Combat use of the Maxim machine gun. Machine gun Maxim TTX

In 1873, the American inventor Hiram Stephens Maxim invented a weapon that subsequently significantly influenced the outcome of many battles. late XIX and the first half of the 20th century. It was an easel machine gun, the operating principle of which was based on the use of recoil when firing. It can be called the first automatic weapon in human history.

A decade before Maxim, Richard Gatling had already invented a machine gun, but to fire it you had to turn the handle, so it could be called “automatic” very conditionally. So the first fully automatic shooting device was invented by Hiram Stevens Maxim.

Maxim did not specialize exclusively in creating weapons; his interests lay in other areas, so 10 years passed between the sketches of the new device and the creation of the first working sample.

In 1883, the inventor demonstrated his brainchild to the American military, but it did not make the right impression on them. The generals considered that the machine gun had too high a rate of fire, and this led to a large consumption of ammunition.

Successful launch of the Maxim machine gun

Hiram emigrated to Britain and offered his weapons there. The British military also did not show much enthusiasm for the machine gun, although it aroused their interest. The release of the new device began thanks to banker Nathaniel Rothschild, who agreed to finance this endeavor.

The arms company created by Maxim began to produce and advertise machine guns. The operation scheme of this weapon, carefully developed by the inventor, was so perfect that the British, amazed by its reliability, adopted the machine gun for service, and it was successfully used during the Anglo-Boer War, causing protests from pacifist organizations.

Maxim comes to Russia

The inventor brought his machine gun to Russia in 1887. The caliber of his weapon was 11.43 mm. Subsequently, the machine gun was converted to the caliber of the Berdan rifle cartridge, which was then in service with the Russian army (10.67 mm). The sailors also showed interest in the machine gun. Subsequently, the weapon was converted to the caliber of the Mosin rifle cartridge (7.62 mm).

From 1897 to 1904, about 300 machine guns were purchased, and the history of these weapons in the Russian army began. The weight of the machine gun turned out to be great - 244 kg. Mounted on a heavy wheeled carriage, similar to a cannon, and equipped with a large armored shield, the Maxim machine gun was intended to be used for the defense of fortresses. Therefore, he was assigned to the artillery department. Since 1904, Maxim began to be produced at the Tula Arms Factory.

The new machine gun proved its extraordinary effectiveness during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In parts it was removed from the cannon carriage, the dimensions of which were too large, and installed on tripods.

Since 1910, the Russian part of the biography of this weapon begins. The gunsmiths of the Tula plant, Pastukhov, Sudakov and Tretyakov, modernized the design of the machine gun, and Sokolov equipped it with a convenient compact carriage. As a result, the weapon was lighter up to 70 kg along with water poured into the casing to cool the barrel.

The upgraded machine gun had the following performance characteristics:

• cartridge caliber 7.62 mm;
• initial bullet speed 800 m/s;
• target firing range 3000 m;
• combat rate of fire 300 rounds per minute;
• weight 66 kg.

The weapon was successfully used during the First World War and Civil War in Russia. The machine gun was mounted on cavalry carts, which is widely depicted in films about this period of Russian history.

Subsequent upgrades of the Maxim machine gun

The machine gun was modernized in 1930, but it was already insignificant. In particular, the hole for pouring water into the casing was enlarged, which made it possible to fill it with snow. For long-range shooting, a heavy bullet of the 1930 model was added. The caliber of the weapon has not changed. For more accurate shooting the machine gun began to be equipped with an optical sight and an inclinometer. The barrel casing acquired longitudinal corrugation, which increased its strength.

We can say that the Maxim machine gun is the most common Soviet machine gun of the Great Patriotic War.

Application of Maxim in aviation and air defense

The Maxim machine gun began to be installed on airplanes, tanks, and armored vehicles. However, it was not widely used in aviation due to its heavy weight.

Back in 1928, the machine gun was mounted on a tripod and began to be used as an anti-aircraft gun, which was very successful against aircraft of that time. In 1931, the famous Soviet gunsmith N.F. Tokarev was created anti-aircraft gun of 4 machine guns. A special sight was also developed. This installation was widely used throughout the Great Patriotic War.

