A Magazine for Breech-loading Fire-arms.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Magazine for Breech-loading Fire-arms.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM SPONSEL, of 1 Flower Street in the City of Hartford,
County of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to a magazine for breech-loading fire-arms and more
particularly to that kind of magazine which is usually removably fixed in the under
side of the fire-arm, immediately to the rear of the barrel.
My improved magazine is adapted to be used as a fixed magazine, and loaded
from the top, after the manner of the magazine applied to the "Mannlicher"
magazine rifle or it may be used as a detachable magazine, being held in place
by a spring-catch and readily removed for re-loading, as in the well-known "Lee "
magazine rifle.
The magazine consists of a case of a length corresponding to the length of the
cartridge to be carried thereby, an internal width corresponding to the diameter
of the cartridge, and a depth corresponding to the maximum number of cartridges
to be held in the magazine at one time.
The magazine case may be constructed of sheet metal cut to the required shape
and bent to form the side walls and end walls thereof. The lower end of the
magazine is ordinarily closed or partly closed by a cap or plate suitably fixed in
the said case and carrying the device or means for supporting and actuating the
table or elevator upon which the cartridges are supported. This elevator consists
of a table or platform connected with the platform-elevator device or devices, and
fitted to slide freely upwardly and downwardly within the magazine-case.
The elevating apparatus, by which term I designate in a general way the device
or devices for raising the table or platform, consists preferably of a device related
in principle to the apparatus commonly known as "lazy tongs," and consists, in its
simplest form, of a pair of rods which act in part as levers and in part as connecting-
rods; which rods are suitably connected together, as by a pivot or connecting-pin
intermediately of their length, and are connected at their lower ends to the bottom-
plate or lower end of the magazine, and at their upper ends to the aforesaid
cartridge-elevating platform. A spring is connected to one of the said levers to
normally swing the lever in a direction to elevate the platform and thus feed the
cartridges upward into position forward of the bolt or other feeding mechanism of
the gun ready to be pushed into the barrel thereof.
When the elevating device consists of two levers or connecting-rods as aforesaid,
there are five points of connection for the said rods, as follows; one connection
between the two rods or levers which are crossed the one past the other; two
connections, one at the lower end of each rod, with the lower end of the magazine ;
and two connections, one at the upper end of each rod, with the cartridge-supporting
platform. The particular nature of the said connections may be varied according
to the requirements of any particular case; but in practice, at least one of the
lower or upper connections should be an ordinary pivotal joint, so as to maintain
the elevating device, as a whole, in proper relation with the other parts of the
magazine; the other connections should be slot-and-pin connections, so as to
provide for the required swinging movements of the levers the one relatively to the
other, and for the rising and falling movement of the said platform.
Owing to the well-known conical or tapered form of the cartridges now generally
used for breech-loading fire arms, the platform carrying the cartridges must have a
greater movement at the rearward end thereof than at the forward end thereof, and
as it moves farther downward from the line of the barrel have a greater inclination

page_text: to the said line, conforming in this respect to the taper of the upper and lower
lines of the series of cartridges whatever the number of cartridges in the series.
To meet these requirements, and to give the forward and rearward ends of the
platform the necessary relative movements, is one of the principal objects of my
invention. This object accomplish by suitably proportioning the lengths of the
upper and lower ends of the levers, so as to throw the platform upward more
rapidly at the rearward end thereof than at the forward end thereof and yet control
the movement (except for a very slight play due to the form of the joints)
during the whole stroke of the platform.
