American engineer and inventor Hiram Maxim, living in London, developed an automatic gun that was presented in Great Britain and in several European countries. On October 20, 1886, a ministerial dispatch advised the Versailles Commission of Experiments that Mr. Maxim was authorized to present a semiautomatic rifle of his invention. On November 4th of the same year, another dispatch informed the commission that Mr. Bariquant, representing the inventor in France, would also present an automatic machine gun. According to the official test report, this weapon shot Gatling cartridges, while the files of Maxim-Nordenfelt spoke about a machine gun No. 129, shooting the .450 Martini-Henry.

11mm Machine Guns

During the first tests, the Maxim machine gun appeared remarkable and the Commission wanted to conduct further tests firing the ammunition of the Gras M1874 rifle. Four machine guns arrived on August 6, 1887 and after some tests, three of them were modified by the inventor and were turned over on August 12th. These weapons carried No. 53, 54, 55 and 63.

Each one of these weapons had a single barrel that moved back at the time of firing and ensured the unlocking of a mobile bolt knuckle. It returned to battery by action of a laterally installed spring. The cartridges are installed in a flexible fabric belt with brass eyelets. Its advance and feeding is the result of a distributor associated with displacement of the bolt. Weapons No. 54 and 63 had a rate of fire from 620 to 650 rounds per minute and were fitted with a water jacket ensuring the cooling of the gun. Machine gun No. 55 was fitted with a regulator that appeared as a glycerine-brake that made it possible to vary the rate from 5 to 500 rpm. It is fitted with the same water jacket. The model No. 53 had a cyclic rate from 620 to 650 rpm. Its water tank, under pressure, is installed in the tripod and is connected by a flexible tube, with a small baffle sleeve that surrounds the barrel. Machine guns No. 53, 54 and 63 could be mounted on the following supports: folding tripod made of steel, wheeled mount with armor-plated shield and crinoline mount made of steel. Weapon No. 55 could be installed on: folding tripod with tubular bronze leg forming the water tank and a conical mount made of bronze arranged as a water tank. The weight of the weapons varied from 24 to 35 kg and that of the mounts from 33 to 98 kg. Machine gun No. 55’s weight climbed with the wheeled mount, three cases of loaded cartridges and armor-plate to 190.8 kg.

During the tests, accuracy was considered to be very poor as the sight graduations did not correspond to the ranges and the mounts were unstable:

* H + L = 0.74 m x 0.69 m at 200 m,
* H + L = 1.95 m x 1.20 m at 400 m.

Between 600 m and 1,000 m, the results were even worse and as the rate of fire increased, accuracy decreased. Though this is not surprising today, at the time when automatic weapons were an innovation, they seemed surprising.

The operational tests were satisfactory and failures to fire incidents were scarce in spite of a significant heating of the barrel. Also noticed was a significant depositing of lead in the bore of the barrel; but this fault was charged to the use of lead bullet ammunition without a jacket. After shooting three 334-round belts (more than one thousand cartridges) in less than three minutes, it was also noticed that the chamber was fouling, though not surprising, with cartridges loaded with black powder.

The tests of model No. 53, fitted with a condenser tank, showed that the cooling of the barrel was not carried out in a reasonable way and involved a deformation of the barrel that was detrimental for accuracy. As for the model No. 55, fitted with a regulator, it was noted that its operation was too sensitive to room temperature and that its system was too intricate compared to the possible advantages which it could offer.

In conclusion, the Commission while recognizing the ingeniousness of the mechanisms present on the weapons tested, wanted improvements to the cooling system, the feed mechanism, safety, the belts carrying the cartridges and more stable mounts. In its final report of September 26, 1887, they encouraged the development of the model with regulator and single tank.

Following that, the inventor presented on June 20, 1888, two new machine guns No. 88 and 89 that comprised the majority of the desired modifications. But the first tests proved to be less than satisfactory and the weapons were returned for repair and then returned for testing on July 20th. Their operation was similar to that of the models presented previously. The barrel is cooled better as it sits entirely in the water of the jacket whose capacity was increased to 2.5 litres. The distributor was simplified, which made it possible to cure the problems of incidents of supply met previously. The regulator appeared to operate randomly. The mounts (model with wheels and tripod) were unchanged, but the attachment device of the weapons was improved.

The majority of the defects in firing were attributed to the feeding attachment and a failing of synchronization between the movement of the bolt and the advance of the belt. In spite of the noted defects, it was recognized that the accuracy of the machine guns were much higher than the various distances with that obtained with a collective shooting with rifle. Finally the French officers, conscious of the advantages had by the machine guns, but also of the stresses driven by their use (consumption of ammunition, training of specialized personnel) wanted the inventor to propose to them a new weapon fitted to fire the 8mm Lebel cartridge.

