Colt is now manufacturing a fully functioning replica of the 1877 Bulldog Gatling Gun. It fires .45-70 cartridges at up to 800 rounds per minutes (the speed depends on how fast you can crank the handle). It is an incredibly beautiful piece of machinery and worked flawlessly.
The gun weighs about 250 lbs.
Yes, but does it have rails? 
15 
0It was on Colt’s website not Mossberg. 
11 0Very nice looking, but with the cost of ammo and the gun, you need some deep pockets to really enjoy it.
12 0My thoughts exactly on the ammo. The best price I’ve seen on .45-70 ammo was about $1.50 per round. The puts one minute of fun with this thing at about $1,200 for ammo alone.
6 0I didn’t say 1,200 rounds per minute. The stated maximum firing rate is 800 rounds per minute and the lowest price I’ve seen on .45-70 ammo is about $1.50 per round – therefore 800 rounds * $1.50 = $1,200 for one minute of full speed firing.
2 0@hojo: I believe wiring it to a motor would be illegal. :/
0 01200 rounds per minute seems a bit unrealistic for a hand-cranked Gatling gun. Now, wire it with a starter motor… 
0 2Beautiful. I know a few reenactors who are massaging their VISA cards already.
9 0This would be a great thing for a range to have as a rental piece.
9 0I saw this on Colt’s website today while I was browsing around. It looks awesome! Has there been any word on the retail price? I imagine it will be insanely expensive, but it would be AWESOME to own one!
7 0They should see about making one in .357 magnum/.38 special. It would be a lot cheaper to shoot and it should still work well with the design.
Call it the Colt Model 2012 Gatling Gun.
8 1.22 LR would be really cheap to shoot!
Say you shoot it for an hour and put 2K rounds through it (reloading time keeps rounds fired down), you are still looking at a very high per hour cost. Going with lower cost ammo like .357 magnum or 9mm would reduce the operating cost by $1K per hour.
1 0On the subject of rails…
I’d love to see a companion longarm that could be fed with the same magazine/hopper. Extra points if it had the same brass accents.
Of course, waiting for Colt to innovate is like waiting for Antarctica to thaw.
6 0which is probably not saying as much as it used to…
6 0Like a Brass!
Seriously, what a beauty. Steam-punkers rejoice!
5 0I will never understand Colt’s marketing strategy. They refuse to make any more of their DA revolvers, but look to something else with spinning chambers? And why the 84? The 73 is far more iconic and would probably make more sales.
3 0I think their marketing strategy is to put a monkey in charge. Seriously, they piss me off to no end with the shit they give us. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this Gatling gun is awesome, but I think they’d profit a hell of a lot more (and make a LOT of people a LOT happier) if they would just bring back their goddamn Pythons and Anacondas.
6 0Oh, that said. Maybe instead of doing side shows like this, Colt could perhaps design a modern, striker fired, polymer framed pistol. Smith did it and after a few tries they NAILED it. I don’t really feel like paying a grand for a Rail Gun that doesn’t have any checkering on the front strap.
At the very least you think they could make a mid-length, 16″ AR or perhaps…just perhaps, a carbine length gas system and a low profile gas block. Hell, I’d be happy if they put out a legit, semi-automatic M16A4 clone. I want a Colt, but I don’t want an HBAR. No one wants short hand guards anymore.
3 0Would buying one of these new fall under the NFA? Technically it’s semi-auto…..
3 0No. Each whatever (5th maybe) of a revolution is effectively a pull of the trigger and each whatever of a revolution only fires one bullet. It doesn’t count as a machine gun because of that. Now, if the overall length or barrel lengths were too short, it might be considered an SBR, but that’s different.
2 1Well, it’s not designed to fire from the shoulder, so it might not be a rifle. Could be a pistol or AOW
0 1They’ve been listed at $50K. I think you’d be surprised at the number of folks who will buy these. Twenty years ago, I would have bought one, even at that price. Original versions go for $200K and up, depending on the model. I imagine that when they’re gone, the price will rise significantly.
2 0Brass 45-70 Brass gun brass and wood stand I love brass want one the whole all brass thing makes it soooooooo pretty.
3 2so in short, “Brass!” ?
5 0I know! I love the look of brass. Unfortunately, it would probably require a lot of polishing to keep it looking nice. XD
2 0Where’s the shoulder-thing that goes up? They used-to make them in .30 Govt. (.30-40 Krag)…
1 0So, is this designed for the burgeoning SASS/Zombie crossover market? You know it would make for an awesome zombie-buffalo-stampede stage!
I admit there is something interesting and cool about this, but I’d imagine they will sell maybe five or ten of these. Certainly if I had piles of cash lying around I would look into getting one, but I just can’t see this being much other than a showpiece or marketing exercise. It doesn’t seem like this is something they really expect to make any money from. Still, there is nothing wrong with making something like this just for fun every once in a while.
2 1I wondered where the Gatlings used in the last season of Top Shot came from! Now I know.