The spring which I prefer to use for actuating the platform-clevating levers or
rods, is a spiral spring having at one end thereof an arm bearing against the
magazine, and at the other end thereof an arm engaging one of the levers, the said
spring being carried upon the pivot on which the lower end of one of the levers is
pivotally supported. The force of such a spring as is well-known decreases as it
expands; so that, so far as the action of this spring is concerned the upward thrust
of the platform against the cartridges will decrease as the platform moves upwardly;
but this effect I overcome and counteract by means of the lever which connects the
spring with the platform, and which, by reason of its changing angles, exerts a
greater and greater upward tlirust upon the platform as this rises from its lowermost
towards its uppermost position. In practice, this increasing effect of the lever
substantially counterbalances the decreasing effect of the spring, and produces the
desired uniform upward thrust upon the cartridges in the magazine. By careful
design and workmanship in the laying out and construction of the magazine, the
upward thrust upon the cartridges may be made very nearly the same at all points
of the upward movement.
As a means for removing the magazine from the gun the said magazine is
provided with a catch on one (usually the rearward) edge thereof, which catch
engages with a spring-catch or pawl pivotally supported in the breech-block of the
gun and engaging with the magazine catch. When it is desired to remove the
magazine the user has only to press upon the spring-catch which frees the magazine
which may be removed and re-loaded in the ordinary manner.
When the magazine is required to be of such a depth that owing to its relatively
small length it is impracticable to use only one pair of elevating levers, the elevating
device may be modified to comprise two pairs of the said levers, operating, as in
the first instance upon the principle of the so-called "lazy tongs." In this modifi-
cation, the lower pair of the levers are arranged in substantially the same manner
as the pair of levers used in the more simple form of the magazine and the said
lower pair of levers act upon an upper pair of levers which connect by pin-and-slot
connections (or some form of connection equivalent thereto) with the cartridge-
carrying platform.
According to another modification of the construction of the platform-elevating
apparatus, a single pair of levers is used, which levers are connected together
intermediate of their length by pivotal connections; both levers are pivotally
connected at their lower ends to the magazine-case, while one of them is connected
by pivotal connections at its upper end to the platform, and the other connected
thereto by a pin-and-slot connection, the lever which has a pivotal connection at
each end thereof being formed of two parts the one part sliding upon the other part.
The form of apparatus last described may be further modified by reversing the
positions of the continuous and sliding rods or levers, and making both of the upper
connections pin-and-slot connections, while both of the lower connections, as in the
former instance, are pivotal connections.
In all of the modifications described, the required difference of the movements of
the two ends of the platform is obtained by suitably proportioning the length of the
upper and lower ends of the levers, substantially as described in connection with
the first described form of the apparatus.
The upper end of the magazine-case, at the rearward side thereof, is furnished
with the usual stops or abutments for preventing the cartridge from being

page_text: thrown out until after it has been pushed forward a portion of its length
by the bolt of the gun, or by any other portion of the feeding mechanism
thereof.
When the platform is in its lowermost position, its elevating-levers lie side by
side at the bottom of the magazine, thereby requiring the least possible space for
the elevating apparatus.
An important advantage secured by my invention is that, owing to the positive
control of the platform throughout its stroke by means of the hereinbefore described
elevating devices nearly all parts of the magazine can be manufactured out of sheet
metal and by the most economical processes, so that the entire magazine may be
produced for a small part of the cost heretofore incurred for producing the
magazines generally used for this class of fire-arms.
By means of the positive control of the platform elevating devices over the upward
movements of the platform the points of the cartridges cannot be pushed down to
carry the head of the upper cartridge behind the head of the cartridge below it,
and thus lock the cartridges into the magazine so that it would be liable to become
inoperative this, it is well known, has heretofore been a serious difficulty in the
practical use of some forms of magazines.
Dated this 25th day of November 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Magazine for Breech-loading Fire-arms.
1, CHARLES WILLIAM SPONSEL, of No. 1 Flower Street, in the City and
County of Hartford, State of Connecticut, United States of America, Mechanical
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 invention relates to magazines for breech-loading small-arms and more
particularly to that kind or class of magazines which are usually removably fixed
to the under side of the fire-arm, immediately to the rear of the barrel.
