IMPROVE- MENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRE ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEF SCHULHOF, Engineer of No 8 Habsburggasse in the City of Vienna and
Austrian Empire do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRE ARMS " to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct a mechanism for actuating the breech
bolt and the parts belonging thereto of fire arms in general, but especially to so
called repeating fire arms.
This mechanism is so constructed that by pulling the trigger all movements
necessary for firing or operating the mechanism are effected viz: The opening and
closing of the breech-in the case of a repeater the feeding of cartridges from the
magazine to the chamber-the loading, cocking firing and ejecting of the emptied
shell.
In order to demonstrate the working of said mechanism I will now proceed to
describe the same.
The magazine is placed in the butt of the fire arm and is closed by means of a
door or lid moving on a suitable hinge and provided with a catch. A feed tube
connects the said magazine with the chamber of the small arm and is provided with
a suitable sliding feed bar, which said bar carries a number of spring teeth for
advancing the cartridges. Opposite to the feed bar the aforesaid feed tube is
provided with small projections in proper distances from each other for preventing
the cartridges from sliding back. On its forward end the feed bar carries a short
arm, fitting into a notch or fork with which the breech bolt is provided, in such
manner that the feed bar is caused to slide back and forward with the sliding
breech bolt.
The mechanism for moving the latter is constructed as follows:-
-:
The trigger which swings upon a pivot reaches with its extension upward
against the breech bolt to which latter an arm is moveably connected by means of
a suitable screw.
A
A. second arm is jointed to the aforementioned arm at one end, whilst at the
other it is moveably fastened or connected to the frame of the small arm by
a suitable screw. The said second arm is provided with a groove or slot in which
a pin slides and which is attached to the arin of the trigger so that by moving the
latter the two arms of the bolt and consequently the breech bolt are moved.
suitable spring continually forces the trigger forward causing the two arms to the
breech bolt and the breech bolt itself to take the first position; the trigger being
pulled back, said parts are brought into the second position but return to their
original position when released.
Starting from this original position the action of the mechanism is the
following:
On pulling the trigger an arm of the breech bolt is caused to turn forward on its
pivot by means of a suitable pin and slot, thereby also pushing forward the second
arm of the breech bolt and consequently. the breech bolt to which it is attached.

page_text: The latter sliding forward imparts the same motion to the feed bar by means of
a fork acting upon a suitable arm which causes the first cartridge to be brought
forward from the magazine to the chamber.
The pull upon the trigger being continued the two arms of the breech bolt
approach the stretched position, before this position is reached however the first
cartridge passes the inclined surface of the elevator which is a lever pivoted to feed
tube and pressed upward by a suitablo spring.
As in this position of the cartridge there is no room above it to allow of it being
lifted up, it naturally must in passing on depress a suitably arranged elevator until
it has entirely moved into the open chamber when it is raised up to the level of
the breech by the said elevator being acted upon by the aforementioned spring.
At this moment the cartridge is struck by the breech bolt sliding forward and
pushed home into its proper seat. During the forward motion of the breech bolt,
the firing pin has been arrested at the proper moment by a spring and the breech
bolt continuing to move forward the spiral spring has become compressed. A
spring is attached to the pistol frame alongside of the breech bolt and provided
with a nose projecting into a longitudinal slit of the latter so as to reach and
engage with the shoulder of the firing pin.
The spring attached to the frame of the pistol has an extension or projection
under which the end of the trigger arm can pass. This end of the said trigger arm
is chamfered off on its surface in such manner that in turning forward it enters
wedgelike underneath the spring attached to the frame of the pistol thereby lifting
the same and releasing the spiral spring and firing in and thus causing the firing
pin to strike the cap and explode the cartridge.
The mechanism is so constructed that the releasing of the firing pin and
consequently the firing cannot take place until the arms of the breech bolt have
attained their stretched horizontal or extended position and the trigger arm a
vertical position, whereby perfect security is given against the breech bolt being
driven back by the shot.
The trigger being released from the pressure of the finger, returns to the
original position being actuated by a spring as before described.
The breech bolt returning also extracts the emptied shell by means of a suitable
extractor, the feed bar has been pushed back into the magazine and the pistol is
ready for firing another shot, which said operation may be repeated as long as there
are any cartridges in the magazine.
By throwing single cartridges into the open chamber from above a rapid fire may
be continued after the magazine has been exhausted or fire arms may be constructed
or used in this manner as single loaders without any magazine.
For blocking the mechanism and for keeping the breech bolt in its forward
position when the arm is not being used, a safety slide is attached to the pistol,
which, when pushed upward prevents all motion of the breech bolt and conse-
quently of the whole mechanisın.
From the foregoing it is evident that the mechanism herein described and
shown may be used for fire arms of any size or description either single loaders
or repeaters.
Of the latter kind, different systems of magazines may be adapted for said
mechanism as for instance magazines placed beneath the chamber or detachable
magazines.

