Improvements in Cartridge Magazines for Breech Loading Firearms and in Mechanism in Connection therewith.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 25th July. 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 31st Aug., 1838
RESERVE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cartridge Magazines for Breech Loading Firearms
and in Mechanism in Connection therewith.
I, CHARLES GREVILLE HARSTON of No. 219 Beverley Street Toronto, Ontario,
Canada and United Service Institution, Whitehall, Captain Royal Grenadiers of
Canada do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to cartridge magazines for that description of breech loading
fire arms in which the breech is closed by a pivotted falling block, such as that of the
Martini rifle or of the improved construction hereof described in the Specification to
my Patent No. 3304 of 1886, the object being to effect automatically the delivery of
a cartridge from the magazine on to the breech block when this is in the lowered
position, and by preference I combine with this arrangement the system of automatic
carriers described in my application for Letters Patent (being a communication to
E. Palliser) dated 24th February 1887 No. 2886, whereby the cartridge delivered
on to the block is pushed into the cartridge chamber before the block rises, the
delivery of the cartridge from the magazine as also the carrying thereof into the
chamber being effected by the opening and closing movements of the ordinary
lever.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement I construct a magazine to be
permanently or temporarily attached to the side of the breech shoe, similar in general
form to magazines now in use, in which a suitable number of cartridges are arranged
one above the other and are acted upon by a spring in the lower closed end of the
magazine so as to be pushed up towards an opening at the upper end, through which
the cartridges are delivered on to the breech block. The upper end of the magazine
is curved over towards the breech block and has an opening in the side facing the
latter, so that the cartridges, in being pushed up, are guided by the curved top towards
the opening. This opening is closed by a flap or door, pivotted to its upper edge, so
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page_text: that the door, on opening, projects at an angle over the shoe, and thus directs the
issuing cartridge downwards on to the breech-block. At one or both ends of the door
is a flange which, when the door is open, closes the ends of the angular space between
it and the opening, so that the cartridge in issuing cannot shift longitudinally, and
is guided correctly into position. When the door is closed, this flange fits over the
end face of the magazine and it carries a pin which projects through a slot in the
said end face into the magazine, lying close against the curved side thereof so as not
to obstruct the passage of the top cartridge, which is lying close against the inner
face of the door. When this is opened, the pin is moved forward towards the opening
by the flange, behind the top cartridge, and thus assists in ejecting this from the
magazine; at the same time, when the door is open and the cartridge has passed out,
the pin is in such a position as to obstruct the passage in the magazine and thus
prevent the next cartridge from rising beyond it. When the door closes again, the
pin recedes and allows the next cartridge to rise into the position formerly occupied
by the ejected one.
The lower end of the door has an arm (or it may be an extension of the said flange)
to which is pivotted one end of a lever that passes down against the end face of the
magazine to which it is pivotted at a point near the lower end, and an arm thereof
extending down beyond the pivot is connected to a sliding piece carried by the
magazine, and having an incline which projects in the path of the lever that works
the breech block. Thus on moving this lever downwards for lowering the breech
block, it is caused, towards the end of its motion, to act upon the slide so as to cause
this to move the lever and thus push open the door of the magazine against the action
of a suitable spring, whereupon a cartridge will be delivered on to the breech block,
the cartridge being then pushed into the chamber either by hand or by the arrange-
ment of automatic carriers described in my said application No. 2886 of 1887. On
raising the lever of the gun up again, it releases the slide, whereupon the door of the
magazine is closed by its spring.
The magazine, if made detachable from the gun, is secured in position either by
being slid in vertical grooves on the side of the shoe, or by fitting with studs in
slotted holes in the side of the shoe, in which they are secured by sliding bars; or
the magazine may be secured in any other suitable manner.
The above described arrangement of automatic feed may also be employed in com-
bination with a cartridge magazine that extends above the shoe instead of below it,
the door being in that case arranged at the lower end, and the cartridges being made
to descend by gravity instead of by a spring. The said construction of magazine is
applicable in combination with any construction of breech block that is opened by a
falling lever.
