Improvements in Quick-firing Guns.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application 20th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 14th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Quick-firing Guns.
I, PER 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 guns which are carried by mountings in which they are
allowed to recoil and are at once automatically returned to their firing position so
soon as the recoil is completed.
The improvements have for their object to prevent the breech being opened before
the explosion of the cartridge has taken place.
With quick firing guns of this kind the breech block is usually locked within the
breech by giving to it a partial turn to cause segments of screw threads upon it to
engage with corresponding screw segments in the gun.
According to this invention I fix to the land lever by which the breech block is
turned to lock and unlock it an arm which when the breech block is locked in the
breech is caught by a spring catch carried by the mounting and the lever is by this
catch prevented from being turned to unlock the breech.
When the recoil takes place the gun moves backwards in its mounting and carries
the lever backwards along with it. As it is so carried backwards the arm which is
fast with the lever is carried back clear of the spring catch. The catch then by its
owi weight and by the action of a spring upon it is turned into such a position that
the arm will not be again caught by it when the gun returns to its firing position.
I also so form the catch that when the gun so comes forward the lever is (by reason
of the arm coming against the catch) turned somewhat in the direction in which it
has to be turned to unlock the breech. When the lever has been so turned the catch
will not prevent the opening of the breech. After the breech has been opened and
when it is again closed the arm which is fast with the lever will press back the spring
catch and be again caught by it. The catch will consequently not interfere with the
operation of the hand lever and no extra movement is required except when the
breech for some reason or other is required to be opened without firing the round.
The catch must then be pulled back by hand before the lever can be turned.
Dated this 10th day of July 1980
PER NORDENFELT.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Quick-firing Guns.
I, PER NORDENFELT 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 guns which are carried by mountings in which they are
allowed to recoil and are at once automatically returned to their firing position so
soon as the recoil is completed.
The improvements have for their object to prevent the breech being opened before
the explosion of the cartridge has taken place.
According to this Invention I fix to the hand lever by which the breech block is
locked and unlocked an arm which when the breech block is locked in the breech is
caught by a spring catch carried by the mounting and the lever is by this catch
prevented from being turned to unlock the breech.
On firing the breech block is released in the following manner :-
When the recoil takes place the arm travels back away from the catch; the catch

page_text: then assumes another position, and when the gun returns after recoil the arm strikes
upon the catch and thereby the movement of the handle to open the breech is
commenced.
In the annexed drawing Figure 1 is a plan of the rear part of a breech loading gun
fitted in accordance with my Invention with a catch which prevents the breech from
opening until after the recoil has taken place. Figures 2, 3 and 4 are side elevations
of some of the parts in different positions. a is a land lever upon an axis extending
across the gun on the underside; this handle when raised and drawn rearwards
operates upon the breech block b so as to cause it to descend in the transverse
The block
passage in the breech of the gun in which the breech block works.
when so moved leaves the bore of the gun clear to receive a cartridge and similarly
the handle when moved in the opposite direction raises the breech block and closes
the breech of the gun. Motion may be imparted by the handle to the breech block
in various ways by well known mechanism. A former Patent No. 4523 in the year
1880 may be quoted as an example. c is an arm on the same axis with the handle.
d is a part of the cradle in which the gun slides when it recoils, its movement being
controlled by a spring and an hydraulic buffer of the ordinary sort so that the gun
immediately after the recoil is drawn forward again to the firing position. e is a limb
bolted to the cradle and extending rearwards from it. f is a catch jointed upon the
limbe it is provided with a spring g which tends to move the head of the catch
rearwards.
The Figures 1 and 2 show the parts in the positions they occupy when the breech
has been closed by the forward movement of the handle. In the last part of this
movement the end of the arm e pressed downwards upon the head of the catch f;
the catch yielded to allow the arm to pass and then immediately returned to the
position shown. In this position the catch retains the handle so that it cannot be
turned back to open the breech.
When the
gun
is fired the arm e together with the axis and handle move rearward,
these parts being carried upon the gun, and so the arm escapes from the catch f which
is not moved by the recoil. When the arm has got clear of the catch, the catch is
moved by its spring as far as a stop permits and this brings the head of the catch to
the position shown by Figure 3 and when the gun returns, (which it does imme-
diately) the underside of the arm c strikes upon the head of the catch as seen in
Figure 4. So the arm is moved and the lever handle with it and the handle is then
free to be further moved by hand to open the breech for the insertion of a new
cartridge. On closing the breech the arm f becomes again caught as before.
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
The application of a catch to a quick firing gun substantially as described in such
manner as to prevent the opening of the breech when the gun is loaded and to be
automatically liberated when the gun is fired as herein set forth.
Dated this 19th day of April 1890.
CARPMAEL & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.