IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING MACHINE GUNS, IN FRAMES FOR THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINE GUNS OR MITRAILLEUSES, ALSO IN CARTRIDGE CASES FOR THE SAME AND MACHINE GUNS IN GENERAL
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING MACHINE GUNS, IN FRAMES FOR THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINE GUNS
OR MITRAILLEUSES, ALSO IN CARTRIDGE CASES FOR THE SAME AND MACHINE
GUNS IN GENERAL."-A communication from abroad by Waldemar
Baranovsky, of Saint Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, and
Lewis Wells Broadwell, of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th October 1872.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING MACHINE GUNS, IN FRAMES FOR THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINE
GUNS OR MITRAILLEUSES, ALSO IN CARTRIDGE CASES FOR THE SAME AND MACHINE
GUNS IN GENERAL," to be as follows:-

page_text: O
Secondly. To the construction and arrangement of the sliding and
closing block whereby the closing, striking, withdrawal of the closer,
the empty cartridge case and its discharge from the breech is more
facilitated than is usual.
Thirdly. To appliances upon or to the trail for retaining the machine
in position during the discharge.
Fourthly. To appliances upon or fitted to the axle or body frame for
preventing the recoil, the latter appliances being employed alone or in
combination with the trail appliances.
Fifthly. To the construction and combination of parts forming the 1
cartridge case suitable for the gun herein referred to and for other guns
of the machine class, whether of the mitrailleuse kind or the single barrel
kind.
The barrel breech is formed with two slots or openings of different
shapes in part of their lengths, and with one slot more to the rear than the
other, so that when the cartridge is inserted into the breech it rests upon
the top edges of the lower slot and is in position to be pushed into the
charge chamber on the breech block being pushed in and secured, the
lower slot being so shaped as to permit of the cartridge case falling
through when drawn far enough back for its base to fall through an
enlarged opening at the rear.
The closing block or bolt is fitted internally with a striker pin, whose
rod at the rear is connected by cross pins to the closing block; it carries
a short lever or projection, serving to be caught and retained by a spring
sear until the discharge of the cartridge is required.
There is a lever upon the block to enable it to be turned by hand, if
desired, to release lumps or projections form notches in the breech when
the block has to be drawn back, the reverse movement serving to secure
the block after it is pushed home.
In the draw back of the bolt the extractor claw which has hold of the
cartridge base brings the empty case with it and then lets it go
suddenly when the case is directly over the lower slot.
The trail of the gun frame or carriage has fitted on its lower face a
projection of knife or spade shape to enter the ground upon slight pressure
of the foot, or by the weight of the trail in dropping it. This projection

page_text: is so shaped and curved, taking one of the trunnions of the gun or the
axle of the carriage as a centre, that the more the recoil the more it
bites the ground and holds the gun frame or carriage in place.
The axle or the frame at the fore part has also, in some cases, an
anchor or shoe, jointed or not, with a claw for biting the ground and
preventing the frame lifting at the front, the gun being so to speak
fixed in position as in a rest."
"
The axle or the bar carrying the gun is provided with teeth for a
pinion on the gun frame to gear into when the pinion is turned by a
hand wheel. By this means after lifting the trail the gun can be trained
to the right or to the left by being moved bodily and without disturbing
the fore trail or anchor. Thus the range is not interfered with for
lateral fire.
The cartridge case for this and other machine guns is formed of metal
rolled, with a scarf joint or overlap, and with the bottom edge flanged
outwards to be embraced by a double flanged ring, a base, or disc, with
an annular recess on each face, one of which receives one flange of the
ring, the other forming a shoulder for the flanged edge of the case to
lodge in. The central portion of the disc is recessed on one side to
receive the fulminating cap, and with a bulge on the inner face to
strengthen it at that part. The base, the double flanged ring, and the
case are preferably of tin, and when put together they are dipped in
liquid tin to hermetically close up the seams.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special licence

page_text: that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James Smith, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING MACHINE GUNS, IN FRAMES FOR THE SAME AND OTHER MACHINE
GUNS OR MITRAILLEUSES, ALSO IN CARTRIDGE CASES FOR THE SAME AND MACHINE
GUNS IN GENERAL," communicated to me from abroad by Waldemar
Baranovsky, of Saint Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, and Lewis
Wells Broadwell, of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas James Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates,―
Firstly. To the construction and arrangement of the breech parts of
machine gun barrels.
Secondly. To the construction and arrangement of the sliding and
closing block, whereby the closing, the striking, the withdrawal of the
closer and the empty cartridge case, also its discharge from the brecch
is more facilitated than is usual.
Thirdly. To appliances upon or to the trail for retaining the machine.
in position during the discharge.
Fourthly. To appliances upon or fitted to the axle or body frame for
preventing the recoil, the latter appliances being employed alone or
in combination with the trail appliances.

