Year: 1888

page_text: I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT, of 53 Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
My improvements relate to automatic guns having two barrels fired alternatoly
and each as it is fired allowed to recoil whilst the other is loaded and moved forward
into firing position.
To cause one to move forward as the other recoils I screw the rear ends of the
barrels to the front ends of tubular extension pieces or holders. Each holder has a
toothed rack on its side and the racks are made to gear into opposite sides of a
toothed pinion which turns on a fixed stud.
Contained within each barrel holder is a plunger which can be moved end wise
to and fro. When the barrel is loaded and in firing position the front end of the
plunger bears against and supports the base of the cartridge with which the barrel
is loaded. When the cartridge is fired the barrel and plunger recoil together for
a distance and then the plunger recoils quicker than the barrel until there is sufficient
space between its forward end and the rear end of the barrel for a cartridge to be
inserted between them.
To feed cartridges into the barrels I employ belts which have clip holders for
cartridges secured to them at distances apart-one cartridge in each clip. One belt
is used for feeding cartridges to one barrel and another belt for feeding cartridges to
the other barrel.
.
When a barrel has been fired and its recoil completed a cartridge is by the belt
brought in front of the plunger and in a line with the barrel and when the barrel
is again moved forward the plunger pushes the cartridge forward into it. When
this cartridge is fired and the barrel again recoils an extractor claw carried by the
plunger withdraws the empty cartridge case from the barrel and places it into the
same clip holder that it was previously thrust from. The belt is then moved one
step and a new cartridge brought in front of the plunger and the same operations.
are repeated. The clips are made of greater length than the width of the belt so
that they proiect on each side of it.

page_text: The belts pass over drums situated close alongside of the barrel holders and the
barrel holders are slotted to allow of the cartridges carried by the belts being brought
one after the other into a line with the barrel. The drums are formed with flanges at
their ends and these are notched at their periphery for the ends of the clips which
project from the sides of the belt to gear into.
The drums have a step by step movement imparted to them as hereinafter
explained.
To cause the plunger to recoil together with the barrel for a distance and then to
move back more quickly than the barrel I provide the rear end of the plunger with
rack teeth to engage with the before mentioned toothed pinion when the plunger
has nearly completed its forward movement so that plunger and barrel then move
together.
When the recoil takes place and plunger and barrel have moved back together
until the rack teeth on the plunger becomes disengaged from the pinion, a com-
paratively long arm on the axis of the pinion engages in a slot in the plunger and
pushes the plunger quickly backwards.
The rollers over which the endless belts pass have their step by step turning
movement given to them by ratchet wheels fixed on their axes-pawls carried by a
reciprocating slide act on these ratchet wheels.
The slide is moved to and fro by a lever which is rocked at the end of the recoil of
each barrel one barrel rocking it in one direction the other in the opposite direction.
A fly wheel is fixed upon the axis of the pinion to store up power during the first
part of the recoil-to-complete the movements at the end of the recoil.
Within each plunger is a longitudinal firing pin or striker thrown forward by a
spring. When the plunger goes back an arm on the rear end of the striker comes
against an incline and is by it turned so that it comes behind a fixed stop.
When the plunger goes forward the striker being held back its spring is com-
-pressed until an incline on the plunger comes against the arm and turning it in the
opposite direction moves it from behind the stop when in doing so brings it
behind a stop on the plunger the striker is then in its cocked position and gues
forward with the plunger until the plunger and barrel have completed their forward
movement. The arun on the striker can then be turned aside from behind the stop on
the plunger by an incline which can be brought against it by pulling a trigger. Each
barrel can
so be fired separately and whenever desired or if a constant pull is
maintained on the trigger the firing will be continuous.
The barrel holders and other parts of the breech mechanism are all enclosed in a
rectangular casing fitted with a readily removable lid by raising which all parts are
exposed to view.
Dated this 28th day of May 1000

