The ARRL and Guns

[Michael M]

Now that I have your attention, here's something you may find very interesting.

Hiram Percy Maxim, a name that should be familiar to every licensed ham radio operator, is credited with inventing and marketing the first commercially successful silencer in 1902, 12 years before he co-founded the ARRL.

And his father, Hiram Stevens Maxim, is credited with developing the first automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun, in 1884. Most people might say the Gatling gun, invented by Richard Jordan Gatling, but Gatling's invention was not automatic, where Maxim’s was recoil operated.

50 years after the Maxim gun, who knows what happened? Cue the Jeopardy theme…

[Rex_AJ4GC]

The Gatling had multiple barrels but the Maxim had just one encased in a larger barrel filled with water. When there was no interest here he took it to England and it became known as the Vickers.