IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE HOLDERS « OR MAGAZINES FOR USE WITH BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thorsten Nordenfelt of 53 Parliament Street in the City
of Westminster for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE HOLDERS
«
OR MAGAZINES FOR USE WITH BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS
"
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thorsten Nordenfelt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th May 1883.
**
THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE HOLDERS OR MAGAZINES FOR USE WITH BREECH
LOADING FIRE ARMS.
"
This invention has for its object improvements in cartridge holders or magazines
for use with breech loading fire arms.
For this purpose I form a cartridge holder or magazine of two side plates held
at such a distance apart that a row of cartridges may be placed between them
with the heads of all the cartridges lying in the same direction and one directly
above the other.
The plates keep the cartridges in a line but yet permit the cartridges to move
freely between them. The ends of the holder are closed in to prevent the cartridges
moving endwise.
At that end which receives the base end of the cartridges two grooves or rabbits
are formed in the back and front plates for the flanges at the base end of the
cartridges to lie in.
The cartridges are inserted into the holder at the top which is left open to admit
of cartridges being placed into it-the upper parts of the back and front plates of
the bolder are made to spring somewhat together so that when cartridges have
been placed into the holder they cannot be jerked out from it.
At the bottom of the holder is a slide upon which the lowest cartridge in the
holder rests.
The end of the slide upon which the lowest cartridge is resting is formed with
a groove for the flange around the base of the cartridge to lie in,

page_text: The slide can be drawn back end wise in a direction to draw the base of the
bottom cartridge away from below the other cartridges in the holder.
When the bottom cartridge is so drawn back it comes opposite to a slot in the
lower part of the front side plate of the holder.
A further backward movement of the slide causes two blades or fingers to be
turned outwards from the back side plate of the lower part of the holder to
press against the bottom cartridge near its two ends and to eject it from the
holder through the slot in the front side plate which the bottom cartridge is then
opposite to.
The blades or fingers at the same time come below the other cartridges in the
holder and prevent them from dropping down in it until the slide is again brought
back to its forward position.
The magazine or holder is formed so that it can be attached to the side of a
breech loading fire arm. If the breech end of such fire arm is opened by the
drawing back of a bolt a projection upon the bolt is towards the end of the back-
ward movement of the bolt caused to draw back the slide of the magazine above
mentioned and so to eject the cartridge from the magazine into the trough or space
in front of the breech bolt each time that the bolt is drawn back so that when
the bolt is again moved forward to close the breech of the gun the cartridge may
be pushed forwards in front of it into the breech end of the barrel.
When the bolt is again moved forward to close the breech the slide above
mentioned at the bottom of the magazine is moved forwards again to its former
position by means of a spring-the lowest cartridge in the holder can then drop
down on to it and the same operations are repeated each time the breech is
opened.
In a similar way with other kinds of breech loading fire arms the opening of
the breech is caused to move back the slide of the magazine or holder each time
the breech is opened so as to eject a cartridge from the magazine or holder into the
trough or space behind the open breech end of the barrel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thorsten Nordenfelt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th November 1883.
THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE HOLDERS OR MAGAZINES FOR USE WITH BREECH
LOADING FIRE ARMS
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in cartridge holders or magazines
for use with breech loading fire arms.
For this purpose I form a cartridge holder or magazine of two side plates held
at such a distance apart that a row of cartridges may be placed between them with
the heads of all the cartridges lying in the same direction and one directly above
the other..
The plates keep the cartridges in a line but yet permit the cartridges to move
freely between them, The ends of the bolder are closed in to prevent the
cartridges moving endwise.
At that end which receives the base end of the cartridges two grooves or rabbits
are formed in the back and front plates for the flanges at the base end of the
cartridges to lie in.
The cartridges are inserted into the holder at the top which is left open to admit
of cartridges being placed into it-the upper parts of the back and front plates of
the holder are made to spring somewhat together so that when cartridges have
been placed into the holder they cannot be jerked out from it.
:
At the bottom of the holder is a slide upon which the lowest cartridge in the
holder rests.
The end of the slide upon which the lowest cartridge is resting is formed with
a groove for the flange around the base of the cartridge to lie in.
The slide can be drawn bark endwise in a direction to draw the base of the
bottom cartridge away from below the other cartridges in the holder.
When the bottom cartridge is so drawn back it comes opposite to a slot in the
lower part of the front side plate of the holder.
A further backward movement of the slide causes two blades or fingers to be
turned outwards from the back side plate of the lower part of the holder to press
against the bottom cartridge near its two ends and to eject it from the holder
through the slot in the front side plate which the bottom cartridge is then opposite
to The blades or fingers at the same time come below the other cartridges in the
holder and prevent them from dropping down in it until the slide is again brought
back to its forward position.
