Lodrick Enterprises Inc.

Lodrick Enterprises Inc. produces functional reproductions of one of the most unique and fascinating weapons ever produced, the “Gatlin Gun”. Richard Jordan Gatling invented the gun during the American Civil War. He was issued a patent in November of 1862. The original gun had 6 barrels and an approximate rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute. In 1865 the weapon was redesigned to discharge rimfire ammunition. This gun achieved an approximate rate of fire of 350 rounds per minute. The LEI gun operates in this range.

The gun saw very limited action during the Civil War. Its only use was when General Benjamin Butler purchased several with his own money. They were used successfully on the Petersburg front. The U.S. government purchased 100 weapons after a successful demonstration at Fort Monroe in 1865. The Civil War ended before they would see any service.

The LEI reproduction gun is manufactured to modern exacting tolerances. Each gun is fully tested at the factory to ensure functionality. The gun is sensitive to the make of rounds being used. LEI tests resulted in finding out that some rounds function better than others. See “Specifications” section for round recommendations. Any 22LR round will work, but some work better then others.

The original gun had some design deficiencies. A major fault is a tendency to jam. Feed is controlled by the acceleration of gravity. Most modern Gatling Guns use positive feed systems eliminating this problem. The LEI gun, of necessity, has to be cranked relatively slowly to insure that rounds fall into the feed system properly. High speed cranking can exceed the rounds falling speed and subsequently result in jams.

A unique attribute of the gun is that it automatically through-feeds misfired rounds. This feature was very well suited for ammo produced during the late 1800s. Misfires also occur with modern ammo.