Speaking of forgotten weapons:
1930’s 18 shot 26.5mm Manville....
The Manville gun was a stockless, semi-automatic, revolver type gun, introduced in 1935 by Charles J. Manville.[1] The Manville Gun was a large weapon, with a heavy cylinder being rotated for each shot by a clockwork-type spring. The spring was wound manually during the reloading.
By 1938 Manville had introduced three different bore diameter versions of the gun, based on 12-gauge, 26.5-mm, or 37-mm shells. Due to poor sales, Manville guns ceased production in 1943
In 1936, Manville introduced a version that held eighteen rounds of 26.5mm bore shells. This design fired 26.5mm x 3.15 inch Short (26.5mm x 80mmR) flare, smoke, and riot gas shells. Explosive shells were not available and the cylinder walls are too thin for shot-shells. The weapon is similar to the earlier 12-gauge version, except the barrel was either 9.5 inches (240 mm) or 9.75 inches (248 mm), and used hard rubber rear grips instead of wood.
The First Model 26.5 was a larger-bore version of the 12-gauge shotgun, using the same two securing screws.
The Second Model 26.5 differed in that it used a long, thick metal locking bar with a turned-down bolt-handle, like the metal bolt on a bolt-action rifle, which locked into a recess machined into the frame. This slid through a round sleeve atop each half of the weapon to secure the two halves. When the bolt was unlatched and pulled to the rear, the back-plate was turned to the operator's right using the rear grip, allowing access to the cylinder. The operator could then pull out the spent shells and reload fresh ones.
Barrel and cylinder inserts were available to allow it to fire 12-gauge shells or clusters of .38 Special rounds.
In 1938, Manville introduced a twelve round gun with a 37mm bore. This version fired 37mm x 5.5 inch Long (37mm x 127mmR) flare, smoke, or tear gas shells and was designed for police and security use. It was meant to be used in an indirect fire mode and had its barrel mounted at the bottom of the cylinder rather than the top. Its greater weight prohibited its use by any but the strongest of men, since it was designed to be fired from a tripod or pintle mount.
History:
The Indiana National Guard used 26.5mm Manville guns to break up mobs of strikers during the Terre Haute General Strike of 1935. They fired flare and tear gas shells at strikers until they dispersed.
Police and military forces found the Manville guns to be large and heavy, resulting in limited sales. The Manville company ceased production of the weapons in 1943, after which Charles Manville destroyed all machinery, dies, diagrams and notes.
The last pic I took at my local gun show, it was for sale for only $2500.
This IS the original “Street Sweeper”.
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