CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Warren Richard Evans, of Lynn, County of
Essex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United States
of America, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING
FIRE-ARMS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Warren Richard' Evans
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 30th June 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WARREN
RICHARD EVANS, of Lynn, County of Essex, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant.'
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am
the true and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: reference however to that piece or portion of the lock by which the
magazine is directly opérat d.
I will leave the description of the manner in which the lock operates
upon the magazine to that portion of this Specification which treats of
the lock itself.
The magazine is contained in a hollow tube a extending down through
the stock of the piece. It may reach the butt of the gun, and there'
may be provided an aperture, into which cartridges may be introduced
in order to fill the magazine, the said cartridges being advanced toward
the breech of the gun, as herein-after set forth. Within the tube a and
attached to the inner side thereof is the spiral thread or wire b. This
spiral winds around the inner part of the tube a, and contains within
its coil the fluted shaft c. This shaft can have as many as two, three,.
or four flutes if desired. The cartridges are placed within the flutings
or grooves of the shaft. As the shaft rotates, being caused to do so by
the operation of the lock upon it, herein-after described, each rotary
movement thereof in connection with the spiral b advances a cartridge a
certain distance towards the lock or breech of the gun. When the
cartridges are introduced at the butt of the piece, as heretofore intimated,
as soon as one has been pushed into the hole at the butt, if the fluted
shaft is caused to perform a partial revolution the cartridge will be
sufficiently advanced to make room for another, and so the entire
magazine may be filled from the butt.

page_text: to explode the cartridge in the said space between the two walls of the
breech block (Fig. 6).
In the Figure last named a small circular aperture is shown at i,
through which a needle may be inserted. The point of the hammer
moves forward immediately behind the block j in Fig. 6. This 5
block j receives the cartridge resting immediately behind the butt of the
same, being at the time of receiving the same a little inclined backward.
or toward the butt of the piece. Being then moved forward, or toward
the breech of the gun it forces the cartridge into position for discharge,
and forms the breech block of the barrel during the discharge.
As before specified, the whole piece (Fig. 4 and Fig. 6) together
with the. hammer (Fig. 3) are pivoted with a screw passing through
them. The movements of the breech block (Figs. 4 & 6) are obtained
by its handle / being thrown downward and forward, and then
drawn back, so that the said handle shall rest against the stock of the
piece. When the forward and downward movement is imparted to the
handle k, it cocks the hammer (Fig. 3) by the solid part of said
handle, or in other words, the end of the slot, illustrated in Fig. 6,
striking against the curved end of the hammer (Fig. 3). The
position of the hammer when cocked is illustrated in Fig. 1, where
the shoulder m is represented as having passed under the shoulder n of
the trigger o. This position of the hammer of course contracts the.
mainspring g, which as before described has its end resting in the
recess of the hammer. It is thus apparent that by drawing backward
in the ordinary manner upon the trigger o, the hammer is released, and
is sprung forward to explode the cartridge. I have thus far described
only the effect of the forward and backward motion of the breech block
(Figs. 4 & 6) upon the hammer (Fig. 3).
I will now describe the effect of the forward and downward motion of
the arm k, and the consequent movements of the breech block
(Figs. 4 & 6) upon the bent lever (Figs. 5 & 7).
When the breech block, Fig. 4 (see also the same in Fig. 1), is
thrown backward by the downward and forward movements of its
handle it operates the bent lever (Figs 5. & 7) in the following
manners:-
First. By means of the point or projection p on said lever, which point
plays in the slot 7, on the outside of one of the walls of the brecch
block, it causes. this lever to tip upon a pivot r, so that the ends of the

