Opening Shot: Model 1883 and No. 353 Gatling Guns

by
posted on November 5, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gatgun.jpg

Those words, from Rudyard Kipling’s 1890 poem “Gunga Din,” served as the inspiration for a 1939 movie by the same name starring Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Victor McLaughlin and Sam Jaffe. In the classic film’s final battle scene, two Gatling guns and their field carriages are offloaded from elephants, set up and put into action by the soon-to-be victorious British troops. Both of those guns now reside at NRA’s National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va. They are Model 1883s, Serial No. 341 (shown here) and No. 353, chambered in .45-70 Gov’t, and they were made by “Colts Pat. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford Conn. USA”—as most were. Part of the Robert E. Peterson Collection, they were previously in the J.S. Stembridge gun rental collection at Paramount Studios.

The manually operated gun has 10 barrels that are fully encased in brass, and on its top is an Accles 104-round, positive-feed drum, patented by James G. Accles on Dec. 18, 1883. Unlike previous Gatlings, the crank could be mounted on either the right side or at the rear—providing direct drive—with an impressive cyclic rate of up to 1,500 rounds per minute, provided there were no issues with the finicky Accles system.

Serial No. 341 is part of the museum’s “Hollywood Guns” exhibit, and thanks to the Robert Peterson Estate, you can see Serial No. 353 (in its original box) as well as seven more Gatlings in chamberings from .30-40 Krag to .50-70 Gov’t at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va.

Latest

Is 2025
Is 2025

Firearm Industry Companies Consolidate, Others Close Doors In 2025

This year has already seen some big changes in the firearm industry. They don’t quite reach the tectonic shift in 2020, when legendary firms owned by Remington Outdoor were auctioned off, but there have still been some notable shifts within the industry in 2025.

Preview: Uni-Loader

The easy-to-use Uni-Loader can save high-volume shooters a lot of time and finger pain.

CZ 600+ Introduces Switch-Barrel Capability

In 2025, CZ USA expanded its 600 series rifle lineup with the CZ 600+, a design that delivers on the company's promise of a switch-barrel platform.

Preview: Savior Equipment Specialist Double Rifle Case

The Specialist Double Rifle Case from Savior Equipment is, as its name suggests, a rifle bag capable of carrying a pair of longarms simultaneously ...

Gun Of The Week: Traditions Outfitter G3 Pro

Join American Rifleman staff in this video to get a close look at a single-shot rifle design oriented toward today’s modern hunter, particularly those in states where straight-wall cartridges have been legalized for hunting.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 12, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.