Marlin 7MG aka Model 1917 Aircraft Machine Gun

/ forgottenweapons
www.floatplane.com/channel/Fo...
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
John Browning’s original Model 1895 gas-lever machine gun was still in production by Colt when World War One broke out. It was not the most modern gun around by then, but it was available - and that was the most important feature for many potential buyers. Colt, however, had a lot of other larger orders to fill, and so in 1914 it arranged to subcontract the 1895 pattern gun to Marlin. Marlin (which reorganized to become Marlin-Rockwell in 1916) had a talented Swedish designer named Carl Gustav Swebelius who substantially modernized the design by redesigning it to use a straight gas piston instead of the original swinging lever. This, and its closed-bolt firing, made it a candidate for synchronized aircraft use.
After some further revisions to improve extraction, the gun was designated the 7 MG (model 1917) by the US, and some 38,000 were ordered. At some point the heavy barrel was replaced with a thinner, smooth profile barrel and the cocking handle changed from a loop to a simple “L” handle. In 1918, a new design of hydraulic synchronizer was adopted, resulting in a new designation of 8 MG. At the very end of the war, the Marlin was chosen for use in American light tanks, and 2,646 were converted for that purpose by installing Lewis-type barrel cooling shrouds and flash hiders. None of these reached Europe in time to see service during the war, though.
The Marlin 1917 machine gun is one of the least appreciated and understood of American military machine guns, and detailed information on them is quite sparse. This video was done with he best set of facts I was able to find, and I hope it is not wrong in any substantial area!
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@v12ts.gaming]

If anyone notice this, this is actually one of the weapons we get in Vanguard S2.

[@Darkmjoan]

That trigger mesmerized me; perfectly framed by the charging handle

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

It's that rare left-hand-fire only MG

[@N3onDr1v3]

I THOUGHT THAT WAS A TRIGGER GUARD FROM THE THUMBNAIL

[@LockedFrozen]

Wow this looks like it straight came out of some Dieselpunk movie.

[@PACKERMAN2077]

Spray paint it black and it looks like it's straight out of Star Wars... Paint it Rusty Brown and it's from Firefly... And paint it chrome and it's from Terminator. seeing as how that's how the prop guns were made, kit bashing from various vintage firearms. This thing looks like it's a fan prop.

[@LockedFrozen]

@@PACKERMAN2077 exactly, it's such an interesting design.

[@pkre707]

What is an example of a Dieselpunk movie?

[@LockedFrozen]

@@pkre707 I'd say Brazil from 1985 is inspired from Dieselpunk

[@Dekko-chan]

I didnt know what that means, but i looked it up and i guess you mean kinda like wolfenstein right?

[@Afrohare]

Never would've imagined to see an actual machinegun with an old timey revolver handle...

[@baconvonmeatwich]

They do closely resemble old Colt 1889 stocks.

[@jaredwillard3022]

There are several from that era with that style of pistol grip. It is interesting to see, and one of the reasons this channel is the best channel on KZbin lol.

[@judsongaiden9878]

A Jakobs grip on a machine gun.

[@vamsterr]

they were only made to be bolted to tripods or some kind of mount, so no stock needed

[@edwalmsley1401]

Pretty common with early mg's to be honest

[@chellman910]

Just went to an m4 range with my unit, and I found a shit ton of 30.06 cases all dated between 1914-1917 on a service road nearby. Almost half of them are torn off at the rim or had split necks. I think I just found the culprit. Thanks Gun Jesus.

[@duplicarus]

Seems like spent brass and UXO’s were just never recovered back then. I mean I’m always finding old 5.56 brass when we go to the range so it’s like we miss some now too

[@marcusvine9989]

"And (the Navy) complained they had a lot of torn rims" yeah, pretty standard naval complaint ;)

[@peterstickney7608]

