An Attachment to the Feed Box of the Maxim Gun to enable the same to Fire Martini Henry Rifle Blank Ammunition.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1990
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1591-Accepted, 15th Aug,
1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Attachment to the Feed Box of the Maxim Gun to enable the
same to Fire Martini Henry Rifle Blank Ammunition.
GEORGE FREDERICK WHITMORE of Bateman Street in the Borough of
Cambridge, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
At present the Maxim gun will only fire special long drawn blank cartridges
which are very much more expensive than the blank ammunition used for the
Martini Henry rifle. The Martini Henry rifle blank ammunition if used in the Maxim
gun as at present constructed will be overshot by the moveable pawls attached to
the feed box and will not be placed in a straight and proper position to be gripped
by the grooves and gibs of the carrier and the gun will jam. My invention is
designed to stop such cartridges from overshooting.
At the top of the feed box nearly in a line with the now existing cartridge stop
and screw I fix a bar of inetal or other material so that the cartridge, when pressed
against it by the moveable pawls attached to the feed box will be in a straight and
proper position to be gripped by the grooves and gibs of the carrier. This result
may also be obtained by a bar placed in a similar position at the bottom of the feed
box, and in either case instead of a bar one or more studs may be fixed. Of the
Martini Henry blank ammunition that made from the fired brass ball cartridges cases
is the best for the above purpose.
Dated this Second day of September 1890.
G. F. WHITMORE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Attachment to the Feed Box of the Maxim Gun to enable the
same to Fire Martini Henry Rifle Blank Ammunition.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK WHITMORE, of Bateman Street, in the Borough of
Cambridge, Gentleman, 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 :-
At present the Maxim gun will only fire special long drawn blank cartridges
which are very much more expensive than the blank ammunition used for the Martini
Henry rifle. The Martini Henry rifle blank ammunition if used in the Maxim gun
as at present constructed will be overshot by the moveable pawls attached to the food
box and will not be placed in a straight and proper position to be gripped by the
grooves and gibs of the carrier and the gun will jam. My invention is designed to
stop such cartridges from overshooting.
At the top of the feed box nearly in a line with the now existing cartridge stop
and screw I fix a bar of metal or other material so that the cartridge when pressed
against it by the moveable pawls attached to the feed box will be in a straight and
proper position to be gripped by the grooves and gibs of the carrier. This result may
also be obtained by a bar placed in a similar position at the bottom of the feed box,
and in either case instead of a bar one or more studs may be fixed. Of the Martini
Henry blank ammunition that made from the fired brass ball cartridge cases is the
best for the above purpose.
It will be obvious that the attachment will enable
other short blank ammunition to be fired from the Maxim gun.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a horizontal section (looking upwards) on the line 1. 1. (Figure 2) of
a feed box of a Maxim automatic gun to which my attachment is applied and
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2. 2. Figure 1.
"
a a are the cartridges in the belt which are pushed forward by the pawls and d
pivotted to the reciprocating slide e worked by the lever, the cartridges being with-
drawn in turn base foremost out of the opening at the top of Figure 1. These
arrangements form no part of my invention and being well known require no further
description.
Ball cartridges are held in the proper position for being withdrawn by the stop g
and by the nose of the bullet coming against shoulders at h. In the case however
of short ammunition as shown these latter stops are inoperative and therefore the
pawl (which is usually made of similar form to the pawl e) is apt to push the
cartridge out of the proper line causing the grun to jam.
I obviate this objection and enable the gun to fire such ammunition by the inser-
tion of the bar j across the mouth of the feed box. This bar acts as a stop for the
end of a short cartridge but does not got in the way of the ordinary ball cartridge.
I also lengthen the end of the pawl d as shewn to give it a better hold on the
cartridge.
In some cases I make the bar removable carrying it at the end of a plate & which
is inserted into the feed box and hooked onto the shoulders when it is desired to
fire short cartridges.
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. A bar such as or stops in the feed box of a Maxim gun to ensure short
cartridges assuming the proper position for being withdrawn substantially as
described.
2. An attachment to the feed box of the Maxim gun substantially as described
and shewn in the drawings.
G. F. WHITMORE.