Beschreibung:

AN ULTRA-RARE .174(BB) CO2 AERIAL GUNNERY MAC GLASHAN MACHINE-GUN TRAINER, MODEL 'E-3', serial no. 42-67, circa 1941-45, originally electrically operated, smoothbore barrel with stepped shroud, approximately 31 3/4in. overall and in loose imitation of a .30 M1919A4 Browning machine-gun with dual spade grips and central trigger to rear, fitted with a vertical pillar magazine from the remote controlled 'E-13' model, the manufacturers aluminium identification plate marked 'TRAINER - AERIAL GUNNERY, TYPE E-3, SERIAL NO 42-67, SPECIFICATION NO 24733, MFR'S ASSEMBLY DRAWING NO. 5000 (overstamped, see below), ORDER NO. W535 AC - 22035, MAC GLASHAN AIR MACHINE GUN CORP LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA', complete with small pintle mount to the underside Provenance: Originally introduced to the AAF Aerial Gunnery School in 1941, this electrically operated CO2 trainer came in a number of varients, most notably the 'E-3' and 'E-13'. Originally, the 'E-3' models were fitted with a vented barrel shroud and a hollow tube magazine mounted horizontally along the top-body of the gun, the hollow part designed to accept an 'E-5' telescopic sight, although no sighted models are known to still exist. Some were fitted with ring sights and most of these were bought by the US Navy. The Army Air Force had a model with just a post front-sight (approximately 50 guns). The model 'E-13' was designed to be used in remote controlled gun turrets and had no external grips or trigger, the magazine was a vertical tube as presented here, and no barrel shroud was fitted. Again only around 50 guns were produced in this format. The example represented here seems to be an amalgam of the two models and interestingly the makers identity plate has been overstamped 'E-41'; perhaps this is a previously unknown variation. In total and in all models only 424 guns were produced. To operate it required a 24 volt DC power source and hose-fed CO2 (or compressed air) at approximately 180-200 psi. The rate of fire was between 300-500 rpm at around 500 fps