page_text: lever is raised. On this end is seen the projecting point t. As the ends.
is raised, as described, the point t passes under one of the projections u.
of the fluted shaft (Fig. 8), and imparts a partial rotation to the same.
This rotary movement of the fluted shaft (Fig. 8) deposits a cartridge
upon the upper edge of the breech block, and in front of the part j,
preparatory to forcing the same into the breech of the barrel. When
the ends of the lever (Fig. 5) is raised, as above described, by this
backward movement of the breech block, it discloses or uncovers an
aperture in the case or covering of the lock. Through this aperture
thus disclosed the metallic case of the exploded cartridge drops out, the
said metallic case having been also drawn out of the barrel of the gun,
or retracted by the same motion of the breech block.
.
The drawing outward of the metallic case of the exploded cartridge is
effected by the retractor w, which it will be seen, in Figs. 4 & 1, is
pivoted to one side of the breech block, and when the breech block is
thrown completely forward so as to close the breech of the barrel, drops
just below the part j, which serves to close the breech. In this it
slightly represses the spring x. Thus when the breech block is thrown
backward by the forward and downward movement of the handle k the
retractor w is thrown up by the spring x in time for its edge to pass
under the lip of the cartridge case and draw it out of the gun barrel.
The edge or lip of the retractor is illustrated in Fig. 4. That side or
face of the lever (Figs. 5 & 7) which closes the aperture in the case of.
the gun during the discharge is shown in Fig.7.
The general and combined operation of the parts herein set forth may
be thus described :-When the block į rests up against the breech of:
the barrel so as to close the same, the handle is touching the bottom
edge of the stock of the piece. By throwing downward and forward the
handle of the piece, the hammer (Fig. 3) is cocked. by the solid
part of or end of the slot in the breech block, which slot terminates in
the handle k at a short distance from the block, indicated by the dotted.
line in Fig. 4. This end of the slot strikes the curved end of the
hammer when so cocking it. By this motion the lever (Fig. 8) is so
tipped as to disclose the aperture in the casing around the lock, and
thus allow the metallic case of the exploded cartridge to be pushed out
of the aperture by the newly presented cartridge and the motion of the
breech block. The newly presented cartridge is brought into position by
the same upward motion of the horizontal arm of Fig. 5, which by its

page_text: projecting point t rotates the fluted shaft c in such manner that the
cartridge is deposited upon the upper edge of the breech block, and in
front of the block or part j, as before described. The handle / is then
drawn backward to the position before described, by which movement
the block or part j is enabled to force the cartridge into the breech of
the barrel and close said breech. The piece is thus discharged, as before
described, by drawing backward upon the arm of the trigger o. It will
be observed that this form of magazine is capable of containing an
unusually large supply of cartridges, and that inasmuch as the successive
discharges and all the operations of the gun can be effected by the
forward and backward movement of the handle k, and pulling of the
trigger, that the discharges can be produced with great rapidity. As
before intimated, the fluted roll and the magazine may extend to the
butt of the stock of the piece.
From the description given of the operation of the magazine it will
now be understood that the magazine can be charged with the same
rapidity as the discharges are produced. With the magazine so
extended the butt will be furnished with an aperture through which
cartridges may be introduced successively into the grooves or flutings of
the shaft, and immediately after the introduction of each cartridge 2
through this aperture a like forward and backward movement to the
handle, before described, will advance the cartridge thus introduced
sufficiently far into the magazine to make room for the introduction of
another cartridge, and so on, until the magazine is filled.
In the breech block (Fig. 4), and in the same as shown in Fig. 1, 2
may be observed the inclined slot y. As has already been described a
screw passes through this slot and enters the outer casing of the gun or
lock. The purpose of this elongated slot is to hold securely the block or
part against the breech of the barrel during the discharge. When the
part is pressed against the breech of the barrel the screw is in the a
forward end of the slot, at which time any pressure upon the forward
face of the part j has no tendency to throw the block backward. Thus
the breech is securely closed during the discharge.
What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
of the Kingdom of Great Britain, is,—
First. The combination of the fluted shaft c, which has one or more
grooves or flutings, and the fixed spiral thread or wire b, substantially
as herein set forth:
3

page_text: Second. The combination of the lever (Fig. 5) and its point t, with
the rotating fluted shaft, substantially as described and for the purpose
set forth.
Third. The method of operating the magazine by the lever (Fig. 5)
and the breech block (Fig. 4), as herein described.
Fourth. The hammer, Fig. 3, made and operating as described, in
connection with the slotted breech block (Figs. 4 and 6), and the
mainspring.
Fifth. The breech block (Figs. 4 & 6), having the part ; and the
two walls with a space between the same, and the slot q, as set forth.
Sixth. The combination of the retractor w pivoted to one side of the
breech block, and the spring x, as set forth..
Seventh. The combination of the trigger o, having the shoulder n to
operate in combination with the shoulder m of the hammer (Fig. 3). ·
Eighth. The combination of the hammer (Fig. 3) with the breech
block, and arranged within the same, as described, and trigger o, as set
forth.
Ninth. The breech block (Fig. 4) when constructed with the sloty,
as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Warren Richard Evans, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
WARREN RICHARD EVANS. (L.S.)
5 Signed, by the above-named
Warren Richard Evans, this
Twentieth day of May,
A.D. 1873, in presence of
$0
GEO. H. STARR, H. B. M.
Acting Consul.
i