Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 28th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th July, 1887.
I, ALBERT GYBBON-SPILSBURY of Shootfield near Sevenoaks in the County of Kent,
Major in the Militia, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to a construction of multiple-barrel machine guns in such a
manner that, within certain limits, the barrels can be caused to diverge uniformly to
an extent dependent on the range, so that at the place where the projectiles strike,
there may be intervals of determined extent between them. Although, with barrels
arranged to operate as described, apparatus of known kinds for charging, discharging
and extracting may be used, I prefer to employ apparatus forming part of my present
invention, specially contrived to suit the diverging adjustment of the barrels. I employ
an odd number of barrels mounted side by side on a wheeled frame. The middle
barrel is fixed rigidly to the frame and by this barrel the weapon is sighted and
aimed; the other barrels are jointed at the breech each capable of being turned a
little on this joint so as to diverge more or less from the middle barrel, all being
guided in their movement between two stationary horizontal bars. Each adjacent
pair of barrels is connected by a toggle joint and these toggle joints are connected
together by a moveable framing to the sighting apparatus, so that, according as the
range for which the weapon is sighted is greater or less, the barrels are made to
diverge less or more. Behind all the barrels there is a breech slide provided with a
pair of extracting claws for each barrel. This slide, after each discharge, is moved
back extracting the spent cartridge cases and allowing them to drop, and then when a
set of fresh cartridges are supplied in front of it, it is made to advance pushing the
cartridges into the respective barrels. Behind the breech slide, in line with the breech
of each barrel, is a striker tube or. tubular arm pivotted on an axis in line with the
bore of the barrels, this arm containing a spring striker and sear. These striker tubes,
after their strikers are withdrawn and engaged by their sears are all turned down on
their common axis to allow of the breech slide moving back, and after it has again
moved forward they are all raised to be in line with the respective barrels, and then,
the sears being withdrawn, either simultaneously or successively, the strikers advance
and fire the charges. Above the space behind the breeches, is situated the magazine

page_text: containing a number of cartridges in each of its compartments of which there is one
for each barrel. Under the magazine there is a transverse slide having apertures
corresponding to the compartments; when this slide is moved so as to bring its
apertures into coincidence with the compartments, the lowest cartridge in each drops
partly through the aperture and rests for a time on two hinged supports below, one at
cach end of the cartridge; two spring arms connected to the striker tube then grasp
it one on each side of it, and the hinged supports being canted out of the way, these
arms lower the cartridge, and finally after the breech slide has retreated and dropped
the spent cartridge cases, they place the cartridge in line with the barrel ready to be
advanced by the breech slide, during which movement they let the cartridge go. All
the movements are communicated from a horizontal rocking shaft mounted at the rear
of the frame, this shaft being worked by a vertical lever..
Date : 01 1
1000

page_text: I, ALBERT GYBBON-SPILSBURY of Shootfield near Sevenoaks in the County of Kent,
Major in the Militia, 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 a construction of multiple-barrel machine gun in such a
manner that, within certain limits the barrels can be caused to diverge uniformly to an
extent dependent on the range, so that at the place where the projectiles strike there
may be intervals of determined extent between them. Although with barrels arranged
to operate as described, apparatus of known kinds for charging, discharging and
extracting may be used, I prefer to employ apparatus forming part of my present
invention, specially contrived to suit the diverging adjustment of the barrels. I employ
an odd number of barrels mounted side by side on a wheeled frame.
The middle barrel is fixed rigidly to the frame and by this barrel the weapon is
sighted and aimed; the other barrels are jointed at the breech each capable of being
turned a little on this joint so as to diverge more or less from the middle barrel all
being guided in their movement between two stationary horizontal bars. Each
adjacent pair of barrels is connected by a toggle joint and these toggle joints are
connected together by a moveable framing to the sighting apparatus so that, according
as the range for which the weapon is sighted is greater or less, the barrels are made to
diverge less or more. Behind all the barrels there is a breech slide provided with a
pair of extracting claws for each barrel. This slide, after each discharge, is moved
back extracting the spent cartridge cases and allowing them to drop and then when a
set of fresh cartridges are supplied in front of it, it is made to advance, pushing the
cartridges into the respective barrels. Behind the breech slide in line with the breech
of each barrel is a striker tube or tubular arm pivotted on an axis in line with the
bore of the barrels, this arm containing a spring striker and sear. These striker tubes,
after their strikers are withdrawn and engaged by their sears are all turned down on
their common axis to allow of the breech slide moving back and after it has again
moved forward they are all raised to be in line with the respective barrels and then,
the sears being withdrawn, either simultaneously or successively the strikers advance
and fire the charges. Above the space behind the breeches is situated the magazine
containing a number of cartridges in each of its compartments of which there is one
for each barrel. Under the magazine there is a transverse slide having apertures
corresponding to the compartments; when this slide is moved so as to bring its
apertures into coincidence with the compartments, the lowest cartridge in each drops
partly through the aperture and rests for a time on two hinged supports below one at
each end of the cartridge, two spring arms connected to the striker tube then grasp
it, one on each side of it, and the hinged supports being canted out of the way, these
arms lower the cartridge and finally after the breech slide has retreated and dropped