0 0Just to clear up some misconceptions about the 1877 Bulldog Gatling being offered by Colt.
1) Colt was not even remotely involved in these guns initially being made. I visited the facility that makes these and shot one at a machine gun shoot we hold in Pennsylvania in 2007.
2) These were shown at SHOT last year alongside the replica Garner Guns that the same company also builds and Colt only came to an agreement with the manufacturer some time in 2011.
3) The company (US Armaments) had purchased the original technical materials and rights to the 1877 Bulldog…I do not know if they sold the IP to Colt as part of the deal or not.
4) The quality of these guns is amazing and parts are backward compatible with the original guns Colt manufactured. For the time being these guns are still made by the same company and I seriously doubt Colt has ANY intention of changing that situation.
5) I didn’t ask what Colt was pricing these at…US Armaments had a retail price on the Bulldog at around $30-35,000 depending on whether you purchased the mount, transit cases, and other accessories. I won’t quote what the dealer pricing on these used to be but the statement made in another comment about $50,000 seems extremely high even given inflation and increased materials costs.
6) Production numbers had remained fairly small under US Armaments mainly due to their lack of distribution and advertising talents…it simply isn’t what they do! The deal with Colt is the best of both worlds, the gun will continue to be manufactured at the highest quality levels and will have the exposure that only a large company like Colt can give it.
0 0Well, $50,000 may seem very high, considering inflation and cost of materials, but then again, Colt isn’t known for making very affordable guns. Their M1911s and SAAs are very overpriced. I would not be surprised if they are retailing at $50,000. That’s just Colt for you. If they keep up their marketing strategy the way they have been, you can probably bet they’ll be out of business within the next decade.
0 1wow, this is awesome, but like geoff said, 45-70 is expensive, i would love to see them come out with a smaller caliber version
0 0Does this fall under the same category as the Slide Fire stocks? It’s not really “fully automatic”, you have to power it. I’d assume that’s legally not any different than bump fire.
0 0Wow, what a machine! Would to see them put it into a more affordable caliber, but I guess if you can pay for the gun then the ammo shouldnt be an issue. Imagine running this thing in say .357!
0 0Any video of this thing in action??
0 0There’s a bit of Gunblast boys fiddling with this in this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuSxHjtVbV0&feature=g-u&context=G200c854FUAAAAAAALAA
0 0This will be a winner. They will sell out. They are Colt marked identical to the original. Check the price of an original. Buy it, use it gently and it will sell for more in the future.
The buyer of this is not concerned about ammo cost. Gatlings have been produced in all the calibers mentioned. I am looking to buy it. Two would be better- one to keep and one for investment.
0 0the store i work has one of these facing the door. its great to walk in every day at work and see it. beautiful gun.
0 0
This will be a winner. They will sell out. They are Colt marked identical to the original. Check the price of an original. Buy it, use it gently and it will sell for more in the future.
The buyer of this is not concerned about ammo cost. Gatlings have been produced in all the calibers mentioned. I am looking to buy it. Two would be better- one to keep and one for investment.
the store i work has one of these facing the door. its great to walk in every day at work and see it. beautiful gun.
Just to clear up some misconceptions about the 1877 Bulldog Gatling being offered by Colt.
1) Colt was not even remotely involved in these guns initially being made. I visited the facility that makes these and shot one at a machine gun shoot we hold in Pennsylvania in 2007.
2) These were shown at SHOT last year alongside the replica Garner Guns that the same company also builds and Colt only came to an agreement with the manufacturer some time in 2011.
3) The company (US Armaments) had purchased the original technical materials and rights to the 1877 Bulldog…I do not know if they sold the IP to Colt as part of the deal or not.
4) The quality of these guns is amazing and parts are backward compatible with the original guns Colt manufactured. For the time being these guns are still made by the same company and I seriously doubt Colt has ANY intention of changing that situation.
5) I didn’t ask what Colt was pricing these at…US Armaments had a retail price on the Bulldog at around $30-35,000 depending on whether you purchased the mount, transit cases, and other accessories. I won’t quote what the dealer pricing on these used to be but the statement made in another comment about $50,000 seems extremely high even given inflation and increased materials costs.
6) Production numbers had remained fairly small under US Armaments mainly due to their lack of distribution and advertising talents…it simply isn’t what they do! The deal with Colt is the best of both worlds, the gun will continue to be manufactured at the highest quality levels and will have the exposure that only a large company like Colt can give it.
Well, $50,000 may seem very high, considering inflation and cost of materials, but then again, Colt isn’t known for making very affordable guns. Their M1911s and SAAs are very overpriced. I would not be surprised if they are retailing at $50,000. That’s just Colt for you. If they keep up their marketing strategy the way they have been, you can probably bet they’ll be out of business within the next decade.
I wondered where the Gatlings used in the last season of Top Shot came from! Now I know.
Like a Brass!
