IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING REPEATING FIRE-ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS THEREWITH.. CONNECTED
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bethel Burton, of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING REPEATING FIRE-ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS THEREWITH..
CONNECTED."
-
Sealed the 24th July 1874, and dated the 11th March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bethel Burton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th March 1874.
I, BETHEL BURTON, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING REPEATING FIRE-ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS
THEREWITH CONNECTED," to be as follows:-
This Invention is an improvement upon and modification of the
breech-loading fire-arm Patented by me in Great Britain the Twenty-
sixth day of May, A.D. 1868, No. 1736.

page_text: I make use of a magazine tube below the barrel and within the
wooden stock, and these parts are held in place by a metal band around
the barrel, drawn to its place by the ramrod, which has a collar near its
head and a screw at the end. The cartridge is pressed towards the
breech by a spring. A carrier is employed in the transverse mortice at
the rear of the barrel, and this carrier is operated by a bent lever as the
sliding breech bolt (as in said Patent) is drawn back. The carrier raises
the cartridge into line with the breech bolt so that as the latter is pushed
forward the cartridge is carried into the chamber of the barrel.
A yielding piece at the under side of the carrier allows cartridges to
be passed into the magazine, and prevents them falling out, as the carrier
is moved up.
The spent cartridge shell is ejected by a pin at the front of the breech
bolt. The firing pin is guided in a slot in the breech bolt, and upon it
is a cam acting to cause a retractor to seize the cartridge case for
extracting the shell.
The divided or sectional screw (of the said Patent) is separate from
the bolt, and the two are held by a latch so as to move together, except
as the bolt is nearly at the end of its forward movement, when they are
unlatched so that the screw can be turned to lock the bolt.
The sear bolt is made with a collar, and is provided with a spring and
nut for adjusting the position of said bolt.
The receiver or chamber at the rear of the barrel is made with an
opening at its top to allow of the empty shell being ejected from the
gun, and the ends of said opening form overhanging projections which
prevent the cartridge carried up by the carrier being thrown out of the
chamber. Ribs or pins in the sides of the receiver may be used for
accomplishing this object.
The cartridge shell is made without a flange, and the extractor acts
either in a groove formed in the base or else there is a dovetailed recess
in the forward end of the breech bolt, and the shell expands into the
same sufficient for drawing it back.
+
A bayonet sword is made with a handle composed of a tube for the
barrel and a handle piece, and the sharp edge is towards the line of axis
of the barrel to prevent deflection of the ball by resistance of the sword a
bayonet to the motion of the air.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Bethel Burton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th September 1874..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BETHEL
BURTON, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in thọ
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Bethel Burton, Her
special licence that I, the said Bethel Burton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Bethel
Burton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for." IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING REPEATING FIRE-ARMS AND
IMPLEMENTS THEREWITH CONNECTED," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Bethel Burton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters,
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bethel Burton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being made to the Drawing hereunto:
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section at the breech.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of the receiver showing the cran
lever and carrier in place.
Fig. 4 is a top view of the receiver showing the openings for receivin
and ejecting the cartridge.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the receiver and carrier box, in which t
bolt and carrier are made to work.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the carrier and crank lever in a modific
form.
Fig. 7 is a similar view of a crank lever and carrier, the carrier havin
projecting overhanging arms or stops.
Fig. 8 is a view of the carrier detached from the crank lever.
Fig. 9 is a front end view of the carrier.
Fig. 10 is a view of the piston or firing pin.
Fig. 11 is a view of the lover extractor.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the front part of the bolt.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the rear bolt and lever handle.
Fig. 14 is a section of the cartridge and bullet.
Fig. 15 is a section of the cup in the base of the shell.
Fig. 16 is an elevation of a finished cartridge.
Fig. 17 is a view of the top of the barrel and bayonet, showing th
sight, slot, and ring fastening that secures the socket to the barrel.
Fig. 18 is a side view of the same, showing the nose cap and ramr
fastening for closing the tube of the magazine.
Fig. 19 is a section of the front end of the bolt, showing a counto
sunk hole for the ejector pin and the support for the base of t
cartridge.
Fig. 20 is a section of a cartridge case, showing the mode of co
struction at the base or head.
The first part of my improvement relates to the manner of co
structing the breech receiver A, and the means for taking the cartridg

