Improvements in Rapid-firing Guns.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rapid-firing Guns.
I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to that class of rapid firing guns in which the breech
is locked into the rear end of the barrel by interlocking segments of screw
threads.
.
Such guns have commonly been made with an extractor which draw back the
empty cartridge cases as the breech block has been drawn back-and the cartridge
case has remained projecting partly into the barrel when the block has been turned
to one side.
I provide such guns not only with an extractor to draw the cartridge case back as
the breechblock is drawn back but also with an ejector to throw out the case after, the
block has been moved away to one side.
"
To effect this I employ an ejector finger carried by the rear end of the barrel and
which when the breech block is drawn back is made to turn or move into a position
to come in front of the rim of the cartridge case and then when the block has been
turned aside is made to turn quickly in a direction to thrust back the rim and eject
the cartridge case.
In guns in which the breech block when drawn back enters into a ring which
can be turned around an axis at one side of it parallel with the bore of the gun
I preferably make this finger to form one arm of a lever the axis of which is
formed of a portion of a sphere projecting from it and entering a cup recess in
the rear end of the gun so that the lever can be turned on a universal joint. The
tail end of the lever I form with a projection upon it to enter a groove formed
in the front face of the ring used for carrying the breech block when it is
drawn back.
.
The groove is so shaped that when the ring is turned around its pivot to carry
the breech block to one side the lever is first turned in a plane parallel with the
end of the gun to move the finger towards the underside of the cartridge case and
bring it in front of the rim which is around its rear end and then when the breech
block has been carried aside clear of the rear end of the cartridge case the lever is by
the formation of the groove caused to turn quickly in a direction to cause it to throw
back and eject the empty cartridge case.
To turn the breech block to lock and unlock it I employ a loop handle jointed to
the rear end of the block on a pin at right angles to the boro so that it may either be
turned into a position to stand out from the rear end of the block or be turned down
to lie flat against the end.
·
When in this latter position the gun can be fired-when it is being turned into the
former position I cause it by a hook piece on its axis to draw back the firing pin or
striker of the firing mechanism, until this firing pin is caught by a sear lever-the
firing pin is held back by the hook until the handle is again turned down flat against
the rear end of the breech block and ring and the handle is formed with a projection
upon it which prevents its being turned into this position except when the breech
block has been turned into position to lock it securely within the breech end of the
gun. The firing pin is then only held back by the sear. Any suitable arrangement
of mechanism may be used for tripping the sear when the gun is to be fired.
Preferably I make the tail of the sear to rest against a pin which lies in a hole formed
When the breech block is turned into
radially into one side of the breech block.
its locked position the outer end of this hole comes opposite to a pin which lies in a
radial hole at one side of the rear end of the gun. Normally this pin is pressed

page_text: outwards by a spring but when the gun is to be fired it can be pressed inwards.by
a crank lever caused to press upon it by the pulling of a cord attached to the lever
or in other suitable ways. The inner end of the pin then presses against the pin
which rests on the sear and pressing it inwards disengages the sear from the striker
and the striker is then thrown forwards by its spring and its front end ignites the
cartridge primer.
Cartridge ejectors and firing mechanism arranged as above described are applicable
to other forms of breech mechanisms in which the breech block is locked, within the
breech by divided.segments of screw threads.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rapid-firing Guns..
I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 32 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster late of
53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, 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 -
My improvements relate to that class of rapid firing guns in which the breech
is locked into the rear end of the barrel by interlocking segments of screw
threads.
Such guns have commonly been made with an extractor which draws back the
empty cartridge cases as the breech block has been drawn back-and the cartridge
case has remained projecting partly into the barrel when the block has been turned to
one side.
I provide such guns not only with an extractor to draw the cartridge case back as
the breech block is drawn back but also with an ejector to throw out the case after the
block has been moved away to one side.
To effect this I employ an ejector finger carried by the rear end of the gun and
which when the breech block is moved away from the breech of the gun is made to
turn or move into a position to come in front of the rim of the cartridge case
and then when the block is finishing its movement to clear the breech is made
to turn quickly in a direction to thrust back the rim and eject the cartridge case.
gan 80
form
In guns in which the breech block when drawn back enters into a ring which can
be turned around an axis at one side of it parallel with the bore of the gun I preferably
make this finger to form one arm of a lever the axis of which is formed of a portion
of a sphere projecting from it and entering a cup recess in the rear end of the
that the lever can be turned on a universal joint. The tail end of the lever
with a projection upon it to enter a groove formed in the front face of the ring used
for carrying the breech block when it is drawn back. The groove is so shaped that
when the ring is turned around its pivot to carry the breech block to one side the lever
is first turned in a plane parallel with the end of the gun to move the finger towards
the under side of the cartridge case and bring it in front of the rim which is around
its rear end and then when the breech block has been carried aside clear of the rear
end of the cartridge case the lever is by the formation of the groove caused to turn
quickly in a direction to cause it to throw back and eject the empty cartridge
case.
To turn the breech block to lock and unlock it I employ a handle jointed to the rear
end of the block on a pin at right angles to the bore so that it may either be turned
into a position to stand out from the rear end of the block or be turned down to lie
flat against the end.
When in this latter position the gun can be fired-when it is being turned into
the former position I cause it by a hook piece on its axis to draw back the firing
pin or striker of the firing mechanism until this firing pin is caught by a sear
lever.

