Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
We, JAMES LLOYD COPPING, Engineer, and GEORGE DYSON TREECE, Merchant,
both of Dashwood House, New Broad Street, in the City of London, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:.
Our invention relates to breech loading small arms of the kind wherein the
cartridges are fed into the breech chamber from a magazine the invention
being applicable to fire arms wherein the several operations of the gun are
automatically effected by the recoil or performed by hand.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby the cartridge
holder, which is inserted into the magazine or which forms the magazine, shall
be automatically ejected from the gun directly the last cartridge is delivered
from the same into the breech, and, if desired, to arrange means whereby the
number of cartridges which the magazine contains shall be indicated.
A suitable arrangement for carrying out our invention is as follows:-In
connection with the aperture through which the cartridges pass from the maga-
zine to the breech chamber is an arm pivoted upon the axis of, or in connection
with a ratchet wheel and carrying a pawl designed to engage with the teeth of
the said ratchet wheel. The free end of this arm projects into the said aper-
ture in such a manner that as each cartridge is moved past the same it im-
pinges upon the arm and causes it to oscillate so that through the medium of
the pawl a certain amount of rotation is imparted to the ratchet wheel. Or the
said arm may be arranged so that it shall be operated by the breech block
during its reciprocation.
The cartridge holder or magazine is held in position by a bolt or the like
designed to be acted upon by a cam surface, projection or the like upon, or in
connection with, the ratchet wheel in such a manner that at each rotation of the
ratchet wheel the said bolt will be operated to release the cartridge holder or
magazine so that it is left free to fall out under the action of gravity or to
be forced out either by the spring which moves the cartridges into the breech
chamber or by a special spring.
If it is desired to indicate the number of cartridges which remain in the
magazine we arrange in connection with the ratchet wheel a pointer which works
in connection with a dial, which pointer, as each cartridge is delivered into
the breech chamber, is moved to a figure upon the dial indicating the number
of cartridges remaining in the magazine or weapon.
The bolt which retains the magazine holder or magazine in the gun is pre-
ferably so arranged in relation to the ratchet wheel that the magazine or maga-
zine holder will be ejected immediately the last cartridge is fed into the breech
chamber and before it is fired, this arrangement being of especial advantage in fire
arms which operate under the action of the recoil, the discharge of the magazine
indicating to the person using the fire arm that one cartridge only remains,
whereby, if a freshly charged holder or magazine is inserted into the gun before
the last cartridge is fired, it will not be necessary to insert the first cartridge

page_text: from the recharged magazine into the barrel by operating the breech bolt by
hand, as is sometimes the case when the last cartridge contained by the magazine
is discharged before a freshly charged magazine is inserted.
Dated the 24th dure of October 1800
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
We, JAMES LLOYD COPPING, Engineer, and GEORGE DYSON TREECE, Merchant,
both of Dashwood House, New Broad Street, in the City of London, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to breech loading small arms of the kind wherein the
cartridges are fed into the breech chamber from a magazine the invention
being applicable to fire arms wherein the several operations of the gun are
automatically effected by the recoil or performed by hand.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby the cartridge
holder, which is inserted into the magazine or which forms the magazine, shall
be automatically ejected from the gun directly the last cartridge is delivered
from the same into the breech, and, if desired, to arrange means whereby the
number of cartridges which the magazine contains shall be indicated.
In the accompanying drawing we have shewn a suitable arrangement for
carrying out the invention, in the said drawing:
:―
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a magazine pistol having the im-
provements applied thereto :
Figures 2 and 3 are a sectional plan and a side elevation of a detail; and
Figure 4 is
sectional side elevation thereof drawn to a larger scale.
a is the barrel of the pistol, 6 the frame carrying the same and c the handle
or grip which is made hollow to take the cartridge magazine in the usual
manner. e is the breech-bolt or block and f the trigger of the pistol. In con-
nection with the aperture through which the cartridges 9, 9 pass from the
magazine to the breech chamber is an arm h pivoted upon a spindle or pin h¹
mounted in the frame band carrying a ratchet wheel i, the said arm h being
provided with a spring pawl h² arranged to engage with the teeth of the said
ratchet wheel i. The free end of the arm normally projects into the path of
the cartridges g, g in such a manner that as each cartridge is moved past the
same it impinges upon the arm and causes it to oscillate so that through the
medium of the pawl 2 a certain amount of rotation is imparted to the ratchet
wheel as shewn clearly in Figure 4. h³ is a spring which returns the arm h
into the path of the cartridges: after each movement and is a detent for pre-
venting the ratchet wheel i turning back after it has been set forward and
for rotating the said wheel when a new magazine is inserted as hereinafter
described.
in
The cartridge holder or magazine d is held in position in the grip c by a bolt
or the like which is normally held in engagement with a notch or slot
the magazine by a spring k. Now, to withdraw the bolt when the magazine is
empty we provide in connection with the ratchet wheel, a cam / which rotates
intermittently with the said ratchet wheel and when the latter has completed

