It was developed by Commander Cleland Davis[1] of the United States Navy in 1910, just prior to World War I. Davis' design connected two guns back to back, with the backwards-facing gun loaded with lead balls and grease of the same weight as the shell in the other gun, acting as a counter.

His idea was used experimentally by the British and Americans as an anti-Zeppelin and anti-submarine weapon[3] mounted on the British Handley Page O/100 and O/400 bombers and the American Curtiss Twin JN[1] and Curtiss HS-2L and H-16 flying boats.

The direct development of the gun ended with the end of World War I in November 1918, but the firing principle has been copied by later designs.

The 3-inch gun carried a pressure of 15 tons per square inch (2,109 kg per cm2) when fired.

The gun was tested on various aircraft and some aircraft were designed to carry the gun: There are examples at the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida, the Imperial War Museum in London, and the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, Kentucky.