A couple of thoughts - The Billboard Stamping of "Cal. .30" on the side of the receiver may be to avoid confusion with Brit .303, which was used in the Vickers and Lewis guns of US aircraft in combat, since the airplanes and weapons were supplied by the French and British. The synchronizer is an interesting system. Essentially, in order to assure that you're not shooting off your own propeller, it was realized, by comparing the engine speed (actually propeller), typically around 1000-1500 RPM at the time, against the gun rate of fire, typically 500-600 rds/min, which varied with temperature, how had the gun had to pull on the belt, and other factors, that the best way to make the system work was not to interrupt the automatic firing of the gun when the propeller might be in the way, but to trigger the gun to fire a single round at a point when it was known that the propeller was clear, and there was sufficient time for the gun to fire (accounting for lock time and bullet travel) before the next propeller blade got in the way - essentially making the gun a mechanically triggered semiautomatic. Mechanical systems were pretty OK for this, but suffered from being maintenance headaches, and required constant fiddling to remove backlash and other slop that could muck up the timing of the synchronization. George Constantinesco developed the "hydraulic" synchronizer Ian mentions - but it wasn't really hydraulic - instead of using a fluid (like light oil) to transfer pressure (a push, if you will) from the synchonizer's cams at the propeller to the trigger on the gun, it created a pressure pulse in a small pressurized tube (oil filled) that traveled faster and more consistently (Since it was moving at the speed of sound in the fluid) to the trigger end, where the pressure pulse tripped the trigger mechanism. As long as the tubes were filled and held pressure, they system would work reliably and most important, consistently.

[@iaial0]

That's awesome knowledge, thank you! I did want to know how synchronizers worked and also to connect the dots I had in mind (the propeller spun pretty fast, in the order of magnitude of a machine gun firing, so how did they manage? Must have been semiauto)

[@BleedingUranium]

That's something I've always found neat, that synchronized guns were effectively just very fast firing semi-autos.

[@AmazingBilldo]

Well put. Synchronizer logic is a funny thing to those that don't know how they work

[@CAMSLAYER13]

@ralph apmann yeah, it's easier to not only balance the plane but to aim as well if the guns are on the body and it would really suck if you shot up your own propeller.

[@jeramyw]

With that grip it looks like a cartoon/videogame/movie character would have that in their holster/pocket and then pull out this f'ing machine gun instead of a snub nose 38.

[@prouttralala]

the joker ?

[@jeramyw]

@@prouttralala Possibly.

[@screamsinrussian5773]

@@prouttralala roger rabbit

[@justindunlap1235]

The mask

[@eduardopupucon]

@@justindunlap1235 yeah, definetly a mask thing lol

[@dredgewalker]

Imagine putting a bayonet on that lever.

[@wylandnares8642]

Oh, nonononono. It called an AUTOSTABBER!

[@nobleactual7616]

That would make it even more *tactical* than the bren 10

[@Falconwing3]

A weapon to surpass metal gear.

[@PUZZLEVISION_TV]

Now imagine the lever. Had a dildo on it.

[@Mongo63a]

The potato digger link gas arrangement would give a non linear motion/acceleration where as the linear later design would open faster. As the swing arm moved, there would be very little linear motion until the lever got toward the 1/2 way mark. This would mean extraction would occur at a lower chamber pressure.

[@MarshalHamster]

@Caleb Cohan Probably a Patreon supporter

[@oddspaghetti4287]

The potato digger system also means that the gas pressure has crazy good leverage to pry the case out of the chamber at the earliest portions of extraction.

[@sumdood6784]

@Caleb Cohan It might have been a YT glitch, but I watched this here several days ago, and I'm not even a patreon supporter.

[@stevehall2239]

True, but a quicker extraction at a lower pressure would not compensate for heat. The brass would be at it's weakest while the steel of the barrel would be expanded.

[@cursive187]

Ian you know better. War didn't "break out", It were declared.

[@metalman6708]

This channel is the absolute best when it comes to engineering and history. I'm sure that other historians use this channel as citation.

[@keithcarpenter5254]

Oh yes! Thus is gun gospel lol!

[@Porphyrios1]

It looks like a Colt is saying "Stick em up" to a machine gun.

[@buwaya4223]

Apparently there were a number of these or very similar Marlin models in storage in either Navy or Air Corps stores in the Philippines in 1941. Many were brought to Bataan and issued to the "provisional" US infantry units made up of service troops, redundant Air Corps and Navy personnel, etc., along with Lewis guns and other such stuff. They had no tripods for them so these we extemporized using stumps and logs and the like. Most of these provisional units were assigned to coast defense. They were prominent in the "Battle of the Points", where the Marlins were used. This is mentioned in several sources, as well as Louis Morton's US Army "Green Book" on the campaign. Some may have also been issued to Filipino units, but I have no further info on that. That would have been as replacements for the .30-06 Colt made Vickers that was the standard MG of the Philippine Army (maybe 1000 aquired and issued?) purchased in the 1930s from US WWI stocks. That was along with the likewise redundant M1917 rifles and the M1917 75mm field guns made to the British 18-pounder pattern. That Colt Vickers is another forgotten weapon, and its actual use on a large scale is a forgotten story.

