentice coachbuilder at the age of 14 and ten years later, took up a job at the machine works of his uncle, Levi Stephens, at Fitchburg, Massachusetts . He subsequently worked as an instrument-maker and as a draughtsman. (His early jobs in these areas led him to be often disappointed with workers when he ran his own companies later on in life.) Hiram called himself

531-468: A feasible flying machine would need better power-to-weight engines, such as a petrol combustion engine. To both fund his research into flight and to bring attention to the notion of flight, Maxim designed and built an amusement ride for the Earl's Court exhibition of 1904. The ride was based on a test-rig he had devised for his research, and consisted of a large spinning frame from which cars hung captive. As

590-478: A firearms historian, his patented revolver was probably workable. In 1887, an American inventor called Henry Pitcher patented a gas-operated conversion system that he claimed could be applied to any manually-operated magazine rifle. In 1890 he would patent and submit an original gas-operated rifle for testing by the US government but it performed poorly and was ultimately never adopted despite being offered commercially for

649-622: A full power cartridge. The direct impingement (DI) method of operation vents gas from partway down the barrel through a tube to the working parts of a rifle where they directly impinge on the bolt carrier. This results in a simpler, lighter mechanism. Firearms that use this system include the French MAS-40 from 1940, the Swedish Ag m/42 from 1942. The Stoner gas system of the American M16 , M4, and AR-15 style rifles utilize

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708-601: A gas piston in a single-shot breech-loading rifle comes from 1856, by the German Edward Lindner who patented his invention in the United States and Britain. In 1866, Englishman William Curtis filed the first patent on a gas-operated repeating rifle but subsequently failed to develop that idea further. Between 1883 and 1885, Hiram Maxim filed several patents on blowback-, recoil-, and gas-operation. In 1885, one year after Maxim's first gas-operated patent,

767-540: A highly successful amusement ride called the "Captive Flying Machine" to fund his research while generating public interest in flight . Maxim moved from the United States to the United Kingdom at the age of 41, and remained an American citizen until he became a naturalised British citizen in 1899, and received a knighthood in 1901. Maxim was born in Sangerville , Maine on 5 February 1840, into

826-467: A hole being drilled in the barrel. Both governments would first adopt weapons and later abandon the concept. Most earlier US M1 Garand rifles were retrofitted with long-stroke gas pistons, making the surviving gas trap rifles valuable in the collector's market. In the 1980s Soviet designer Alexander Adov from TsKIB SOO modified the concept with a tube diverting gas from the muzzle to a standard long stroke system (see below) in order to diminish influence of

885-445: A killing machine, and nothing less than a disgrace to invent an apparatus to prevent human suffering". He also invented a curling iron, an apparatus for demagnetising watches, magno-electric machines, devices to prevent the rolling of ships, eyelet and riveting machines, aircraft artillery, an aerial torpedo gun, coffee substitutes, and various oil, steam, and gas engines. A large furniture factory had repeatedly burned down, and Maxim

944-448: A longer weapon and allows dirt to easily enter the mechanism. Despite these disadvantages, they use relatively low pressure gas and do not require a hole in the barrel, which made them attractive in early designs. The system is no longer used in modern weapons. Hiram Maxim patented a muzzle-cup system in 1884 described in U.S. patent 319,596 though it is unknown if this firearm was ever prototyped. John Browning used gas trapped at

1003-422: A modified version of this where a gas tube delivers gas into the bolt carrier to impinge on the bolt, which acts as a piston to cycle the rifle. One principal advantage is that the moving parts are placed in-line with the bore axis meaning that sight picture is not disturbed as much. This offers a particular advantage for fully automatic mechanisms. It has the disadvantage of the high-temperature propellant gas (and

1062-533: A patent for the first successful gas-operated machine gun. Most current gas systems employ some type of piston. The face of the piston is acted upon by combustion gas from a port in the barrel or a trap at the muzzle. Early guns, such as Browning's "flapper" prototype, the Bang rifle , and the Garand rifle , used relatively low-pressure gas from at or near the muzzle . This, combined with larger operating parts, reduced

