POTD: Before Modern Machine Guns – The Montigny Mitrailleuse
Sam.S 04.15.24
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Montigny Mitrailleuse was an early multi-barrel “volley gun” developed in the 1850s-1860s, with various models produced for different militaries. This rare 37-shot Austro-Hungarian variant, manufactured by G. Sigl in Vienna in 1871, was one of around 80 produced. It used a lever to simultaneously fire all 37 rifled barrels chambered for 11.15x42mmR ammunition. While touted as an early “machine gun”, its effectiveness was limited compared to artillery, and European militaries remained skeptical of such weapons until machine guns saw wider adoption during World War I. The Montigny was used in a defensive anti-personnel role, with crews of up to 7 men able to rapidly load and fire the gun from its large carriage that could carry over 15,000 rounds of ammunition.
“This is an incredibly rare 37-shot Austro-Hungarian Montigny Mitrailleuse Szorloveg (“Spray Gun”, and/or “Volley Gun”) Model 1851/65 manufactured by G. Sigl of Vienna, Austria. The Model 1851/65 was manufactured by OEWG Steyr for the Austrian Army in 1870, and by G. Sigl for the Hungarian Army in 1871, with only approximately 80 or more pieces reportedly made in total between the two companies (this example is numbered 84). This Austro-Hungarian Model 1851/65 is a licensed variant based off of the Montigny Mitrailleuse (translated “machine gun” or “grapeshot”), which was developed by the Belgian Engineer Joseph Montigny between 1859-1870 as an improved version of the Mitrailleuse, originally invented in 1851 by Belgian Captain Fafschamps as a 50-barrelled volley gun. Montigny approached the French Army with his gun for the purpose of a sale in 1863, and Napoleon III showed interest in it; with approximately 200 examples made known as the “Reffye Mitrailleuse”, a 25-barrel variant fired through the use of a crank and chambered in 13mm, manufactured in secret under French supervision for the French Army and used in the Franco-Prussian War. The concept was still very new in terms of how to effectively utilize weapons such as this, and the French commanders chose to use them like artillery, firing at long range where they were found to be inaccurate and underpowered in that role. They were outperformed by the Prussian Krupp artillery, which would lend to the idea in Europe as a whole that “machine guns” (including Gatling guns of the time) were typically not as effective as artillery pieces; not to be effectively utilized until World War I with the widespread use of Maxim machine guns on either side of the trenches (some Montigny guns also saw limited use in a defense role as late as World War I!).”
Lot 304: Montigny Mitrailleuse 1851/65 37-Shot Volley Gun with Carriage – Incredibly Rare Austro-Hungarian Montigny Mitrailleuse Model 1851/65 Rapid Repeating 37-Shot Szorloveg Volley Gun with Carriage. (n.d.-b). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/88/304/montigny-mitrailleuse-185165-37shot-volley-gun-with-carriage.