page_text: Fifthly. To the construction and combination of parts forming the
cartridge case suitable for the gun herein referred to and for other guns,
whether of the mitrailleuse kind or the single barrel kind.
The breech of the barrel is formed with two slots or openings of
different shapes in part of their lengths, and with one slot further to the
rear than the other, so that when the cartridge is inserted into the
breech through the upper one it rests upon the top edges of the lower
slot and is in position to be pushed into the charge chamber on the
breech block being pushed in and secured, the lower slot being so shaped
as to permit of the cartridge case falling through when drawn far
enough back for its base to fall through an enlarged opening at the rear
of the same.
The closing block or bolt is fitted internally with a striker pin, whose
rod at the rear is connected by cross pins to the closing block; it carries
a short lever or projection, serving to be caught and retained by a spring
sear until the discharge of the cartridge is required.
There is a lever upon the block to enable it to be turned by hand to
release lumps or projections from notches in the breech when the block
has to be drawn back, the reverse movement serving to secure the block
after it is pushed home.
In the draw back of the bolt the extractor claw which has hold of the
cartridge base brings the empty case with it and then lets it go suddenly
when the case is directly over the lower slot.
The trail of the gun carriage has fitted on its lower face a projection,
jointed or not, of knife or spade shape to enter the ground upon pressure
of the foot or by the weight of the trail in dropping it; this projection
is so shaped and curved, taking the axle of a carriage as a centre, that
the more the recoil the more it bites the ground and holds the gun frame
or carriage in place.
The axle or the frame at the fore part has also in some cases an anchor
or shoe, jointed or not, with a claw for biting the ground and preventing
the frame lifting at the front, the gun being so to speak fixed in position
as in a "rest."
The axle or the bar carrying the gun is provided with teeth for a
pinion on the gun frame to gear into when the pinion is turned by a
hand wheel. By this means the gun with the carriage beam can be

page_text: trained to the right or to the left by being moved bodily, using the shoe
at the trail as a centre, and without disturbing the fore trail or anchor
or wheels. Thus the recoil of the gun is always in a line with the
carriage beam and therefore does not tend to disturb the carriage when
engaged in radial firing.
The cartridge case for this and other guns is formed of sheet metal
with a scarf joint or overlap, and with the bottom edge flanged outwards
to be embraced by a double flanged ring, a base, or disc, with an
annular recess on each face, one of which receives one flange of the ring
the other forming a shoulder for the flanged edge of the case to lodge
in. The central portion of the disc is recessed on one side to receive the
fulminating cap, and with a bulge on the inner face to strengthen it at
that part. The base, the double flanged ring, and the case are preferably
of tin plate, and when put together they are dipped in liquid tin to
hermetically close up the seams.
The Invention will be well understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figures 1 to 7 show the breech
portion of the gun, as described. a is the barrel, formed at the breech
top and at the bottom with slots b, c, the upper one b terminating at
the rear in advance of the lower one c, so that on the insertion of a full
cartridge the whole of it rests upon the shoulders c', c', of the lower one,
as in Figure 3, and is free to be pushed home into its place in the
chamber d when the block e is pushed in by the handle or lever f. The
bottom slot is opened out at the two sides c², c², at the rear by the
removal of the shoulders at that part to enable the base portion of
the empty case to fall clear when brought back sufficiently far by the
claw g, shown detached in Figure 1ª, on the opening of the breech, as
shown in the dotted lines. The body of the block has two lugs h, h,
upon it, and these in pushing the block home pass into corresponding
apertures in the breech, where they hold the block secure by taking
against the lips i, i, on the lever f being turned a quarter round for the
purpose; the block e is hollow, and has a striker pin j on the fore end
of a steel rod K, as shown in the detached views Figures 8 and 9, and
also in Figure 2; the rear of this steel rod has pins 1, 1, projecting from
two sides of an enlarged portion m, and these in the turning or opening
movement of the block ride against two inclined surfaces of the rear end
which causes the striker to retire into the nose of the block and con-
sequently clear of the fulminate cap of the next cartridge in the pushing

