The Gast Gun was a German twin barreled machine gun developed by Karl Gast of Vorwerk und Companie of Barmen, and used during the First World War. It was notable for its high rate of fire of 1,600 rounds per minute and a unique mechanism that is used today in the Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L series of Russian aircraft cannon. The weapon uses two barrels combined into a single mechanism in such a way that the recoil from firing one barrel loads and charges the second. Ammunition was fed into the gun from two vertically mounted cylindrical drums, one on each side of the gun. The drums had a capacity of 180 rounds of German 7.92 mm rifle ammunition, which were fed by a compressed spring one by one into the breech. The changing of ammunition drums could be completed in a few seconds by an experienced gunner. The weapon would also fire single shots if there was a problem with one side of the mechanism. The gun was relatively light at approximately 27 kg (60 lb) without ammunition[1] and it was felt that it was highly suited to airborne use. A telescopic sight was mounted between the two barrels to aid aiming. The weapon was also easy to maintain, and could be field stripped in one minute, thanks to its simple design.