Making a light machine gun

The famous gunsmith designer N. Tokarev back in 1924 created a light machine gun based on an easel machine gun, significantly reducing the weight of the model. Light machine gun Maxim weighed only 12.5 kg - but this was considered too much. Nevertheless, it was adopted, and in just one year the Tula Arms Plant produced almost 2.5 thousand units of this weapon. However, its popularity was, alas, far from the glory of its easel brother.

Completion of production of the Maxim machine gun, but continuation of the story

In 1943, the Maxim was replaced by a new weapon - the SG-43. This was the name of a new machine gun with an air-cooled barrel, developed by gunsmith P. Goryunov. Its caliber was also 7.62 mm, but it had different performance characteristics. Its characteristics were more adapted to combat in modern conditions, although it also weighed quite a lot - 27.7 kg on a tripod. The production of Maxim ceased - but not his biography, and he was still used for quite a long time. The latest application of this legendary weapons believed to date back to 1969, when Soviet border guards used it during the conflict with China on Damansky Island.

There are facts that Maxim was used in 2014 during the defense of the DPR. Thus, the history of this weapon has been going on for more than 100 years.

Today, in almost every historical museum you can see either a real machine gun or a model of the legendary Maxim.

Interesting fact. In the inventor's surname, the emphasis was placed on the first syllable. But when talking about this weapon, the emphasis is usually placed on the last syllable, as is more common in the Russian language.

Video about the Maxim machine gun

Machine gun in action

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

The Maxim machine gun was used to support infantry with fire, to suppress enemy fire, and also to clear the way for infantrymen during an attack, or was used for cover during retreat. In defense, the Maxim machine gun specialized in combating enemy firing points and was used to fire at open approaches. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, European pacifists often demanded a complete ban on the use of machine guns in military conflicts, since, in their deep conviction, this machine gun was an example of an inhumane weapon. These demands were provoked by the fact that Great Britain was the first among the colonial empires to see the advantages of a machine gun and actively began to use it in clashes with native rebels.

In Sudan on September 2, 1898, at the Battle of Omdurman, a 10,000-strong Anglo-Egyptian army fought with a 100,000-strong Sudanese army, which consisted mainly of irregular cavalry. All attacks were repelled by massive machine-gun fire. The British units suffered fairly minor losses.

Combat use in the Russo-Japanese War

The Maxim machine gun was used during the Russo-Japanese conflict. In one of the battles near Mukden, a Russian battery, which had sixteen Maxim machine guns (at that time in the Russian army machine guns were subordinate to the artillery department), repelled several Japanese attacks, and soon the Japanese side lost half of their advancing troops killed and wounded. Without machine guns it would have been almost impossible to repel these attacks so effectively. Having fired several tens of thousands of rounds in a fairly short period of time, the Russian machine guns nevertheless did not fail and were in good working order, thereby proving their exceptional combat capabilities. After this, machine guns began to be purchased in the hundreds, despite their significant price, which was over 3,000 rubles per machine gun. At the same time, they were already removed from the heavy carriages by the troops and, to increase maneuverability, they were equipped with homemade machines that were lighter and more convenient to transport.

Application in the Great Patriotic War

The Maxim machine gun was actively used by the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War. It was used by both infantry and mountain rifle units, as well as the navy. During the war combat characteristics Not only designers and manufacturers tried to improve Maxima, but also directly in the troops themselves. Soldiers often removed the armor shield from the machine gun, thereby trying to increase maneuverability and achieve less visibility in positions. For camouflage, in addition to camouflage coloring, special covers were put on the casing and shield of the machine gun. IN winter time“Maxim” was placed on skis, sleds or on a drag boat, from which they opened fire. During the Great Patriotic War, machine guns were installed on Willys and GAZ-64 SUVs.

There was also a quadruple anti-aircraft version of the Maxim. This ZPU was widely used as a stationary, self-propelled, ship-based one, and was also equipped in the bodies of cars, armored trains, railway platforms, and on the roofs of buildings. Maxim machine gun systems were the most common weapons military air defense. The quadruple ZPU of the 1931 model differed from the usual “Maxim” in the presence of a forced water circulation device and a large capacity of machine-gun belts - 1000 rounds instead of the usual 250. Using anti-aircraft ring sights, the ZPU could fire effectively at low-flying enemy aircraft (maximum at altitudes up to 1400 m at speeds up to 500 km/h). These ZPUs were also often used to support infantry.