page_text: a revolution impinges against one end of a lever m which is pivoted at m¹ to the
frame 6 and the other end of which engages in a slot in the bolt j in such
a manner as to withdraw the bolt from the notch against the action of the
spring so that the magazine is released and left free to fall out under the
action of gravity or to be forced out either by the spring n which pushes the
cartridges into the breech chamber or by the special spring n¹ which is put
into tension when the magazine is inserted into the grip, the said spring being
secured at one end to the fixed pin n² and at the other end to the slide 3
carrying a projection n against which the top of the magazine bears when
pushed into the grip so as to stretch the spring.
To indicate the number of cartridges which remain in the weapon we arrange
upon the spindle h' carrying the ratchet wheel a pointer outside the frame b,
the said pointer moving in front of a dial fitted in the frame and numbered in
such a manner that as the pointer moves forward with the ratchet wheel as
each cartridge is delivered into the breech chamber it stops opposite a figure
upon the dial indicating the number of cartridges remaining in the weapon.
In the pistol shewn in the drawing the dial is numbered to correspond to a
magazine capable of holding seven cartridges and the bolt j which retains the
magazine d in the gun is so arranged in relation to the ratchet wheel that the
magazine d will be ejected immediately the last cartridge is fed into the breech
chamber and before it is fired, this arrangement being of especial advantage in
fire arms which operate under the action of the recoil, the discharge of the
magazine indicating to the person using the fire arm that one cartridge only
remains, whereby, if a freshly charged holder or magazine is inserted into the
gun before the last cartridge is fired it will not be necessary to insert the first
cartridge from the recharged magazine into the barrel by operating the breech-
bolt by hand, as is sometimes the case when the last cartridge is discharged
before a freshly charged magazine is inserted.
To enable the pointer to be moved from the numeral 1 to the numeral 7 when
a fresh cartridge holder is inserted the above named detent his secured to
the slide 3 so that it drops with the said slide when the emptied holder is ejected
and is pushed up by the insertion of the fresh holder thus rotating the ratchet
wheel through a distance equal to the length of one tooth.
Although we have described and shewn an arrangement wherein the mechanism
for releasing the magazine is actuated by the movement of the cartridges it
will be obvious that the said mechanism can also be operated from any other
suitable intermittently moving part of the pistol, such for example as the
breech-block.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In breech-loading small arms the combination with the cartridge magazine,
of means whereby the said magazine is automatically ejected when the last
cartridge has been fed from the magazine, substantially as herein before described.
2. In breech-loading small arms the combination with the magazine, of a
spring bolt engaging a slot or notch in the magazine so as hold it in position,
and of means for withdrawing the bolt out of engagement with the magazine
when the last cartridge has left the magazine, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. In breech-loading small arms the combination with the magazine, of a
spring bolt normally engaging a slot or notch in the magazine, of a pivoted
lever engaging the said bolt and of means such as a cam, a ratchet wheel and
a pawl arm, which normally extends into the path of the cartridges, or breech
block, for releasing the said bolt when the last cartridge has been fed from the
magazine, substantially as herein before described.
4. In breech-loading small arms the combination with the magazine, of a

page_text: spring bolt normally holding the magazine in position, of means for automatically
withdrawing the bolt and of means such as a spring for ejecting the magazine
when released, substantially as herein before described.
5. In breech-loading small arms of the kind described in Claim 1 the combina-
tion with the magazine, of a pointer and a dial, and of means for actuating the
pointer at each discharge of the fire arm such that it indicates the number of
cartridges left in the weapon, substantially as described.
arm
6. In breech-loading small arms the combination with the magazine, of a
pointer and a dial, of a ratchet wheel in connection with the pointer, and of a pawl
for actuating the ratchet wheel, the said pawl being mounted upon an
which normally extends into the path of the cartridges or breech block so as to
be intermittently operated thereby, substantially as, and for the purpose, herein-
before described.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved breech-
loading fire arm, hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.