page_text: the spent cartridge cases they place the cartridge in line with the barrel ready to be
advanced by the breech slide during which movement they let the cartridge go.
All the movements are communicated from a horizontal rocking shaft mounted at the
rear of the frame, this shaft being worked by a vertical lever.
Having thus generally described the nature of my invention I will explain the
construction and action of the machine gun, referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the bar to which the breech blocks are swivelled.
Fig. 3 is a detail of the device which conveys the cartridge from the hopper to
the breech.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the breech block and firing mechanism.
Fig. 5 is a vertical central section of the loading and firing mechanism of one
barrel.
Fig. 6 is a similar view, shewing the parts ready for firing.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the breech block, on the line YY, Fig. 2 showing the
extractors.--
Fig. 8 is a view of the underside of the gun, showing the mechanism for diverging
the barrels.
Fig. 9 is an end view of the gun, at the back.
Fig. 10 is a plan of the gun, partly broken away to shew the position of the sighting
and diverging mechanism.
Fig. 11 is a detail view of the range and sighting device.
A is the frame, mounted on trunnions in the wheeled trail C, and supporting a
number of barrels B, (in this case, nine) which barrels are held by the ball joints at
their breeches between two bars a and i which form a part of the frame A (Figs. 5
and 6) these ball joints allowing the barrels to be diverged from the axial line of the
gun as indicated in dotted lines, figure 8.
The middle barrel B' is not hinged to the frame A, but is rigidly secured thereto.
D (Fig. 8) is a triangular frame, which is jointed to each of the barrels by links d.
This frame is moved to and fro by a screw E, bevel pinions e, f, and crank shaft F.
The muzzles of the barrels are forced outward or inward according as the frame D is
advanced or retracted.
To suit the divergence to the range a pinion 1 (Figs. 10 and 11) on the shaft F
gears with a rack bar d' attached to a sight and range gauge E' sliding in a receiver
or holder D¹ secured to the frame A nearly over the central barrel B'. The receiver D¹
has a slot in its side for the up and down traverse of the rack bar d¹, and the E¹
gauge
has a number of range marks, which when brought in line with the points e on the
holder D indicate that the proper amount of divergence of the barrels for a particular
range is obtained, the pinions f¹, e, f and pitch of the screw E being so proportioned
that the frame D will receive a movement proportionate to that of the sight and range
gauge El.
Each barrel is provided with a separate breech action of the following description.
G the breech block is pivotted by a shank g to a bar H, which bar is reciprocated
in a groove o in the frame A by mechanism which will be hereinafter described. The
breech block G, when closed rests in a recess b¹ in the breech of the barrel B. By
means of the swivelled connection of the breech block G to the bar H, the block
follows the movement of the barrel B. in its socket, and thus the other parts of.
the breech action do not require to move to correspond with the movement of the
barrels.
In line with the axis of the barrel B is a pivot P on which is swung the falling
block J. The end of the falling block next to the breech block G is curved, the block
being cut out so as to correspond thereto; by this construction the breech block is
firmly wedged in its position. Within the block J, and held therein by the nut or
collar z is the striker K, having on it the conical firing pin k which passes through a
conical hole g¹ in the breech block G.
The hole is sufficiently coned to allow the fullest play of the breech block G ;-
and as the percussion cap coincides with the centre on which the barrel hinges, it is