8mm Machine Guns

May 8, 1889, the Versailles Experiments Commission took delivery of two 8mm Lebel Maxim machine guns, carrying numbers 169 and 173. These weapons were fitted with an easily dismountable barrel enclosed in a bronze water jacket of 2.7 litres capacity. The system of waterproofing around the jacket was simplified. The actuating lever was improved, the bolt was lightened and the feeding system modified. These machine guns were then installed on a lighter mount with wheels.

The weapons worked well at the beginning of the tests, but thereafter there were many failure to fire incidents and the breaking of several parts were noted. The rates of fire lay between 550 and 600 rounds per minute. The endurance tests were concluded up to 1,300 rounds. Accuracy was lower than that of a Lebel rifle, with:

* a H + L of 66 x 48 cm at 200 m,
* a H + L of 90 x 70 cm at 200 m,
* a H + L of 100 x 120 cm at 400 m.

After that, the Commission asked that many modifications be carried out.

Following that, Misters Bariquant and Marre, representing the inventor, asked the Commission to test four other 8mm machine guns: No. 174, 612, 613 and 614. These weapons were subjected to tests similar to those carried out previously. The results obtained were compared with those obtained with other machine guns also put to the test at the same time:

* Hotchkiss machine gun,
* Colt-Browning machine gun,
* APX 1895 machine gun, gun made at the Puteaux Arsenal near Paris, it was a Gatling type gun with mechanical repeater system.

The final conclusions were rather severe. While they recognized the ingeniousness of the mechanism, which was judged complex, the many-times improved mechanisms had suffered much from the tests and did not support any more the comparison with a new weapon. And it was recommended that the water cooling system be abandoned in favour of air cooling. This report, dated February 27, 1899, finally rejected the Maxim machine gun that was specifically conceived for the French Army. However, an ultimate model in 8mm Lebel (No. 9646) was presented in 1909, but by then it was too late.

By Al Paulson

While the oldest working pistol silencer probably dates back to a French design from about the time of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, and the first silencer patent dates from 1899, Hiram Percy Maxim’s Model 1909 silencer was the first commercially successful silencer in the world. I recently stumbled across a Maxim Model 1909 silencer fitted to an apparently hand made, one-of-a-kind single shot pistol that had been in continuous use for killing cattle at a slaughterhouse in Texas since 1909. The Maxim was still going strong, having survived a 91-year torture test. I have never run across a silencer that has been in continuous service for anywhere nearly as long as this particular specimen. This Model 1909 served as a working tool, not as a collectable historical artifact, from 1909 until 2000. Clearly, Hiram Percy Maxim could build a robust silencer. Furthermore, the level of performance, even after nearly a century of steady use, will be surprising.

The dawn of the 20th century brought a new phenomenon to modern life: noise pollution. While referring to noise as “pollution” would not happen for generations to come, the reality was that the amount of noise assaulting the senses was growing exponentially throughout the United States at the dawn of the 20th century, adding very real stress to urban life in the Golden Age. Street cars, gas engines, motor cycles, motor cars, motor boats, recorded music, steam exhausts, assembly lines, and Diesel engines added to the gentler, more traditional sounds of trains and horse-drawn carriages and wagons. Some New England mills were so noisy that they tormented people ten miles away. The country swelled with a great wave of immigration, and the population pushed outward from urban centers, where they tended to find the ubiquitous American pastime of shooting a disquieting and intrusive form of noise pollution.

Maxim firmly believed that noise could wreak havoc on the human nervous system, a belief that has been confirmed by a nearly century of subsequent medical research. Maxim declared a personal war on noise. In 1906, he designed a firearms silencer for a .30-30 rifle based upon the principle of creating a whirlpool of gases inside the silencer, like water going down the drain of a bathtub, leaving a neat little clear hole through which a bullet could travel unimpeded. This led to the development of the Model 1908 silencer, which was patented in 1909.

The Model 1908 looked something like a conch shell stuck on the end of the Winchester lever-action rifle. It was a less than stellar performer. Undaunted, Maxim’s experiments revealed that simply creating turbulence inside the suppressor to slow the gases and delay their release from the silencer worked very well.

This revelation eventually led to the development of the Maxim Model 1909 silencer, which was patented in 1910. A prolific writer, Maxim continued his war against noise by adding a second front: a campaign to win hearts and minds with a series of articles discussing his view that noise was one of the principal problems of the day. He also began an advertising blitz (to borrow a phrase from the next generation) extolling the virtues of the Maxim Silencer in the mainstream magazines of the day, including the likes of New Yorker Magazine, Scribner’s, Popular Mechanics, McClure’s, Redbook, Yachting Magazine, and the National Sportsman.

