Joseph Montigny was a Belgian gunsmith, from Fontaine l'Evèque near Brussels, and the developer of the Montigny mitrailleuse, an early European machine gun, in 1863.[1] The design was based on the early 1850s prototype of a volley gun by the Belgian officer Fafschamps.[2] Montigny managed to offer his design to Napoléon III, who adopted it in 1867, with Colonel De Reffye making various improvements to the weapons.[3][4]

Joseph Montigny
Nationality Belgium
OccupationGunsmith
Known forDevelopment of the Montigny mitrailleuse
The 37-barrels Montigny mitrailleuse, developed in 1863 by Joseph Montigny

Joseph Montigny also developed various rifles and shotguns with breech loading mechanisms based on the designs of the Swiss inventor Jean Samuel Pauly.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Rifles of the World By John Walter p.570
  2. ^ Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact - Page 35 by James H. Willbanks [1]
  3. ^ "He offered his weapon to Joseph Montigny, a noted Belgian engineer, who persuaded the French Emperor, Napoleon III, to adopt the weapon in 1867." in Encyclopedia of Firearms - Page 221 by Harold Leslie Peterson
  4. ^ A History of Firearms By W. Y. Carman p.84