The magazine or holder is formed so that it can be attached to the side of a
breech loading fire arm-If the breech end of such fire arm is opened by the
drawing back of a bolt a projection upon the bolt is towards the end of the
backward movement of the bolt caused to draw back the slide of the magazine
above mentioned and so to eject the cartridge from the magazine into the trough or
space in front of the breech bolt each time that the bolt is drawn back so that when
the bolt is again moved forward to close the breech of the gun the cartridge may
be pushed forwards in front of it into the breech end of the barrel. When the
bolt is again moved forward to close the breech the slide above mentioned at
the bottom of the magazine is moved forwards again, to its former position by
means of a spring-the lowest cartridge in the holder can then drop down on to it
and the same operations are repeated each time the breech is opened.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a longitudinal, section of a cartridge holder or magazine constructed
according to my invention-Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same-
Figure 3 is also a vertical transverse section but with the parts in the position
they occupy on the ejection of a cartridge-Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken
through the lower part or base of the apparatus-Figure 5 is also an horizontal
section but with the parts in the position they occupy on the ejection of a
cartridge Figure 6 is again an horizontal section but with the parts in an
intermediate position-the slide has begun to draw back the lowest cartridge
separating it from the pile but the blades or fingers have not yet been moved to
throw it out-Figure 7 is a plan of the cartridge holder or magazine-Figure 8 is
an elevation of a similar apparatus but so made that the upper part is readily
separable from the lower part or base-Figure 9 is a transverse section of the
same Figure 10 is an elevation and Figure 11 is a transverse vertical section of
the moveable upper part-Figure 12 is a section similar to Figure 3 but
representing the cartridge holder mounted upon a bolt rifle of ordinary
construction. For this purpose the base or lower part of the cartridge holder may
be provided with a projecting tongue entering a socket provided upon the rifle.
a a is the case consisting of plates which receive the pile of cartridges between
them they are curved at the top so that they have to be sprung apart slightly in
inserting the cartridges and the cartridges cannot afterwards fall out-b b are the
grooves or rabbits adapted to receive retain and guide the flanges of the cartridges-
c is the slide receiving the bottom cartridge; its head c¹ has in it a groove c³ which
when the slide is in the position indicated in Figures 1 and 2 corresponds with the
rabbit b at the back of the holder and when the slide comes into this position a
cartridge. drops down into it-The head of the slide c has upon it a stud or
projection c³ the stem of which passes through a slot provided for it in the lower
part or base of the receiver-The slide also has a bottom plate c-and this completes
the slide-d is a spring tending constantly to press the slide forward-this spring
may in some cases be dispensed withe is the slot or opening at the lower part of
the cartridge holder through which the cartridge is ejected-f. f are the blades or
fingers they are hinged at the back of the case and have projections passing
through slots in the bottom plate c' and also through slots in the lower end of the
bolder. The slots in the part c' are marked c* and their form is such as to throw
the blades f. foutwards in the latter part of the rearward movement of the slide-
When the fingers are thus moved forward they eject the cartridges as is indicated
in Figure 3 and come into position to prevent another cartridge following-When
the slide returns the fingers are drawn back and another cartridge drops down
into the slide-The cartridge is securely retained until the next action of the slide
for it is not until the cartridge is drawn back that it can pass out of the slot or
opening e until then the bullet end projects beyond the opening and the flange of
the cartridge is opposite a portion of the opening which is too narrow to allow it
to:pass.
Where the upper part of the cartridge holder is made separate from the base as
shown by Figures 8, 9. 10 and 11 the upper part is formed with a rim g which is
A cover h is
received into corresponding grooves in the lower part or base
provided which is pushed off in the act of sliding the upper part into its place.
The ammunition may be packed beforehand in these separate cases and the loaded

page_text: cases slidden into place on the delivering base as required-When the cartridge
holder or magazine is mounted on the gun as in Figure 11 in drawing back the
bolt of the gun towards the end of its movement acts by a projection upon it
against the stud and causes the delivery of the cartridge into the trough or
chamber in front of the bolt-Then when the bolt is next moved forward the
cartridge is pushed into the barrel and in the last part of the forward movement
another projection on the bolt pushes back the slide c.
Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim,―
First The combination of the case a with grooves or rabbits 6. b guiding the
flanges of the cartridges down into a receiver or slide c by which they are drawn
back into position to be ejected.
Second The blades or fingers f ejecting the lowest cartridges from the holder
and supporting and retaining the cartridges above.
Third The means for operating the said blades or fingers by the movement of
the slide
Fourth Cartridge holders or magazines substantially as herein described
In witness whereof I the said Thorsten Nordenfelt have hereunto set my
hand and seal this eighth day of November in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
THORSTEN
NORDENEELT
ral
HORSTEIN
NORDENEFIT
(1)