IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE GUNS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of Harris and
Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE GUNS." A communication
from abroad by James Henry MoLean, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri,
Doctor of Medicine, and Myron Coloney, of New Haven, in the State of
Connecticut, Journalist, both in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th December
1880.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 23,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINE GUNS." A communication from abroad by James Henry
McLean, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, Doctor of Medicine, and Myron
Coloney, of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, Journalist, both in the
United States of America.
The subject of this Invention is a machine gun constructed with a horizontal
range of any desirable number of barrels, and a breech slide in the -rear thereof
having a vertical reciprocating movement, and provided with one or preferably two
sets of load chambers, each corresponding in number with the barrels, so that when
the slide is elevated one set of chambers will be in firing position, and when the
slide is depressed the other set.
A corresponding range of magazines is placed above or below the barrels, or
preferably similar ranges of magazines, both above and below the barrels, so that
when the slide is raised, bringing its lower range of chambers in position for
firing, the upper range of chambers will be in position for loading, and vice
versa.
This part of the Invention may be carried out by the use of ordinary spring
followers in the magazine for the automatic charging of the slide chambers,
but another part of the Invention consists in the provision of a positive feed

page_text: movement for loading the charge chambers-by followers sliding in the magazines,
and connected together by a bar so as to be moved simultaneously.
The Invention further relates to a firing mechanism consisting of a rock-shaft
operating on a slide or lever, and a system or series of levers or triggers com-
municating from one to another of a series of spring pins or hammers by which
the charges in the range of barrels are fired, so that the firing movement of one
pin or hammer may release the next, and so on, and the barrels may thus be
discharged in rapid succession from one end to the other of the series or from the
centre to each end, the latter arrangement having the advantage of avoiding any
deflecting action which is liable to occur when the force of the discharge and
consequent recoil are heavier on one side of the longitudinal centre of the gun than
on the other.
The Invention further relates to a combination of rock-shafts, connecting rods,
and cams, or their equivalents, for imparting and communicating the required
relative motion to the loading slide and firing mechanism.
Also to a device for throwing the trigger mechanism in and out so that the
discharge of the barrels or a part of them may be prevented at will.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th June 1881.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 23,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINE GUNS." A communication from abroad by James Henry
McLean, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, Doctor of Medicine, and Myron
Coloney, of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, Journalist, both in the
United States of America.
The subject of this Invention is a machine gun constructed with a horizontal
range of any desirable number of barrels, and a breech-slide in the rear thereof
having a vertical reciprocating movement, and provided with one or preferably
two sets of load chambers, each corresponding in number with the barrels, so that
when the slide is elevated one set of chambers will be in firing position, and when
the slide is depressed the other set. A corresponding range of magazines is placed
above or below the barrels, or preferably similar ranges of magazines both above
and below the barrels, so that when the slide is raised, bringing its lower range
of chambers in position for firing, the upper range of chambers will be in position
for loading, and vice versa. This part of the Invention may be carried out by the
use of ordinary spring followers in the magazine for the automatic charging of the
slide-chambers, but another part of the Invention consists in the provision of a
positive feed movement for loading the charge chambers by followers sliding in the
magazines and connected together by a bar so as to be moved simultaneously, as
hereinafter described.
The Invention further relates to a firing mechanism consisting of a rock-shaft
operating on a slide or lever, and a system or series of levers or triggers commu-
nicating from one to another of a series of spring pins or hammers by which the
charges in the range of barrels are fired, so that the firing movement of one pin or
hammer may release the next, and so on, and the barrels may thus be discharged
in rapid succession from one end to the other of the series, or from the centre to
each end, the latter arrangement having the advantage of avoiding any deflecting
action which is liable to occur when the force of the discharge and consequent
recoil are heavier on one side of the longitudinal centre of the gun than on the
other.
The Invention further relates to a combination of rock-shafts, connecting rods,
and cams, or their equivalents, for imparting and communicating the required
relative motion to the loading slide and firing mechanism. Also to a device for
throwing the trigger mechanism in and out so that the discharge of the barrels or
a part of them may be prevented at will.
And in order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings,
more fully to describe the same.

page_text: Figure 8 is a face view of a ratchet wheel keyed on a rock-shaft and employed
to impart intermittent motion alternately in opposite directions to winding
pulleys connected with the magazine followers, as hereinafter described.
