Echo 1 Airsoft Minigun

For those requiring nothing less than total domination of a battlefield, there has only ever been one option. Ever since Dr Richard Gatling first put his thinking cap on in the late 19th century, one weapon has come to completely change the nature of war, the Gatling Gun. Despite the fact that he originally designed his famous gun to cut army size and therefore deaths in combat, Dr Gatling's hope that this weapon would show the futility of war was somewhat misguided. What he had actually designed was the forerunner of the modern machine gun. Because the original Gatling gun was hand cranked, the model can't be considered a true automatic machine gun; even so, it still had a firing rate of 200 rounds per minute! This rate, incredible at the time, had a huge impact on defensive capabilities. The gun not only combined a rotating mechanism and multiple barrels to prevent overheating, but also, (and this is the real innovation), a gravity feed reloading mechanism which meant that almost anyone could use it in the field.

American Civil War

Used first in the American Civil War, and later in the Spanish-American War, it also became popular with various European colonial forces anxious to subdue native armies and rebellions. The basic design concept became modified over the years and is still used today. This brilliant design also revolutionized the firing and loading mechanisms used generally in modern warfare. Dr Gatling himself showed the way toward the end of the 19th century, when he demonstrated that an electric motor and belt could power the gun. And it was this modification that was later used by General Electric, after World War Two, as inspiration for the Vulcan gun models now widely used today in helicopter gunships and other attack aircraft.

Minigun Airsoft

Changed and modified over the years, the original Gatling gun has now morphed into the M-134 Minigun, so called because it is the smaller version of the huge Gatling guns one sees mounted on tanks and helicopters. Widely regarded as the most recognizable and powerful gun in existence, you will naturally be looking for your airsoft equivalent. Only available since the fall of 2008, this gun has all of the features you would expect from such a monstrosity.

Specifications

The Echo1 fires at 3,000 rounds per minute and at a speed of 400fps. Perhaps most impressively of all, the 6 barrels rotate whilst firing, giving the wielder the ultimate sense of power. A shoulder strap is of course recommended, as the gun weighs in at a solid 36lbs, before you ever put in the battery! It comes in two lengths, short being 27 inches and the larger version 35 inches long. The Echo 1 Airsoft Minigun is the largest airsoft weapon ever built. All this does come at a hefty cost of course. This magnificent beast of war will set you back a frightening $3,500. This does however almost guarantee that you will be the only one in your airsoft game to possess such firepower, making you the instant envy of all. Not only that, but you will also be able to re-enact your favorite scenes from Predator, Terminator 2 and Black Hawk Down.