Certain Improvements in Magazine Rifles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th June, 1894-Accepted 21st July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in Magazine Rifles.
I, THOMAS MCCONNELL, of 15. Stratford Terrace, Bolton Road, Small Heath,
Warwickshire, Gun Action Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to those magazine rifles of the Lee-Speed pattern and
Lee-Metforl pattern and other magazine rifles in which at the top of the magazine
there is a sliding bolt corresponding with the breech this sliding bolt carrying at its
front end a bolt head in which is the striker and carried at the back of the sliding
bolt is the cocking piece which latter when the rifle is discharged is carried forward
by a spring inside the cocking bolt so as to act upon the striker.
In magazine rifles of this kind as at present constructed when the sliding bolt is
pushed home to carry the cartridge into the breech the cocking piece is arrested by
coming in contact with the back end of the sear. The rifle is now cocked ready to
be discharged by pulling the trigger. In order to make the rifle safe when loaded
the cocking piece has to be held back by one hand against the action of the spring
whilst the trigger is pulled slightly and then the cocking piece has to be allowed to
go forward for a short distance until what is called the half-bent which is an
undercut notch on the underside of the cocking piece comes in contact with the
back end of the sear then if the trigger is pulled as the sear cannot be released the
rifle is safe. Both hands are required in letting the half-hent down on to the sear
as stated above and considerable care is necessary in doing this as if the trigger is
pulled too far the cocking piece may go right home and explode the cartridge or
the cocking piece may slip away from the hand and shoot forward and explode the
cartridge.
Now the principal object of my invention is to provide simple and efficient means
for throwing the sear in or out of action when required so that there is no possibiliy
of the rifle being accidentally discharged and a further object of iny invention is to
provide means whereby the striker is caused to rebound so that except at the instant
the rifle is fired the striker does not project beyond the front end of the bolt head
and thus however quickly the sliding bolt may be pushed home there is no
possibility of the striker accidentally firing the cartridge.
In carrying out my invention I provide immediately above the sear a spindle or
pin arranged in a horizontal position and adapted to turn in bearings formed in the
sides of the action. This più or spindle is partly cut away or otherwise shaped as
a cam to act upon and depress the sear as hereinafter described. At one end of
the said spindle or pin and by preference at that end corresponding with the right
hand of the person using the rifle is fixed a short lever outside the action and to
the outer end of this lever is a knob for turning the same. This lever is by
preference made of flat spring steel and arranged to turn from a vertical position to
about a horizontal position a small projection near the end of the lever engaging in
one of two depressions formed in the action when the lever is turned to its extreme
position in either direction so as to retain the lever and the spindle or pin in that
position. When the lever is in its horizontal position the cam portion of the pin or
spindle does not act upon the sear which is therefore in its normal position ready to
arrest the cocking piece when the sliding bolt is pushed home. When it is desired
to put the rifle at safety it is only necessary to turn the lever to its vertical position
when the cam on the said pin or spindle will now act upon the sear and inove it
downwardly far enough that when the sliding bolt is pushed home the cocking
piece does not come in contact with the end of the sear; the sliding bolt can now

page_text: be moved to and fro as much as desired without cocking the rifle. When it is
required to fire the rifle the said lever must first be turned down so as to turn the
pin or spindle so that its cam will not form any obstruction to the free action of the
sear. In order to cause the striker to rebound into the bolt head after the rifle has
been fired so as not to come in contact with the cap of the cartridge when the
sliding bolt is pushed forward I provide in the bolt head a coiled wire spring which
acts upon the striker and forces it back into the sliding bolt against the action of
the main spring therein. This extra spring which I provide for the rebounding of
the striker has to be made of the proper strength so that when the rifle is fired it
will allow of the striker shooting forward. Or instead of the extra spring for the
rebounding of the striker being provided in the bolt head a spring for the same
purpose may be provided on the striker between the cocking piece and the
sliding bolt.
Dated this 15th dore of Santambor 1902
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in Magazine Rifles.
I, THOMAS MCCONNELL, of 15, Stratford Terrace, Bolton Road, Small Heath,
Warwickshire, Gun Action Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to those magazine rifles of the Lee-Speed pattern
and Lee-Metford pattern and other magazine rifles in which at the top of the
magazine there is a sliding bolt corresponding with the breech this sliding bolt
carrying at its front end a bolt head in which is the striker and carried at the back
of the sliding bolt is the cocking piece which latter when the rifle is discharged is
with the striker carried forward by a spring inside the cocking bolt so as to act
upon the cartridge.
In magazine riles of this kind as at prescut constructed when the sliding bolt is
pushed home to carry the cartridge into the breech the cocking piece is arrested
by coming in contact with the back end of the sear. The rifle is now cocked ready
to be discharged by pulling the trigger. In order to make the rifle safe when
loaded the cocking piece has to be held back by one hand against the action of the
spring whilst the trigger is pulled slightly and then the cocking piece has to be
allowed to go forward for a short distance until what is called the half-bent, which
is an undercut notch on the underside of the cocking piece, comes in contact with
the back end of the sear, then if the trigger is pulled, as the sear cannot be
released, the rifle is safe. Both hands are required in letting the half-bent down
on to the sear as stated above and considerable care is necessary in doing this as if
the trigger is pulled too far the cocking piece may go right home and cause the
striker to explode the cartridge, or the cocking piece may slip away from the hand
and shoot forward and cause the striker to explode the cartridge.
Now the principal object of my invention is to provide simple and efficient means
for throwing the sear in or out of action when required so that there is no possibility
of the rifle being accidentally discharged and a further object of my invention is to
provide means whereby the striker is caused to rebound so that except at the
instant the rifle is fired the striker does not project beyond the front end of the
bolt head and thus however quickly the sliding bolt may be pushed home there is
no possibility of the striker accidentally firing the cartridge.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which