According to another arrangement I form the magazine as a cylindrical chamber
in the fore-end of the gun, in a similar manner to fore-end magazines now used, the
cartridges being contained therein end-to-end, and urged towards the breech end by a
spring at the front end.
The opening of the magazine is so situated that when the block is in the lowest
position the cartridges can pass from the magazine on to it. In front of this opening
are two hinged spring flaps or doors that project sufficiently with a curved edge over
the opening to retain the cartridges in the magazine, and at the bottom of the shoe
is provided an elbow lever, constituting a magazine-extractor, one arm of which enters
the bottom of the magazine so as to be situated just behind the rim of the front
cartridge, while the other arm is held in a raised position by a spring, from which
position it is pressed downwards by the breech block when this arrives in its lowest
position. The other arm being thereby jerked forward, causes the front cartridge to
be drawn out of the magazine through the spring doors, so as to be placed on the
hollow of the block, the doors being closed by their spring again as soon as the
cartridge, or the head of the cartridge, has passed out, and thus retaining the next
cartridge. With this arrangement I employ in place of the ordinary extractor for
ejecting the case of the fired cartridge, an extractor consisting of two sliding bars
fitting in grooves in the sides of the shoe, the one end of such bars having a projection

page_text: fitting behind the rim of the cartridge in the cartridge chamber, while the other ends
have beaks against which bear small projecting fingers on each side of the short arm
of the gun lever, when the lever is moved so as to lower the breech block; the lever
is thus made to draw the sliding bars backwards so as to extract the cartridge case
by the projections on their other ends.
On the introduction of a fresh cartridge, its rim pushes the ends of the extractor-
bars back into their original position. The rear ends of these bars are arranged to
spring inwards to a sufficient extent in their grooves to allow the finger of the lever
to pass their beaks when moving the breech block into the raised position again.
Dated this 27th day of October 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Cartridge Magazines for Breech Loading Firearms
and in Mechanism in Connection therewith.
I, CHARLES GREVILLE HARSTON, of No. 219 Beverley Street, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, and United Service Institution, Whitelall, Captain Royal Grenadiers of
Canada, 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 cartridge magazines for that description of breech loading
fire arms in which the breech is closed by a pivotted falling block, such as that of the
Martini rifle or of the improved construction hereof described in the Specification to
iny Patent No. 3304 of 1886, the object being to effect automatically the delivery of
a cartridge from the magazine on to the breech block when this is in the lowered
position, and by preference I combine with this arrangement the system of automatic
carriers described in my application for Letters Patent (being a communication to
E. Palliser) dated 24th February 1887 No. 2886, whereby the cartridge delivered on
to the block is pushed into the cartridge chamber before the block rises, the delivery
of the cartridge from the magazine as also the carrying thereof into the chamber being
effected by the opening and closing movements of the ordinary lever.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement I construct a magazine to be
permanently or temporarily attached to the side of the breech shoe, similar in general
form to magazines now in use, in which a suitable number of cartridges are arranged
one above the other and are acted upon by a spring in the lower closed end of the
magazine so as to be pushed up towards an opening at the upper end, through which
the cartridges are delivered on to the breech block. The upper end of the magazine
is curved over towards the breech block and has an opening in the side facing the
latter, so that the cartridges, in being pushed up, are guided by the curved top towards
the opening. This opening is closed by a flap or door, pivotted to its upper edge, so that
the door on opening, projects at an angle over the shoe, and thus directs the issuing
cartridge downwards on to the breech-block. At one or both ends of the door is a
flange which, when the door is open, closes the ends of the angular space between it
and the opening, so that the cartridge in issuing cannot shift longitudinally, and is
guided correctly into position. When the door is closed, this flange fits over the
end face of the magazine and it carries a pin which projects through a slot in the
said end face into the magazine, lying close against the curved side thereof so as not
to obstruct the passage of the top cartridge, which is lying close against the inner
face of the door. When this is opened, the pin is moved forward towards the opening
by the flange behind the top cartridge, and thus assists in ejecting this from the
magazine at the same time, when the door is open and the cartridge has passed out,
the pin is in such a position as to obstruct the passage in the magazine and thus
prevent the next cartridge from rising beyond it. When the door closes again, the
pin recedes and allows the next cartridge to rise into the position formerly occupied
by the ejected one.