[@bubbajones5905]

It’s amazing how unprepared the government had left the Philippines. FDR sent many millions on welfare schemes, and next to nothing on the army.

[@thomaagardner9513]

Lookn info on how much to ask for 1 that's been layn around forever

[@themythofthefacelessman2180]

I want to see you dual wield these in the next john wick movie

[@notimmortalmumin8477]

John Wick: I need air support! Ian McCollum: Dual wielding lmgs standing strapped to an aircraft.

[@maxwellclark6992]

Nah, he needs to duel wield Chauchauts

[@DissedRedEngie]

@@maxwellclark6992 definitely Chauchats, maybe also a Famas.

[@i.hate.swedish.ISRAELUBERALLES]

ıan into john wick movie oh boy

[@themythofthefacelessman2180]

@@maxwellclark6992 oh yes chauchats would be better

[@Achates72]

Fun fact. This was one of 2 guns used to arm America's first tank. The Ford 3-ton M1918.

[@taylorwest6986]

I wouldn't be surprised if this gun showed up in "The Mandalorian."

[@interlake2043]

I binged the whole series this weekend and recognized a dressed up AK pattern laser blaster.

[@darkelf2x1]

@@interlake2043 you can also see a modified steyr m1912 pistol used as a blaster in season 2 (used by a henchman) (Edit: and Stg 44s as new republic blaster rifles but that's been carrying forward since Empire strikes back like Sterling smgs, mg34s, c96s, etc.(have been carrying forward from anh )

[@nicholasglenn2457]

This is the way

[@interlake2043]

@@darkelf2x1 oh yeah I recognized the StG 44 forend and front sight post as well, thanks for reminding me. I'm not great recognizing pistols but the Steyr 1912 has an iconic frame.

[@ytucharliesierra]

The Mandalorian's blaster actually is treated by Ian in one of his vids.

[@404BYTE]

I like how barrel cooling fins are basically acme thread

[@ryankiesow1418]

Do you watch this old tony? He has some pretty comedic videos on acme threading lol

[@herbderbler1585]

When in doubt, go with what you know, or what you're tooled up for.

[@matthewspencer5086]

Had this video been uploaded on a Friday, we could have looked forward to a strafing video the next day.

[@tenofprime]

Get him FAA clearance and a WW1 fighter plane and I am sure he would do it.

[@henryrodgers7386]

"Here we see the WW1 fighter ace, getting ready for takeoff in his trusty Sopwith Camel... With this new Marlin gun, he's sure to give the Red Baron a real show today!"

[@drkjk]

You can see some definite ancestry of the MAG58/M240 in that weapon. It's way back down the family tree, but it's there.

[@droganovic6879]

It's a very interesting looking piece Ian. After seeing R. Lee Ermey dealing with the "potato-digger" on his tv show about various weapon types, I've always liked that quaint little thing. This thing being a more "refined" version is very interesting to see. Wish you could do a "head to head" showdown between the potato digger and the... flying potato digger?

[@henryrodgers7386]

"The Flyin' Spud". An excellent name for the aircraft, the gun, the pilot, and/or his beagle.

[@paulwheble3690]

Some Marlin guns ended up in British service in WW2, presumably as lease-lend. My father was issued with one for anti-aircraft use on ships. From what little he said, I don't think he was that impressed. He was previously issued with a Lewis gun in 1939 which goes to show Britain was very short of modern weapons at the start of the war.

[@chaz8758]

Massive and rapid expansion of the forces in 1936 - 1940 which took a while for industry to catch up with, never mind the losses in France and the Low Countries in 1940. The UK ended up with the M1917 Improved ground MG, M1916, M1917 and M1918 aircraft machine guns, and the M1918 tank machine gun some going to the Home Guard with some original "potato diggers" even being publicly bought and donated to Home Guard units "34th County of London Battalion, Home Guard: About this time [1941] a parcel of forty heavy Colt M1914 guns were received as a gift from an American friend"

[@kevinoliver3083]

The Marlin guns were purchased for the Home Guard. And were not very popular: they were unreliable and were passed on to the Merchant Navy ASAP.