Figures 9 and 10 are views of the toothed faces of the said winding pulleys.
The bed or frame 1 is swivelled upon a carriage 2, and is rotated by gearing 3
for training the gun. The said swivelled bed is constructed with rigid cheek
plates or standards 4 forming bearings for trunnions 5, 5, projecting from the
extremities of a plate 6, in the front of which the barrels 7 are secured in a hori-
zontal range in any usual or suitable manner. In the rear of the barrels 7 is a
slide 8 guided within a chamber formed to receive it, and having a vertical recipro-
cating movement. The said slide is shown in elevation in Figure 5. It has two
horizontal ranges of charge chambers 9, 9, the chambers in each range corresponding
in number and distance asunder with the barrels 7, and serving at each movement
to take a set of cartridges from the magazines 39, 39º, as hereinafter described, to
firing position in rear of the barrels.
The vertical reciprocating movement of the slide is imparted by a rock-shaft 10
operated by hand-lever 11 either directly or through the medium of a segment, as
shown, and carrying upon its ends eccentrics 12, 12, connected by bands and rods 13,
with the slide 8 so as to impart alternate upward and downward movement to the
On the outer
slide by the forward and backward motion of the hand lever 11.
faces of the eccentrics 12 are wrists 14 connected by rods 15 with arms 16 of a
second rock shaft 17 which carries a series of upwardly projecting forked arms 18
embracing the firing pins or sliding hammers 19 for the purpose of drawing them
backward into cocked position, in which position they are caught by triggers 20
engaging in notches 21 in the underside of the firing pins. The triggers 20 form
levers of the first order, being fulcrumed at the centre and pressed upward to hold
the pins by means of springs 22. The heels of the trigger levers 20 rest in
grooves 23 on the upper surface of the firing pins, the said grooves decreasing in
depth backward so that the forward movement of the firing pin will elevate the
tail of the trigger lever 20 which rests in the groove 23 of said firing pin, and
withdraw the nose of the said trigger from the notch 21 in the next firing pin of
the series. The central pair of trigger levers 20° are operated by a vertical
slide 24 in which their heels are held, said slide being pressed downward by a
spring 25 to hold the noses of the said central pair of trigger levers 20% in the
notches 21 of the central pair of firing pins 19ª.
It will thus appear that the throwing up of the slide 24 will release the central
pair of firing pins 19ª so that they are thrown forward by their firing springs 26,
thus discharging the two central barrels.
The slide 24 is moved upward by an adjustable tappet-plate 27 on the rock-
shaft 17 engaging with an arm or lug 24 forming part of the vertical slide 24 or
rigidly connected therewith. The tappet plate 27 is formed with a notch 28, and
is adjusted horizontally by a lever 29 for the, purpose of placing the firing
mechanism in or out of gear when required. When the said slide is thrown to the
right, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 6, the tappet plate 27 coming in contact with
the lug 24 of slide 24 at the termination of the forward movement of the rock
shaft 17 will move the slide 24 upward drawing the central pair of triggers 20*
as already described, but if the tappet plate 27 be moved to the left, as shown in
dotted lines, the firing will not take place until it is again thrown to the right.
By this means the gun can be loaded without firing and afterwards discharged at
any required moment, or it can be discharged automatically directly after the
loading movement. By the above description it will appear that every forward
movement of the hand lever 11 by elevating the slide 8 brings a set of cartridges
from the lower range of magazines 39 into firing position in rear of the barrels, and
the same movement acting through the medium of the wrists 14 on the arms 16
and rock-shaft 17 cocks all the sliding hammers by the elevation of said arms 16,
and again by the depression of said arms restores the forked arms 18 to their
forward position, and at the termination of the same movement of the slide acts

page_text: on the trigger-slide 24 so as to discharge all the barrels in rapid succession from
the centre to each end if the tappet plate 27 be set for this purpose. In like
manner the backward movement of the hand lever 11 moves the slide down, taking
a fresh set of cartridges from the upper range of magazines 39° to firing position,
and imparting at the same time a double movement to the rock shaft arms 16 as
before so as to cock and fire the gun. The semi circular dotted line 30 in Figure 2
indicates the path of the wrist 14 by which this double movement of the rock
shaft arms 17 is produced, said wrist 14 being moved from 30° to 30b on the
upward movement of the slide 8, and back again from 30b to 30° on the downward
movement of the slide, a double movement of the rock shaft 17 being thus produced
by each backward or forward movement of the hand lever 11.
