Maxim gun

The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world.[14]

Quick facts: Maxim gun , Type, Place of origin,... ▼

Maxim gun
Maxim M1910 variant
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1886 – present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Mahdist War Emin Pasha Relief Expedition Yoni Expedition Samoan Civil War[1] Abushiri Revolt Jebu War[2] Buganda civil wars First Matabele War First Sino-Japanese War Chitral Expedition[3] Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895) Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War[4] Jameson Raid[5] Second Matabele War[6] Dervish Resistance Philippine Revolution Spanish–American War Adamawa Wars Philippine–American War Second Boer War Boxer Rebellion War of the Golden Stool[7] Bafut Wars Anglo–Aro War British expedition to Tibet[8] Russo-Japanese War Herero War Maji Maji Rebellion Persian Constitutional Revolution 1907 Honduran Conflict Sokehs Rebellion[1] Mexican Revolution Balkan Wars Contestado War World War I Russian Civil War Finnish Civil War Estonian War of Independence Polish–Soviet War Paraguayan Civil War (1922)[9] Constitutionalist Revolution[10] Chaco War Chinese Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War War in Donbas[11] 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine[12][13]
Production history
Designer	Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim
Manufacturer	Maxim Gun Company, Vickers
Variants	Vickers machine gun, MG08, PM M1910, M32-33, M/09-21
Specifications
Mass	27.2 kg (60 lb)
Length	107.9 cm (42.5 in)
Barrel length	67.3 cm (26.5 in)
Crew	4
Cartridge	7x57mm Mauser .303 British .30-06 Springfield 7.92x57mm Mauser .577/450 Martini–Henry 7.62x54mmR
Action	Recoil-operated
Rate of fire	550–600 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	744 m/s
Feed system	250-round canvas belt
Sights	Iron sights

The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian Martin Gilbert,[15] and was heavily used by colonial powers during the "Scramble for Africa". Afterwards, Maxim guns also saw extensive usage by different armies during the Russo-Japanese War, the First and Second World Wars, as well as in contemporary conflicts.

The Maxim gun was greatly influential in the development of machine guns, and it has multiple variants and derivatives.