IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE GUNS to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINE GUNS to be as follows:-
"
This Invention relates to machine guns in which a transverse sliding cartridge
carrier is used for transferring a layer of cartridges from the cartridge magazine or
feed case to the rear of the barrels.
In such guns it may happen that one or more cartridges may be left in the barrel
or barrels without either having been fired or caught by the extractor when the
plungers are withdrawn, in which case the cartridge carrier would fetch another
layer of cartridges, and when theso were to be pushed in to the barrel chainbers,
the point of their bullets would be pressed against the cap of the cartridges already
there whereby an accident would take place.
To prevent this I shorten the barrels at the rear end, as much as to the bottom
of the recess for the cartridge rim, and lengthen the cartridge at its front as much
as I have taken off the barrels, that is to say, when the cartridges are in the
chambers of the barrels the rims of them will project backwards into the cartridge
carrier and prevent this moving, so that no further feeding can take place as
long as there are cartridges in the chambers or the cartridge cases remain
unextracted.
In cases where there may be objections against shortening the barrels or firing
the cartridges with the rim outside the barrels, I put lugs on the cartridge carrier,
say on the right hand side of each cartridge groove if the carrier has to move to
the left for fetching a new layer of cartridges and in the rear face of the barrels
I make slots to correspond with these lugs. If there should be any cartridge case
or cartridge left in the barrels one of the lugs would butt against the rim of it and
prevent the carrier block from being moved.

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINE GUNS" and in what manner the same is be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention relates to machine guns in which a transverse sliding cartridge
carrier is used for transferring a layer of cartridges from the cartridge magazine or
feed case to the rear of the barrels.
In such guns when they are improperly manipulated it may happen that one or
more cartridges may be left in the barrel or barrels without either having been
fired or caught by the extractors when the plungers are withdrawn; in which case
the cartridge carrier in the continued working of the gun would fetch another
Inyer of cartridges and these would then be pushed forwards towards the barrel
chambers. This operation would bring the points of the bullets of the advancing
cartridges against the caps of the cartridges already in the barrels and an accident
might occur.
To prevent this I shorten the barrels at the rear end as much as to the bottom
of the recess for the cartridge rim, and lengthen the cartridge carrier at its front
as much as I have taken off the barrels. Then when the cartridges are in the
chambers of the barrels their rims will project backwards into the cartridge carrier
and prevent this moving so that no feeding can take place as long as there are
cartridges in the chambers or the cartridge cases remaining unextracted.
In cases where there may be objection to shortening the barrels or to firing the
cartridges with the rim outside the barrels I put forwardly protecting lugs on tho
cartridge carrier, on the right hand side of cach cartridge groove if the carrier
moves to the left to fetch, a new layer of cartridges or on the opposite side if the
construction of the gun is such that this movement is in the opposite direction.
In the rear face of the barrels I make slots to correspond with these lugs. Then
if there should be any cartridge case or cartridge left in the barrels when the
plungers retire one of the lugs would butt against the rim of it and prevent the
carrier block from being moved.
In order that my said Invention may bo most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the breech end of the barrel and through
the fore part of the cartridge carrier of a machine gun.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section showing my invention in its second form―this
section is so taken as to avoid the bore of the barrel.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan of the arrangement shewn by Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an end view of the same.
Figures 1 and 2 shew the barrels a shortened at the rear so that the rims c of
the cartridge cases project backwards into the recesses b'in the cartridge carrier b
-

page_text: which is lengthened at its front as much as the barrels are shortened. It will be
scen thut as long as any of the cartridge cases remain in the barrel the rim prevents
the cartridge carrier from moving either to the right or left.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the same result obtained by providing the cartridge
carrier with lugs b' projecting into grooves or recesses cut in the rear of the barrels.
In the gun shown the position of these lugs is to the right of the rims of the
cartridge cases: it is always contrary to the direction of movement of the cartridge
carrier in going to fetch cartridges to supply the barrels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
. 1. The construction of machine guns in such manner that when the cartridges
are in the barrels their rims project in front of some portion of the transversely
sliding cartridge carrier so as to hinder the movement of the same so long as
cartridges or cartridge cases remain in the barrel or barrels substantially as
described.
2. My improvements in machine guns substantially as described and represented
by the annexed drawings.