Seriously, what a beauty. Steam-punkers rejoice!
Any video of this thing in action??
There’s a bit of Gunblast boys fiddling with this in this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuSxHjtVbV0&feature=g-u&context=G200c854FUAAAAAAALAA
Where’s the shoulder-thing that goes up? They used-to make them in .30 Govt. (.30-40 Krag)…
wow, this is awesome, but like geoff said, 45-70 is expensive, i would love to see them come out with a smaller caliber version
Wow, what a machine! Would to see them put it into a more affordable caliber, but I guess if you can pay for the gun then the ammo shouldnt be an issue. Imagine running this thing in say .357!
They’ve been listed at $50K. I think you’d be surprised at the number of folks who will buy these. Twenty years ago, I would have bought one, even at that price. Original versions go for $200K and up, depending on the model. I imagine that when they’re gone, the price will rise significantly.
So, is this designed for the burgeoning SASS/Zombie crossover market? You know it would make for an awesome zombie-buffalo-stampede stage!
I admit there is something interesting and cool about this, but I’d imagine they will sell maybe five or ten of these. Certainly if I had piles of cash lying around I would look into getting one, but I just can’t see this being much other than a showpiece or marketing exercise. It doesn’t seem like this is something they really expect to make any money from. Still, there is nothing wrong with making something like this just for fun every once in a while.
They should see about making one in .357 magnum/.38 special. It would be a lot cheaper to shoot and it should still work well with the design.
Call it the Colt Model 2012 Gatling Gun.
.22 LR would be really cheap to shoot!
Say you shoot it for an hour and put 2K rounds through it (reloading time keeps rounds fired down), you are still looking at a very high per hour cost. Going with lower cost ammo like .357 magnum or 9mm would reduce the operating cost by $1K per hour.
Oh, that said. Maybe instead of doing side shows like this, Colt could perhaps design a modern, striker fired, polymer framed pistol. Smith did it and after a few tries they NAILED it. I don’t really feel like paying a grand for a Rail Gun that doesn’t have any checkering on the front strap.
At the very least you think they could make a mid-length, 16″ AR or perhaps…just perhaps, a carbine length gas system and a low profile gas block. Hell, I’d be happy if they put out a legit, semi-automatic M16A4 clone. I want a Colt, but I don’t want an HBAR. No one wants short hand guards anymore.
Does this fall under the same category as the Slide Fire stocks? It’s not really “fully automatic”, you have to power it. I’d assume that’s legally not any different than bump fire.
I will never understand Colt’s marketing strategy. They refuse to make any more of their DA revolvers, but look to something else with spinning chambers? And why the 84? The 73 is far more iconic and would probably make more sales.
I think their marketing strategy is to put a monkey in charge. Seriously, they piss me off to no end with the shit they give us. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this Gatling gun is awesome, but I think they’d profit a hell of a lot more (and make a LOT of people a LOT happier) if they would just bring back their goddamn Pythons and Anacondas.
Would buying one of these new fall under the NFA? Technically it’s semi-auto…..
No. Each whatever (5th maybe) of a revolution is effectively a pull of the trigger and each whatever of a revolution only fires one bullet. It doesn’t count as a machine gun because of that. Now, if the overall length or barrel lengths were too short, it might be considered an SBR, but that’s different.
Well, it’s not designed to fire from the shoulder, so it might not be a rifle. Could be a pistol or AOW
Brass 45-70 Brass gun brass and wood stand I love brass want one the whole all brass thing makes it soooooooo pretty.
so in short, “Brass!” ?
I know! I love the look of brass. Unfortunately, it would probably require a lot of polishing to keep it looking nice. XD
This would be a great thing for a range to have as a rental piece.
On the subject of rails…
I’d love to see a companion longarm that could be fed with the same magazine/hopper. Extra points if it had the same brass accents.
Of course, waiting for Colt to innovate is like waiting for Antarctica to thaw.
which is probably not saying as much as it used to…
Yes, but does it have rails?
It was on Colt’s website not Mossberg.
I saw this on Colt’s website today while I was browsing around. It looks awesome! Has there been any word on the retail price? I imagine it will be insanely expensive, but it would be AWESOME to own one!
Very nice looking, but with the cost of ammo and the gun, you need some deep pockets to really enjoy it.
My thoughts exactly on the ammo. The best price I’ve seen on .45-70 ammo was about $1.50 per round. The puts one minute of fun with this thing at about $1,200 for ammo alone.
1200 rounds per minute seems a bit unrealistic for a hand-cranked Gatling gun. Now, wire it with a starter motor…
I didn’t say 1,200 rounds per minute. The stated maximum firing rate is 800 rounds per minute and the lowest price I’ve seen on .45-70 ammo is about $1.50 per round – therefore 800 rounds * $1.50 = $1,200 for one minute of full speed firing.
@hojo: I believe wiring it to a motor would be illegal. :/
Beautiful. I know a few reenactors who are massaging their VISA cards already.