The magazine followers 38 may be actuated by springs in customary manner
when shouldered cartridges are used, so as to carry one such cartridge into each
load chamber in the slide as the latter is moved into position to receive them; but
another part of this Invention consists in a positive feeding mechanism, in which
the follower springs are dispensed with, said followers being moved at each stroke
the length of one cartridge so as to force a set of cartridges into the slide chambers,
the entrance of which cartridges ejects the empty shells or any unexploded
cartridges at the rear of the slide. This positive feeding mechanism may be
described as follows:-31 represents a lever operating a rock shaft 32, near the
extremities of which are paired pulleys 33, 33, running loosely on the shaft and
actuated alternately by the engagement with their toothed inner faces of pawls 34,
on the respective faces of discs 35, which are keyed to the rock shaft 32, between
the respective pairs of pulleys 33, 33º, so that when the rock shaft is moved in one
direction the pulleys 33 will be turned, and when the rock shaft is moved in the
other direction the pulleys 33, suitable detaining pawls serving to hold the pulleys
in each case against reverse movement. On the peripheries of the respective pulleys
are coiled bands 36, 36, each connected to one of the transverse bars 37, to which
the followers 38,within the magazines 39, 39, are attached.
The ratchet pulleys 33, 33, may, if preferred, be mounted on the same rock
shaft 10 which operates the slide and firing mechanism. The load chambers of the
slide extend completely through from front to back. The cartridges 40 are
introduced into the slide chambers 9 from the front, and when fed by the positive
movement described may be made without shoulders, as shown in Figure 4. If
shouldered cartridges be used, as illustrated in Figure 2, they rest by their
shoulders against corresponding shoulders within the chambers.9. When moved
into firing position by the vertical movement of the slide 8, the cartridges are held
between the jaws of a recoil block 41. This block is furnished with a recoil
pin 42 and follower 43 acting upon a recoil spring 44, and may be made to carry
back the firing pins 19 to cocked position. The said firing pins are made in two
parts, that is to say, with separate nose pieces 19", which on the retirement of the
firing pins proper or sliding hammers 19 are moved back within the breech plate
of the gun, and when the said sliding hammers 19 are released receive the impact
thereof and deliver the firing stroke to the cartridges.
The angular elevation for range is controlled by worm gearing 45 acting on the
elevating screw 46, as in Figure 2ª, or by the screw and cogged segment shown in
Figure 2.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode in
which the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,
First. A machine gun constructed with a horizontal range of barrels, and a
vertically moving breech slide provided with two sets of loading chambers to
communicate alternately with the barrels, substantially as described.
Second. The combination of a horizontal range of barrels, one or more ranges of
magazines above or below said barrels, or both above and below, and a vertically
moving slide to receive the cartridges from the magazines and conduct them to
loading position in rear of the barrels.

page_text: Third. In a machine gun, a loading mechanism consisting of a vertically moving
chambered breech slide and a horizontal rock shaft, operated by a lever and
-connected with the breech slide so as to move it-up and down-in the manner
described, in combination with a horizontal range of barrels and one or more ranges
of magazines, as explained.
Fourth. A positive feeding mechanism consisting of a range of magazines,
followers sliding therein, a bar connecting said followers, and one or more bands,
cords, chains, or rods for moving the connecting bar and followers, substantially as
described.
Fifth. The combination of the lever 31, ratchet pulleys 33, 33, connecting
bands, cords, or chains 36, 36", bar 37, and followers 38 for loading the cartridges
by a positive movement, substantially in the manner described.
Sixth. The combination of the rock shaft 10 for moving the breech slide 8, and
the second rock shaft 17 deriving a double or reciprocating motion from each motion
of the rock shaft 10 in either direction.
Seventh. The combination of the rock shaft 10, wrists 14, rods 15, crank
arms 16, second rock shaft 17, forked arms 18, and firing pins or hammers 19,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
+
Eighth. The combination of the firing pins or sliding hammers 19, having
notches 21, and grooves 23, and the trigger levers 20, for releasing said hammers in
succession, as explained.
Ninth. The combination of rock shaft 17, adjustable tappet plate 27, slide 24,
triggers 20, 20, and hammers 19ª, 19, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
B. J. B. MILLS.
(L.S.)