M134 Minigun

Also known as GAU-2, GAU-17/, M-134, XM196 minigun, Minigun

fast-firing automatic weapon with many barrels

Key facts

Type: Rotary medium machine gun
Place of origin: United States
In service: 1963–present
Used by: See Users
Wars: Vietnam War Third Indochina War United States invasion of Grenada United States invasion of Panama Soviet–Afghan War Falklands War Gulf War Operation Restore Hope War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War
Designer: General Electric
Manufacturer: General Electric Dillon Aero Garwood Industries Profense
Produced: 1962–present
Variants: See Design and variants
Mass: 85 lb (39 kg), 41 lb (19 kg) lightweight mod.
Length: 801.6 mm (31.56 in)
Barrel length: 558.8 mm (22.00 in)
Cartridge: 7.62×51mm NATO
Action: Electrically driven rotary breech
Rate of fire: Variable, 2,000–6,000 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)
Maximum firing range: 3,280 ft (1,000 m; 1,090 yd)
Feed system: Disintegrating M13 linked belt or linkless feed; dependent on installation (500–5,000-round belt)

via Wikipedia infobox

~22 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric motor. The "Mini" in the name is in comparison to larger-caliber designs that use a rotary barrel design, such as General Electric's earlier 20 mm M61 Vulcan, and "gun" for the use of rifle ammunition as opposed to autocannon shells.

"Minigun" refers to a specific model of weapon that General Electric originally produced, but the term "minigun" has popularly come to refer to any externally powered rotary gun of rifle caliber. The term is sometimes used loosely to refer to guns of similar rates of fire and configuration, regardless of power source and caliber.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “M134 Minigun” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.