[@rautavaara9194]

I haven't even watched the video yet, I'm just happy to see another aircraft machine gun.

[@Sabretoothsquirrel]

Of course Don Karnage would like aircraft machine guns! ;)

[@dutchplanderlinde4845]

Is that a Marlin M1917 in your pocket or are you just happy to see the video?

[@rautavaara9194]

@@dutchplanderlinde4845 "Ultimately the Marlin M1917 was unsuccessful on the commercial market despite having the fastest rate of fire for any pocket pistol at the time."

[@dutchplanderlinde4845]

@@rautavaara9194 such a shame. I would’ve bought it for being my CCW, but looks like I won’t be able to now. It also doesn’t take Glock magazines, which is a major downside.

[@iamthekidyouknowwhatimean2314]

When you only upgrade your starting weapon

[@CzechoslovakGunStories]

I hear "oddball" I get excited..... there is often something very clever and interesting behind this word :) Nice video Ian, as always

[@normdeplume6133]

I imagine the finger trigger would have been used by the ground crew when adjusting point of impact.

[@SofaPop.]

Norm DePlume I don’t understand a thing you’re saying

[@littlebigheroman]

@@SofaPop. So machine guns mounted in aircraft very rarely point straight forwards - that would disperse the shots far too much. Instead, they're aimed so that their streams of fire converge at a predetermined distance in front of the aircraft. This creates a "sweet spot" where as much ammunition ends up on target as possible. The angles at which the guns were mounted was adjusted manually on the ground.

[@azmanabdula]

@@littlebigheroman When I first started playing warthunder it took me way longer than normal to figure this out I had a sudden realization when I set it to 200 metres and the rounds were flying in an X configuration in front of me Basically crossing each other in front of me I assumed they were dead flat for the longest times Then I started hitting my targets frequently when my brain realized what was going on

[@shawnr771]

@@azmanabdula Many people disdain video games for one reason or another. The idea that one can help someone grasp a concept is outstanding.

[@azmanabdula]

@@shawnr771 Then you get factorio players

[@zactizmgamez4589]

The Whitley from Vanguard

[@Mad.player]

That looks like something crafted in Fallout 4 using crafting system glitches.

[@MikeNoce]

Ian, thanks for everything you do for my sanity. I’m trying to watch as much of your content now Bc I sadly see it getting dropped from KZbin soon.

[@TheFanatical1]

What's happened to Ian?

[@screamsinrussian5773]

@@TheFanatical1 also curious

[@TheFanatical1]

@starshipeleven worried about...what? KZbin isn't going to ban Ian lmao

[@jackwhitefoot143]

Ian's been on a serious role lately

[@iododendron3416]

Get the Grease Gun, the Potatoe Digger isn't working anymore!

[@josephdriesenga2730]

Thank you for this, I have been getting so much conflicting answers on the Marlin guns, this was a good clarifier.

[@Derpmeister69]

Looks like another inspiring Star Wars blaster.

[@exploatores]

So a shooting video would be in a biplane over the Arizona outback.

[@explosivo666]

The Marlin Machine Gun was also used in the Ford Six Ton Tank Model 1917(M1917 light tank), before being replaced by the Browning Model 1919 MG later on. No M1917 light tanks ever saw service in WW1. Only notable actions the M1917 was used in were the Washington race riot of 1919 and 1920 Lexington riot.

[@raibeartcahill4295]

Thanks for yet another great video Ian!

[@comiketiger]

Fascinating! So many great finds. Another weapon I never heard of. Thank you Ian. You do great work.

[@Ms95670]

you just answered a bunch of the questions I had about that gun Thank you

[@DumDumHistory]

Quite a few of the tank versions of these were sent to Britain in 1940. Most were issued to the Merchant Marine, but there was at least one Home Guard machine-gun battalion armed entirely with them.

[@DADeathinacan]

Ive got a handbook for this thing from 1918. Or rather, its fer the MARLIN AIRCRAFT MACHINEGUN MODEL OF 1917 Oddly, it lacks the pistol grip(although it retains the vestiges of the trigger back there) and still has the loop style of "charging slide handle". It also mentions metal disintegrating belts being existent, along with stating that cloth belts are available in 250 and 500 round lengths as "ordered extra" parts.

[@F1ghteR41]

I was expecting a disassembly of this piece, they always intrigued me as little-known, but potentially quite capable machineguns.

