Improvements in Apparatus for Adapting a Number of Small Arms for Use as a Machine Gun.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1897-Accepted 13th Feb., 1897
SIONAL
Improvements in Apparatus for Adapting a Number of Small Arms
for Use as a Machine Gun.
ROBERTO PRADO Engineer CHARLES NICHOLS Engineer both of 504 King's Road
Chelsea S.W. in the County of London do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
In an apparatus of this kind a square or oblong frame is made in a suitable
manner so that two or more Mannlicher or any other rifles with a direct or horizontal
action can be fixed securly into the said frame for fireing, at the end of the frame
and above the butt ends of the rifles a spindle with two or more cranks are fixed,
connecting rods are attached onto the cranks and the other ends of the connecting
rods are attached to the moveable breech blocks of the rifles in such a way that
by turning a handle that is fixed onto the crank spindle and causing the cranks
to revolve, and by the aid of the connecting rods draw the breech blocks in and
out of the breech in the rifles the same as if they were worked by hand, over the
breech opening in the rifles a plate is fixod with two openings in to allow tho
cartridges to pass through into the chamber of the rifles, above this is a moveable
plate that is worked by the aid of a cam or worm wheel or excentric fixed into the
crank spindle and by the aid of a lever or rod in connection with the same to
cause the moveable plate to keep moveing backwards and forwards across the
breech cf the rifles, there are two openings in the moveable plate and above the
moveable plate a hopper is fixed to hold the cartridges, the action of the moveable
plate is so arranged that when one of the holes in the plate is over the breech
opening in the rifle the other hole in the moveable plate is under the hopper receiving
a cartridge and so on, each time the plate moves it drops a cartridge into one rifle
and receives a cartridge into the plate for the other rifle, by this mechanism a
number of rifles can be loaded and fired automatically as a machine gun. A suitable
device is made so that when the connecting rod pushes in the breech block it pulls tho
trigger to fire the gun.
Dated this 21st day of March 1806
ROBERTO PRADO.
CHARLES NICHOLS.
Improvements in Apparatus for Adapting a Number of Small Arms
for Use as a Machine Gun.
We, ROBERTO PRADO, Engineer, and CHARLES NICHOLS, Engineer, both of
504, King's Road, Chelsea, S.W., in the County of London, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a carriage in which a number of small
arms may be mounted, fed with cartridges, and fired in quick succession, after

page_text: the manner of a machine gun, with this advantage, that there is no risk of jamming
or becoming heated, because each small-arm may be readily removed and replaced
by a fresh arni in a fow moments..
For the purposes of this invention, the small-arins used must be of the Mannlicher,
or other type, in which the breech is opened and closed by a straight pull and push
of the bolt, and without any rotary motion of the handle.
To this end, the invention consists in a suitable frame provided with shoes to
receive the butt ends of the rifles, and suitable clamping devices to hold the barrels.
This frame is mounted on an axle provided with a pair of wheels, and a foot which
rests on the ground, and has a rack which gears with a pinion on the frame by which
the elevation of the arms may be regulated.
The frame carrios a crank axlo having two or more cranks, which are connected
by means of rods or bars with the handles of the arms, and the crank axle is rotated
by a suitable handle at the side.
Means are also provided for automatically feeding cartridges to the rifles when
desired, and as soon as the magazine with which each rifle may be provided is
emptied.
And in order that the invention may be more clearly understood, it will now
be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with two rifles in position, the cartridge
hopper or guide being removed; and
Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with a portion of tho side frame removed.
A is a metul frame constructed in any convenient manner, and provided with
forked bearings A', to take over the axle B of a pair of wheels B. A' are shoes
attached to the rear iar of the frame, and A' is a notched cross bar to receive
the fore-ends of the butta. The front bar of the frame is also notched to receive
the barrels, and is provided with a clamping piece A', secured by the screw A
to hold the barrels firmly in position. In addition to this frame, a spacing bar A
is used, to keep the muzzles of the rifles the proper distance apart, and to carry
the foresight.
C is a crank axle, the cranks of which, for compactness, are arrange to turn in
the spaces between the rifles, or between a rifle and the side of the frame. Outside
the frame, this axle is provided with a handle C', and at the opposite end is mounted
a grooved cam C, for a purpose to be presently explained.
D) are connecting rods which connect the cranks with the bolt handles D' of
tho rifles, so that as the cranks rotate, the bolts are alternately drawn back and
pushed forward, to eject and reload in the usual way.
E, E, are counterweighted bell-cranks, or bent levers, which are pivotted to
brackets carried by the cross-bar A'.
Ench counterweight E' lies in the path of the head of the bolt handle D', which
etrikes it at every forward movement. The tail of each bent lever carries a laterally-
projecting pin, which, in its normal position, lies in contact, or nearly in contact,
with the trigger E of ono rifle, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, so that when the counter-
weight E is pushed over by the handle D', the trigger is moved, to release the sear
and firo the gun.
The pins E may, if desired, be thrown out of action in any convenient manner,
when desired.
F is a foot attached to the axle B, and extending forward any suitable distance, to
give stability to the carriage.
is a rack, which is pivotted to the foot, and which gears with a pinion F
mounted on a shaft F carried in bracket bearings attached to the frame A, and
provided with a wheel handle F. By turning this handle, the rack can be worked up.
or down, to get the desired elevation, the parts being clamped at the proper position
by the clamping scrow F
G is the back sight, which is carried by a bracket extending from the side of the
frame A, and G is the foresight on the spacing bar A before mentioned.
The back sight Gminy be of any convenient construction, so that it may bo

page_text: raised or lowered to obtain the elevation required according to the distance of the
object aimed at.
Hinged to the side of the frame A, and at such a point that it will overlie the
breech of each rifle, is a plate H, provided with openings or slots (the shape of a loaded
cartridge), which will be exactly over the breech.
Sliding upon this plate H is a slide H', provided with corresponding openings or
slots, and these slots are so arranged, that the slide will alternately open and close tho
slots in the plate H.
In the drawing, the slide has just moved to the left, and is discharging a cartridge
through the slot in the plate H into the breech of the left hand riflo, another
cartridge being received in the other slot, the plate H forming a bottom to the slot.
When the slide is moved to the right, the cartridge will be brought over the other
slot in the plate H, and be discharged into the breech of the right hand rifle, and so
on continuously.
The movement of the slide His effected by the lever J, which has its fulcrum
at J', and has a pin J which works in the groove of the cam C. The lever J is
connected by the link J with the slide II'.
K is a hopper or guide into which the cartridges are placed, and which conducts
them to what may be called the central slot, for the time being, of the slide H.
This guide is attached to a cover which is hinged at the side to the plate H, and
overlies the slide H¹.
It will be obvious that the frame may be constructed to hold more than two
rifles, if desired, and that the general details may be more or less modified without
departing from the nature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invon-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. A carriage for carrying two or more small-arms to be used as a machine gun,
constructed, arranged, and operating as herein shown and described.
2. The combination with a crank axle, of a grooved cam and lever connected with
and operating a hopper slide, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The construction of cartridge feeding mechanism as shown and described.
4. The means for operating tho triggers of the rifles as herein shown and
described.
5. A frame for carrying two or more rifles, and containing shoes for the butt
ends, a notched resting bar, a clamping bar, and a spacing bar, as herein shown and
described.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1896.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.