Improvements in Repeating Fire Arms.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Repeating Fire Arms.
I, ANDREAS WILHELM SCHWARZLOSE, of 73 and 74, Steinweg, Suhl, Thuringen,
Germany, Armourer, 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 an improved construction of repeating fire arm
having a sliding barrel. The force of the recoil opens the breech ejects the spent
cartridge case and stores up energy in two springs which then automatically close
the breech and insert a fresh cartridge, so that after a shot has been fired the
weapon is reloaded without the help of the person firing it.
The hereinafter described improvements are designed to obviate certain draw-
backs which I have found attending the forms of similar weapons which I have
previously patented and while simplifying the general construction and the details
enable me to attain a greater ballistic effect combined with greater compactness
and lightness as compared with the automatic repeaters hitherto used.
The springs of the breech the lock mechanism of the striker and of the extractor
are formed as helical springs operating centrally without lever transmission.
Friction is thereby avoided the durability is increased and the proper action of
the weapon even in unfavourable circumstances ensured.
My said invention differs peculiarly from the systems hitherto used in that the
breech closing mechanism consists merely of a barrel and breech block. For the
guiding of the breech block I dispense with either a breech block casing or a
chamber casing. The breech block is guided directly on the stock without any
intervening parts or supports. In this respect my present breech closing mechanism
differs for example from that described in my Patent No. 9490 of A.D. 1895
in which the combination of the breech block with a guide bar on the stock
necessitates a special slide forming a kind of movable chamber casing. By dis-
pensing with such a slide or casing the weapon gains not only in simplicity of
construction but the external diameter at the breech can be considerably augmen-
ted without increasing the weight of the arm. This consideration is of consider-
able importance in my present construction inasmuch as owing to the greater
diameter of the interior of the breech block I can now make the striker spring
which lies in the breech block (and which also impels the latter forward) very
short and wind it from self hardened steel wire without deteriorating its effective
capacity. As a consequence the breech block is proportionately short while the
striking and closing spring is practically unbreakable. Among other advantages
accruing from my said invention is the diminished influence of the entrance of
dirt or dust on the effectiveness of the weapon. This is owing to there being no
free lock parts to engage with other parts when the breech is opened and which
are liable to catch and retain small objects which at times block the parts and
interfere with the loading.

page_text: which enter the recess w through the longitudinal slots w¹ (Figs. 2 and 7). The
breech block c has the same diameter as the rear end of the barrel into which it
engages by means of the four lugs a¹ on the turned down nose of the breech
block. Rearwards the breech block is guided by the ring m¹ rigidly attached to
the stock (see Figs. 1, 2 and 5). The shank m² of the ring m¹ takes into the cam
groove n of the breech block and imparts a left hand rotation to the latter when
the breech block receives its backward impulse from the recoil and thus effects
the disengagement of the locking lugs a¹ from the barrel which is restrained by
its guides to a simple rectilinear course. The barrel on its recoil compresses the
trigger spring f' which is contained partly in the stock and partly in a recess
under the barrel. The fore end of this spring bears against a lug h¹ under the
barrel while the rear end is carried by the guide bar a bearing on the trigger a.
On the lug meeting the shoulder of the stock (Fig. 3) the barrel is momen-
tarily brought to rest.
While the breech block continues by itself its now rectilinear course the breech
closing and striking spring f (which bears at the front on the collar of the striker s
and at the rear against the ring m¹) is compressed and at the same time the spent
cartridge case is thrown out by the extractor claw of the sear u. The sear is
pushed loose into the slot ul of the striker bolts on which it is retained by the
hook v.
The connection is such that the sear at v has a little free play in the
bolt. The spring (Figs. 1 and 2) bearing against the upper part of the sear
continually tends to press this forwards and consequently the lower part t has a
constant downward tendency but just before the breech block is separated from
the barrel the front end of the sear is raised against the action of the spring by
the projecting part 61 of the stock. This lift brings the extractor claw of the
sear into the groove or behind the head of the cartridge case so that the latter is
withdrawn from the barrel as the breech block retires. On the projection t¹ of
the sear meeting the stude of the magazine holder the extractor claw of the sear
receives a short upward knock and the cartridge case is thereby thrown out.