[@itatane]

Didn't Othais want to get his hands on one of these for the Primer series?

[@SuperCrazf]

Yes, he totally wants to.

[@tenofprime]

He was looking for the potato digger orginal type.

[@vitoscaletta7151]

He wants everything he can

[@itsapittie]

Anybody: Which guns do you want to examine? Othais: Yes

[@tenofprime]

@@itsapittie which guns do you want to shoot? Mea: do I even need to say?

[@Hibernicus1968]

That must have been interesting for Browning when he designed his "potato digger" machine gun, having to work around someone else's patents. Browning was so incrediby inventive, and prolific, that most of the time it was other designers (e.g. John Pedersen) who had to work around Browning's patents.

[@ScottKenny1978]

The really interesting video Ian did was the patent case m1895. It has a muzzle blast system instead of the flapping lever, and was made specifically to deal with Maxim's patent claiming the gas port.

[@baronhouba1]

I want a video without any cuts. Reason being, I wanna see Ian got lost, or rather looped in gun development as a whole and the history of patents and everything and have a 4 hours long video in front of which I can sit with my coffe and relax and listen to everything this EXTREMELY knowledgable and clever and fine man has to offer. Way to go Mr. Gun Jesus, I admire you. Keep up the good work :)

[@Dobroz99]

A lot of Marlins were sent to Great Britain after Dunkirk to equip the Home Guard that needed any equipment available. Some of them found their way onto armed trawlers which was also short of weapons. So they did actually see some combat use in ww2. The trawler crews noted that they frequently jammed and they were not particularly liked but better than nothing. These came from US military reserves and I have no idea what models they used except the British referred to them as Marlins. When I first read the trawlers used Marlins I had no idea what they were. They were used against attacking German planes when the trawlers were escorting convoys.

[@neear2789]

i need complex video about how synchronizer work

[@charles_wipman]

It's great to take a look to such piece.

[@dan13lvar9a]

I think the thingy blocking the charging handle on the bottom is probably to prevent accidental chambering while the gun is out of the aircraft. Once mounted, the button would be pushed by the mount, and you could cycle the bolt whenever you wanted. This is just a guess though.

[@peterstickney7608]

It's interesting to note the notches in the top of the charging handle. Looks like they are there to lock the bolt open, so that airflow through the barrel will cool it faster, and keep it from burning out. That was SOP on synchronized Brownings.

[@dan13lvar9a]

@@peterstickney7608 yes, that's a very likely explanation.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@grimlers9408]

I’ve seen one of these in person and knew nothing about it. Very nice gun

[@leepalmer1210]

Thankyou so much for this video! I had long wondered why no potato diggers were on the western front, as it had a reputation for extreme reliability, as all John Mosses Browning designs are blessed with.

[@culturalliberator9425]

Forgotten? I'm never going to forget that.

[@01oo011]

Looks beautiful!

[@thralldumehammer]

That was very informative!

[@roberthuber9246]

I hope your next video is showing you firing this fascinating mechanism.

[@douglasfrompa593]

Thanks Ian.

[@danieliussupienis9703]

3:18 --That Karl Gustav sounded suspiciously oddly familiar....😆

[@Frob25]

I heard an Othias groan in there when stated how heavy it was...😉

[@ScreamingSturmovik]

yay a gun i think i asked about along time ago, nice to see Ian is watching i find it strange that the more straight forward design of gas piston vs. leaver action has a taller silhouette

[@appalachiangunman9589]

It sure didn’t take long to put guns in airplanes. Wright brothers: we’ve done it, what’s next? Also Wright brothers: put a gun on it!

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

The development of the airplane as a weapon of war broke a few hearts in the aviation community, especially idealists who believed that flight should be an instrument of peace...

[@peterstickney7608]

Not just airplanes - as a WW I vehicle owner & collector, I have in my research files a photograph taken during the Punitive Expedition of 1916 (When we invaded Mexico chasing Pancho Villa) of an FWD Model B (3-ton Four Wheel Drive truck) with its searchlight removed, and a Potato Digger mounted into its swiveling pintle.

[@alun7006]

You'd be surprised. The first air-to-air combat was fought with pistols.

[@jeffreyroot6300]

@Doctor Stain Just his SAA, but yes, this was that campaign. He got his .357 and .1911 later.