page_text: .
from the magazine C and entering it within the chamber of the
barrel D.
The object of this improvement is to prevent the cartridge from being
thrown out of the chamber of the receiver A in its passage from the
magazine C to the chamber of the barrel, and to accomplish this I cut
an opening in the top of the receiver, as at a, a', so as to leave a pro-
jection of the parts overhanging each end of the cartridge, the opening
a, a¹, being shorter than the cartridge. When the cartridge is thrown
up by the rapid upward motion of the carrier it strikes at both ends the
overhanging parts of the receiver and falls back into the chamber of
the receiver A. This method I apply when I use a carrier having a
parallel motion in the carrier box, as in Figs. 2 and 6. When I use a
crank lever e and carrier E in one piece I cut away the receiver A. from
a to b, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and form the stops c to
arrest the upward motion of the head of the cartridge on the under side
of the receiver, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4. These ribs c are so made as to .
allow the head of the cartridge to project up sufficiently far for the
forward end of the bolt F to strike against the cartridge, and the carrier
being inclined serves to guide the cartridge into the chamber of the
barrel D. A substitute for these ribs c may be had by the use of pins
so placed in the receiver as to prevent the cartridge from being thrown
up too far.
The second part of my improvement relates to the manner of forming:
the opening in the carrier box E', the object of which is to provide for
the variation in the length of cartridges used in the arm. For this
purpose the opening in the receiver above the magazine tube at dis
made longer than the cartridge, but only of sufficient width to allow the.
bullet in the cartridge to pass through. Below the magazine C the
opening is made shorter from c¹ to c³, so that when the carrier E is being.
raised it will not come in contact with the base of the next cartridge.
until after the cartridge on the carrier is raised up to clear the one
following. The opening above the magazine being narrower than the.
rim of the cartridge head, avoids the danger of obstructing the carrier E.
in its motion up and down. The opening in the under side of the carrier
is bevelled in the sides to make room for the thumb or finger when
inserting the cartridge in the magazine.
The third part of my Invention relates to the manner of constructing
the crank levere and carrier E, Fig. 1, which lever and carrier are made

page_text: in one piece. It also relates to a gate G or spring stop on the under side
of the carrier. The crank levere is pivoted to the projection.g on the
trigger guard or to a bolt g¹ passing up through the projection. The
lower part of the bolt is reduced and is screwed into a nut / secured tọ
the trigger guard H, which serves to adjust the arm of the lever e and
throw it in or out of action. The end of this lever e works in a groove
in the bolt F. The gate G is attached to the carrier E by a rule joint,
and between the gate G and carrier E a spring i is placed, which presses
the gate downward. When charging the magazine the cartridge is
pressed against the gate G and forces it to open inward, admitting the
cartridge to enter the magazine C, and when in place the gate imme.
diately closes outward, preventing the cartridge from returning or
working out.
.
Fig. 1 shows the gun with the parts in position for charging the
magazine.
A crank lever e and carrier E, shown detached in Fig. 2, may be used.
This carrier has a parallel motion in the box E', and the carrier being
shallow it is necessary to impart such a movement as will prevent it
jaming in the carrier box in moving up and down. For this reason I
have devised several methods for accomplishing the last-named object.
In Fig. 2 the long arm of the lever e is connected to the carrier by.
means of a link K, which serves to apply the pressure centrally of the
carrier. The carrier E may be pivoted to the long arm of the lever e in
the manner shown in Fig. 6, and the spring i between them serves to
press up the rear of the carrier, which gives the carrier a horizontal
motion. It also serves as a gate to charge the magazine. By pressing
against the forward end of the carrier said end moves, admitting the
cartridge to enter. the magazine, and the parts spring back, keeping the
cartridge in the magazine, as before described.
In Figs. 7; 8, and 9 the gate G and carrier E are combined; the carrier
is hung further back on the crank lever arm e, and the spring i is placed
in the same position as that in Fig. 1. This carrier when pressed up in
front allows the cartridge to be inserted into the magazine, as before
described. Upon the rear end of this carrier a holder is formed, so
that when the carrier is lowered and the cartridge is pushed out of the
magazine upon the carrier the base of the cartridge enters under the
projecting arms or stops on the carrier, and is by them prevented from
:

