Improvements in Magazine Rifles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Improvements in Magazine Rifles.
A communication from OSCAR ADALBERT LANGE, of Muchlberg on the Elbe,
in the Empire of Germany, Mechanic.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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:-
The present invention relates to a magazine rifle which may however be also used
as a single-loader. It specially consists of an arrangement in which by means of
two operations the case of the fired cartridge is ejected and at the same time a fresh
cartridge is introduced into the barrel.
For this purpose two apertures-an upper and a lower-are arranged in the
breech-case. Through the upper opening upon which the magazine is placed, the
new cartridge enters on drawing back the breech closing block or breech-bolt while
at the same time the cartridge case drops out through the lower aperture. The
cartridges thus to a certain extent pass through the breech case and the number of
operations is limited to the smallest imaginable number.
The invention further consists in a special kind of breech closing mechanism
called by the inventor "straight pull breech mechanism."
The closing may
however be also effected after the fashion of the Mauser rifle by sliding forward
and turning the breech closing block through the agency of the so-called breech-
bolt boss (a handle provided with a head). Other novelties and peculiarities are a
slide by which only one cartridge at a time is made to pass from the magazine into
the breech-case and thus into the barrel-the construction of the trigger-and also
the arrangement in the place of, and sub-serving the same purpose as the magazine,
of a reserve tube or reservoir for the storage and transmission of a larger number
of cartridges.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the new gun with the breech closing
block B drawn back and the firing pin & cocked. The fired cartridge X drops out
and a new cartridge X' has entered the breech case A.
Figure 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section in which the position of the parts
corresponds to that in Figure 1.
In the vertical longitudinal section, Figure 3, the breech closing block B has
been pushed forward so that the gun is ready for firing off.
Figure 4 represents a horizontal longitudinal section through the gun in the
same condition.
Figure 5 is a transverse section in a line I-II of Fig. 1.
Figure 6 is a view of the magazine as it is fixed on the gun, and
Figure 7 shows the application of the cartridge tube or reservoir.
A is the breech-case. B the breech closing block. b firing pin. C the barrel.
e the barrel case, D the shaft or butt, and E the hair trigger. In the breech case
the breech-closing block B is movable in the axis of the bore of the barrel C, and
secured against turning by the catches of the head of the breech-closing block,
in which in its turn under the pressure of a spring, the firing pin b is movable.
Behind this latter extends the finger piece or hook by means of which the breech
closing block is handled i.e. either drawn back or pushed forward. On drawing
back there first takes place a relative movement of the firing pin against the breech
closing bluck whereby the spring is cocked, after which only the breech closing
block itself moves backwards.
Simultaneously with. this relative movement between 62 and B the trigger

page_text: spring snaps into the shoulder ƒ¹ and the tumbler 2 takes up the position
indicated in Figure 1.
The rifle is accordingly a self-cocking one. On pushing forward the breech
block B by means of the hook 62 the firing pin is maintained in the cocked
position by the spring sear until it is released in the manner hereinafter described.
The closing of B after being pushed forward follows automatically by means of
the pins g which project inwards in a radial direction through apertures in the
breech case A and behind the catches of the breech-block. The pins g are
pivotted to levers g¹ g², and the levers g' to the pins 93; when the projecting ends
of the levers g¹ are moved so as to overcome the pressure of the springs 9', they
are pressed against the barrel. In doing so they carry along with them by means
of pins g the levers 92 which are pivotted at g so that all four pins g are drawn
out simultaneously. On pushing forward the breech-closing block the pins g snap
into their places, automatically being lifted by the obliquely cut front ends of the
catches b
In drawing out, the barrel is grasped with the left hand at the point where the
levers glare placed and these are pressed against the barrel after which the breech
block is drawn out by means of the hook 6².
The catch (Figs. 2 and 4) situated on the spring lever prevents any
unintentional complete withdrawal of the breech block, if the latter is required
to be completely withdrawn, catch is released by depressing the lever /'.
In place of the closing arrangements described above, as already mentioned, an
arrangement like that in the Mauser rifle or in other systems in which the breech
block is not only movable, but can also be fixed by means of its handle, may be
adopted.
The "
straight-pull breech mechanism
inasmuch as it can be handled more
arrangement.
"
above described is however preferable
simply and quickly than the Mauser
To the hair-trigger E which can be drawn back against the pressure of the
spring e is jointed a bar e¹ sliding on the spring e². This bar as is shown in
Figures 1 and 3 has a slot ea at its front end. This end projects so far as to come
within reach of the tumbler f, when the breech block is pushed forward, a
projection on the tumbler engages as shown in Figure 3, in the slit e³ of the bar e¹.
If now, pressure is applied to the hair-trigger E the bar e¹ is drawn downwards,
the tumbler f is turned and the spring searf is removed from the shoulder f¹ of
the firing pin so that this is propelled and explodes the cartridge; when the
breech-block returns to its former position the tumbler again leaves the slit e³.
The trigger can be made "safe or "locked" by means of a pivotted detent or
slide e¹. In Figure 3 the detent is shown as pushed back and the trigger E free,
while in Figure 1 the trigger is secured by the detent.
"
I now pass on to the description of the most essential part of the invention riz.
the arrangement for changing the cartridges (Figs. 5 & 6).
As is specially rendered evident in the transverse section. (Fig. 5), there are in
the breech case the two radial apertures or slits i and k, of which the first is at
the upper, and the second at the lower side of the breech case. The upper slit
corresponds in shape and size to the dimensions of the cartridges employed, the
lower on the other hand has only the dimensions of the spent cartridge so that a
loaded cartridge cannot fall through it. The slit i is for practical purposes placed
not exactly on the crown of the breech-case but somewhat to one side in order
that the magazine may not interfere with the sighting of the gun. The loaded
cartridges enter the breech case through the slit i and the spent cartridges leave
the gun by k.
Slit i is fitted with a plate having a perforation of corresponding shape, on
which plate the magazine slides in the direction of the length of the barrel on
preferably dovetail guides. The studs Fig. 6 in plate and a slide m² on the
imagazine which fits into a corresponding cavity in the plate secure the magazine
in its proper position. In the magazine the cartridges X' Fig. 5 lie piled on top