[@jeffreyroot6300]

@Doctor Stain Cool!

[@geordiedog1749]

My mates dad operated one of these on his collier on the coal scuttle run from the Tyne to Thames in 1939. It was stuck on the bridge and welded on. He was expected to shoot down JU87 and 88s and the like with it. Also fend off E-Boats. They also had a ‘Savage’ gun mounted which sounds like a Lewis derivative.

[@geordiedog1749]

@@justforever96 Mate, obviously they didn’t weld the gun itself to the ship!

[@christhorpejunction8982]

The East Riding Home Guard Brough battalion had 4 quad Marlins yes 4 of these bad boys mounted together onto an AA mount and 4 lots of that so 16 Marlins in one fairly obscure part of Yorkshire (ok they happened to be making Swordfish biplanes there as used in the Taranto strike that so inspired the IJN that they did Pearl Harbour) . That same battalion had one platoon in a village called South Cave with a hundred members. Those boys had 2 Browning water cooled, tons of BARs (roughly one for every three to four), not many smgs and everyone else with 30.06 p17s. In addition to them there were also the auxies who were the projenitors of the SAS etc. Interestingly the roll of that platoon included a Jones and Wilson (common British names) but also and when I saw it the jaw dropped, a Mainwaring! (Dads Army for real!). Those records were found in a trunk held at the old Museum of Army Transport, Flemingate, Beverley. Where it resides now I don’t know.

[@noremorsewoodworking2258]

The auxilliary trigger (pistol grip etc) was so that they could test/zero the guns without running the engine/prop

[@chrissinclair8705]

Wow that's one big Marlin 795!

[@matthaught4707]

That tapered front portion of the ejection port reminds me a lot of French self-loaders of the period, i.e. CSRGs and RSCs.

[@davidbrennan660]

The charging handle can also open tins of Bully beef as an auxiliary function.

[@sfjp1]

Truly a forgotten weapon

[@robertguttman1487]

Just for the record, the only aircraft in which these machine guns were installed was the American-built version of the De Havilland DH-4. Known as the "Liberty Plane", the American version of the DH-4 was the only American-built combat plane to see combat service on the Western Front during WW-I, a total of 1,213 being delivered to France prior to the armistice. Despite the Wright Brothers' 1903 flight, Not one combat-worthy aircraft was in production in the U.S. at the time that country entered the First World War in April 1917. As a result, a number of modern European designs were selected for license production in the U.S., including the DH-4. However, the U.S. DH-4 took a while to enter production because it differed from the original British version in a number of respects. Not least of those differences was being powered by the newly-developed 400-hp V-12 Liberty Engine, the installation of which entailed considerable re-design. Another difference was the installation of two U.S.-made Marlin machine guns in place of the single forward-firing Vickers gun on the original British DH-4. "Liberty Planes" were usually armed with two forward-firing Marlin machine guns, synchronized to fire through the propeller, while the observer had two Lewis guns on a flexible mounting in the rear cockpit. WhIle the U.S. Army Air Service also operated numerous foreign aircraft supplied by France, Britain or Italy during WW-I, so far as I am aware none of those were armed with Marlin machine guns.

[@grayhantzell1957]

Tbh, ngl, usually i find reference for gunpla scratch build from old guns, and this one is good for it....

[@danielsawyer355]

Incredible gun

[@hlynnkeith9334]

11:08 RE: Cloth belts IIRC machine guns mounted on airplanes used disintegrating links, not cloth belts.

[@benokanruzgar8863]

0:25 "noone pay a cra... ATTENTION! to aircaft guns...." hahahahha that made my day buddy 😁

[@gianlucamalvasi7007]

I'm pretty sure one of these shows up in "Papillon" (1973) in the prison ship scene

[@peterstickney7608]

I don't know about that, but they show up in "The Wind and the Lion" when the U.S. Marines, reinforced with Naval Landing Team sailors, assault the Bashar's Palace.

[@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869]

I got this from the movie High Road To China (Tom Selleck had Lewis Guns fitted to his Jennys) so I can only speak for the theory. But if a pilot is shot down in, the guns could be removed and used for self defense.

[@masonponton3077]

I believe one of those was mounted in the Ford M1918 tank before the first 1919 came out.

[@worldtraveler930]

I was hoping for a disassembly and explanation of the internal functions.