When the momentum of the recoiling breech block is spent the resilience of
the spring drives the breech block forward again. The barrel is likewise driven
forward by the spring f¹ until after travelling a short distance it is held by the
hook of the lever k.
The lever kis mounted in a suitable recess in the stock to the right hand side
of which it is secured by a stud b on the magazine holder stud e (Figs. 3 and 6).
Just before the separation of the breech block from the barrel the rear end of the
lever is depressed by an inclined face on the projection g on which the front face
of the cut out part c¹ of the breech block acts (Fig. 11). This depression of the
end g elevates the hook i into the path of the barrel, so that on the advance of the
barrel the stop comes against the hook i and thus the barrel is retained in its
middle position until the breech block has again advanced up to the barrel and
the projection g can enter the cut out part c¹ of the breech block.
The hook of the lever k then releases the barrel so that both barrel and breech
block complete together their forward course into the firing position under pres-
sure of the spring f' while the right hand rotation of the breech block (effected by
the cam groove n) completes the locking together.
Just after the barrel is released from the hook and advances along with the
breech block the sear u remains on the back surface of the trigger a because the
person firing cannot release the trigger as rapidly as the before described series
of operations takes place. Consequently the firing bolt connected with the sear
remains stationary during the further advance of the breech block and thus
retains sufficient spring power for firing. If now the trigger is released the
spring swings forward the trigger which is suspended at p. The sear now
yielding to the pressure of the striking spring slides forward over the trigger and
remains against the stops r¹ of the stock (Figs. 1 and 3).
If now the trigger is pulled again it releases the sear away from the stops r¹

page_text: 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.-A repeating fire arm automatically operated by recoil substantially as set
forth and shown.
2. An automatically reloading fire arm operated by recoil having a barrel and
breech block sliding directly in or on guides on the stock itself without the aid
of casings substantially as described and shown.
3. An automatically reloading fire arm operated by recoil in which a barrel
and a breech block after recoiling while locked together are then disengaged by
the twisting of the breech block the travel of the barrel being arrested while the
breech block continues so as to open the breech and reload and during which the
momentum of the moving parts is absorbed by springs which operate the closing
of the breech and the resetting of the arm, substantially as shown.
4. In an automatic fire arm such as described a breech block having a cam
groove n engaging with a fixed projection m² on the stock so that the breech block
makes a partial rotation about its axis while recoiling and advancing in combina-
tion with a barrel having a simple rectilinear path for the purpose of locking
and unlocking the barrel and breech block substantially as set forth and shown.
5. In an automatic fire arm such as described the use in combination with a
breech block and a sear u (which also serves as extractor) of a spring for propelling
the breech block and operating the sear substantially as set forth and shown.
6. In an automatic fire arm such as described in combination with a breech
block and a striker bolt a single spring f bearing at one end against a collar on
the striker bolt for first propelling the breech block towards the barrel and sub-
sequently propelling the striker bolt against the cap of the cartridge substantially
as set forth and shown.
7. In an automatic fire arm such as described the combination of the angular
clawed sear u loosely mounted in a slot in the striker bolt with the spring f the
catch and the projection b¹ for the purpose of restraining the striker and for
extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge substantially as set forth and shown.
8. In an automatic fire arm.such as described a spiral trigger spring f¹ bearing at
the front end against the barrel and at the rear against a guide bar which takes
against the trigger a above its fulcrum p so that the spring f¹ serves for returning
the barrel after recoil into the firing position and at the same time acts on and
replaces the trigger substantially as described and shown.
9. In an automatic fire arm such as described a swinging lever k pivotted at b
having a projection g with an inclined surface at one end and a hook i at the other
end in combination with the breech block for retaining the barrel in its middle
position until the advancing breech block has reached the barrel and released the
projection g substantially as set forth and shown.
10. In an automatic fire arm such as described the herein before described
combination and construction of parts for holding the magazine so that the maga-
zine may only be inserted when the breech is open substantially as and for the
purpose described and shown.
1000
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.