By the end of the 1930s, the Maxim design was obsolete. The machine gun without the machine, water and cartridges had a mass of approximately 20 kg. The weight of Sokolov's machine is 40 kg, plus 5 kg of water. Since it was generally impossible to use a machine gun without a machine gun and water, the working weight of the entire system (without ammunition) was about 65 kg. Moving such weight across the battlefield under enemy fire was very difficult. The rather high profile made camouflage much more difficult; Damage to the thin-walled casing in battle by a bullet or shrapnel was guaranteed to disable the machine gun. It was difficult to use the Maxim in the mountains, where fighters had to use homemade tripods instead of the standard machines. Providing the machine gun with water caused significant difficulties in the summer. In addition, the Maxim system was quite difficult to maintain. The cloth tape caused a lot of trouble - it was difficult to equip, it wore out, broke, and absorbed water. For comparison, the single Wehrmacht machine gun MG-34 had a mass of only 10.5 kg without ammunition, was powered by a metal belt and did not require water for cooling (however, it was still inferior to the Maxim in firepower, being in this indicator much closer to a manual one Degtyarev machine gun, although with one very important nuance - the MG34 had a quick-change barrel, which, if there were spare barrels, allowed it to fire more intensively in bursts). The MG-34 could be fired without a machine gun; this helped disguise the machine gunner’s position.

On the other hand, it was noted positive properties“Maxima”: thanks to the shockless operation of the automation, it was very stable when firing from a standard machine, gave accuracy even better than more modern developments, and allowed very precise fire control. With proper maintenance, the machine gun could last twice as long as the established service life, which, by the way, was already longer than that of new, lighter machine guns.

Even before the start of the war, a significantly more advanced and modern design heavy machine gun - DS designed by V. Degtyarev. But due to problems with reliability and significantly greater demands on maintenance, its production was soon completed, and most of the copies available to the troops were lost. initial stage combat operations (in many ways a similar fate was experienced by another type of Red Army weapon - the Tokarev self-loading rifle (SVT), which simply did not have time to be brought to the proper level of reliability before the start of the war, and subsequently production was forced to curtail in favor of an outdated, but well-proven and familiar "three-line" fighters).

However, the urgent need to replace Maxim is more modern weapons did not disappear anywhere, which is why in 1943 the heavy machine gun of the Pyotr Goryunov SG-43 system with an air barrel cooling system was adopted by the Red Army. The SG-43 was superior to the Maxim in many respects. He began enlisting in the troops in the second half of 1943. Meanwhile, the Maxim continued to be produced until the end of the war at the Tula and Izhevsk factories, and until the end of production it continued to be the main heavy machine gun of the Red Army.

The last confirmed use of a machine gun occurred in 1969 during the border conflict on Damansky Island.

In 1873, the South American inventor Hiram Stephens Maxim invented a weapon, the introduction of which influenced the ending of many battles of the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. It was an easel machine gun, the mechanism of which was based on the use of recoil when firing. It can be called the first automatic weapon in the history of the world's population.

A decade before Maxim, Richard Gatling had already invented a machine gun, but to fire it you had to turn the handle, so it could be called “automatic” very conditionally. So the first automatic shooting device was invented specifically by Hiram Stevens Maxim.

Maxim did not specialize only in the development of weapons; his interests lay in other areas, so 10 years passed between the drawings of a new device and the creation of the first working standard.

custom_block(1, 35872163, 456);

In 1883, the inventor showed his brainchild to the South American military, on whom it did not make a good impression. The generals considered that the Maxim system machine gun had a very high rate of fire, and this was bad because it led to a large waste of ammunition.

Good start

Hiram emigrated to England and offered his gun there. The British military also did not show any particular ecstasy towards the machine gun, although it aroused their enthusiasm. The release of the new device began thanks to banker Nathaniel Rothschild, who financed the new endeavor.