1121-598: A pile of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each others' throats with greater facility.'" As a child, Maxim had been knocked over by a rifle's recoil, and this inspired him to use that recoil force to automatically operate a gun. Between 1883 and 1885 Maxim patented gas, recoil and blowback methods of operation. After moving to England, he settled in a large house formerly owned by Lord Thurlow in West Norwood where he developed his design for an automatic weapon, using an action that would close

1180-550: A very short piston, or "tappet." This movement is closely restricted by a shoulder recess. This mechanism inherently limits the amount of gas taken from the barrel . The M14 rifle and M60 GPMG use the White expansion and cutoff system to stop (cut off) gas from entering the cylinder once the piston has traveled a short distance. Most systems, however, vent excess gas into the atmosphere through slots, holes, or ports. A gas trap system involves "trapping" combustion gas as it leaves

1239-475: Is not locked but is pushed rearward by the expanding propellant gases as in other blowback-based designs. However, propellant gases are vented from the barrel into a cylinder with a piston that delays the opening of the bolt. It is used by Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 rifle, the Heckler & Koch P7 , Steyr GB and Walther CCP pistols. To avoid consuming a lot of relatively expensive rounds, many armies, including

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1298-522: The AR-15 family of weapons for addressing the shortcomings of the Stoner internal gas piston operating system. It is a cross between a short-stroke gas piston and a M1 Garand type long-stroke gas piston system. It is similar to a regular short-stroke piston in operation because it too uses an open gas piston that has an impingement cavity at its head, that rests on a gas block on the barrel. However just like

1357-573: The Armalite AR-18 or the SKS . In either case, the energy is imparted in a short, abrupt push and the motion of the gas piston is then arrested, allowing the bolt carrier assembly to continue through the operating cycle through kinetic energy . This has the advantage of reducing the total mass of recoiling parts compared with a long-stroke piston. This, in turn, enables better control of the weapon due to less mass needing to be stopped at either end of

1416-743: The Barrow Shipbuilding Company purchase by Vickers Corporation in 1897, formed 'Vickers, Son & Maxim'. Their improved development of the Maxim gun design, the Vickers machine gun , after Maxim's resignation from the board in 1911 on his 71st birthday, was the standard British machine gun for many years. With arms sales led by Basil Zaharoff , variants of the Maxim gun were bought and used extensively by both sides during World War I . In his later years Maxim became profoundly deaf, as his hearing had been damaged by years of exposure to

1475-872: The British Association for the Advancement of Science ; Member of the British Empire League ; and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts . In 1881, Maxim arrived in Britain to reorganise the London offices of the United States Electric Lighting Company. His visits back to the United States became increasingly infrequent and, on 16 September 1899, Maxim became a naturalised British citizen . In

1534-619: The Golden Zephyr , a modern-day recreation of the Traver version of the ride. The ride itself is much smaller than the Blackpool version, with cars swinging out at a much smaller angle. Nevertheless, engineers from Disney visited Blackpool to inspect the Maxim ride (the only example of either version still standing) to help design their ride. In 1911, Maxim headed the newly formed Grahame-White , Blériot , and Maxim Company, founded with

1593-881: The US, while Hiram worked mainly in Europe. Hudson had success in the States, which caused jealousy from Hiram (he lamented having a "double" of himself running around in the States). The jealousy and disagreements caused a rift between the brothers that would last the rest of their lives. Hiram Maxim married his first wife, the English-born Jane Budden, on 11 May 1867 in Boston , Massachusetts . Their children were: Hiram Percy Maxim ; Florence Maxim, who married George Albert Cutter, and Adelaide Maxim, who married Eldon Joubert, Ignacy Jan Paderewski 's piano tuner. In 1875,