page_text: H is the ejector lever turning on a ball and socket joint at H-H' is a projection
on its tail end entering a groove C' in the front face of the ring C-C is an arm
standing out from one side of the ring C-C³ is a projection on the front face of this
arm which comes against a stop A on the end of the gun when the breech is
opened.
The edge of the arm is formed to incline backwards as shown at Figures 1 and 2.
When the breech has been opened and a cartridge has been inserted into it so far as
the ejector finger will permit of its being inserted, that is, until the rim of the
cartridge comes against the finger and when the carrier ring is again turned to the
left to bring the breech block into position to close the breech, the incline on
the arm comes against the rear end of the cartridge and presses it forwards until
it is level with the face of the breech block so that the breech block can pass
behind it.
I is the firing pin lying in a central passage forined longitudinally through the
breech block-it is formed with a hollow cylindrical stem I' the rear end of which
passes into a corresponding cavity in a block B' which closes the rear end of the
passage through the breech block. The stem 1' has two lugs 12 projecting from
it which enter corresponding grooves in the sides of the cavity in the block B¹
and keep the firing pin from turning. The block B is square on the exterior
and fits into the rear end of the passage through the breech block which is of
corresponding form. It is held in place by a pin J which also forms the pivot for the
handle K by which a turning movement is given to the breech block whenever
the breech is to be opened or closed-L is a coiled spring contained within the
hollow stem of the firing pin and by which the firing pin is thrown forward.
M is the sear lever by which the firing pin is held in its cocked position when
it has been drawn back. N is a pin lying in a radial hole in the breech block
and resting against the tail end of the sear lever-0 is a pin lying in a radial
hole in the gun in a line with the pin N when the breech is closed-P is a coiled
spring pressing this pin outwards-Q is a crank lever one arm of which rests
against the outer end of the pin O and the other has a cord attached to it by
pulling on which the sear can be tripped whenever the breech block has been
turned into the position in which it is securely locked within the breech.
The handle K has eccentric hooks K' formed with it which pass into cavities
at two opposite sides of the block B' and which when the handle is turned to
make it stand outwards away from the end of the block hook over pins 12 which
project from two opposite sides of the stem I' of the firing pin I and by drawing
back the pins draw back the firing pin into its cocked position.
So long as the handle remains turned outwards from the breech block the
hooks K come in front of the pins I and the firing pin cannot possibly be
thrown forward far enough for its front end to strike against the cartridge primer
and therefore the gun cannot be fired until the handle is turned down flat against
the end of the breech_block. One arm of the handle has upon it a projection K³
which prevents the handle from being so turned except at the time when the
breech block is turned properly into its locked position within the breech--the pro-
jection on the handle is then able to enter a recess in the carrier ring C-in this
way it is rendered impossible for the gun to be fired before the breech block is
properly locked.
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. The combination of a gun formed with segments of screw threads at the rear
end of its bore, a breech block with segments of screw threads on its exterior to
lock into these segments, an extractor claw to draw back an empty cartridge case
when the breech block is drawn back and an ejector finger moved first in one plane
to bring it into position in front of the rim of the cartridge case and then smartly

page_text: in another plane to cause it to throw back the empty cartridge case when the breech
block is moved away out of line with the bore.
2. The construction of ejector mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
3. The combination with the breech block of a gun which is locked in the rear end
of the bore by screw segments on one interlocking with screw segments on the other,
of a bandle which can turn on a joint and which when turned on this joint is made
to draw back the firing pin into its cocked position.
4. The combination of mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the drawing annexed for drawing back the firing pin into its cocked
position.
5. The combination of mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described for
tripping the sear which holds back the firing pin and allowing it to be thrown
forward when the gun is to be fired.
6. The construction of rapid firing guns substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the drawing annexed.