page_text: RECORD OT FITO AT8.
I JOSEF SCHULHOF, Engineer, of No 8 Habsburggasse in the City of Vienna and
Austrian Empire do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MECHANISM FOR FIRE ARMS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of Drawings and to the
letters and Figures marked thereon:-
The object of this invention is to construct a mechanism for actuating the breech
bolt and the parts belonging thereto, of fire arms in general, but especially of
so called repeating fire arms.
This mechanism is so constructed, that by pulling the trigger all movements
necessary for firing or working the arm are effected viz: The opening and closing
of the breech in the case of a repeater the feeding of cartridges from the magazine
to the chamber, the loading, cocking, firing and ejecting of the emptied shell.
In order to demonstrate the working of said mechanism I have shown it applied
to a repeating pistol in the annexed drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a side view of this pistol with the side plate removed to show the
interior parts.
Fig. 2 is the same seen from the other side.
Fig. 3 shows the same view as figure 1, but with another position of mechanism.
Fig. 4 shows in side view the cartridge feed tube with feed bar in elevation.
Fig. 5 is the same seen from above.
Fig. 6 shows the breech bolt.
37
7 the firing pin and its spring.
"
8 is a section after line 1, 2 in Fig. 2.
As shown the magazine is in this case placed in the butt of the pistol and
is closed by means of a door or lid moving on hinges m and provided with
a catch x. The feed tube h connects said magazine with the chamber of the pistol
and is provided with sliding feed bar a, carrying spring teeth rrr, for advancing
the cartridges.
Opposite to the feed bar the feed tube is provided with small projections t t in
proper distances from each other for preventing the cartridges from sliding back.
On its forward end feed bar a carries a short arm s fitting into a notch or fork 8¹
(fig. 2) with which the breech bolt is provided, in such manner that feed bar a is
caused to slide back and forward with the sliding breech bolt.
The mechanism for moving the latter is constructed as follows. Trigger c
which swings upon pivot c¹ reaches with its extension b upward against breech
bolt e, to which latter there is movably connected by screw e' an arm f¹. Another
arm is jointed to arm f¹ with one end, while with the other it is by screw e¹¹
moveably fastened to the frame of the pistol. Arm fis provided with a groove or

page_text: a slot b¹ in which there slides a pin 611 attached to the arm b of trigger c so that
by moving the latter, arms f f¹ and.consequently the breech bolt are moved. A
spring g continually forces trigger c forward into the position shown in figure 3
causing arms ff¹ and breech bolt e to take the position there also indicated; the
trigger being pulled back, said parts are brought into the position shown in
figure 1 but return to their original one when released.
Starting from this original position as shown in figures 2 and 3 the action of the
mechanism is the following.
The trigger being pulled causes by means of pin 6 and slot b₁ arm f¹ to turn
forward upon its pivot e thereby also pushing forward arm f³ and consequently
the breech bolt to which it is attached.
The latter sliding forward imparts the same motion to feed bar a by means of
fork acting upon arm 8, fig. 2, which causes the first cartridge to be brought
forward from the magazine to the chamber.
The pull upon the trigger being continued the arms f and f¹ approach the
stretched position shown in fig. 1, before this position is reached however, the first
cartridge passes the inclined surface of the elevator p which is a lever pivotted to
feed tube and pressed upward by-spring i. As in this position of the cartridge
there is no room above it to allow of its being lifted up, it naturally must in
passing on depress elevator p until it has entirely moved into the open chamber A
(fig. 1) when it is raised up to the level of the breech by elevator p being acted
upon by spring i.
At this moment the cartridge is struck by the breech bolt sliding forward and
pushed home into its proper seat. During the forward motion of the breech bolt,
the firing pin has at the proper moment been arrested by spring and the breech
bolt continuing to move forward the spiral spring has been compressed. Spring
is attached to the pistol frame (fig. 1) alongside of the breech bolt and provided
with a nose projecting into a longitudinal slit of the latter so as to reach and
engage with shoulder o of firing pin d.
As shown in fig. 1 spring k has an extension or projection under which the
end of trigger arm b can pass. This end of arm bis on its surface chamferred off
in such manner as in turning forward to enter wedge like underneath part 1 of
spring, thereby lifting it and releasing spring n and pin d, which causes the shot
to be fired.
As will be seen from the drawing the mechanism is so constructed that the
releasing of firing pin d and consequently the firing cannot take place until
arms and have attained their stretched horizontal position and arm ba vertical
one, whereby perfect security is given against the breech bolt being driven back by
the shot.
The trigger c being released from the pressure of the finger returns to the
position shown in figure 3, actuated by spring y as before described. The breech
bolt returning also, extracts the emptied shell by means of extractor a¹ feed bar a
Is been pushed back into the magazine and the pistol is ready for firing another
shot, which may be repeated as long as there are any cartridges in the magazine.
By throwing single cartridges into the open chamber A from above a rapid fire
way be continued after the magazine has been exhausted or fire arms may
be constructed or used in this manner as single loaders without any magazine.
For blocking the mechanism and for keeping the breech bolt in its forward position
when the arm is not being used a safety slide is attached to the pistol, which,
when pushed upward prevents all motion of breech bolt e and consequently of the
whole inechanism.
From the foregoing it is evident, that the mechanism herein described and
shown may be used for fire arms of any size or description, either single loaders
or repeaters. Of the latter kind, different systems of magazine may be adopted
for said mechanism as for instance magazines right below the chamber or detach-
able ones.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In small arms the trigger c with arm b, pin b¹¹ and spring y in combination
with the links or arms ff¹ the former of which is provided with the slot b and is
movably attached to the case; the latter with the one end movably attached to the
sliding breech piece or bolt and the other end jointed to the link or arm f substan-
tially as described and shown.
2. In small arms with sliding breech piece or bolt the method of arresting
or stopping and releasing the firing pin the former by means of a pin or stud
attached to a spring which arrests the firing pin; the latter by means of the
wedge like end of the trigger arın b which gears or glides under the spring k or the
nose of the same substantially as described and shown:
3. In repeating fire arms the method of opertating the repeating mechanism by
means of the arms of the transport rail A which gears with the studs s¹ of the
sliding breech piece substantially as described and shown.
4. In pistols made on the above described system the arrangement and construc-
tion of the safety slide e substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 26th day of September 1885.
J. SCHULHOF.
Per W. H. Beck, Agent,
115, Cannon Street, London.