1652-494: The United States Army, trained machine gun crews with less-expensive sub-caliber ammunition in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. To do this, they needed a cheap .22 LR cartridge to operate firearms designed to use the .30-06 cartridge. David Marshall Williams invented a method that involved a separate floating chamber that acted as a gas piston with combustion gas impinging directly on

1711-610: The accompanying fouling) being blown directly into the action parts. Direct impingement operation increases the amount of heat that is deposited in the receiver while firing, which can burn off and cover up lubricants. The bolt, extractor, ejector, pins, and springs are also heated by the same high-temperature gas. These combined factors reduce service life of these parts, reliability, and mean time between failures . Several other uses have been found for exhaust gases other than to aid cycling: Hiram Stevens Maxim Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916)

1770-402: The adapted ride as "Simply a glorified merry-go-round". Nevertheless, his company built several more rides of various sizes at The Crystal Palace and various seaside resorts including Southport , New Brighton , and Blackpool , all of which opened in 1904. Originally, Maxim had intended to build only two, but a lengthy breakdown on the original Earl's Court ride forced him to build more to make

1829-483: The bolt carrier travel and prevents hot combustion gases from being pushed into the internals and removes powder residue in the receiver which significantly improves reliability, increasing the lifespan of weapon parts by reducing instances of malfunctions under prolonged periods of extreme high rate of fire and suppressed shooting. The short-stroke operating system is available both on military ( HK416 lineage , LMT MARS ) and civilian markets as an alternative or retrofit to

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1888-567: The breech and compress a spring, by storing the recoil energy released by a shot to prepare the gun for its next shot. He thoughtfully ran announcements in the local press warning that he would be experimenting with the gun in his garden and that neighbours should keep their windows open to avoid the danger of broken glass. Maxim founded an arms company with financial backing from Edward Vickers to produce his machine gun in Crayford , Kent, which later merged with Nordenfelt . Subsequently, part of

1947-603: The civilian market. In the 1880s a gas piston-operated rifle and pistol were developed by the Clair Brothers of France who received a French patent and submitted prototypes for testing by the French army in 1888 although the true date of their invention is uncertain. They would also produce a semi-automatic shotgun in the early 1890s. In 1889, the Austro-Hungarian Adolf Odkolek von Újezd filed

2006-558: The family moved to Fanwood, New Jersey , with Hiram joining the family on weekends. His son Hiram Percy Maxim followed in his father's and uncle's footsteps and became a mechanical engineer and weapons designer as well, but he is perhaps best known for his early amateur radio experiments and for founding the American Radio Relay League . His invention of the "Maxim Silencer" for noise suppression came too late to save his father's hearing. Hiram Percy later wrote

2065-569: The following year, Queen Victoria bestowed a knighthood on him. However Victoria died on 22 January 1901, shortly before Maxim's investiture, and so the honour was conferred by Maxim's "friend and new king, Edward VII " at Marlborough House on 9 February 1901. Maxim died at his home in Streatham , London on 24 November 1916 at the age of 76. He is buried in south London's West Norwood Cemetery with his wife and his grandson, Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Joubert. His brother, Hudson Maxim ,

2124-438: The front of the floating chamber. The .22 caliber Colt Service Ace conversion kit for the .45 caliber M1911 pistol also used Williams' system, which allows a much heavier slide than other conversions operating on the unaugmented blowback mechanism and makes training with the converted pistol realistic. A floating chamber provides additional force to operate the heavier slide, providing a felt recoil level similar to that of

2183-530: The gas engine on barrel and increase accuracy, but his sniper rifle wasn't adopted due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union . With a long-stroke system, the piston is mechanically fixed to the bolt group and moves through the entire operating cycle. This system is used in weapons such as the Bren light machine gun , AK-47 , Tavor , FN Minimi , FN MAG , FN FNC , and M1 Garand . The primary advantage of