The arms company created by Maxim began to produce and advertise machine guns. The operation scheme of this weapon, painstakingly developed by the inventor, was so perfect that, amazed by its reliability and reliability, the British adopted the machine gun, and it was successfully used during the Anglo-Boer War, causing countless protests among pacifist organizations.

Maxim comes to Russia

The inventor brought a machine gun to Russia in 1887. The caliber of the gun was 11.43 mm. Then it was made for the caliber of the Berdan rifle cartridge, which was then in service in Russian army. The military department placed a small order. The sailors also showed enthusiasm for the machine gun. Then the gun was converted to the 7.62 mm caliber of the Mosin rifle cartridge.

custom_block(1, 79886684, 456);

From 1897 to 1904, about 300 machine guns were purchased, and the history of the use of this weapon in the Russian army began. The weight of the machine gun was great - 244 kg. Mounted on a heavy wheeled carriage, similar to a cannon and equipped with a huge armor shield, the Maxim machine gun was supposed to be used for the defense of fortresses. Therefore, he was assigned to the artillery department. Since 1904, Maxim began to be produced at the Tula Arms Factory.

The new machine gun proved its extraordinary effectiveness during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Already on the ground, it was removed from the cannon carriage, the dimensions of which were very significant, and installed on tripods.

And from 1910 it begins Russian history this weapon. The gunsmiths of the Tula plant, Pastukhov, Sudakov and Tretyakov, modernized the machine gun, and Sokolov equipped it with a comfortable, small-sized carriage. The design has been changed. The gun began to weigh about 70 kg together with water, which was poured into the casing to cool the barrel.

Custom_block(5, 60199741, 456);

The machine gun received the following performance characteristics:

• cartridges caliber 7.62 mm;
• initial bullet speed 800 m/s;
• target firing range 3000 m;
• combat rate of fire 300 rounds per minute;
• weight 66 kg.

The weapon was successfully used during the First World War and the Civil War in Russia. The gun was mounted on cavalry carts, which can be seen in countless films showing this period of Russian history.

Next upgrades

Modernization of the machine gun was also carried out in 1930, but was already insignificant. Thus, the hole for pouring water into the casing was expanded, which made it possible to fill it with snow in winter. And for long-distance shooting, the languid bullet of the 1930 standard was used. The caliber of the gun has not changed. For clearer shooting, the machine gun began to be equipped with an optical sight and an inclinometer. The barrel casing received longitudinal corrugation, which increased its strength. Other properties have also been changed.

We can say that the Maxim machine gun is a frequently encountered Russian machine gun during the Great Russian War.

Use of guns on aircraft and air defense forces

The Maxim machine gun began to be installed on airplanes, tanks, and armored vehicles. It has not gained much popularity on airplanes. The prerequisite was the heavy weight of the gun.

Back in 1928, the machine gun was mounted on a tripod and began to be used as an anti-aircraft gun, which has been very successfully used against aircraft since then. In 1931, the famous Russian gunsmith N.F. Tokarev created an anti-aircraft installation consisting of 4 machine guns. A special sight was also developed. This installation was successfully used throughout the Great Russian War.

Making a light machine gun

Back in 1924, the same gunsmith made a Russian light machine gun based on a heavy machine gun, significantly reducing its weight. The Maxim light machine gun weighed only 12.5 kg, and even that was considered a lot. Nevertheless, it was put into service, and in just one year the Tula Arms Plant produced almost 2.5 thousand units of this weapon. But its popularity, as annoying as it may sound, was far from the popularity of its easel brother.

End of production, but continuation of the story

In 1943, the Maxim was replaced in the army by a new weapon - the SG-43. This was the name of a new machine gun with an air-cooled barrel, developed by gunsmith P. Goryunov. Its caliber was also chambered for 7.62, but it had different performance characteristics. Its properties were more adapted to combat in the changed conditions, although it also had a fairly large weight - 27.7 kg on a tripod. The release of Maxim ended, but the story did not, and it continued to be used. The last use of this famous weapon is considered to be 1969, when Russian border guards used it during the conflict on the Damansky Peninsula.

There are facts that Maxim was used in 2014 during the defense of the airport in the town of Donetsk. Thus, the history of this weapon has lasted for more than 100 years.

