Year: 1888

page_text: ..
Date of Application, 29th Feb 1888.
Complete Left, 13th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 25th May, 1888
I, ALFRED CHRISTOPHER KOERNER, engineer, of 21 Rue Royale, Paris, France do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My improvements consist of means for causing the breech of a rapid firing or other
gun to open automatically after each discharge.
For accomplishing this result, I utilise the recoil of the gun itself for creating a
movement which I impart to a suitable device capable of causing the breech to open
automatically.
The device for accomplishing the hereinbefore mentioned result is fitted to the breech
mechanism of a rapid firing or other gun, and is constituted mainly by an additional
arm secured to the same axis as the arm or arms for operating the breech.block by
hand, as usual. This additional arm is weighted or otherwise so configurated that,
broadly speaking, the action of the recoil will be sufficient to rotate it around its axis
and thereby act on the breech-block operating mechanism, which latter will then open
the breech of the gun.
This invention is applicable to the well known Hotchkiss gun; it is however
also capable of operating in substantially the same manner, if applied to any other gun
in which the breech-block, whether vertically moving or not, is operated from the
outside by one or more hand levers.
By this means, since the breech is automatically opened and only after the dischargé
of the gun and during its recoil, a dangerous element in extremely rapid fire is
eliminated, namely: the danger that, where the breech is opened and closed by hand,
it may, in case of a long fire or so called hang fire charge, be thrown open before the
explosion of the cartridge is completed or even commenced, and thus cause a full back
fire from the breech or an explosion of the ejected cartridge in rear of the gun,
with serious danger to the lives of the gun servants and to the mechanism of the
gun itself.
A
2000

page_text: Improvements in the Breech Mechanism of Rapid Firing aud
other Guns.
I, ALFRED CHRISTOPHER KOERNER, engineer, of 21 Rue Royale, Paris, France 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 improvements consist of means for causing the breech of a rapid firing or other
gun to open automatically after each discharge.
For accomplishing this result, 1 utilise the recoil of the gun itself for creating a
movement which is imparted to a suitable device capable of causing the breech to be
opened automatically.
The device for accomplishing the hereinbefore mentioned result is fitted to the breech
mechanism of a rapid firing or other gun, and is constituted mainly by an additional
arın secured to the same axis as the arm or arms for operating the breech block by
hand, as usual. This additional arm is weighted or otherwise so configurated that,
broadly speaking, the action of the recoil will be sufficient to rotate it around its axis
and thereby act on the breech block operating mechanism, which latter will then open
the breech of the gun.
This invention is applicable to the well known Hotchkiss gun, it is however also
capable of operating in substantially the same manner, if applied to any other gun
in which the breech block whether vertically moving or not, is operated from the
outside by one or more hand levers.
By this means, since the breech is automatically opened, and only after the discharge
of the gun and during its recoil, a dangerous element in extremely rapid fire is
eliminated, namely, the danger that, where the breech is opened and closed by hand,
it may, in case of a long fire or socalled hang fire charge, be thrown open before the
explosion of the cartridge is completed or even commenced and thus cause a full back
fire from the breech or an explosion of the ejected cartridge in rear of the gun,
with serious danger to the lives of the gun servants and to the mechanism of the
gun itself.
By thus rendering automatic, one of the operations of reloading a gun, the speed of
its fire may be augmented.
1 distinguish two cases in which the same object is accomplished under different
controlling conditions.
First the case of guns having no recoil or only such as is due to the elasticity of
their mounts.
Second the case of guns having a distinct recoil.
First case. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the breech of a rapid firing gun having no
recoil; the breech being closed by the breech block. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the
breech block being lowered and the breech open.
Onto the axis a carrying the usual arm b for operating the breech block c, is secured
a supplementary arm d which is either provided with a weight e or otherwise weighted;
the rotary motion and the weight of this arm being such that the momentum developed
in the mass of the opening mechanism by the shock of recoil will be sufficient to cause
it to rotate and so throw open the breech. The movement of the arm d is limited in
both directions by two stops fg attached to the gun. Between the stop and the
attachment or between the attachment itself and the lever, metal or other suitable
springs may be inserted, to aid in properly developing the desired momentum.

page_text: Operation. The device being in the position shown in fig. 1, when the gun is fired
the recoil due to the elasticity of the mount does not act upon the arm d; the weighte
is pressed against the stop fand if between the latter and the weight, a spring is inter-
posed, it is compressed. The gun having recoiled to the elastic limit of its mount, has
developed a recoil momentum in the weight and, the counter recoil taking place
if
quickly, this recoil momentum aided by the force of the compressed springs any,
and acting in the opposite direction to the counter recoil, throws the arm a over and
thus opens the breech; the extracting mechanism operating at the same time and
throwing the empty cartridge case out of the gun.
Second case. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation of a gun having a distinct recoil, the breech
being closed, fig. 4 is a similar elevation, the breech being open, fig. 5 is a plan of fig. 3,
before the gun is fired, the breech being closed, and fig. 6 is a similar view, when the
gun has reached its full recoil, the breech being also closed.
is the gun and i is part of the stationary gun mount the approximate amount of
recoil being shown in dotted lines in fig. 3.
In this case, as in the preceeding one, there is an additional arm d and weight e;
when the gun recoils, the said arm is moved with the gun, without rotating on its axis a.
The action of the arm d is different from that of the arm described with reference
to fig. 1 and 2; it no longer acts owing to the momentum of recoil. A special device
added to the stationary part of the mount i is made to act at the suitable moment and
causes the said arm to be tripped; the device is composed of a tripping arm j pivotted
at k on the mount i. A spring 1 has a tendency to constantly push the tripping armj
in one direction and a stop mattached to the gun and moving therewith, pushes the
said arm j in opposition to the tension of the spring 1, see fig. 6.
Operation. The parts being in the position shown in full lines, in fig. 3, when the gun
is fired, the recoil causes the gun h to assume the position shown in fig. 6 with reference
to the mount i. During this motion, the tripping arm j which is out of action, is pushed
and as the gun
outwardly by the stop m and presents itself in a line with the arm d;
returns automatically to battery, the tripping arm j causes the arm d to rotate on its
axis, the latter arm then assuming the position shown in fig. 4 the breech block c
descends and the breech is opened.
The position of the stop m with regard to the tripping arm is such that as soon as
the arm d has commenced its rotary movement, it becomes free, owing to its spring 1,
to reassume the position shown in fig. 5.
When the gun is at rest as in fig. 5, the breech block operating mechanism can be
worked by hand, just as if the hereinbefore described attachment did not exist since the
said attachment is out of gear.
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 :
First. The adaptation, to a socalled non-recoil gun, of a device composed mainly of
a rotating arm d, fig. 1 and 2, by means of which the shock created by the discharge
of the projectile is utilised for acting upon the breech block c and opening the breech
automatically substantially as described and shown.
Second. The adaptation, to a recoil gun of a device composed of a rotating arm d,
fig. 3, 4, 5, and 6, of a tripping arm j pivotted at k, of a spring and stop m, by means
of which the recoil of the gun is utilised for acting upon the breech block c and opening
the breech automatically, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 19th day of April 1888.