British Royal Navy, Argentina Australia Austria-Hungary Brazil Chile China France Philippine Republic Portugal Spain Turkey United Kingdom United States Uruguay
09. Production quantities
10. Mechanism
5 barrels and a top hopper magazine (not fitted on the filmed example); the feed, firing, extraction and ejection cycle is achieved by manual movement of a horizontal lever. Other versions up to 12 barrels
11. Weight
12. Mountings
Naval pedestal mounts featured quick release so that the mechanism could be stored below decks until needed
13. Practicality in action
A suitable weapon for use against the growing threat of torpedo boats
14. Comments / Other information
Nordenfelt Manually-operated 0.45” Hand operated Naval machine gun. Adopted by the Royal Navy in the 1880’s, chambered for the .45” Gardner round; had 5 barrels and a top hopper magazine (not fitted on the filmed example); the feed, firing, extraction and ejection cycle is achieved by manual movement of a horizontal lever. The Nordenfelt series of weapons was designed by a Swedish engineer, Heldge Palmocraz; production in the UK was financed by a Swedish banker, Thorsten Nordenfelt. During a demonstration held at Portsmouth a ten-barrelled version of the weapon, firing rifle calibre cartridges fired 3,000 rounds of ammunition in 3 minutes and 3 seconds without stoppage or failure