Now in every museum you can see either a real Maxim machine gun or a model of a Maxim machine gun. They also make models of the famous machine gun for interior decoration.

Fascinating fact. In the inventor's surname, the emphasis was placed on the first syllable. But when talking about this weapon, the emphasis is usually placed on the last syllable, as is customary in the Russian language. Although, in the works of some poets, the Maxim machine gun is still played out with the original emphasis.

Video about the Maxim machine gun

Machine gun in action

A heavy machine gun created by American-born British gunsmith Hiram Stephens Maxim in 1883. The Maxim machine gun is one of the ancestors of automatic weapons; it was widely used during the Boer War of 1899-1902, World War I and World War II, as well as in many small wars and armed conflicts.

History of creation

In 1873, the American inventor Hiram Stephens Maxim (1840-1916) designed the first example of an automatic weapon - the Maxim machine gun. He came to the decision to use the recoil energy of the weapon, which had not been used in any way before. But trials and practical use These weapons were discontinued for 10 years, since Maxim was not only a gunsmith and, in addition to weapons, was interested in other things. His interests included various technologies, electricity, and so on, and the machine gun was just one of his many inventions. In the early 1880s, Maxim finally resumed work on his machine gun, but appearance his weapon was already very different from the 1873 model. Hiram Maxim submitted a petition to the US government to accept his machine gun for service. But no one in the USA was interested in the machine gun, and then Maxim left for Great Britain, where his invention initially also did not arouse much interest from the military. However, the British banker Nathaniel Rothschild, who was present at the testing of the new weapon, became seriously interested in it and agreed to finance the creation and production of the machine gun.

The Maxima Arms Company began producing and advertising machine guns, demonstrating their operation in many countries. Hiram Maxim managed to achieve excellent survivability and high reliability of his weapons, and at the end of 1899, his machine gun, designed for the British .303 caliber (7.7 mm) cartridge, fired 15 thousand shots without any serious difficulties.

System

Maxim system machine gun (or simply “Maxim”) - automatic weapons, based on automatic recoil of a short-stroke barrel. During the shot, the powder gases send the barrel back, setting in motion the reloading mechanism, which removes the cartridge from the fabric tape, sends it into the breech and at the same time cocks the bolt. After firing the shot, the operation is repeated again. The machine gun has an average rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, and the combat rate of fire is 250-300 rounds per minute.

To fire a machine gun of the 1910 model, 7.62x54 mm R rifle cartridges with bullets of the 1908 model (light bullet) and 1930 model (heavy bullet) are used. The trigger system is designed only for automatic fire and is equipped with a safety lock against accidental shots. The machine gun is powered by cartridges from a slider-type receiver, with a fabric or metal belt with a capacity of 250 cartridges, which appeared later. Sighting device consists of a rack-mount sight and a front sight with a rectangular top. Some machine guns were also equipped with an optical sight. The machine gun was initially placed on bulky carriages, modeled after mitrailleuse carriages; then portable machines appeared, usually on tripods; Since 1910, the Russian army began to use a wheeled machine created by Colonel A. A. Sokolov. This machine gave the machine gun good stability when firing and, unlike tripods, allowed the machine gun to be easily moved when changing position.

Maxim machine gun design: 1 - fuse, 2 - sight, 3 - lock, 4 - filler plug, 5 - casing, 6 - steam vent device, 7 - front sight, 8 - muzzle, 9 - cartridge outlet tube, 10 - barrel, 11 - water, 12 - drain plug, 13 - cap, steam outlet, 15 - return spring, 16 - release lever, 17 - handle, 18 - receiver.

Cartridge used

Machine gun "Maxim" in Russia

After a successful demonstration of the machine gun in Switzerland, Italy and Austria, Hiram Maxim made a visit to Russia with a demonstration model of the .45 caliber (11.43 mm) machine gun.

In 1887, the Maxim machine gun was tested under a 10.67 mm Berdan rifle cartridge equipped with black powder.

On March 8, 1888, the Emperor himself fired from it Alexander III. After completing the tests, representatives of the Russian military department placed an order to Maxim for 12 machine guns mod. 1895 chambered for the 10.67 mm Berdan rifle cartridge.

