An Improved Magazine Rifle.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
An Improved Magazine Rifle.
I, THOMAS ROBERT RANEY ASHTON, of North Deniliquin, in the Colony of New
South Wales, Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to magazine rifles constructed on the bolt system, and its
inain object is to provide a magazine rifle especially adapted for military service, and
in which therefore simplicity must be the chief poiut.
From the description and drawings hereinafter referred to it will be seen that the
various parts of the breech action are much simplified, and the number of parts
reduced to a minimum so that the weapon is not likely to get out of order; whilst
the perfectly automatic action of the feed from the magazine and the ease with which
the magazine (which is permanently secured to the rifle) may be replenished, renders
a quicker rate of firing possible, than has heretofore been attained even with the most
approved patterns of magazine rifles.
In order that my invention may be easily understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawings, wherein,-
Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a magazine rifle constructed according
to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the breech portion of said rifle removed from the stock and
barrel.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3-3 Figure 1 showing the rear end
of the breech in elevation.
Figure 4, is a vertical transverse section on line 44 Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5, is a central longitudinal section of the magazine showing the cartridges
in position, whilst,
Figure 6, is a central longitudinal section through the bolt of the rifle, and
Figure 7, is a horizontal section through the breech body and lower end of the
magazine on line 7-7 Figures 3 and 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
A represents the stock, B the barrel of the rifle C the magazine (for containing
four cartridges) and D the bolt which is adapted to be slid to and fro within the
breech body E by means of the locking lever F which projects from a sleeve f
mounted upon said bolt D, whilst G represents the firing pin which passes through the
centre of the bolt D and projects through an opening g in the forward end thereof as
clearly illustrated in Figure 6.
H is an attachment to the rear end of the firing pin G, and is adapted to be engaged
by the trigger I when said pin is in either its cocked or half-cocked position, and J
represents a vertically sliding spring retaining pin which normally projects up into

page_text: the breech body and prevents the bolt D being entirely withdrawn therefromn by
engaging with a small lug j, on the underside of the forward end of said bolt. This
vertically sliding retaining pin J is fitted with a spring whose tendency is to always
keep it in its raised position, and it is connected to a small lover which may be
pivotted as indicated at j on any convenient part of the trigger guard K, so that
said retaining pin can be drawn down out of the path of the lug , when it is
required to entirely withdraw the bolt D from the breech-body.
1. represents the extractor which is mounted upon the forward end of the bolt D
and is adapted to engage with the rim of the cartridge when the bolt is pushed home,
so that when the bolt is withdrawn it will extract said cartridge.
M denotes a spring atop and guide piece which projects into the side of the
breech hody E opposite to the magazine and which allows only one cartridge ut
a time to fall out of said magazine and also acts as a guide whilst said cartridge
is being moved into the barrel by the bolt.
The magazine C is according to my invention made integral with the breech-body E,
and is curved upwardly and outwardly from the right of said body so as to be well
out of the line of sight. Its upper portion may if preferred be made separate from
the lower part as indicated at c in Figures 3 and 4, and may be secured to said lower
part or base by dovetailing, or in any convenient manner.
The mouth or opening of the magazine C extends along its full length and
opens into the interior of the breech-body immediately behind the breech end of
the barrel.
In order to load the rifle it is merely necessary to draw back the bolt D and to hold
the rifle on one side so that the magazine C is inclined downwardly when the
cartridges can simply be dropped one by one into its mouth when they will automati-
cally arrange themselves in position therein as shown in Figure 5.
The forward end of of the magazine is inclined upwardly and rearwardly so that
the cartridges N will when dropped into it assumo the position indicated in Figure 5,
that is with the rim n of each cartridge behind the rim of the one below it. After
filling the magazine a cartridge may be placed in the breech and the rifle turned into
its normal position, when the bolt D (which had previously been pulled back to its
rearnost position in order to insert said cartridges) is forced forward pushing the
cartridge in the breech into the barrel B ready for firing as shewn in Figure 1.
The spring stop and guide piece M is preferably made in one piece and its spring
portion m is secured to the side of the breech body by a screw or other convenient
contrivance as indicated at m' iu Figures 2 and 7.
It projects through a slot m (see Figure 4) in the side of the breech body and
normally assumes the position indicated in Figure 2 so as to allow the first or lower-
most cartridge in the magazine to drop into such position in the breech body when
the bolt is withdrawn that when the bolt is forced forward the bullet end of the
cartridge will be directed into the barrel B, aud said spring is of sufficient strength
to prevent more than one cartridge falling into the breech body at once, though it is
not of such a strength as to interfere with the forward movement of the cartridge and
bolt the former of which it serves to guide into the breech end of the barrel.
The bolt itself is constructed as illustrated in Figures 1 and 6, and has a hole
bored through it from end to end for the passage of the firing pin G and at the upper
part of its forward end it is formed with an upwardly projecting lug through which
passes the extractor I, and in which said extractor is pivotted.
The extractor 1. is made integral with a rearwardly projecting flat steel spring
the rear end of which bears upon the bolt D and always tends to keep the hook-
shaped end of anid extractor in its depressed position, that is, ready to engage with
the rim of a cartridge. This construction of extractor hook and spring in one piece
is simpler than those now in use and is not liable to break or get out of order.
A shoulder d is formed on the bolt D, and the sleeve carrying thellocking lever F
is mounted upon said bolt between said shoulder d and a flange d", having a snail
projecting sleeve d², which is screwed into the rear end of the bolt D.

