A CARTRIDGE FEEDER FOR MACHINE GUNS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Raphael Hunter Brandon, of No. 1, Rue Laſſitte, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Engineer and Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"A CARTRIDGE FEEDER FOR MACHINE GUNS." A communication from
abroad by the Gatling Gun Company, of Hartford, Connecticut, United States
of America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Raphael Hunter Brandon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1881.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON, of No. 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer and Patent Agent. "A CARTRIDGE FEEDER FOR MACHINE
GUNS." A communication from abroad by the Gatling Gun Company, of Hartford,
Connecticut, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the details of the construction of cartridge-feeding
devices for machine and other guns, the object being to provide an improved feeder
for said purpose adapted to receive cartridges rapidly and conveniently from an
ordinary paper packing box, thus obviating the necessity of providing a special
packing box for cartridges destined to be fed therefrom to said guns, and having
received the cartridges from said box in two lines, to automatically operate to
cause said cartridges to be delivered to and through the hopper of said gun in a
Bingle line formed alternately of one and then the other of said two lines of
cartridges, and furthermore to provide for said feeding devices improved cartridge
straightening, guiding, and feed-stopping mechanism.
In the Drawing forming part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the improved cartridge-feeder
applied to a machine gun, and showing the part of said gun to which the feeder is
applied.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the cartridge-conducting parts of the feeder
shewing that part thereof above the foot.
Figure 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the feeder filled with

page_text: Figure 4 illustrates the position in which a box of cartridges is held when
placing the latter in the feeder-conductor.
Figure 5 is a transverse section through the conductor between the cartridges
therein.
Figure 6 illustrates the part and the hopper d of the gun having some
of these improvements applied thereto independent of the cartridge-conducting
devices.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate an improved cartridge-box for use with the within
described feeders whereby the cover of the box is made to hold the cartridges in
place in the box until their heads shall have become engaged in the grooves of
the conductor, and while being so placed the cover is easily held against the heads
of the cartridges, its lower end resting upon the end of the conductor while the
box and the cartridges are carried downward away from the cover.
Figure 7 shews said box as it appears when filled with cartridges having a tag
of cloth 20 pasted to the inner side of the end of the cover. When the box is
taken in the hand for the purpose of putting its contents into the feeder, a quick
pull on the tag 20 in an outward and upward direction tears the end of the box-
cover quite off, leaving it as shown in Figure 8, and removing all obstruction to
operating the box and cartridges as just described.
Figure 9 illustrates the manner of filling the conductor a from said box as above
described. The said box having the cover arranged as described is particularly
useful when, as is often the case, the gun is considerably elovated when the
cartridges are being placed in said conductor.
Figure 10 illustrates a modified construction of the cartridge-conductor below
as the vibrating conductor a to adapt the latter to feed several stationary grooves
in the part as; the-latter-being provided-with-two-pairs-of-grooves-into which-the-
conductor a.may_alternately deliver_its_cartridges, and from whence the latter may
be fed in four lines to as many barrels suitably arranged beneath the part a to
receive them.
of 4
In the Drawing, h represents that part of the machine gun upon which the
hopper is located, and to which the cartridge feeder is secured; is the carrier-
wheel of the gun; c is the foot of the feeder; e² is an arm hanging down on the
end of the foot c; e is a screw passing through arm e³, and having a shoe i hung on
its end under arm e²; d is an upwardly projecting end to the hopper of the gun
on to which the foot of the feeder is secured by screw e and shoe c'; i, i, are a
vertical supports on the side of the foot c of the feeder; o is a roller-stop sliding
vertically between supports i, i; n is a longitudinally fluted cartridge straightening
roller, supported on proper bearings between supports i, i, on the side of the foot c,
and one side of which projects through the side of said foot and into the passage
therein, through which the cartridges pass on their way to the carrier-wheel
the gun; is the single grooved portion of the cartridge conductor, from which
rises vertically a flat post a¹; a recess is formed on the rear face of said parts b
and a', as in Figure 2, for the reception of the spring 2 and piston 3, the upper
end of said piston having a bearing on the underside of a stud 4 projecting from
the rear face of the cartridge conductor a and a collar just below the upper end of
said piston bears upon the upper end of spring 2; 6 is a screw passing through the
post a into the back of the cartridge conductor a and upon which the Intter
swings; 2, 2, are 2 switch plates having their upper edges inclined towards tho
single groove in the part 6 of the cartridge conductor and setting thereon on each
side of said groove; 7, 7, are slote in the lower ends of the sides of the cartridge 5
conductor af is the central partition between the two grooves in said conductor a;
8 is the cartridge box; v is a curved guide lip hanging on the lower end of the
cartridge feeder opposite to the side of roller n.
The single grooved part b of the feeder, together with the flat post a' and the
foot c, constitute a frame which, as well as the grooved conductor a and the other 5
parts named, are of a suitable metallic construction.