2242-769: The influence of the Bible on the civilization of Europe and America. He concluded his scrapbook with an appeal to the Missionaries and his thoughts on the reason for the failure of what he described as "Missionary Propaganda" in China. Maxim was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour ; a Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer; Member of the London Chamber of Commerce ; Fellow of the Royal Institution ; Member of

2301-498: The invention under his own name, and that Edison proved the employee's claim to be false, knowing that patent law would mean the invention would become public property, allowing Edison to manufacture the lightbulb without crediting Maxim as the true inventor. Maxim was reported to have said: "In 1882 I was in Vienna, where I met an American whom I had known in the States. He said: 'Hang your chemistry and electricity! If you want to make

2360-478: The late 1870s. In 1878 he cofounded United States Electric Lighting Company together with Edward Weston to commercialize his designs. However, he was involved in several lengthy patent disputes with Thomas Edison over his claims to the lightbulb . One of these actions regarded the incandescent bulb , for which Maxim claimed that Edison was credited by means of his better understanding of patenting law. Maxim claimed that an employee of his had falsely patented

2419-552: The long-stroke gas piston system used on the M1 Garand the piston assembly is integrated with the operating rod and moves with the bolt group. The caveat of this system is that it has heavier moving mass than modern long-stroke gas piston systems used on rifles like the AK-47 , Tavor , FN FNC , etc. Hence firearms using this system do have higher felt recoil than their equivalent modern long-stroke gas piston counterparts. The bolt

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2478-403: The long-stroke system is that the mass of the piston rod adds to the momentum of the bolt carrier enabling more positive extraction, ejection, chambering, and locking. The primary disadvantage to this system is the disruption of the point of aim due to several factors such as: the center of mass changing during the action cycle, abrupt stops at the beginning and end of bolt carrier travel, and

2537-402: The machine lifted and was prevented from rising by the outriggers. During its test run, all the outriggers were engaged, showing that it had developed enough lift to take off, but in so doing, it pulled up the track; the tethered "flight" was aborted in time to prevent disaster. Maxim subsequently abandoned work on it but put his experience to work on fairground rides. He subsequently noted that

2596-421: The machine spun, the cars would be swung outward through the air, simulating flight. The ride was similar to the later Circle Swing ride, made popular in the US by renowned roller-coaster designer Harry Traver . Maxim originally intended to use primitive aerofoils and wings to allow riders to control their flight, but this was outlawed as unsafe. As a result, Maxim quickly lost interest in the project, declaring

2655-617: The muzzle to operate a "flapper" in the earliest prototype gas-operated firearm described in U.S. patent 471,782 , and used a slight variation of this design on the M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun "potato digger". The Danish Bang rifle used a muzzle cup blown forward by muzzle gas to operate the action through transfer bars and leverage. Other gas-trap rifles were early production M1 Garands and German Gewehr 41 (both Walther and Mauser models). The American and German governments both had requirements that their guns operated without

2714-415: The muzzle. This gas impinges on a surface that converts the energy to motion that, in turn, cycles the action of the firearm. As the resulting motion is forward toward the muzzle of the gun, some sort of mechanical system is needed to translate this into the rearward motion needed to operate the bolt. This adds to the complexity of the mechanism and its weight, and the placement of the trap generally results in

2773-431: The noise of his guns. Maxim's father had earlier conceived of a helicopter powered by two counter-rotating rotors, but was unable to find a powerful enough engine to build it. Hiram first sketched out plans for a helicopter in 1872, but when he built his first "flying machine" he chose to use wings. Before starting design work, he carried out a series of experiments on aerofoil sections and propeller design, at first using

2832-464: The purpose at his home, Baldwyn's Park Mansion, Baldwyn's Park in Bexley . The initial intention was to prevent the machine from lifting off by using heavy cast-iron wheels, but after initial trials, Maxim concluded that this would not suffice, and so the machine was fitted with four wheeled outriggers which were restrained by wooden rails 13 feet (4.0 m) outside the central track. In trials in 1894,