The company “Sons of Vickers and Maxim” began supplying Maxim machine guns to Russia. Machine guns arrived in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1899. Interest in the new weapon also showed Russian fleet, he placed an order for two more machine guns for testing.

Subsequently, the Berdan rifle was removed from service, and the Maxim machine guns were converted to accept the 7.62 mm cartridge of the Russian Mosin rifle. In 1891-1892 For testing, five machine guns chambered for 7.62x54 mm were purchased. During 1897-1904 Another 291 machine guns were purchased.

In 1901, a 7.62 mm Maxim machine gun on a wheeled carriage English sample was adopted by the ground forces, during this year the first 40 Maxim machine guns arrived in the Russian army. The machine gun (the mass of which on a heavy carriage with large wheels and a large armored shield was 244 kg) was assigned to the artillery. The machine guns were planned to be used for the defense of fortresses, to repel mass attacks of enemy infantry with fire from pre-equipped and protected positions.

In March 1904, a contract was signed to create Maxim machine guns at the Tula Arms Plant. The cost of production of the Tula machine gun (942 rubles + 80 pounds sterling commission to the Vickers company, about 1,700 rubles in total) was significantly cheaper than the cost of acquisition from the British (2,288 rubles 20 kopecks per machine gun). In the spring of 1904, serial production of machine guns began at the Tula Arms Plant.

Options

Based on Hiram Maxim's design various countries Many variants of the machine gun were made.

"Maxim" model 1910

"Maxim" model 1910/30

While using the Maxim machine gun, it became clear that in most cases fire was fired at a distance of 800 to 1000 m, but at such a range there was no big difference in the trajectory of a light bullet arr. 1908 and heavy bullet mod. 1930

In 1930, the machine gun was again modernized, the following changes were made to the weapon:

Equipped with a folding butt plate, therefore the right and left valves were changed, as well as the connection of the release lever and rod
-the safety was moved to the trigger, this eliminated the need to use both hands when opening fire
-a return spring tension indicator has been installed
-the sight has changed, a stand and a clamp with a latch have been introduced, the scale on the rear sight for lateral adjustments has been increased
-a buffer appeared - a shield holder attached to the machine gun casing
-equipped with a separate firing pin for the firing pin
-specially for long-distance shooting and from closed positions, a heavy bullet mod. 1930 optical sight and protractor - quadrant
-For greater strength the barrel casing began to be made with longitudinal corrugation
The modernized machine gun received the designation “7.62 heavy machine gun of the Maxim system, model 1910/30”

In 1940, following the experience of the Soviet-Finnish War, the machine gun was equipped with a wide filler hole and a drain valve for the pouring hole (following the example of the Finnish M32), now in winter conditions Ice and snow could be stuffed into the casing.

"Maxim" M/32-33

This Finnish machine gun is a modification of the Russian machine gun of the 1910 model. The Maxim M/32-33 was created by the Finnish gunsmith Aimo Lahti in 1932, it could fire at a rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute, while Russian machine gun Model 1910 fired at a rate of 600 rounds per minute; In addition, the Maxim M/32-33 had a number of other innovations. It was actively used by the Finnish side in the Soviet-Finnish conflict. The ammunition used differed in tolerances from the Soviet one.

TTX "Maxim" M/32-33

Caliber: 7.62 mm
-Cartridge: 7.62x53 mm R Finnish.
-Rate of fire: 650-850 rounds/min.
-Effective firing range: 2000 m

"Vickers"

MG 08

MG 11

Swiss modification of Maxim, based on MG 08. Used standard Swiss rifle cartridge 7.5x55 mm Schmidt-Rubin.

PV-1 (air machine gun)

Type 24

Type 24 is a Chinese version of the Maxim machine gun, which is a copy of the German MG-08. Subsequently, many of them were modernized to Soviet cartridge 7.62x54 mm R.

Large-caliber options

In addition to variants for rifle caliber, large-caliber versions of the Maxim were also produced: Vickers .50 (12.7x81 mm), used in the British Navy and ground forces and experimental MG 18 TuF (13.25x92 mm SR). The Vickers .50 was used during World War II. There were also quad modifications used as anti-aircraft machine guns.

