Miniature firearms have held the fascination of those interested in weapons for centuries. The art of producing scale models of firearms goes back to the 15th century and continues up to the present day by just a few highly skilled craftsmen. These firing and non-firing examples of high quality craftsmanship are not toys nor were they ever intended to be toys. These beautiful and exact works of art were designed and built to convey the skill of the arms maker and had to be exact in every detail. Cherished in museums all over the world are precise miniature examples of wheel locks, flintlocks, rifles, handguns, shotguns, Gatling guns and machine guns.

The skill of the craftsman is evident as they must use many different manufacturing techniques to produce a miniature that looks and feels “right” and is proportionally correct to its big brother right down to the proper sizing of the grain in wood stocks and fixtures. This was essential as not only were they made especially by commission for the demanding wealthy, but many of these miniatures were actually used as salesman samples by the arms makers themselves.

Manually operated rapid fire weapons are not technically classified as machine guns since the firing mechanism is not self sustaining. Though rapid fire is obtainable, each shot is the direct result of a deliberate physical action by the firer. They were, however, the first to provide a fairly reliable operating principle that afforded a higher volume of fire that was never achieved before especially with the advent of what we now consider to be the modern cartridge. Gatling guns have always held a fascination in the hearts and minds of shooters and collectors. Developed in the early years of the Civil War by Dr. Richard Gatling, his invention could fire at the previously unheard of rate of 200 rounds per minute. It was truly revolutionary. Used by many countries from around the world, his guns saw service from China to the Sahara and in conflicts from the Civil War to the Rough Riders charge up San Juan Hill.

One of the very first to tackle the complex task of creating quality operating miniatures of Gatlings was Dennis Tippmann of the Tippmann Arms Company. Dennis, a true mechanical genius, made a name for himself in the late 1970s by producing in 1/2 scale approximately twenty five Model 1862 Gatling guns in cal. .38 Special. It seems fitting that he chose the Model 1862 as that model was the very first model of a long line of Gatling guns made for almost 50 years with many incarnations and modifications.

In the 1980s, Furr Arms Gatling Gun Company produced a wide array of beautiful working Gatling guns in 3/4, 1/2, 1/3 and 1/6th scale in a variety of calibers. Models produced included the 1874 Gatling, 1876 Camel Gun, 1883 Gatling and 1893 Police Gun. A family business, Furr Arms always had the greatest emphasis on attention to detail in every aspect of their manufacturing process. Castings were designed in miniature from original Gatling parts and cast in their own foundry. After many hundreds of hours of work on each gun, the result is a working miniature that is so graceful and beautiful that one can hardly believe their eyes.

The legacy of making operating Gatling guns in multiple scales in the 1990s has been taken up by master machinist Richard Pugsley of Thunder Valley Gatling Gun Company in Palmyra, Nebraska. His Gatlings range from full scale in .45-70 govt. to 3/4 scale in 9mm and he is working on a 1/3 scale in .22 caliber. His guns are always a crowd pleaser at the semi-annual Knob Creek shoot. His quality and attention to detail carries on a culture of arms making that goes back many centuries. But even his Gatling manufacturing future is in doubt thanks to the Gun Control Act of 1994 which prohibits the manufacture of magazines, clips and feeding devices of over 10 rounds. He still has some guns in inventory with the full magazine capacity but when they are sold he is about done. Would you want to then buy a ten barrel Gatling gun for ten or twelve thousand dollars with a ten round magazine? And for you do-it-yourself types, there are ads for operating Gatling gun plans for sale but be warned. You can build the gun but if you build a magazine for it of more than ten rounds you may very well be looking at doing hard time in the Big House.

The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon was invented by Benjamin Hotchkiss, an American, who went to France in 1867. He originated the 37mm projectile with a bursting charge and his revolving cannon was specifically designed for flank defense. Unique to it was that each barrel was rifled with a different pitch allowing the target to be “swept” by shrapnel. Though resembling a Gatling gun in its outward appearance, it is an original design. It has a single firing pin and a single loading piston and the barrels rotate intermittently thus allowing a pause during rotation at the moment of firing. This innovation eliminated the centrifugal force affecting the bullet when firing such guns as the Gatling where the whole mechanism revolves continuously at a high rate of speed during firing. The 1/4 scale Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon as built by Mike Suchka is a faithful operating rendition of the original.

Also commonly confused with the Gatling gun is the Gardner gun invented by William Gardner of Toledo, Ohio in 1874. It can be readily identified by the square receiver and horizontal alignment of the barrels with a bolt behind each barrel. The reciprocating bolts fired each barrel alternately left, right, left right, etc. in the two barrel model. There was a later version that had five barrels that operated in sequence. It was an extremely reliable weapon but the U.S. already had their Gatlings and dismissed it. Though the British used Gatlings very successfully, it was the British Royal Navy and then the British Army that ultimately embraced the light weight and dependable Gardner gun and it was deployed around the world to the far corners of the British Empire. It proved itself in battles in the Sudan at El Teb, Tamasi and the Upper Nile in the mid 1880s and in multiple skirmishes wherever the Empire needed to exert itself.