2891-474: The recoiling-barrel design of the M82), it will likely have somewhat better accuracy. As with its predecessor, it comes with a removable, adjustable bipod mounted under the barrel, and a top-mounted Picatinny rail for attachment of a scope or other accessory. This article relating to rifles is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gas-operated reloading The first mention of using

2950-601: The religion taught by the missionaries ." Maxim held European missionaries in China in low esteem, for reasons described in the scrapbook. He stated "...it was my aim, in compiling for His Excellency a scrap-book with explanatory notes, to put the Chinaman right in this respect. I wished to show that we were not all fools." His scrapbook comprised some 400 pages with 42 illustrations, presenting his views on The Nature of Christianity; Christianity in China; and his conclusions on subjects including Miracles, Spirituality, Faith; and

3009-464: The same park's similarly historic river caves , it is the oldest operating amusement ride in Europe. The Flying Machines has the distinction of being virtually unchanged from Maxim's original design. The Blackpool ride's name is now usually abbreviated to the "Flying Machine" or "Flying Machines", although the full name, "Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machines", is given at the ride entrance. In 2001, Disney California Adventure Park opened, featuring

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3068-422: The strain on the mechanism. To simplify and lighten the firearm, gas from nearer the chamber needed to be used. This high- pressure gas has sufficient force to destroy a firearm unless it is regulated somehow. Most gas-operated firearms rely on tuning the gas port size, mass of operating parts, and spring pressures to function. Several other methods are employed to regulate the energy. The M1 carbine incorporates

3127-409: The two aviators and two hundred thousand pounds of capital. He had hoped to produce military aircraft capable of scouting or dropping a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb, but his failing health and financial difficulties with his other enterprises restricted his ability to develop this enterprise before his death. In addition to his engineering endeavors, Maxim, a lifelong atheist "compiled and edited"

3186-459: The use of the barrel as a fulcrum to drive the bolt back. Also, due to the greater mass of moving parts, more gas is required to operate the system that, in turn, requires larger operating parts. With a short-stroke or tappet system, the piston moves separately from the bolt group. It may directly push the bolt group parts, as in the M1 carbine , or operate through a connecting rod or assembly, as in

3245-466: The venture profitable. He had plans for further variations of the ride but his disillusionment with the amusement business meant that they were never realised. Although he expressed regrets about the whole project, the rides were held in high regard within the amusement industry and the Blackpool ride still operates to this day as part of what is now the Pleasure Beach amusement park. Along with

3304-405: Was also a military inventor, specializing in explosives . They worked quite closely together until later in life, when there was a disagreement on a patent for smokeless powder . The patent, Hiram claimed, had been issued under the name 'H. Maxim,' and that because of this, his brother was able to stake a claim as the powder being his own. Hudson was a skilled and knowledgeable man, and sold arms in

3363-455: Was an American-born British inventor best known as the creator of the first automatic machine gun , the Maxim gun . Maxim held patents on numerous mechanical devices such as hair-curling irons , a mousetrap , and steam pumps . Maxim laid claim to inventing the lightbulb . Maxim experimented with powered flight ; his large aircraft designs were never successful. Circa 1904 he designed

3422-528: Was consulted on how to prevent a recurrence. As a result, Maxim invented the first automatic fire sprinkler . It would douse the areas that were on fire, and it would report the fire to the fire station. Maxim was unable to sell the idea elsewhere, but when the patent expired the idea was used. Maxim developed and installed the first electric lights in a New York City building (the Equitable Life Building (New York City) at 120 Broadway ) in

3481-563: Was released in 1946. Hiram Maxim married his secretary and mistress, Sarah, daughter of Charles Haynes of Boston, in 1881. It is not clear if he was legally divorced from his first wife at this time. The marriage was registered again in Westminster , London in 1890. A woman called Helen Leighton brought a case against Maxim, claiming that he had married her in 1878 and that "he was knowingly committing bigamy" against his current wife, Jane Budden. She claimed further that Maxim had fathered

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