page_text: The siceve in addition to carrying the locking lever F has a lug f projecting
downwardly from it and adapted to project into au inclined recess f, in the side and
lower part of the breech-body E.
O represents a shield which is secured upon the flange d, shoulder d and lug / of
the bolt in order to effectually close in the top of the opening in the breech-body.
A shoulder g is formed on the forward end of the firing pin G, and behind said
shoulder is the spiral main spring g' which extends back to aud bears against the
sleeve d, in the rear end of the bolt D and always tends to force the firing pin into
its forward position.
The attachment H on the end of the firing pin is formed with a projecting tail
piece which allows the firing pin to be moved slowly forward by hand if the trigger I
be pulled down, aud allows said trigger to engage in a notch h¹, cut for the purpose
in the underside of said attachment so as to hold the firing pin in its half-cocked
position. When in its full cocked position said trigger I engages with the forward
end of the attachment as indicated in Figure 1. For this purpose the trigger I is
formed with a small shoulder i and is normally held in its raised position by the
spiral trigger spring it, whilst the trigger itself is made in one piece in the form of
a bell-crunk lever and is fulcrummed upon the underside of the breech-body as
indicated at it in Figure 1. The spring i, is preferably coiled around an upwardly
projecting inclined pin which is rivetted or otherwise secured at its lower end to
the base of the trigger guard K.
The spring and arrangement of the trigger as above described is exceedingly effec-
tive although it is very simple, the whole of the trigger mechanism consisting merely
of three parts.
The operation and manner of using my improved magazine rifle is as follows,-
The bolt D having been withdrawn until the lug j contacts with the spring re-
taining pin J, the rifle is held so that its right hand side is downwards. Four
cartridges are then dropped through the opening or mouth of the magazine and one
into the breech after which the rifle is turned into its ordinary position and the bolt
forced forward. The effect of this movement of the bolt will be to push the cartridge
previously placed in the breech into position in the barrel as herein before described
when the trigger will be cocked because when the front end of the attachment H
comes in contact with the shoulder i on the trigger I it will be retained against
further movement, the main spring g meanwhile being compressed by continuing
the forward movement of the bolt.
When said bolt is home the locking lever F is turned down into engagement with
a recess, in the side of the breech body E, and by the same movement the lug f',
will be turned into the inclined slot or rocess 2 in said breech-body and the extractor L
will have engaged with the rim of the cartridge in the barrel...
The effect of pulling the trigger I will be to withdraw the shoulder from in front
of the attachment H which will release the tiring pin G and admit of said pin being
propelled forward by the main spring g².
When the rifle has been fired the lever F is moved upwardly thus rotating the
sleeve and moving the lug f1 out of engagement with the recess and at the
same time moving said lever out of engagement with the recess. The bolt D
can then be drawn back the effect of which will be to extract the spent cartridge
and to eject it from the breech, and a fresh cartridge will immediately fall by its
own weight into the breech and as before will be retained in its proper position
(ready to be forced into the barrel) by the spring stop and guide piece M the
coustruction of the magazine being such as to prevent the cartridges becoming
jambed in it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
Lion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
clain is,
1. The herein described magazine rifle consisting of the various parts constructed

page_text: arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes specified and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a magazine rifle a magazine made integral with or permanently secured to
the breech-body and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom, substantially
as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a magazine rifle, a spring stop and guide piece (such as M) mounted
upon the side of the breech body oppositethe magazine, and projecting through a
slot therein, substantially as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of April One thousand eight hundred and ninety-six.