page_text: being thrown out of the receiver by the rapid motion of the carrier
upwards, but they admit of the cartridge being pushed up the incline
into the chamber of the barrel by the forward motion of the bolt F in
closing the breech.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to the manner of constructing
and combining the bolt F, piston or firing pin J, and lever extractor K.
in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 12, and 13. The bolt F is bored out to
receive the piston or firing pin J, shown detached in Fig. 10; the bolt F
has fitted in it a lever extrator K, which is pivoted as shown in Fig. 1.
In the hole made to receive the piston J a groove m, Fig. 1, is cut, in
which the rib m¹ on the piston J (sec Fig. 10) is made to work. A pawl
or cam n is made on the piston rod on the opposite side from the rib m¹.
When the handle L of the bolt F is turned the rib m³ causes the piston J
to turn, and the pawl n on the piston rod raises up the long arm of the
extractor K, bringing the hooked end of the extractor in front of the
rim of the cartridge, in which position it is firmly held, ensuring tho
withdrawal of the cartridge when the bolt F is retracted. The front end
of the rib n when turned passes against an incline made in the bolt,
which withdraws the point of the firing pin within the end of the bolt F
to prevent the possibility of a premature explosion. The tubular part M.
on one part of the bolt F, see Fig. 13, enters a socket M', Fig. 12, in:
the rear end of the other part of said bolt, and a strap N upon the top:
of the bolt extends over the screw q, and a tongue o thereon fits into a;
groove o¹ cut in the front of the lever handle L, and firmly couples the
two parts of the bolt F together. The tongue o in groove o¹ takes part
of the strain from the tube M in the socket M', when the bolt F is
withdrawn with great force, and thereby prevents it breaking. When
the lever handle L is turned up and the bolt F withdrawn it is prevented,
from turning by the pin p in the handle L, the point of which enters a
groove p¹ in the end of the coupling strap N. When the bolt is shoved
home the end of this pin strikes the end of the receiver A, and is forced
back out of the groove p¹, which allows of the bolt turning, and the
sectional screws q, q, thereon engage in corresponding screws in the
receiver A, which sustains the bolt F against the shock of the explosion.
The ends h, h, of the groove in the bolt F strike the upper arm of the
crank lever e when the bolt is opened and closed, and cause the carrier E
to move up and down in the box E¹. The cartridge cases are thrown
out by the ejector y before the carrier rises with a loaded cartridge from