The lower end of the door has an arm (or it may be an extention of the said

page_text: flange) to which is pivotted one end of a lever that passes down against the end face
of the magazine to which it is pivotted at a point near the lower end, and an arm
thereof extending down beyond the pivot is connected to a sliding piece carried
by the magazine, and having an incline which projects in the path of the lever
that works the breech block. Thus on moving this lever downwards for lowering
the breech block, it is caused, towards the end of its motion to act upon the slide
so as to cause this to move the lever and thus push open the door of the magazine
against the action of a suitable spring, whereupon a cartridge will be delivered on
to the breech block, the cartridge being then pushed into the chamber either by hand
or by the arrangement of automatic carriers described in my said application
No. 2886 of 1887. On raising the lever of the gun up again, it releases the
slide, whereupon the door of the magazine is closed by its spring.
The magazine, if made detachable from the gun, is secured in position either by
being slid in vertical grooves on the side of the shoe, or by fitting with studs in
slotted holes in the side of the shoe, in which they are secured by sliding bars, or
the magazine may be secured in any other suitable manner.
The above described arrangement of
is automatic feed may also be
employed in combination with a cartridge magazine that extends above the shoe
instead of below it, the door being in that case arranged at the lower end, and the
cartridges being made to descend by gravity instead of by a spring. The said
construction of magazine is applicable in combination with any construction of breech
block that is opened by a falling lever.
According to another arrangement I form the magazine as a cylindrical chamber
in the fore end of the gun, in a similar manner to fore-end magazines now used,
the cartridges being contained therein end to end, and urged towards the breechi
end by a spring at the front end.
The opening of the magazine is so situated that when the block is in the lowest
position the cartridges can pass from the magazine on to it.
In front of this opening
are two hinged spring flaps or doors that project sufficiently with a curved edge over
the opening to retain the cartridges in the magazine, and at the bottom of the shoe is
provided an elbow lever, constituting a magazine extractor, one arm of which enters
the bottom of the magazine so as to be situated just behind the rim of the front
cartridge, while the other arm is held in a raised position by a spring from which
position it is pressed downwards by the breech block when this arrives in its lowest
position. The other arm being thereby pushed forward, causes the front cartridge
to be drawn out of the magazine through the spring doors, so as to be placed on the
hollow of the block, the doors being closed by their spring again as soon as the
cartridge, or the head of the cartridge has passed out, and thus withdrawing the next
cartridge. With this arrangement. I employ in place of the ordinary extractor for
ejecting the case of the fired cartridge, an extractor consisting of two sliding bars
fitting in grooves in the sides of the shoe, the one end of such bars having a pro-
jection fitting behind the rim of the cartridge in the cartridge chamber, while the
other ends have beaks against which bear small projecting fingers on each side of the
short arm of the gun lever, when the lever is moved so as to lower the breech block;
the lever is thus inade to draw the sliding bars backwards so as to extract the cartridge
cases by the projections on their other ends.
;
On the introduction of a fresh cartridge, its rim pushes the ends of the extractor
bars back into their original position. The rear ends of these bars are arranged to
spring inwards to a sufficient extent in their grooves to allow the finger of the lever
to pass their heaks when moving the breech block into the raised position again.

page_text: A is a rectangular cartridge magazine, which may be temporarily secured to the
shoe of the gun in any convenient manner, such as by a tongue C projecting on one
side thereof which slides behind a plate B on the gun, and a second tongue Con
the other side of the magazine, which also slides behind a plate D on the gun and has
a notch into which takes a spring bolt E that can be withdrawn by the button E¹
when it is desired to withdraw the magazine. In the lower part of the magazine is a
spring F which tends to force up a plate G on which the cartridges lic. This plate
has a stud G¹ fixed to it, having a button projecting through a slot A' by which the
plate can be drawn down in opposition to the spring and be secured in the bottom
position when the magazine is not in use by causing the stud G to enter the notch
at the bottom of the slot.
