Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 17th May, 1890

page_text: so far that in order to expand the percutator spring there is no necessity in the former
case of turning the hind part F₁ of the breech bolt, connected with the percutator
relatively to the front part F of the said bolt. When the rifle is fired the bottom of
the cavity of the part F1 rests against the rear end of the part F', the piece / (which
bears here upon the free end of a spring / fixed to the upper part of the breech and
connected by a link i to the trigger k) engages at the end of the return motion of the
breech bolt within a groove f¹ of the part F' and holds the latter and the percutator
back, when by closing the trigger guard, the front part F of the breech bolt is again
pushed forward.
In the rear part F1 of the breech bolt there is provided a second groove or recess f
which serves to lock the firearm. When the latter has to be locked, a finger is placed
upon the rear roughened end of the part F¹ the trigger piece h is withdrawn from the
groove by moving the trigger, and the part F' is allowed to slide so far forward
until the piece h. enters the second groove or recess f. When the weapon has to be
made ready for firing the part F₁ is drawn back until the piece h engages again
within the first groove f¹.
At the place where in fire-arms such as hitherto constructed the cartridge bed was
at the lower end of the barrel there is formed in the rifle constructed according to
this invention a quadrangular chamber opened on both sides and in which a peculiar
block is inserted on the right hand side, the latter containing only room for a cartridge
or for a row of the same according as the weapon was to be used as a single loading
or repeating rifle. The block provided with spaces for several cartridges that is to
say the magazine is shown in cross section in Fig. 1 and 2, in side view in Fig. 5 in
plan, in Fig. 6 and in underside view in Fig. 7. This magazine is furnished with
9 perforations bored crosswise, the 8 smaller 7 of which are formed as receptacles for
the cartridges. In these receptacles are inserted 8 cartridges which are each held in
position by a spring . These springs are firmly fixed at one end at upon the
upper part of the magazine L while their other and free extremities carry a broad pin
which extends, through a corresponding opening of the magazine within the
cartridge receptacle to which it belongs and engages moreover in a circular recess
formed in the cartridge case in front of its flange, so that the cartridges cannot fall
out of their position.
There is furthermore in the upper part of the magazine, on the edge thereof upon
which the body of the cartridges rests and above each cartridge bed a notch & in
which the extractor f³, fixed upon the head of the breech bolt, engages by means of
its hooked end in order to withdraw the empty cartridge case, on the bolt being drawn
back.
The magazine L which is provided for the convenience of manipulation with
a ring fixed to one of its small front (right handed) ends carries further on
the top thereof close to the same front end a pin or stop l. This stop or pin
engages, when the magazine L is inserted sufficiently far in the chamber of the rifle,
in a notch or recess formed in the lid of the latter and thus prevents the said
magazine from being pushed too far forward.
The above described magazine is moved laterally to the right hand side when the
breech bolt is shot forward by means of mechanism connected with the latter, in such
a manner, that a cartridge is moved always in time in the direction of the barrel.
The said mechanism is arranged in the following manner.
One extremity of a link M is fixed so as to turn freely upon the projection of the
breech bolt with which the arms E. E of the jointed lever engage, while its other
extremity terminates with a long slotted guide m.
In this guide engages a pin n which projects laterally from a sliding bar N so
arranged upon the left null of the breech that it can be driven forward and backward
in a straight line. At the upper end of this sliding piece a click n' (Fig. 8) is
arranged to pivot upon a peculiar arm of the same being placed in a horizontal
position thereon. This click carries in its front and forked end a roller n' and upon
its upper part above the axis of this roller a fixed pin n³, while the same rests upon a
plate O Fig. 1, 2, 9, and 10 forming the bottom part of the above named chamber