page_text: home operation. The enlarged portion of the steel rod has a lip u, and
this when the push home takes place bears against a spring trigger p
and is held while the turning of the lever handle takes place pre-
paratory to locking the block or closer, but at the same instant the block
is locked quite home by the lugs in their apertures, the head q of the block
depresses the trigger and releases the lip, whereupon the helical spring
within the closer is free to act upon the striker for firing the charge.
The next part of the Invention, viz., that relating to anchoring a
machine gun or field piece, is represented in Figures 10 and 11, in side
elevation and plan. A is the gun mounted upon a carriage or frame B
to the trail C, of which a curved spade like blade D is fitted rigidly, the
edge of which enters the ground sufficiently far to hold the carriage.
secure against recoil. The fore end of the carriage or the axle has also
in some cases a framing E, the front end of which has a spade-like
shoe F affixed for taking into the ground, as shown, to prevent the
carriage jumping at each fire of a shot as is usual with light field pieces,
and which necessitates a fresh sighting for each discharge. The framing
is of skeleton form and of such a shape that it can be turned backwards
over the gun to rest upon the trail while being moved from place to
place. The shoe upon its fore end is shown jointed, but it may be a
fixture like that shown upon the trail, and the biting edge may be in
one or in several pieces, or flat prong-like to hold the ground more
firmly, particularly in hard ground. The curvature of the blade or blades
is struck from the axle as a centre, this having been found in practice
to be the best for the purpose of retaining the carriage in position,
especially when the spade shoe is a fixture upon the trail.
In Figures 12 and 13 I have shown a jointed spade shoe upon the
trail, but the curve of this is slightly altered to the foregoing one on
account of the shoe arm G being pivotted to the trail at the end to enable
the ring to be used for limbering the carriage to the limber waggon; the
head of the shoe is holed for the reception of a pin or bolt H, which
passes through it and through the trail to secure it in position for
travelling.
The axle I of the gun carriage is curved, and its inner edge has teeth
upon it into which a pinion J gears for training the gun and carriage
radially. In Figures 10 and 11 the pinion is shown as upon a vertical
spindle carriage, a bevil wheel K in gear with a bevil pinion L upon a
horizontal shaft M, the shaft being turned by an endless screw N on

page_text: the axle of a hand wheel P; but in Figures 12 and 13 the intermediate
gearing is dispensed with, and the motion is direct from the endless
screw N to the worm wheel Q, the teeth upon the axle I being askew
to meet the teeth of the worm wheel and partake of the necessary move-
ment therefrom.
The last part of the Invention, which relates to the cartridge case, is
shown in Figures 14, 15, 16, and 17. Here the case is of sheet metal,
preferably of tin plate, with a base of wrought iron or other metal. The
bottom edge of the case cylinder R is swaged outwards and rests upon
an annular cavity of the base S, so that when the edge of the base is
burred over upon it in a press the cylindrical portion is firmly held
thereto, the whole being afterwards dipped into a bath of molten tin to
preserve the exterior from oxidation, and also for hermetically sealing the
scams. The base is of special form, with a recess at the back for
holding the percussion or fulminate cap within it, there being also a hole
or holes through the bulged-in portion through which the fire passes to
ignite the charge. The interior of the base portion is partially filled in
with a compressed paper cup or soft solder, and this prevents the gas
of the explosion entering between the cylinder and the base.
As a modification of the form of the cartridge base the annular recess
may be on the reverse face, as in Figure 17; in that case an annular
collar T is put over and burred down, so that one portions bears against
the base and the other against the swaged out edging of the cylinder;
the case or shell is then to be dipped into molten tin to seal the seams.
And having now described the nature of this Invention, consisting
of the several special parts referred to at the beginning of this Specifica-
tion, claim is made,-
Firstly. To each and every combination of two or more parts, sub-
stantially as described and shown in the Drawings for the purposes set
forth.
Secondly. To the construction of the breech parts of machine guns
for facilitating the ejection of the cartridge cases automatically there-
from, as described and shown.
Thirdly. To the means of closing the breech chambers of machine
guns and producing the instantaneous discharge therefrom in the act of
finally closing the breech by the release of the spring, as described.

page_text: Fourthly. To the special appliances upon the trails of machine gun
carriages, as described and shown.
Fifthly. To the modification thereof, as described and shown with
reference to Figures 12 and 13.
Sixthly. To the combination of a front holding frame or anchor with
the trail holding appliances on the frames of machine guns, as described
and shown.
Seventhly. To the method of and appliances for training machine and
field guns radially, as described and shown.
Eighthly. To the special formation of cartridge cases for machine and
other guns, and also the modification thereof, as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.