The Maxim Model 1909 was replaced a year later by the improved and more compact Model 1910. Most historians have referred to the Model 1910 as the finest of Maxim variants. Nevertheless, after having shot a variety of Maxim Model 1909 silencers on a variety of .22 pistols and rifles, I have developed a particular respect for the Model 1909. It may be a bit bulky, but it does perform.

The Maxim Model 1909 silencer is an eccentric design fabricated from soft, malleable steel baffles and tubing, with a machined rear end piece that serves as the mount and rear end cap. The Model 1909 variant evaluated in this study measures 4.88 inches overall, while the tube length is 4.55 inches. The tube diameter is 1.35 inches and it is press fit into the machined rear end cap, where a rivet on the left side of the rear end cap secures the tube in place. Two pressed grooves around the circumference of the tube toward the rear of the suppressor secure thick blast baffles, while one 3.77 inch longitudinal groove running along the bottom of the tube aligns the asymmetrical baffles. The exit hole in the front baffle, which serves as a press fit end cap secured by rolling the suppressor tube inward at the front end, measures 0.31 inch. The mount in the rear end cap features 1/2×20 TPI interrupted female threads for screwing onto a threaded barrel. The suppressor weighs 6.8 ounces. Once blued, the finish is well worn. The top of the machined rear end cap is stamped “22 CALIBRE” and the rear face of the rear end cap is stamped:

MAXIM SILENT FIREARMS CO.
NEW YORK
PATENT MARCH 30, 1909

The patent date stamped on the silencer is a bit misleading. The date actually refers to U.S. Patent 916,885 for the Model 1908 silencer. The patent application for the Model 1909 silencer was submitted on October 8, 1908 but U.S. Patent 958,931 was not granted until May 24, 1910. The suppressor was registered as required after the National Firearms Act was passed in 1934 and carries an “IRS” prefixed serial number.

The hand-made single-shot pistol is a side-break design featuring a pull-cock striker. The overall length of the pistol is 9.25 inches, and maximum height is 4.65 inches. Barrel length is 6.97 inches. The receiver is 0.73 inch thick, the walnut grips are 1.16 inches thick, and the pistol weighs 24.0 ounces without the Maxim silencer. The barrel is threaded 1/2×20 TPI to accept the Maxim suppressor. Design of the pistol is robust and thoughtful, and the trigger nothing short of awesome. Trigger pull is a remarkably crisp 4.3 pounds, breaking like the proverbial “glass rod” (a wonderfully descriptive but horribly hackneyed expression I’m using here with great circumspection, for only the second time in my life, since no other turn of phrase really fits).

Contrary to conventional wisdom that the Model 1910 was a better silencer than the Model 1909, I discovered during informal shooting of this handmade single-shot pistol that the Model 1909 seemed noticeably quieter than my memory of the Model 1910. The Model 1909 seemed to provide both lower sound signatures and a softer sound with less of a hard, uncorking component. To test this hypothesis, I arranged to test fire the Model 1909 on a vintage Colt Woodsman (production began on March 29, 1915) fitted at the factory with a sleeve adapter to accept a Maxim silencer on the pistol’s 6.5 inch barrel. I compared the performance of the Model 1909 suppressor with a Maxim Model 1910 on the same afternoon using Remington high velocity (HV), standard velocity target (SVT) and subsonic ammunition at a temperature of 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Table 1 compares the sound signatures measured 1 meter to the left of the muzzle or silencer, expressed as decibels (dB). Table 2 provides the net sound reductions.

To look the relevant data at from a historical perspective, in terms of what Hiram Maxim experienced himself during the Golden Age before the outbreak of the Great War, one should consider only the data for standard velocity ammunition. The first high velocity .22 rimfire cartridge was not introduced until 1930 (by Remington, as it turns out), and .22 subsonic ammunition did not appear until relatively recently. The data show that the Maxim Model 1909 significantly outperforms the Model 1910 with both period-equivalent and modern ammunition, beating the Model 1910 by 8-10 decibels. That’s a whopping big difference when you consider that the decibel scale is logarithmic rather than linear.

Furthermore, the data—including the high velocity and subsonic numbers—also show that the Model 1909 performs very well by modern standards, delivering 30-33 dB net sound reductions, depending upon ammunition. Finally, this Maxim Model 1909 silencer survived a 91-year torture test of regular work in a slaughterhouse. The silencer kept animals waiting their turn from becoming alarmed and unmanageable, making the process more humane. The silencer also protected generation upon generation of workers from hearing loss.

While the Maxim’s blued finish is a distant memory, the can remains robust after countless thousands of rounds and nearly a century of use. Considering its excellent structural condition today, I see no reason why this Maxim Model 1909 cannot deliver another 91 years of service. If we assume (30 cattle killed/day) (5 days/week) (52 weeks/year) (91 years) = 709,800 rounds fired through this old veteran thus far.

