Maxim Gun

The Maxim gun was the first recoil powered gun invented by Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim.  In 1884 Maxim created a weapon that was soon to change the way weapons worked and specifically took over the use of Gatling, Gardner and Nordenfelt guns.  Before the Maxim, machine guns were fired using mechanical cranking.  The problem with these old fashioned machine guns was that they overheated quite easily and required the user to cool and and clean the gas out of the chamber fairly often.  However the new Maxim only required water cooling much less often.  This made the Maxim able to shoot 600 rounds per minute, equivalent to that of 30 bolt-action rifles at the time.  Although the Maxim was heavy, awkward and especially bulky, it was able to put out more firepower than anything else ever before.  Due to its problems it was normally operated by a small team of men but it was possible to be used by one single person.  Overall the Maxim changed the way of warfare, especially within the British.