AN IMPROVED BREECH-LOADING RIFLE GUN, AND AMMUNITION OR CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE THEREFOR
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Bristow Hunt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
-
April 1871. - A communication from abroad by Fredrik Bohman,
of Fahlun, Sweden.
I, BRISTOW HUNT, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED BREECH-LOADING RIFLE GUN, AND
AMMUNITION OR CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE THEREFOR,' (a communication to
me from abroad by Fredrik Bohman, of Fahlun, Sweden,) to be as
follows:
-
"
This Invention relates to an improved breech-loading gun, and to an
improved ammunition or cartridge magazine therefore.
The manipulation of the gun consists of three operations, the first
of which is the placing of the cartridge (either from the magazine when
the same is used or from the hand) in a chamber in a movable box,
which is caused to slide up and down (when required) by a hand lever.
The second operation consists in the loading or placing the cartridge in
position for firing, and during which time the case of the last fired
cartridge is thrown out from the gun, and the third operation consists

page_text: simply in firing; but it must be understood that when the magazine is
used for rapidly firing the first operation is unnecessary. The action
and construction of the gun when it is used without the magazine is
as follows-The cartridge is first placed through an opening in the
right side of the gun and into a chamber in the vertically sliding box.
The hand lever before mentioned is then pulled downwards, and this
by means of a pin or bolt at its inner end engaging in a slot in a
prolonged bar above pulls the latter backwards, and with it the case of the
last discharged cartridge, pulling this latter out of the barrel of the gun.
Above this bar, the inner end of which constitutes the cartridge extractor,
is the "striker." The lower end of a small arm or piece of steel then
strikes against a projection at the rear end of the gun, and as it is pivotted
to the bar it is caused to slightly turn, and its upper part then comes in
contact with a small pin projecting sideways from the "striker," and
brings or leads this backwards a little farther (at the rear of the
gun) than the bar, and this clears the way for the exit of the discharged
cartridge. By this motion the hammer is cocked by means of the
outer end of the bar or cartridge extractor striking against the face
of the same. When this is performed a small beel placed at a suitablo
point in the lever is brought to bear against a similar-heel on a lifting
lever (which is pivotted on the same pin as the hand lever). The
inner end of the lifting lever is placed in a slot, groove, or lower
chamber in the vertically sliding cartridge box or chamber. By
continuing the motion of the hand lever the heel on the same strikes
against the heel on the lifting lover, and causes the same, together
with the box and cartridge therein, to be lifted up and with the cartridge
before the opening of the barrel and in front of the cartridge extractor,
and this operation at the same time forces out the case of the cartridge
last fired through a hole in the upper part of the gun. The hand lever
being now brought back to its original position by means of the pin
at its inner end forces the bar (extractor) forwards, and with it the new
cartridge and forces the latter into the barrel of the gun, and also
carries the sliding striker which moves with it. During the latter part
of this operation the inner part of the hand lever comes against the
lifting lever and forces it and the chamber down into its former position.
The trigger being then pulled the cock or hammer is released, and a
spring forces the same against the projecting outer end of the striker,
and the inner end of the same is thereby caused to strike rapidly against
a projecting pin of the cartridge, and the latter is fired.

page_text: •
When the ammunition or cartridge magazine is attached to the side
of the gun (when it is intended to be used for very rapid firing)
the action of the apparatus is continuous till all the cartridges in the
magazine are fired, and mercly consists in rapidly moving the hand
lever down and up, and then pulling the trigger. The magazine is
formed at its lower part with an opening at one of its sides, and which
corresponds to the opening in the side of the gun. This opening, when
the magazine is not in use is closed by means of a spring chamber, door,
or scoop, and a slide. This spring chamber or door has at one of its
ends, by preference the one nearer the hinder part of the gun, a groove
or space, and when attached to the gun the door is actuated by a small
pin screwed or otherwise attached to the lifting chamber so as to close
the space communicating from the inside of the gun to the magazine,
and prevent any more cartridges entering the gun till the one already
in is fired when the action as abové described is rapidly repeated. When
the cartridge is fired and the hand lever is again moved the pin
in the chamber causes the scoop or door to turn, and admit a single
cartridge only into the chamber, and so on.