The top A2 of the magazine is made to curve over towards the shoe of the gun, so
as to give the cartridges, as they rise, the required direction to cause them to fall on
to the breech block through an opening in the side, which is closed by a door H.
This door is hinged at H to the casing A and is acted upon by a spring I tending to
keep it closed as at Fig. 2.
It is opened at the required moment for allowing a cartridge to pass on to the breech
block, by the following arrangement. A lever J pivotted at J₁ to the end face of the
magazine is connected at its upper end to the lower end of the door by a link K. At
its lower end the lever has pivotted to it, at J2, a piece L, having an outer incline L'
and an inner incline I, shewn more clearly at inner view of this part at Fig. 4. This
piece has an upward projecting tail L³, which is acted upon by a spring M fixed
to the casing A, which tends to keep it in the position shewn, in which it butts against
a stop on the lever J that prevents it from being turned further in the outward
direction. N is the ordinary lever of the breech action, by moving which downwards
the breech block of the gun is opened; this lever has a projecting finger N¹, which
on the lowering of the lever bears with its hooked end upon the incline L' of the
piece thus causing L to turn on its pivot, without moving the lever J, so as to
allow the finger N1 to pass below it. When the incline L' is free of the finger, L is
at once moved back again by the spring M into its original position, so that upon now
moving the lever upward again the finger N' comes in contact with the inner
incline L² and is thereby made to force the lower end of the lever outwards.
By the consequent inward motion of the upper end of the lever J the door His
pushed open into the position shown at Figure 3, whereupon the uppermost cartridge
being guided by the curved top A will pass out of the magazine and will be directed
downwards on to the breech block by the sloping inner surface of the door H. This
door has a projecting flange H2 which prevents the cartridge on issuing from moving
backwards, in case the gun in firing, should be held in an upward slanting position.
To the flange I is fixed a pin H³ that projects into the magazine through a slot A³,
and which, when the door is closed lies against the curved top of the magazine but
when the door is opened it is brought into the position shown at Fig. 3, in which it
projects above the base end of the cartridge immediately below the top one, and thus
prevents this from rising beyond the position shewn in Figure 3 as long as the door H
is sufficiently open to allow a cartridge to pass out. As the door closes again the pin
resumes its backward position and allows the top cartridge to be pushed up by the
spring F into the position shewn at Figure 1.
The object of causing the lever N to actuate the lever J so as to open the door H
only on the commencement of the return motion, is to give time for the extractor to
eject the case of the fired cartridge before the next cartridge is delivered on to the
breech block.
The cartridge may be pushed from the breech block into the cartridge chamber of
the gun either by hand or automatically by means of carriers actuated by the lever N
in the manner described in my before mentioned patent No. 2886 of 1887. Or they
may be pushed in by a device shewn in connection with the modified construction at
Figures 5, 6 and 7.
In this arrangement the lever J, instead of being pivoted to the end face of the
magazine, is pivoted near its lower end to the inner face thereof, and is provided with

page_text: an arrangement similar to that shewn at Figures 1 to 4 whereby on the upward motion
of the lever N the upper end of J is moved forward towards the cartridge chamber.
The upper end, which is formed as shewn at Figure 7, is by such motion made to push
open the door I from the position at Figure 5 into that shewn at Figure 6, the door
being in this case formed with a tail H³ which in moving down into the position at
Figure 6 acts as the stop FL3 previously described for preventing the rise of the second
cartridge until the door is closed again. The curved top A of the magazine may in
this case be extended over the breech block as shown in dotted lines at A', Figure 5,
for guiding the cartridge as it passes out of the magazine. The lever J may in this
arrangement be provided with a carrier O, which, as the lever moves forward in
opening the door H, bears against the end of the cartridge and carries it into the
cartridge chamber.