My said improved magazine is adapted to be used as a fixed magazine, and to be
loaded from the top, after the manner of the magazine applied to the "Mannlicher"
magazine rifle or, it may be used as a detachable magazine, being held in place
by a spring-catch and readily removed for re-loading, as in the well-known "Lee"
magazine-rifle.
In the drawings accompanying this Specification
Figure 1 is a plan view with the cartridge supporting platform removed there-
from, of a magazine embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the magazine.
Figure 3 is an end or edge view of the same as seen from the right in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the case, showing the magazine filled
with cartridges.
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing only one cartridge in the
magazine.
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, illustrating the use of the magazine in
connection with a fire-arm.
Figure 7 is an inverted plan view of the elevator-platform detached.
Figure 8 is a side view of said platform.
Figure 9 is an end view of the same as seen from the right in Figure 8.
Figures 10, 11 and 12 are views similar to Figure 5, showing three modified
forms of the elevator devices.
Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.
The magazine consists of a case of a length corresponding to the length of the

page_text: cartridge to be carried thereby an internal width corresponding to the diameter of
the cartridge, and a depth corresponding to the maximum number of cartridges to
be held in the magazine at one time.
The
The magazine-case may be constructed of sheet-metal cut to the required shape
and bent to form the side walls, 2 and 4, and the end walls, 3 and 5 thereof.
lower end of the magazine is ordinarily closed or partly closed by a suitable cap or
plate, as 6, fixed or removably fixed in the said case and carrying the device
or means for supporting and actuating the table or elevator upon which the
cartridges CC, are supported. This elevator consists of a table or platform
connected with the platform-clevating device or devices, and fitted to slide freely
upwardly and downwardly within the magazine-case.
The said table or platform may be varied in form and construction, but the form
thereof which I prefer is the one shown in the drawings, which is constructed of
sheet metal suitably cut and bent to the required shape. This is shown in detail in
Figures 7, 8 and 9 and consists of the top-plate S, the sides 7 and 9 depending
therefrom and forming guides which engage the sides of the magazine case to
prevent the platform from tipping sidewise; and the depending ribs or parts 10
and 12 by means of which the table is attached to the elevating devices.
66
The elevating apparatus, by which term I designate in a general way the device
or devices for raising the table or platform, consists preferably of a device related
in principle to the apparatus commonly known as lazy tongs," and consists, in its
simplest form, of a pair of rods, 14 and 16 which act in part as levers and in part as
connecting-rods; which rods are suitably connected together by a pivot or
connecting pin, 15, intermediately of their length, and are connected at their lower
ends to the bottom-plate 6, or to the lower end of the magazine, and at their upper
ends to the aforesaid cartridge-elevating platform. A spring, 17, is connected to
one of said levers to normally swing the lever in a direction to elevate the platform
and thus feed the cartridges upward into position forward of the bolt of the gun or
other feeding mechanism, ready to be pushed into the barrel of the gun.
When the elevating device consists of the levers or connecting-rods as aforesaid,
there are five points of connection for the said rods, as follows, one connection
between the two rods or levers which are crossed the one past the other; two
connections, one at the lower end of each rod, with the lower end of the magazine;
and two connections, one at the upper end of each rod, with the cartridge-supporting
platform. The particular nature of the said connections may be varied according
to the requirements of any particular case; but in practice, at least one of the
lower or upper connections should be an ordinary pivotal joint, so as to maintain
the elevating device, as a whole, in proper relation with the other parts of the
magazine, the other connections should be pin-and-slot connections, so as to provide
for the required swinging movements of the levers the one relatively to the other,
and for the rising and falling movement of the platform.
In the form of elevator device shown in Figures 1 to 9, inclusive, the rod 14 is
pivoted at 18 to the bottom piece 6, which may be a small casting. The upper end
of the said rod is provided with a pin, 19, which is fitted to slide in a slot, 20, that
is formed in the rib 12 of the platform. As before stated, the rods 14 and 16 are
connected together by means of a pivot-pin 15, located intermediately of their
length. The rod 16 is furnished at its lower end with a pin, 21, which is fitted
for sliding movement in a slot, 22, that is formed in the bottom-piece 6. The
upper end of the said rod 16 is similarly provided with a pin, 23, which is fitted to
slide in a slot, 24, that is formed in the rib 10 of the platform to receive it.