page_text: The part of the gun and the carrier wheel x thereof represont parts of the well
known Gatling gun.
The form and general construction of the feeder can well be understood by
reference to Figure 1 and 3, and its operation is as follows:-
-
The feeder is placed in the hopper of the gun and fastened thereon by turning
screw e, and forcibly clamping the end d of the hopper between the face of shoe c
and the end of the foot c, and in so doing the parts of the feeder are brought into
the relation to the parts of the gun hopper, which is illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.
The conductor a is now charged with cartridges, the operator taking the box 8 in
one hand, holding the other against the heads of the cartridges to retain them
in the box, and introducing the heads of the series of cartridges in the box into
the two grooves in the conductor a, as in Figure he draws the box down until
the heads of all the cartridges have entered said grooves, when he draws the box
away from them, leaving them as seen in Figuro 3, one column leading directly
down into the hopper of the gun, and the other resting upon the inclined edge of
one of plates Z by tho side of the lower single groove.
As before mentioned, said conductor a is especially adapted to take cartridges
from an ordinary paper packing box, provision for this having been made by
making the partition between the two grooves in the conductor a of a wedge
form in cross section, thus preventing the spreading effect of a thick partition
passing between the cartridges at some distance below their heads, which would bo
to crowd them apart laterally and break the cartridge box, and when it is
remembered that to feed the Gatling gun when being fired the operator must
place the contents of each cartridge box in the conductor with the utmost rapidity,
the great utility of the described form of partition f will be appreciated.
As the cartridges feed down to the hopper of the gun, those in the groove
of conductor a, which is in a lino with the groove in the part b below, as in
Figuro 3, feed down first, and those in the adjoining groove remain stationary; but
as soon as the last cartridge in said down moving row has passed from the groove
in the conductor a into the single groove in the part b, the weight of the adjoining
column of cartridges, upon the inclined edge of whichever of the switch plates Z, Z,
it may rest upon, causes the lower end of the conductor a to swing away from said
switch plate, and carry the end of the groove in which said stationary row of
cartridge is over the end of the single groove in the part b, and so leave said
cartridges free to follow the first named column into the hopper of the gun. Thus
it will be seen that during the down feeding of the cartridges in conductor a,
cartridges being in both grooves, whenever the groove therein which is in a line
with the single groove below becomes empty, the lower end of said conductor
will swing and bring the adjoining groove into line with the upper end of said
single groove.
When the lower end of said conductor a swings from one side to the other, as
above described, the spring 2 (Figure 2) is slightly compressed as said conductor
swings past the centre, and then springing back against tho shoulder in piston 3,
throws the lower end of said conductor quickly to the side towards which it was
started by the weight of one of the columns of cartridge against the edge of plate Z,
as aforesaid.
When the cartridges have been placed in the grooves in the conductor a, their
outer ends, owing to the weight of the ball, hang down, as in Figure 5, and they
maintain that position on reaching the foot c of the feeder, but after they arrive
at that point it is desirable that they should assume such a position as will cause
them to strike squarely against the carrier 2 of the gun when they reach it, and
not fall ball first against it.
To so control the movement of the cartridges to straighten them and change the
position of those at the lower end of the column, so that those numbered 10 and 11
in Figure 3 shall take the position of that one numbered 12 before it reaches said
carrier z, the fluted straightening roller n is hung in the side of the foot e so as to

page_text: revolve partly in the cartridge passage there through, and is supported between
supports i, i, as above described.
Said cartridges on reaching roller n lay on one of the flutes thereon, and their
weight revolves said roller, and the cartridges from thence drop against the sido
of lip v, and are made to fall in proper position on to the carrier a of the gun, as
shown in Figure 3.
The sliding roller stop o is fitted to be moved up and down between the
supports i, i, and is held frictionally in place cither up or down by any convenient
dovico.
When it becomes desirable from any cause to stop the cartridges from feeding
down through the foot c to the carrier, said roller stop o is moved down against
the rollern, thereby preventing it from revolving and stopping the cartridges from
passing by it.
The advantages pertaining to the employment of the straightening roller n and
the curved lip v in the hopper of a machine gun may be enjoyed by so constructing
said hopper that said roller will operate in the side thereof as it does in the side of
the foot c of the feeder, and the curved lip v be extended down towards tho
carrier from one side of the hopper and be made a part thereof. Thus any
ordinary cartridge feeder may be secured to the gun to deliver cartridges to a
hopper provided with said roller and curved lip, as herein shown.
What I claim as my Invention is,―
1. In a cartridge feeder for guns the combination with the single grooved
cartridge conductor 6 of the vibrating double grooved cartridge conductor a
pivoted to an upright support on said single-grooved conductor and the switch
plates.,.,.substantially_as_set_forth...
2. The cartridge conductor a provided with two parallel flanged grooves, the
partition between said grooves being wedge-shaped-on-its front part, substantially-
as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In combination with the single grooved cartridge conductor band with the
foot c, the fluted straightening roller n hung to revolve in the side of said foot c,
substantially as set forth.
4. The cartridge conductor b and the fluted straightening roller arranged at the
side of said conductor and projecting into the foot c, the curved lip v at the bottom
of the conductor in combination with the carrier wheel x. The fluted roller, tho
lip, and carriage wheel, arranged relatively to each other, substantially as shown, so
as to hold the cartridge in proper position between them until it is curried forward
into the gun.
5. In combination the single grooved conductor b, the vibrating double grooved
conductor a, spring 2, and piston 3, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The within described improved cartridge box having the tag 20 secured to one
end of the cover thereof, and adapted to be applied to the end of the conductor a,
and to deliver the cartridges therein without lifting said cover from the box,
substantially as set forth,
Witness,
D. H. BRANDON,
1, Rue Laffito,
Paris.
R. H. BRANDON. (L.S.)