30 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
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Death Rattle: The British Soldier’s Machine Gun 1870 To 2015
“W
hatever happens, we
have got The Maxim gun,
and they have not.”
—HILAIRE BELLOC,
THE MODERN TRAVELLER (1898)John Hutchins’ book, Death Rattle
is the de nitive treatise on the
machine gun as used by British forces
from 1870 to 2015. Gatlings, Gardners,
Stens and Brens (as well as dozens of
others) are covered in great detail and
supported by clear, detailed photos of
the guns and their accouterments that
show how each gun functioned. A sub-
stantive number of period photos also
show soldiers using the guns during
their long and storied history.
This is not your typical “gun
book.” The introduction, “30,000
Operations,” gives the reader a look at
many of the contemporary thoughts
and reviews on the whole idea of the
machine gun entering into the service
of the British military. Essays on the
technological advances and reactions
to the morality of the use of such a
“weapon of mass destruction” provide
an interesting commentary on the
subject matter at hand. The closing
chapter, “The Future” also deals with
the question of the 20th century
arms race. Given chemical and nuclear
choices, does the machine gun
represent the furthest man is willing
to take his technological advances
in warfare? Interesting thoughts
to ponder while also learning how
Maxim’s 1881 design evolved into
the Vickers—eventually the bane of
trench-dwelling infantry during the
Great War (1914-1918).While most
books of this
nature have
dwelled primar-
ily on American
Browning designs
and Maxims, this
is the rst book
to clearly delin-
eate the evolu-
tion of British
automatic rearms from their infancy
to current use. From crew-served
Gatlings to the Minimi, every model
and type is thoroughly documented
in the 512-pp. tome. Well indexed,
this is a “must have” for any shooter
or collector of these workhorses of the
Empire. tommyatkinsmedia.co.uk
—PHILIP SCHREIER,
SENIOR CURATOR, NRA MUSEUMSHornady Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter
A
partnership between Hornady and Kestrel has resulted
in the 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with Hornady 4DOF.
The platform combines onsite environmental measure-
ments and Hornady’s 4DOF trajectory solutions into a rugged
and portable package. The latter is also available online and as
a smartphone app, but the 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter can
take the phone out of the equation entirely by incorporating
4DOF into the weather meter, making it a one-stop solution
for long-range shooters. Price: $499. Contact: Kestrel Ballistics;
(800) 784-4221; hornadykestrel.com.
F.J. Feddersen 10/22 Ri e Barrel
S
ingle Edge Polygonal (SEP) ri ing is the patented process by which F.J.
Feddersen creates aftermarket match-grade barrels for Ruger’s 10/22 rim re
ri e. The .22 Long Ri e-chambered, 0.920"-diameter Bull-Fluted barrel
(shown) measures 16.25" in length and has a recessed, target muzzle
crown at one end and a Bentz chamber at the other. Six utes run
nearly the full length of the button-ri ed, chrome-moly steel
barrel. F.J. Feddersen will also customize a barrel with fea-
tures such as a threaded muzzle, Williams Gun Sight Co.
sights and a polished nish for those who prefer it
over the standard matte exterior. Stock modi -
cation may be necessary to accommodate larger
barrel diameters. Price: $165. Contact: F.J.
Feddersen; (800) 726-7388; fjfeddersen.com.
PepperBall TCP
T
he PepperBall TCP, from LifeLite,
is the company’s smallest less-
than-lethal pepperball launcher
currently available in its lineup.
The TCP is a compact pistol-size
launcher that holds six 0.68-caliber
projectiles, launched via a CO 2 or
N 2 canister stored in the removable
box magazine. The semi-automatic
launcher stands 6.5" high, 8" long
with a 5" barrel and weighs 27 ozs.
With the shooting speed tunable via
a rear velocity adjustment, regular
Target Range Rounds can reach out to
66 ft., while the more aerodynamic
Target Range VXR rounds will travel
164 ft. Both types of rounds are
available in an inert form for target
practice, as well as a “live” version
lled with the PAVA pepper powder.
Price: $400. Contact: PepperBall;
(888) 874-3491; pblifelite.com.