[@jcastle614]

Beautiful!! Piece of machinery there Ian!! Great video as always sir!! Stay safe and God bless 🇺🇸☠️🇺🇸!!

[@radical026]

Reminds me of the ShKAS with the rotary spool element.

[@skoopsro7656]

damn ian 0-1million took a long time... 1-2million FLEW BY... early CONGRATS MAN

[@tylerkelley4788]

I was wanting to ask about this, heard some stuff like it had a quick change barrel or something along those lines (or some version did anyway), and it seemed interesting

[@themeatpopsicle]

Oh you mean THAT Carl Gustaf...

[@MegaWillinator]

the B I G I R O N on his hip

[@MegaWillis111]

I believe Canadian units were issued the potatoe digger in 303 during the early part of the first world war

[@Mo_Taser]

That is so cool.

[@chanoom]

Would be cool to see you do a vid explaining how that synchronizing thingamajig works. Not just this particular one, but in general. Obviousy I could just google but, mehh.. Anyways, top notch stuff, as always.

[@andymancan_]

this gun is so goddamn broken in Vanguard

[@mr.samurai901]

These are always said to have been used on WW1 US aircraft, but I've looked at hundreds if not thousands of photos and never saw it mounted on any of them. All you see are Vickers guns on US aircraft. I have seen them on a photo of a US JN-4 Jenny aircraft that the caption said was never sent overseas. It's interesting because by all accounts this Marlin gun was an excellent aircraft gun.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

I have studied WW1 aviation for decades and never heard of Marlin before. I will do some research on these guns. I do know that American pursuit squadrons received their Nieuports 28s without guns. Vickers guns were later supplied by the French -- who probably got them from the Brits -- in such limited numbers that American squadrons equipped their scouts with only one gun. As more guns were delivered, they upgraded to two. There is evidence that American planes carried two different calibers. Can't recall the calibers offhand nor the reason for the difference (IIRC the larger caliber fired incendiary bullets to fire balloons). I suspect that Marlin guns were mounted on two-seaters -- reconnaissance airplanes, artillery spotters, and bombers. I shall see what I find. +++++ A quick search of my sources reveals that Marlins were mounted on American DH4s and some SPAD XIIIs. The pistol grip and trigger were removed. At first the Marlins were rejected for use on airplanes because the trigger could not be activated remotely by the firing spade on the control stick. Someone engineered a fix and the guns saw service. BUT A MARLIN WITH A PISTOL GRIP AND A TRIGGER NEVER FLEW ON AN AIRPLANE. The only other American company to produce guns for the USAAS was Savage. They built Lewis guns for observer/gunners. +++++ Yes, indeed, I was correct: some American planes mounted guns of different calibers -- a standard .303 and an 11mm incendiary-firing weapon. These were used by balloon busters. Frank Luke configured his SPAD with these guns.

[@InfernusdomniAZ]

That tiny (relatively) grip on that huge weapon looks so funny to me.

[@wotnograpefruit]

One use these guns saw is that they were among the eclectic mix of surplus weapons the US sold to Britain to arm the Home Guard in 1940. They even acquired some original Potato Digger models.

[@SofaPop.]

BJ Blaskowitz definitely used this at one point

[@zackofalltradesmitchell5569]

If it’s a browning of course it’s a great gun. Come on almost all of brownings designs where outstanding. I know it’s not forgotten but still waiting for a video on the history of the M-2 browning 50 cal. Or a video serious on John browning designs. That would be cool

[@GR46404]

My understanding is that Marlin maneuvered its way into ownership of the Hopkins & Allen factory in order to make these guns. Carl Swebelius later founded the High Standard company, which first just made barrel drills, then bought the assets of the Hartford Arms company and began making target pistols.

[@socialex]

He finally got out of that room at rock island

[@jackmcslay]

Supersized Han Solo's blaster

[@slimeprivilege]

from a quick glance at the thumbnail i thought Ian was about to review a FF8 style gunblade

[@rayp.8364]

That's some steampunk looking gun. Love it.

[@Teddy2208]

More aircraft guns please, so few videos about them on youtube.

[@sakthisairamr914]

In the thumbnail it looked like a Revolver with every possible attachment on it

[@carlcarlton764]

Hi Ian, is there a piece if video missing? Around 04:20ish you talk about Marli having to redesign the navy guns, then there is a very visible cut and change of topic: 38k gun ordered. PS: It gets all explained around the nine minute mark.