page_text: always reached by the pin k. The striker K is forced forward by a spring p, and
when retracted it is held by a sear N, forced into engagement with a notch in the
striker K by the sear spring n (Figs. 5 and 6).
L is a tumbler, pivoted at to the block J, and engaging at one end a slot k¹
(Fig. 5) in the striker K. Q is an operating lever, secured to a rock shaft 9 and
pivoted to this lever is a link M, having a slot m which is engaged by the stud m² on
the block J. Q' is a projection on the lever Q for forcing the sear N downwards and
releasing the striker K. The bar H is reciprocated by the rock arms W secured to
the shaft (Figs. 1 and 9) and the slotted lever V secured to the end of the bar H.
R. R (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) are the loading arms which are pivotted to the pivot P.
These arms are of spring metal, and grasp the cartridge and convey it to the breech
in the manner hereinafter described.
9
S is a bell crank arm or flap, which supports the cartridge until the loading arms R, R
are ready to receive it. One end of the lever S engages, by a pin, a slots (Fig. 5)
in the levers R, R.
T is a similar support, which is held by a spring coiled around the stud or pivot t¹
with sufficient tension to sustain the other end of the cartridge but to yield when the
arms R, R grasp the cartridge to convey it to the breech. X, X (Figs. 5 and 7) are
extractors, pivotted to the side of the breech block G, which, when the breech withdraws
after firing extract the empty shell.
Immediately over each falling block J is a hopper U in which the cartridges are
placed. The bottom of this hopper is closed by a slide u which is provided with
apertures corresponding to the shape of the cartridge. When the hopper is simply
a box extending over all the breech actions, it is divided by inverted V shaped
partitions into separate channels.
The operation of the breech action is as follows :
5.
The bottom of the hopper being opened by the slide u, one cartridge descends and
rests at one end on the ledge or shoulder on the block J, and the other end is
supported by the rock arm or flap T.
Assuming that the cartridge is already in the barrel, as shown in Fig. 6, the lever Q
is forced forward until the projection Q comes in contact with the sear N, forcing the
sear downwards and releasing the striker K, thereby discharging the cartridge. The
handle is then drawn backwards, and the shoulder on the link M cants the
tumbler L, so that it engages the slot k³, retracting the striker until it is locked by
the sear N. The backward motion of the handle being continued, the end of the
slotted portion of the link M engages the pin m³ and draws the block J downward,
as shown in Fig. 5. At the same time the breech block G is drawn back by the bar H
and links W and V. The slot v (Figure 1) in the link V is to allow sufficient time
for the cocking and firing mechanism to operate and the block J to be drawn out of
the way of the breech block.
As the breech block G is withdrawn, the extractors seize the empty shell and withdraw
it from the breech. The loading arms R R with a cartridge in their grasp, are drawn
downwards until the cartridge is opposite the breech and may be pushed into the
barrel on the forward movement of the breech block.
During the downward motion of the arms R R, the lever or flap S is moved upwards
by the slots (Figure 5) so that it will support the next cartridge until the loading
arms are in a position to grasp it.
The lever Qis now moved forward, which forces the cartridge into the barrel,
closes the breech block, and returns the block J to the position shown in Figure 6.
During the forward movement of the breech block the arms R R are sprung apart by
the said block, so that their ends rr (Figure 3) engage the guides ¹, which hold
the arms apart for a time so that the next cartridge will fall in their grasp.
This cycle of operations is repeated once for every to and fro movement of the
lever Q. The rock shaft q is connected to each breech action by a similar device Y to
that described.
This machine gun being destined primarily as an appendage to infantry troops is
preferably arranged for using the same cartridge as the infantry to which it is attached.

page_text: Although the gun occupies the same front as two men, it gives fire equivalent to that
of nine men; and two men suffice to move and serve it. It will be seen that the
firing pin cannot reach the cap of the cartridge, until the whole of the breech action
is securely locked, so that there is no liability to jamming by premature explosion.
The gun is capable of firing about five hundred and forty shots per minute.
Having now particularly described 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 a machine gun, a series of barrels hinged to the supporting frame by ball
joints at their breeches in combination with mechanism for diverging them suitably
to various ranges substantially as described.
2-In a breech action for a machine gun the combination of a barrel, the breech
block G, the falling block J, the loading arms R, the striker K, with its spring and
sear, the flap or arm S the slide u, the guides, the lever Q, and connections sub-
stantially as described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.