page_text: 5
I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My improvements relate to automatic guns having two barrels fired alternately,
and each as it is fired allowed to recoil whilst the other is loaded and moved forward
into firing position.
To cause one to move forward as the other recoils I screw the rear ends of the
barrels to the front ends of tubular extension pieces or holders. Each holder has a
toothed rack on its side, and the racks are made to gear into opposite sides of a
toothed pinion which turus on a fixed stud.
Contained within each barrel holder is a plunger which can be moved endwise to
and fro. When the barrel is loaded and in firing position the front end of the
plunger bears against and supports the base of the cartridge, with which the barrel is
loaded. When the cartridge is fired, the barrel and plunger recoil together for a
distance and then the plunger recoils quicker than the barrel, until there is sufficient
space between its forward end, and the rear end of the barrel for a cartridge to be
inserted between them.
To feed cartridges into the barrels I employ bolts which have clip holders for
cartridges secured to them at distances apart, one cartridge in each clip. One belt
is used for feeding cartridges to one barrel and another belt for feeding cartridges to
the other barrel.
When a arrel has been fired and its recoil completed a cartridge is by the belt
brought in front of the plunger, and in a line with the barrel, and when the barrel is
again moved forward, the plunger pashes the cartridge forward into it. When this
cartridge is fired and the barrel again recoils an extractor claw carried by the
plunger withdraws the empty cartridge case from the barrel and places it into the
same clip holder, that it was previously thrust from. The belt is then moved one step,
and a new cartridge brought in front of the plunger, and the same operations are
repeated. The clips are made of greater length than the width of the belt so that
they project ou each side of it.
The belts pass over drums situated close alongside of the barrel holders, and the
barrel holders are slotted to allow of the cartridges carried by the belts being brought
one after the other into a line with the barrel. The drums are formed with flanges
t their ends, and these are notched at their periphery for the ends of the clips
which project from the sides of the belt to gear into.
The drums have a step by step movement imparted to them as hereinafter
xplained.
To cause the plunger to recoil together with the barrel for a distance and then
move back more quickly than the barrel, I provide the rear end of the plunger
ith rack teeth to engage with the before mentioned toothed pinion when the
unger has nearly completed its forward movement so that plunger and barrel then
ove together.
When the recoil takes place and plunger and barrel have moved back together
til the rack teeth on the plunger become disengaged from the pinion, a com-
ratively long arin on the axis of the pinion engages in a slot in the plunger,
d pushes the plunger quickly backwards.

page_text: The rollers over which the endless belts pass have their step by step turning
movement given to them by ratchet wheels fixed on their axes pawls carried by
a reciprocating slide act on these ratchet wheels.
The slide is moved to and fro by a lever which is rocked at the end of the recoil
of each barrel, one barrel rocking it in one direction, the other in the opposite
direction.
A fly wheel is fixed upon the axis of the pinion to store up power during the
first part of the recoil to complete the movements at the end of the recoil.
Within each plunger is a longitudinal firing pin or striker thrown forward by a
spring. When the plunger goes back an arm on the rear end of the striker
comes against an incline and is by it turned so that it comes behind a fixed
stop.
When the plunger goes forward the striker being held back its spring is compressed
until an incline on the plunger comes against the arm, and turning it in the opposite
direction moves it from behind the stop, but in doing so brings it behind a stop on the
plunger, the striker is then in its cocked position and goes forward with the plunger,
until the plunger and barrel have completed their forward movement. The arm on
the striker can then be turned aside from behind the stop on the plunger by an incline
which can be brought against it by pulling a trigger. Each barrel can so he fired
separately and whenever desired or if a constant pull is maintained on the trigger, the
firing will be continuous.
The barrel holders, and other parts of the breech mechanism are all enclosed in a
rectangular-casing fitted with a readily removable lid by raising which all parts are
exposed to view.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed..
Figure 5.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken mainly on the line C. D. in Figure 3.
Figure 3 is a plan with some parts in section.
Figure 4 is a section on the line M. N. O. P. in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a plan of a portion of the cartridge belt.
Figure 6 is a sido view and
Figure 7 is a section of the same.
The case or frame is made with two main parts a and b and a hinged cover c. The
part a is made with trunnions a¹ by which the gun is supported on a stand. The
part 6 which is fixed to the part a carries the trigger; it closes the frame in rear.
d. d. are a pair of barrels capable of moving longitudinally in the frame, a distance
which is indicated in the plan by the positions of the muzzles; one barrel being shewn
in the forward and the other in the rearward position. Each barrel is screwed into
the fore end of a barrel holder e on which are rack teeth e¹ which remain constantly
in gear
with a pinion on an axis f. 9 is a fly wheel on the axis, and is a bolt for
locking the axis, it is drawn back by hand when required. is the plunger which
closes the barrel behind the cartridge, it also has upon it teeth which when the
breech is closed are engaged with the pinion but very shortly after the recoil has
commenced they pass out of gear. Before they do so however a roller ¹ on an arm k
carried by the axis fenters between ribs on an arm of the plunger, and the rotation
of the axis then carries the plunger back away from the barrel sufficiently far to allow
a cartridge to be brought up in front of it. The cartridges are held in spring clips
rivitted upon the leather cartridge belt in the manner shown by the Figures 5, 6
and 7, the side opening on the clip allows the extractor to pass. There is a separate
cartridge belt for each barrel, they pass over drums qy there is a ratchet_g' on each
drum, and a pawl. on the transverse slide engages with the ratchet. There is also