page_text: of each other. In order that only one cartridge at a time should pass from the
magazine into the breech case and that this may take place at the proper time,
there is arranged at the lower part of the magazine a slide n which can turn upon
the pin and is always pressed inwards by a spring n². In Figs. 5 and 6 this
slide is in its inner or closing position. It is connected with the forked arm n³
with which engages on pushing forward the breech block, the stud o which is
rigidly connected with the latter. When this takes place the slide n is drawn out
of the magazine and the lowermost cartridge is set free.
The position of the stud o on the breech block is such that the slide n is
opened only, when the breech block has advanced so far as to close the aperture i,
so that the lowermost cartridge may fall upon the breech block in order at the
next retrograde movement of the latter to drop into the breech and to be pushed
forward into the barrel at the next forward movement of the breech block, mean-
while however a second cartridge has been allowed to pass the slide n. Hence
every time the breech-closing-block is brought forward a cartridge X', dropping
in through i, is pushed forward into the barrel and a second cartridge drops
upon the breech-block. On withdrawing the latter the extractor p Figs. 2 & 4
draws back the empty cartridge case, which falls through k out of the breech
case A.
The empty magazine can easily be detached and replaced by a full one, also,
single frames filled with cartridges can be introduced from above into the magazine
which has been set up once for all, and pulled out after it has been emptied. If
a large number of shots are to be fired in quick succession it will be of advantage
to make use of a cartridge tube or reservoir q such as shown in Figure 7. The
inner dimensions of this are adapted to the dimensions of the cartridges, and it is
attached by its lower end to the magazine or plate 7 in which last case it must be
provided with a frame corresponding to the foot or base of the magazine. The
upper end of the tube is fastened on the shoulder to a button or the like. The
cartridges slide down this tube by their own weight and are used singly in
the same manner as before described.
In the rifle before described, various alterations in construction, may be adopted
without deviating from the essential features of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A quick firing rifle in which by drawing back the breech block (B) two
apertures in the breech case A such as an upper one i and a lower one k are
exposed so that the case of the spent cartridge drops out through the lower
aperture and a new cartridge simultaneously enters through the upper aperture
and on moving forward the breech block is pushed into the barrel substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a fire-arm such as described the employment of a straight pull breech
closing mechanism comprising a non-rotating block such as the closing being
effected by catches such as g which are moved by the levers such as g¹g under
pressure of the springs g into the breech case A so as to engage behind lugs
on the breech block B substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a fire-arm such as described the employment of a bar such as e¹ provided
with a slot e in conjunction with the trigger E which on the forward or closing
movement of breech block by means of its slot operates the tumbler f³ in order
when the trigger is pulled back to effect the release of the firing pin substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a fire-arm such as described the employment in the magazine m of a
spring-controlled slide such as n moved by the breech block by means of a stud o
so that on the breech closing block being pushed forward the lowermost cartridge

page_text: in the magazine is set free while the others are prevented from dropping out
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a fire-arm such as described the employment of a tube or canal such as q
connected to the fire-arm either at the place occupied by the magazine or to the
upper opening i or to the magazine itself substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete magazine
fire-arm substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of August 1893.
5
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.