Underrated and largely overlooked by historians, it turns out that the Model 1909 silencer represents one of the most remarkable achievements of a remarkably influential and insightful man. Hiram Percy Maxim’s Model 1909 silencer must be considered one of the greatest suppressor designs of all time.

The diversity of the firing line is certainly not limited to the age of firearm designs. Imagine an American 180 tearing at the backstop with a virtual hailstorm of .22lr at over 2000 rounds per minute, and a quad .50 just a few positions away opening up with all four barrels. If that is still not enough lead going in one direction at once, it should be known that the line is usually opened with a volley of artillery fire from a US-M1 57mm piece. If a six-pound projectile traveling at approximately the same speed as an average 30-06 doesn’t get your interest than this probably isn’t the place for you.

The firing line is between 100 and 150 yards from the point of impact. The impact area is packed with automobiles whose better years are long forgotten as well as an occasional appliance or bathroom accessory. Oh yeah, there is some dynamite there too. Lots of dynamite! Much to the pleasure of the substantial crowd of both shooters and spectators the explosives are not spared and are usually placed on the heavy side. This takes time to do correctly and safely as several safety sweeps take place in the impact area during the day. From my vantage point on the tower I am often asked what is going on downrange and when the line will open up again. When I relay it is the dynamite crew checking for unexpanded ordnance and placing fresh charges you can almost hear the smiles coming on.

There is absolutely nothing to prepare a shooting enthusiast who spends an occasional weekend at the local range and suddenly walks into the world of a well-organized national level event such as this. It is a complete overload for the senses. The sounds are very different from those encountered during a regular day on the range. If you are used to having four or five pals with you at the range or in the local gravel pit it will sound like silence compared to 62 roaring belt-fed machine guns all belted up and shooting in unison during the opening “mad minute” of each volley. If you bring out an occasional reactive target or two when you usually meet at the range, you will be eternally spoiled by the rapid explosions of 60% nitro sticks being impacted by the bullets of the shooters. When the first few rounds hit their mark and the thunderous percussion waves over the crowd it is a certain bulls-eye with everyone there. The percussion is so intense that it often sets off the car alarms of those new to the shoot. Those who have “been there and done that” know better than to arm their alarm if parked anywhere in close proximity to the line.

If you like the smell of gunpowder your nose is in for a sensation like nothing ever imagined. Over 32,000 rounds per minute will be going downrange at the opening of the volley and that produces a gunpowder smell like nothing else.

The sights of the occasional flame-thrower firing between volleys are extremely visually stimulating. The fire is bright and intense. The smoke is dark and thick. Above everything else, they throw a lot of heat. It is quite amazing to be standing 50 yards from this device pointed in the opposite direction, and still be able to feel the tremendous heat on your skin.

If being up close and personal on the line is more than you can stand for long periods you can spend some time browsing in the dealer tents. There you will find the people who make these shoots their business and supply the shooters and collectors with their prized possessions and the ammo to feed them. Many of these folks travel all around the country to shoots and shows, and bring a lot of inventory and experience with them. It is not uncommon to find nationally recognized authors doing research, selling their books or just relaxing and enjoying the company of fellow shooters here either. It is a family atmosphere and is well attended by many families.

The Hundred Mom Marchers draw attention to the shoot.

All in all, the 2001 shoot was business as usual with the exception of some unexpected helpers bringing a flurry of media coverage to the event just as it was getting underway. It seems that the local chapter of the so-called Million Mom March (now officially affiliated with Sarah Brady’s Brady Campaign) had issued a press release asking people not to attend the function, claiming it “….sent the wrong message to children.” When the associated press picked up on this, phones started ringing. The anti-gun group was so concerned that they never contacted anyone connected with the shoot and it looked like they were just trying to earn a little free publicity from the high profile of the annual event. It was reported by a local newspaper that their spokeswomen made a statement claiming that the so called “Million Moms” were going to protest the event but “felt threatened” and did not do so. The boogeyman of scary black guns raises his head again.

What a joke. If they had voiced an interest to anyone actually connected with the event they would have been given a booth just to let them see their misconceptions were wrong. All in all we don’t know if they damaged the attendance of the event, but we do know they caused things to be a little more hectic for the organizers than they needed to be at the time.

Shoot 2002

The dates for the 2002 shoot are July 19, 20 & 21. The place is the same as it has been since 1996. Take I-95 North to exit 39 (Newport Exit) and take Rt. 7 North to Dover-Foxcroft. The signs will bring you to the shoot. Admission is $6.00 per day for adults and $4.00 per day for children. Children must be under immediate adult supervision at all times. Shooter passes are $30.00 per day or $45.00 for the weekend. You can reach the club at (207) 465-2336 or on the web at www.hirammaxim.com. If you have a little vacation time you can use this summer, think about taking a trip to “Vacationland” the third weekend in July and visiting some of the best friends you have yet to meet. See you at the shoot!