Figures 8 to 12 shew my before described improved construction of fore-end
magazine a in which a number of cartridges are contained end to end, and are propelled
forward by a spring.
The cartridges are retained in this magazine by two hinged flaps or doors bb acted
upon by springs c, as shown more clearly in the cross-section at Figure 10.
An extractor d pivoted to the shoe and acted upon by a spring d¹ projects with is
one limb behind the rim of the front cartridge, as at Figure 8 and is made to effect
the extraction of the base of the cartridge through the doors on the downward
motion of the block as at Figure 9, the cartridge being then forced completely out by
the spring of the magazine so as to assume the position on the block shown in dotted
lines, whereupon the block is raised and the cartridge pushed into the cartridge
chamber by carriers, such as described in my patent No. 2886 of 1887.
For extracting the empty cartridge case with this arrangement, an extractor is
employed consisting of two bars e, e, (shewn detached at Figure 12) sliding in grooves
in the sides of the shoe, which have hooked ends e¹ that pass behind the rim of the
cartridge and have beaks e² at their other ends that are acted upon by fingers N2 on
each side of the lever N (as shewn more clearly in the detached view hereof at
Figure 11) in the following manner. On the inner end of the lever N being moved
backward for lowering the block and on the latter being dropped to the position in
which the cartridge chamber of the gun is uncovered thereby, the fingers N2 which
work in recesses in the sides of the breech block will come in contact with the
rectangular faces of the beaks e and in thus jerking the extractor bars sharply back-
ward, will cause the hooked ends e¹ thereof to throw out the cartridge case. The
backward movement of the extractor bars is only small as the fingers N³ are made to
escape the lower edges of the beaks on the further backward motion of the lever N.
On the latter being moved forward again for actuating the carriers described in my
former patent, so as to push the new cartridge into the gun chamber, the flange of the
cartridge base in pushing against the hooked ends e will bring the extractor bars e
back into their original position. The parts of the dovetail grooves in which the rear
ends of the barse work are made of such a depth as to allow the ends of the bars to
move inwards somewhat, there being a small flat spring in the space behind the bar
which presses it outwards.
Thus when in the forward motion of the lever N its fingers N° come in contact with
the curved surfaces of the beaks e² they press these inwards sufficiently to allow the
fingers to pass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
=
1. The use for breech loading fire arms with falling breech block of a side
cartridge magazine with a lateral opening closed by a door or guard which is
connected to a lever pivoted to the magazine and actuated by the breech action lever
in such manner as to effect the opening of the door so as to allow a cartridge to
issue on to the breech block during upward motion of the breech action lever
substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In cartridge magazines constructed and operating as set forth in the preceding
claim, constructing the magazine with a curved top, for readily guiding the cartridges
towards the breech block on issuing substantially as described.
3. In combination with a cartridge magazine A, a hinged door H connected to a
lever J provided with an appliance at its lower end whereby on the upward or closing
movement of the lever N this is made to actuate the lever J so as to open the
door, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the
drawings.
4. The use in combination with the door H referred to in the preceding claim, of a
pin or equivalent device which on the opening of the door is brought into a position
in which it prevents the rising of the second cartridge until the door is closed again,
substantially as herein described.
5. In combination with a gun having a rising and falling breech block and a fore
end magazine, the use of spring doors bb for retaining the cartridges in the magazine
and an extractor d acted upon by the rising and falling breech block, for extracting
the cartridges from the magazine, substantially as herein described with reference to
Figures 8 to 10 of the drawings.
6. In combination with a gun having a rising and falling breech block worked by a
lever, the use of sliding extractor bars e with hooked ends e¹ and beaks e actuated by
fingers N2 on the lever N for the extraction of the empty cartridge cases, substantially
as herein described with reference to Figs. 8 to 12 of the drawings.
Dated this 20th day of July 1000.
ABEL & IMRAY,
28, Southampton Buildings, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
ABEL & IMRAY,
28, Southampton Buildings, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.