page_text: the magazine, and the carrier is not moved downwards until after the
cartridge is pressed forward into the barrel by the motion of the breech
bolt F. The length of the slot h,. ', determines the time when the
carrier E is moved.
r
The fifth part of my Invention relates to the manner of applying a
springs to the sear bolt r, Fig. 2. In the bottom of the receiver is a
hole with an offset, and in the bottom of the hole a nut 7 is screwed.
A scar bolt with a collar near its upper end is placed in the hole, and
around this bolt is a springs; the nut is then screwed in, which
tightens the spring, and the spring pressing against the collar keeps the
scar bolt in position. The sear bolt may be slit to allow the front end
of the trigger to enter for the purpose of discharging the gun when the
trigger is pulled. A V.spring may be used if preferred to diminish
the number of parts, as shown in Fig. 1'; the lower part of the v spring
extending forward to the bend of the crank lever e serves to keep the
carrier E in position when raised up. The piston or firing pin J is pro-
jected by a spring as usual, when the trigger is pulled and the seer 2.
disconnected from said pin J.
The sixth part of my Invention relates to the manner of keeping the
magazine tube in the stock. The magazine tube C is let into the stock
and passes to the end of the carrier box E¹, as shown in Fig. 1. A band o
serves to keep the tube and spring in place, and also to connect the stock
and barrel. The ramrod has a collar o', and when the same is screwed
into the carrier box E¹ said collar O'¹ presses firmly on the nose-cap O, as
seen in Fig. 18, and keeps said cap in place. The trigger guard H is
secured to the stock by screws running into the top strap Q and to the
carrier box E. The follower P is cut away on its periphery, having
only two flanges as guides at each end that prevent the follower becoming-
rusted and obstructed in the magazine tube C.
The seventh part of my Invention relates to the manner of attaching
bayonet sockets to gun barrels and to the manner of forming the handles.
for use as a sword. The barrel is made with two projections u, u.. The.
first one is made a "sight," and the rear one is lower and distant from
the front one about two inches; they are of equal width and of any.
desired length. The socket R is made to fit the barrel D', and has a 3
groove or slit cut therein, which admits of the socket running on past.
the projections, u. On the end of the socket a rib a projects above >

page_text: and serves to keep a ring w of the usual kind upon the socket. When
the socket is pushed upon the barrel the end of the slit strikes the front
projection or sight u; the ring wis then turned, which binds tightly
between the rib ¹ of the socket and the rear projection u, making a
secure and cheap fastening.
In order to make the socket available for use in the hand so that it
offers no rough surface to prevent its use as a weapon of defense or as
an intrenching tool, so necessary with a magazine gun, I make the
socket R longer than common, and on the under side I form a handle S,
see Figs. 17 and 18, of any suitable material, which I secure to the
socket by rivets or screws, which gives to the socket the shape of a
sword handle, and in order to prevent the blade of the bayonet when on
the barrel deflecting the bullet, as is the case with all other bayonets, I
make the back of the weapon sharp, which offers no resistance to the
air, and consequently the bullet will travel in a true line without being
deflected by the stoppage of the air, which in other cases acts as a
cushion to throw the bullet in the opposite direction from the blade. By
this method of attaching the bayonet to the gun, the bayonet being on
the under side of the gun, the arm when in use hangs natural in the.
hand, being free from that twisting, disagreeable, and tiresome strain
which all other guns have when the bayonet is on the side.
The eighth part of my Invention relates to a cartridge, Fig. 16,
specially designed for use in my magazine gun, but applicable to other:
breech-loading.arms. In forming the rim of cartridges now in general
use cumbersome and costly machines for these purposes are required,
and the cartridges when made are found to be unreliable and defective
from the fact that the crushing up of the metal to make the base cracks.
and damages the metal so that the cartridge is unable to resist the power
of the explosion. In order therefore to avoid this evil I take the shell
as it is drawn, the base of which is left purposely heavy, and the groove
n¹ is then formed by any suitable machine and the shell cut to the
proper length. The cup, Fig. 15, which is placed in the base of the
cartridge, as shown in Fig. 14, forms a pocket for the cap and a reinforce
for the cartridge base. "The cup is kept in place and the gas prévented
from getting between the cup and the cartridge by turning the edge of
the metal on the inside of the cartridge down upon the end of the cup
by the use of a punch, as shown in Fig. 14. There being no rim to tho.
_cartridge I am enabled to reduce the dimensions of my gun to the size

page_text: Fifth. The nose cap O and ramrod O' in combination with the magazine
tube C and stock B, and the construction of the follower P, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described.
Sixth. The socket handle R, S, of the sword bayonet, constructed as
specified, and removably connected with the barrel D, as set forth.
Seventh. The construction of the cartridges, Figs. 14, 15, and 16, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Eighth. The recessed end of the bolt F, Fig. 20, for the cartridge
case, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bethel Burton, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this 23rd day of June, A.D. 1874..
BETHEL BURTON. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
CHAS. H. SMITH, 121, Nassau St., New York, N.Y.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
"
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