Owing to the well-known conical or tapered form of the cartridges now generally
used for breech-loading fire-arms, the platform carrying the cartridges must have a
greater movement at the rearward end thereof than at the forward end thereof, and
as it moves farther downward from the line of the barrel must have a greater
inclination to the said line, conforming in this respect to the taper of the upper and
lower lines of the series of cartridges, whatever the number of cartridges in the
series. To meet these requirements, and to give the forward and rearward ends of

page_text: the platform the necessary relative movements, is one of the principal objects of my
invention. This object I accomplish by suitably proportioning the lengths of the
upper and lower ends of the levers, so as to throw the platform upward more
rapidly at the rearward end thereof than at the forward end thereof and yet control
the movement (except for a very slight play due to the form of the joints) during
the whole stroke of the platform.
The difference in length between the upper end (between the pivots 15 and 23)
and the lower end (between pivots 21 and 15) of the lever 16 is greater than the
difference between the upper end (between pivots 19 and 15) and the lower end
(between pivots 15 and 18) of the lever 14, as will be understood from Figures 4, 5
and 6. This disproportion between the two levers is for the purpose of imparting
to the rearward end of the platform a more rapid downward movement than to the
forward end thereof; and it will be observed by comparison of Figures 4 and 5
that the inclination of the platform relatively to the upper line of the magazine is
much greater in Figure 4 than in Figure 5, the said inclination in Figure 5
corresponding with the taper of a single cartridge, while in Figure 4, it corresponds
with the taper of a group of five cartridges.
The spring which I prefer to use for actuating the platform-elevating levers or
rods, is a spiral spring designated by 17, the ends 25-25 thereof forming arms
which bear against the magazine. Intermediate of the ends of the wire forming
the said spring I have formed a loop 26, which engages the lever 14, the said spring
being carried upon the pivot 18, on which the lower end of the said lever is
pivotally supported. Inasmuch as the force of the spring decreases as it unwinds
its effect upon the lever 14 will decrease as the platform moves upwardly; but the
lifting effect on the platform is not diminished by reason of the changing angles of
the lever 14, whereby the said lever exerts a greater and greater upward thrust
upon the platform as it rises from its lowermost position in Figure 4 to its upper-
most position in Figure 5. In practice, this increasing effect of the lever,
substantially counterbalances the decreasing effect of the spring, and produces the
required substantially uniform upward thrust upon the cartridges in the magazine.
By careful design and workmanship in the laying out and construction of the
magazine that upward thrust may be made very nearly the same at all points of the
upward movement of the platform.
The upper end of the magazine-case, at the rearward side thereof, is furnished
with the usual stops or abutments, 28-28 for preventing the cartridge from being
thrown out until after it has been pushed forward a portion of its length by the
bolt, 44, Figure 6, of the gun. The said abutments are preferably formed by
bending or curving inwardly the upper rearward edges of the sides 2 and 4 of the
magazine-case, as shown in the drawings.
As a means for holding the forward ends of the cartridges vertically central one
above another, I have bent the sides of the case inwardly, forming the ribs 30-30,
between which the forward reduced ends of the cartridges rest.
In Figure 6 of the drawing, I have shown the magazine in place in a gun, and
having one cartridge in place therein. The frame or breech-block of the gun is
designated by 40, the bore thereof by 42, and the bolt by 44. The bolt is shown
in solid lines engaging the head of the uppermost cartridge in the magazine. On
the further forward movement of the bolt, the cartridge is pushed forward into the
bore of the gun. In this figure I have also shown by dotted lines a cartridge
pushed forward about half its length into the bore of the gun; the bolt being shown
by dotted lines in the corresponding position.
