In 1969 I was
nearly done in by a M134 minigun mounted on the back of an M37 ¾ ton truck.
The gun malfunctioned and expended 40 or so 7.62 mm rounds
in my direction inflicting multiple shrapnel wounds on me. There was no one at the truck when the gun
found it necessary to execute a solo performance. I am interested in finding other incidents of
spontaneously firing M134 miniguns.
From this image, it is apparent that physically rotating the
barrels will cause unintended firing. I
have to wonder if severe repetitive
vibration could cause the same malfunction. At the time I was wounded our 8 inch
howitzers were executing a fire mission from Dau Tieng RVN. According to the operators
manual, the M110's typical rate of fire was 3 rounds per two minutes when
operated at maximum speed, and 1 round per 2 minutes with sustained fire.
The
concussion generated by firing these howitzers was incredible. Buildings, bones, and teeth were rattling
from the overpressure.
“In the M134D the internal clutch assembly feeds
ammunition into the feeder/delinker only while the gun is being fired. Upon
releasing the firing circuit, the gun continues to rotate briefly, thus
expending and ejecting all ammunition remaining in the chambers. This ensures
that no ammunition remains in the chambers, thereby mitigating the risk of a
cook-off in a hot gun or an accidental discharge during servicing. Dillon’s
innovative design also negates the need to remove five separate components, in
order to ensure that the gun is clear of ammunition (as was required with the
old M134 system). They achieved this with a two-piece safety sector/top cover
allowing easy access to the internal components, as well as physically
interrupting the mechanical firing mechanism. By simply removing these two
inter-connected components, the gun is then rendered completely safe and can be
easily inspected.”
If anyone knows of
similar minigun incidents, please let me know
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