Of course any firearm can be the subject of a miniature rendition but it is the skill of the machinist that dictates the care and quality in which it is made. In a tradition dating back almost 500 years, it is still carried on today by a small group of craftsmen who do it for the love of the craft.

The Thompson submachine gun is arguably the most often reproduced miniature machine gun since its graceful lines and well known looks enable it to be instantly recognized and provides a challenge for the machinist to make. Examples encountered run from the truly horrific with poor craftsmanship, sloppy fit and finish, milling marks and poor proportion, to the truly “Cadillac” version that is perfect in almost every detail. Made in a variety of scales, some examples observed are no bigger than your thumb and are sometimes fitted in an obligatory miniature violin case.

Among the finest miniature Thompsons ever produced were built by Edmund H. de la Garrigue in the mid 1970s. From his little shop in Texas, de la Garrigue offered exacting firing and non-firing one half scale replicas of the Colt Model 1921, Colt ’21/8 ‘Navy’, the Auto Ordnance 1928 commercial or U.S. Model 1928-A1 Military and the later M1 and M1-A1 models. They are exact scale and every part is hand finished to the exact dimensions. From the precise barrel finning on the ’21 and ’28 models, proper slot spacing on the Cutts Compensator and tiny sling swivels on the M1 and M1-A1 models to the proper markings and logos stamped on the gun, these really are accurate miniatures. Considering that there are over 70 separate parts to a Thompson, one can appreciate the amount of time and effort it took to produce these guns. The flat surfaces look flat, the symmetry of the lines are right and it looks like a full sized gun that was just reduced to one half size! To call it a “Teeny-Bopper Chopper”, as one reviewing journalist christened it a number of years ago, just seems a bit condescending and sacrilegious. Each de la Garrigue gun came furnished with a non-functional 20 round “XX” stick magazine. A functional “XX” magazine was available at extra cost. The ATF registered live guns were chambered for a shortened .25-ACP cartridge which is obtained by shortening the .25 auto case by 0.100 of an inch, reducing the powder charge slightly and re-seating the bullet. The firing models will fire in full automatic only because by reducing the height and width of the rocker (selector) by one half, it becomes only one fourth its original surface and it is unable to contain the slam of the .25 caliber in the semi-auto mode. The guns were made to order and customized as to functionality, serial number, configuration, etc. according to the customer’s wishes. Accessories and options included the #2 or #3 Cutts Compensators, 50-round “L” Drum (non-functional), polished walnut display stand and finned barrel where the basic gun is smooth. Records are not available but these guns were marketed for only a very brief period of time and it is generally acknowledged that only about 20 to 30 models were produced in all possible models combined in both firing and non-firing versions. Thus, they are quite rare but are a stunning addition to any collection of full autos. A relative newcomer on the miniature scene are guns made in Russia for the Imperial Miniature Armory. Producing incredibly accurate and detailed Thompsons in the even smaller 1/4 scale that measure just 81/4 inches in length, they are proportioned perfectly right down to the size of the grain in the wood stocks. Some of the parts are so small that they are hard to see without the aid of a magnifying glass and some springs are made from wire that is thinner than a strand of hair. Yet, it can feed, chamber and eject from the drum magazine the tiny dummy cartridges that are provided. They have also produced in extremely limited numbers a fully functional 1/3 scale Russian PPsH 41 complete with working drum magazine and scaled dummy cartridges and a 1/2 scale German MP 38 submachine gun. The quality and workmanship of these Russian built miniatures, particularly in the smaller scales, is truly phenomenal.

Building miniatures is no easy task and some guns would appear to be “easier” to build than others such as the British Sten series of submachine guns. We are all familiar with the history of the Sten gun and the need of the British government to produce a weapon that was not only cheap to produce but the manufacturing process was minimal as well since many parts were farmed out to cottage industries. The manufacturing techniques that applied to the originals work for the miniatures as well. But, appearances can be deceiving because in this milieu, stampings and tack welding can actually be more of a challenge to the miniature maker than machining parts from steel stock. As can be seen by the examples exhibited here made by Gorden Heasman and Jerry Missimer, even these rude and crude firearms have their quintessential character captured in these miniatures. Miniature arms makers are a breed of their own. Their passion for firearms transcends many areas of expertise encompassing history, design, engineering, metallurgy and functionality. The dedication of such notables like Louis Elkas, who worked at Savage Arms Company for 42 years and was their chief gun designer or Michael Barrett, another well known miniature arms maker, manifest itself by going home at night and producing miniature arms of all types. It could very easily take over a year to produce a working miniature that was just right but the time and effort was rewarded with a truly outstanding piece of work.

Next time – Part III: “Manually Operated Guns”

Producing a miniature machine gun that actually fires ammunition provides a whole different set of problems because as the scale reduces, so do the tolerances that, ultimately, must be maintained to some degree to provide safety when dealing with chamber pressures and other forces that affect the working parts. A machine gun has many working parts that must act in unison under stress. Thus, certain liberties must be allowed to compensate for this. While the operating principles of the weapon may still be adhered to, true scaling of the internal parts is generally not possible because it must be chambered for a commercially available cartridge which, in all likelihood, is not to scale. Besides the multitude of manufacturing difficulties, current law prohibits the manufacture of “new” functional machine guns (in any size) so there are extremely few miniature machine guns that are capable of shooting.