As a means for removably fixing the magazine in the gun, the said magazine is
provided with a catch, 34, on one (usually the rearward) edge thereof, which catch
engages with a spring-actuated catch or pawl, 35, pivotally supported in the
breech-block of the gun and engaging with the magazine-catch. When it is
desired to remove the magazine, the user has only to press upon the said catch 35
to free the magazine and the latter may then be removed and re-loaded in the
ordinary manner.

page_text: *
When the magazine is required to be of such a depth that owing to its relatively
short length, it is impracticable to use only one pair of elevating-levers, the
elevating device may be modified to comprise two pairs of said levers, as illustrated
in Figure 10, operating, as in the first instance, upon the principle of the so-called
'lazy tongs." In this modification, the lower pair of levers, 50 and 52, are
arranged in substantially the same manner as the pair of levers used in the more
simple form of the magazine. The said lower pair of levers act upon an upper
pair of levers, 54 and 56, which connect by pin-and-slot connections, as hereinbefore
described, (or by some form of connection equivalent thereto) with the cartridge-
carrying platform.
According to another modification of the construction of the platform-elevating
apparatus, as illustrated in Figure 11, a single pair of levers is used, which levers
are connected together intermediate of their length by a pivotal connection at 15.
Both levers are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the magazine-case, and
are both connected by pin-and-slot connections at their upper ends to the platform,
one of the levers being formed of two parts, 60 and 62, the one part sliding on the
other part, as will be understood from the drawing.
The form of magazine shown in Figure 11 does not require the two slots 20
and 24 in the platform, but the extensible conuecting rod may be pivoted to the
platform as at 23, Figure 12, provided of course that the proportions of the levers
are such as to carry the platform up and down in a line substantially parallel with
the forward and rearward edges of the magazine-case. Other similar and
unimportant modifications will be obvious, but these I deem it unnecessary to
further describe, as the same are included within the scope and limits of my present
invention.
In all of the modifications described, the required difference of the movements of
the two ends of the platform is obtained by suitably proportioning the length of the
upper and lower ends of the levers, substantially as described in connection with the
first-described form of the apparatus.
When the platform is in its lowermost position, its elevating levers lie side by
side at the bottom of the magazine, as illustrated in Figure 4, thereby requiring
the least possible space for the elevating apparatus.
An important advantage secured by my invention is that owing to the positive
control of the platform throughout its stroke by means of the described elevating
devices nearly all parts of the magazine, can be manufactured out of sheet-metal
and by the most economical processes, so that the entire magazine may be produced
for a small part of the cost heretofore incurred in the production of this class of
magazine.
By means of the positive control of the platform-elevating devices over the
upward movements of the platform, the points of the cartridges cannot be pushed
down in such a manner as to cause the head of the upper cartridge to pass behind
the head of the cartridge below it and thus lock the cartridges into the magazine
so that it would be liable to become inoperative. This it is well known, has
heretofore been a serious difficulty in the practical use of some forms of magazines
for small arins.
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 :-
First. In a magazine for a small-arm a pair of levers pivoted together and each
of which is connected at one end with the platform and at its other end with the
magazine-case, and means for actuating the levers, substantially as, and for the
purpose specified.
Second. Connecting the said levers together at such a point that the relative
proportions of the lengths of the two ends of one lever are different from that of
the other lever, for the purpose specified.
Third. Connecting the said levers to the platform at their upper ends by pin

page_text: and slot connections, and to the magazine-case at their lower ends the one by a
pivot connection and the other by a pin and slot connection substantially as
described for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In a magazine for a small-arm provided with lever elevating devices for
the platform the improved cartridge platform consisting of a table or plate having
its edges folded upon the under side thereof and then bent downwardly substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. A magazine for a small-arm constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings and operating as
specified.
Sixth. The modification of my invention constructed substantially as described
with reference to Figure 10, or to Figure 11, or to Figure 12.
Dated this 16th day of December 1891
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.