page_text: applied;
Fig. 2 shews the same partly in section the parts in Figs. 1 and 2 being shewn in
the positions which they occupy when the rifle is cocked;
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same on line X X of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 shews separately the safety spindle or pin of the same forming part of my
invention; and
Fig. 5 shews the same parts as Fig. 2 in the positions which they occupy
immediately after the rifle has been fired and
Fig. 6 illustrates an alternative arrangement of the second part of my invention
as hereinafter described.
A is the sliding bolt; a is the bolt head; B is the cocking piece; b is the
half-bent; C is the sear; D is the trigger; E is the striker fixed to the cocking
piece B, and e is the coiled wire spring in the sliding bolt B which propels the
striker and cocking piece forward to explode the cartridge when the rifle is
fired.
In carrying out my invention I provide immediately above the sear C a spindle
or pin F arranged in a horizontal position and adapted to turn in bearings g¹ 9²
formed in the sides of the action. This pin or spindle F is partly cut away at
or otherwise shaped as a cam to act upon and depress the sear C as hereinafter
described. At one end of the said spindle or pin F and by preference at that end
corresponding with the right hand of the person using the rifle is fixed or formed a
short lever outside the action (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4) and at the outer end of this
lever there is a knob f³ for turning the same. This lever may be made of flat
spring steel or formed in a piece with the spindle or pin F or otherwise constructed
and is by preference arranged to turn from a vertical position see Fig. 1 to about a
horizontal position shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 5 a small spring projection near
the end of the lever engaging in one of two depressions h³ ³, formed in the action,
when the lever is turned to its extreme position in either direction so as to retain
the lever and spindle or pin F in that position.
When the lever is in its vertical position (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3) the cam
portion of the pin or spindle F does not act upon the sear C which is therefore
in its normal position ready to arrest the cocking piece B as shewn in Fig. 2 when
the sliding bolt A is pushed home. When it is desired to put the rifle at safety it
is only necessary to turn the lever to its horizontal position indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 5 when the cam portion of the pin or spindle F will now act upon
the sear Cand move it downwardly far enough as shewn in Fig. 5 so that when
the sliding bolt A is pushed home the cocking piece B does not come in contact
with the end of the sear; the sliding bolt A can now be moved to and fro as much
as desired without cocking the rifle.
When it is desired to fire the rifle the lever must first be turned down as
shewn in Fig. 1 so as to turn the pin or spindle F so that its cam portion fl will
not form any obstruction to the free action of the sear C as shewn in Figs. 2
and 3.
In order to cause the striker E to rebound into the bolt head a after the rifle has
been fired so as not to come in contact with the cap on the cartridge when the
sliding bolt A is pushed forward, I provide in the bolt head, that is on the
striker E, a coiled wire spring which when the rifle is fired acts between
the collar e of the striker and the shoulder a' of the bolt head and thus forces the
striker back just into the sliding bolt A (see Fig. 5) against the action of the main
spring e therein. This extra spring which provide for the rebounding of the
striker E has to be made of the proper strength so that when the rifle is fired it
will allow of the striker shooting forward far enough for the front end of the
striker E to act upon the cap and explode the cartridge. Fig. 5 shews the striker
in the position after the rifle has been fired. By this figure it will be seen that the
front end of the striker E is just within the front of the bolt head a so that the
cartridge cannot be exploded by moving the sliding bolt A to and fro. It will also

page_text: be seen that there is sufficient clearance between the cocking piece B and the back
end of the sliding bolt A to allow of the striker E being shot forward by the main
spring e sufficiently to explode the cartridge when the rifle is fired.
Instead of providing the extra spring i for the rebounding of the striker E in the
bolt head a as above described and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, a spring for the
same purpose may as shewn by Fig. 6 be provided on the striker E to act between
the cocking piece B and the end of the sliding bolt A. In this arrangement it will
be seen that the cocking piece B is slightly recessed out to take the spring which is
made of just sufficient strength and length as to cause the striker to rebound into
the bolt head after it has been fired so that the front end of the striker E will be
just within the front end of the bolt head a and thus prevent accidental firing of the
cartridge.
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. In a magazine rifle of the kind herein referred to and in combination with the
sear thereof which arrests the cocking piece of the sliding bolt of the rifle when
the rifle is cocked and which releases the cocking piece when the rifle is fired, the
employment of means substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings for throwing the sear in or out of action so that the sear
can either be caused to engage with the cocking piece or not engage with the same,
as herein set forth.
2. In a magazine rifle of the kind herein referred to and in combination with the
striker of the sliding bolt thereof and the spring which propels the striker forward
when the rifle is fired, the employment of an extra coiled wire spring on the striker
arranged to cause the striker to rebound into the bolt head immediately after firing
so as to prevent the striker accidentally firing the cartridge when the sliding bolt
is being moved forward substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a magazine rifle of the kind herein referred to and in combination with the
sear sliding bolt striker and cocking piece of the same, the employment of means
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings
for throwing the sear in or out of action and the extra coiled wire spring on
the striker arranged to cause the striker to rebound into the bolt head immediately
after firing so that the sliding bolt can be moved to and fro as desired without
accidentally firing the cartridge and either with or without the sear arresting the
-cocking piece, as herein set forth.
Dated this 15th day of June 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.