Without a doubt, the best-known fully functional belt fed miniature machine guns were made by Dennis Tippmann and his Tippmann Arms Company. Starting out in the 1970s producing 1/2 scale Model 1862 Gatling guns he then turned his attention in the mid 1980s (when the law allowed the manufacture of “new” machine guns) to producing in 1/2 scale the classic Browning series of tripod mounted belt fed machine guns.

What can be said about the Browning guns that haven’t been said many times before in a legion of publications? They are the epitome of classic functional design that makes them instantly recognizable with an operating principle that is simplicity itself as well as proving itself in combat as being a true workhorse under a multitude of adverse conditions. Tippmann chose to recreate the .30 caliber Model 1917A1 water-cooled and Model 1919A4 air-cooled machine guns and the venerable .50 caliber M2 HB “Ma Deuce”. The guns were live working models and offered in semi-automatic or, upon special request, ATF registered full automatic versions. They came complete with tripod, non-disintegrating plastic link or cloth belts, metal or wood ammo boxes, technical manual, operating chart and fitted oak arms chest. Chambered for the .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum (for the M2 HB), they provided a source of full auto fun at an affordable price. Though some parts are not 100% accurate in scaling detail (such as the slightly larger trigger) due to its functionality, they are nonetheless wonderful representations of the larger versions that they copy and there is absolutely no mistaking what they are. They truly do capture the essence of the Browning.

After the fall of the USSR, two young Master Russian Metal Workers named Sergey Alekseevich and Sergey Vyacheslavovich from the Central Military Museum in Moscow turned their attention to making extremely detailed, fully functional but non-firing miniatures in an effort to keep their talents honed and occupied. They set up a little shop in an undisclosed location and due to current political Mafia pressure they sell nothing in the former Soviet Union and their location is a closely guarded secret. Using some ages old milling equipment and drafting techniques often consisting of merely a pencil, straight edge and calipers, they created in exquisite detail, and in excruciatingly small limited numbers, versions of the Thompson, German MP-38 and Russian PPsH-41 sub machine guns as well as the Russian SG43 and SGM Goryunov heavy machine guns and the Russian Maxim Model 1910 on a Sokolov wheeled mount. Some of these miniatures even come with scaled down dummy ammunition that will actually feed, chamber and eject. Truly astounding and remarkable in detail! Their work is displayed in several military museums throughout Russia such as the Museum of Military Power in Rovno, Ukraine, the Military Power Museum in Ezhevsk, Russia and the Military Power Museum in Moscow. The three gun set of the Goryunov Model 1943 (SG43) and its further modification to the SGMs were originally ordered by two Swedish merchants for donation to the Swedish Arms Museum in Stockholm but the order was ultimately canceled due to the volatile political environment in Russia and the guns were then sold. Their craftsmanship has been acknowledged here in the states by winning a number of medals at the annual NRA conventions the past several years.

Another master miniature arms maker was Frank Adlam of Australia. He built just 30 miniature weapons in 1/4 and 1/8 scale in his 25 year career ranging from swords (4) to rifles (7), pistols (6), machine guns (8) and artillery pieces (5). A professional soldier for 32 years, he rose to the rank of Warrant Officer and Master Gunner and proofed ammunition and tested weapons for the Australian Army and Navy. He set up a little shop in a tiny radar hut in 1957 at the Port Wakefield Range in South Australia and taught himself to be a draftsman, forger, fitter, wheelwright, molder and turner. He even made much of the equipment he needed to produce his miniatures. He created wonderfully accurate miniatures all through the 1960s and showed them at numerous shows in Australia until he had a serious heart attack in 1972 and was forced to cease his beloved avocation. He died in 1982. His models were so accurate that when his widow attempted to sell the collection the Adelaide, South Australia police determined them to be dangerous, illegal weapons under South Australia’s gun laws and threatened to confiscate and de-activate them by welding them up. A friend of the family clandestinely spirited them away into hiding in another Australian state while appealing the police ruling on behalf of the Adlam family. It took nearly ten years but the Australian Parliament finally exempted the Adlam Collection from any firearms laws which allowed the family to sell the collection.

The skill required to produce such exacting miniatures is achieved by only a small handful of craftsmen worldwide from such countries as the United States, Italy, England, Australia, Spain and Russia. Working generally from home workshops a single gun, from drawings to finished product, can take literally thousands of man-hours. Production can be a single example to a “production run” of maybe twenty or so guns. The time and effort put into these miniatures are not conducive to earning a living from such an endeavor. They are made for the love of the challenge and a passion to create a tangible object of their skill. Whether hand forged centuries ago or with the help of modern computer assisted milling equipment available today, these Lilliputian firearms are truly masterpieces that can be appreciated by all.