page_text: a retaining pawl which drops in to the recesses of the notched wheel q³. The slide is
moved near the end of the recoil by a shoulder e on the barrel holder, which comes
against a levers and rocks it on its fulcrum s². The arm of the lever then
thrusts the slide over and brings a cartridge into position, and this is pushed
into the barrel when the plunger i again advances.
The plunger passes through the clip of the cartridge belt in advancing and in
retiring after firing, when it retires the extractor with which it is armed draws
the cartridge case out of the barrel, takes it back to its place in the clip and
there releases it. This it does because the extractor has a tendency to spring
outwards and it travels in a groove in the barrel holder, which is sufficiently deep
at the point es to allow it to do so.
The plunger contains a firing pin and a coiled spring presses the pin
forward is an arm on the firing pin, which projects out through the side of the
plunger, as the plunger reaches its rearward position the arm comes against the
fixed incline u which turns the pin within the plunger, so that when the plunger
advances again, the arm becomes caught by the stop u¹.
and
The firing pin is thus kept back whilst the plunger advances, and the spring
is compressed. Then the incline on the plunger comes against the arm
releases it from the stop ¹ but it is immediately caught again by the shoulder
on the plunger and here it remains until both barrel and plunger reach their
forward position and the breech is closed. Then if the trigger piece be in the
position for firing an incline v¹ upon it throws the arm upwards again, it escapes
from the shoulder flies forward and fires the cartridge. When however the
trigger is not drawn or held back the incline v is not in position to release the arm (³,
the firing pin is not thrown forward and the cartridge is not fired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. An automatic gun with a pair of barrels geared with an axis so that the recoil of
one barrel advances the other to the firing position and at the same time rotates the
axis to and fro, the said axis being also geared with plungers, so as to advance and
withdraw the plungers rapidly and there being also mochanism to present the
cartridges in front of the plungers in order that they may be thrust into the barrels
and mechanism for firing the cartridges as herein set forth.
2. An automatic gun with a pair of barrels fixed into barrel holders on which are
teeth gearing with a pinion on an axis placed between them, and plungers with teeth
also gearing into the pinion when the barrel is closed but passing out of gear during
the recoil to admit of the plungers being rapidly retired and advanced as herein set
forth.
3. An automatic gun with for each barrel a reciprocating plunger armed with an
extractor and a feed belt with clips upon it in which cartridges are held; which belt
is moved step by step, and so arranged that the plunger advances through the clip
driving the cartridge in front of it into the barrel, and after firing retires bringing
back the cartridge case with it into the clip and there releasing it as herein set forth.
4. In an automatic gun the combination consisting of the plunger i the firing pin t,
the spring t, the arm t, the fixed incline u the stop u¹ the incline, the shoulder it,
the trigger piece and its incline v¹ as herein set forth.
5. An automatic gun substantially as described and represented in the annexed
drawings.
Tinted this 25th day of Febru 1880