page_text: which receives the magazine and is fixed removably to the breech B. The plate O is
provided upon its upper side with a peculiar opening of such a form that when the sliding
bar N and with it the pawl or click n' is pushed forward the roller n² of the latter
comes in contact with the front curved edge of the opening rolls along upon this edge
to the right hand side and causes thereby the click to pivot in the same direction upon
its fulcrum.
This motion of the click is transmitted to the magazine L. The latter is provided
upon its under side with a rack rod Fig. 7 whose teeth are so arranged and curved
that the pin n³ of the click (Fig. 9) engages with one of the teeth of the rack las
soon as its roller n' comes in contact with the front edge of the opening o' of the
plate O, in consequence whereof the motion transmitted thereto is communicated to
the rack rod so that the magazine is driven out to the right hand side a distance of
two teeth, that is to say of two cartridges. The said magazine is held in its
temporary position by means of a spring b which is fixed to the underside of the
lid of the chamber and bears with its free end upon the upper side of the magazine
or box L.
When the sliding bar N is drawn back the click n' is brought back again in its
outstretched position (Fig. 10) by the rear edge of the opening o' of the plate O
so that it is ready to gear with the next teeth of the rack at the next forward
motion.
The length of the slotted guide m of the link M which moves the sliding bar N
and the click n' is so calculated, and the form of the front edge of the plate O is so
arranged, that the magazine can only he pushed the required distance and is already
arrived in its new position, before the head of the breech bolt presses the bottom of
the cartridges against the said magazine L and the latter against the lower end of the
barrel.
After a cartridge has been fired, it is sufficient to open and close the trigger guard
in order to put the weapon in readiness for firing again. The cases of the fired
cartridge are withdrawn by the extractor mounted upon the breech bolt when the
latter is moved back and are thrown out by a spring pin f* (Fig. 2) arranged below
the breech bolt and forced out of the head of the latter against the action of its
spring by means of a screw arranged in the breech and engaging within a
groove of the said bolt this pin f being drawn back under the action of its spring
when the said bolt is moved forward.
After the eighth cartridge of the magazine has been fired off the trigger guard
is opened and the said magazine is withdrawn from the right hand side and
replaced by another full one. Should it be required to use the weapon as a single
loading fire arm a block L' containing only one cartridge is inserted instead of
the magazine in the chamber.
This block is normally placed in a recess lined with sheet metal and formed in
the upper end of the stock of the weapon as shown in Fig. 1 and 3 in which
this block is shown respectively in side view and in plan Fig. 11 being a rear
view thereof. The latter is provided in the same manner as the magazine with a ring
and a stop or pin but is not furnished with a rack on its underside having only a
guide bar, so that the click aforesaid may not act thereon. Besides the spring 6*
serving to fix the block in the chamber there is provided another spring or catch (*
furnished with a projection and arranged at the underside of the block this spring
engaging when the block is inserted in the chamber with a recess formed in the
bottom plate O of the chamber by means of its projection. The latter spring
firmly holds the block in the opening formed in the stock of the gun.
It may be stated in conclusion that a particular advantage of this new weapon
when used as a repeating rifle, is that each magazine, from two to eight of which
accompany each gun remains only connected with the latter for a time and is
replaced after the eight cartridges are fired, by a cold and full magazine. By
this arrangement the magazine inserted for a time is never so highly heated by
the heat developed in the barrel and the surrounding iron parts, after the discharge

page_text: of a number of shots, that an explosion of the cartridges may take place which is
a common occurrence in fire arms in which the magazine is a fixture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is,
1. A breech loading fire arm in which the motion of the trigger guard A which
can be turned forward and backward is transmitted to the breech bolt in such
a manner that an arm a firmly bound with the trigger guard engages by means
of a pin a within longitudinal grooves of the two parallel arms D D of a double
jointed lever D DEE the arms D D and EE of which are hinged together the
former being connected at d' with the breech B and the latter at e¹ with a pro-
jection f fixed below to the breech bolt F, in such a position that the jointed
lever is inclined forward in its outstretched attitude that is to say when the breech
bolt is shot forward in consequence whereof it cannot be collapsed downwardly
by the recoil caused by the powder gases substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. In combination with the rifle claimed ahove a block like magazine or box L
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 which is inserted sidewise by hand in a chamber formed in the
breech of the fire arm and which is pushed out laterally, each time the trigger
guard is closed, such a distance that a new cartridge arrives in the direction of
the barrel, this motion being carried out by means of a click actuated by the
breech bolt and which gears as it moves with one of the teeth * formed below
the magazine substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 25th day of February 1890
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.