Performance characteristics of the Maxima machine gun

Type: heavy machine gun
-Weight, kg: 64.3
-Length, mm: 1067
-Barrel length, mm: 721
-Cartridge: 7.62x54 mm R (Maxim model 1910); 7.92x57 mm Mauser (MG 08); .303 British (Vickers); 7.5x55 mm (MG 11); 8x50 mm R Mannlicher
-Caliber, mm: 7.62
- Operating principles: barrel recoil, crank locking
-Rate of fire, rounds/min: 600
-Initial bullet speed, m/s: 740
-Type of ammunition: machine-gun belt for 250 rounds

The Maxim machine gun was designed by Hiram Stevens Maxim (February 4, 1840 – November 24, 1916) in 1884.

He proposed his machine gun design to the US military department, but the military department was not interested in it, considering the new one too wasteful due to the high consumption of ammunition, calling Hiram Maxim’s machine gun just an interesting, but unpromising mechanical curiosity.

Not convinced by this refusal of the futility of his design, Hiram Maxim emigrates to Great Britain, where his weapon receives a completely different assessment.

Maxim creates the Maxim-Norfeld company in Crayford, Kent, which, after merging in 1897 with the English arms company Vickers, becomes the corporation Vickers, Sons and Maxim Ltd (later Vickers Limited).

Hiram Maxim received British citizenship in 1899 and a knighthood from Queen Victoria in 1901.

After the successful demonstration of the machine gun in Switzerland, Italy and Austria in 1887, the Maxim machine gun arrived in Russia. The machine gun was tested in April 1887, but despite promising data, the new weapon did not cause much enthusiasm among experts in the Russian military department. The military was frightened by the complex automation of the machine gun, and, paradoxically, its high rate of fire. Excessive speed of fire, according to General Dragomirov, is not at all necessary in order to “shoot after a person who only needs to be shot once.”

Despite the opinions of skeptics, the first order was made for the supply of 12 machine guns in the caliber of the Russian Berdan rifle 10.67 mm.

In May 1889, machine guns were delivered to St. Petersburg. Russian navy I also became interested in them and ordered two samples for testing. The new weapon probably made several impressions on naval experts. best experience, and during 1897-1904 the Russian navy ordered and received 291 Maxim system machine guns.

By that time, the Berdan gun had already been withdrawn from service, and the Maxim machine guns were adapted to the caliber of the Russian three-line Mosin: 7.62 mm.

Hiram Maxim managed to achieve amazing survivability of his weapons. Thus, during tests in November 1899, his machine gun chambered in the British .303 caliber cartridge fired 15 thousand rounds without any serious delays.

Licensed production of the Maxima machine gun in Russia began in February 1904 at the Tula Arms Plant, which made it possible, firstly, to significantly reduce the cost of purchasing machine guns abroad, and secondly, to quickly modernize machine guns taking into account their practice combat use Russian army.

The Maxima machine gun received final recognition in Russia in the first battles Russo-Japanese War, showing its extreme effectiveness in battle.

Tula gunsmiths Tretyakov and Pastukhov, having become familiar with the production of machine guns in England, having carried out extensive design and technological research at the Tula Arms Plant, significantly reworked and largely improved the Maxim design, and in 1908, designer Sokolov created a very successful infantry wheeled machine.

Simultaneously with the development of a more maneuverable machine, the weight of the machine gun itself was reduced, and some details were changed in connection with the introduction of a new cartridge of the 1908 model with a pointed bullet.

The first Maxim, made in Russia at the Tula Arsenal plant, was called the 1905 model. In 1910, Russian engineer Zakharov lightened the Maxim machine gun. His model weighed 20 kilograms, which is several kilograms lighter than the 1905 model.

The machine gun modernized by the Tula people was adopted by the Russian army in 1910 under the official name “7.62 mm heavy machine gun.”

The 1910 heavy machine gun was repeatedly subjected to improvements, which significantly increased its performance and slightly reduced production costs during its manufacture.

During the last modernization of the machine gun in 1941, a simplified sight was installed on it, and a wide neck was made in the cooling system casing (borrowed from a Finnish machine gun of the 1932 model), which made it possible to fill the casing with snow or ice in winter.