Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1887 -
Complete Left, 12th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate mainly to quick firing breech loading guns which are
mounted on carriages such as described in a former Patent granted to me No. 1751
in the year 1886 or on similar carriages in which the gun slides backwards in a
cradle when recoiling and which are provided with a shoulder piece against which
the gunner who directs the aim rests his shoulder when aiming.
In order to allow of such guns being fired by the gunner pulling a trigger the
moment that the gun is correctly aimed on the object without the gunner having first
to take his hand off the trigger guard and without fear of his hand being damaged
by the recoiling gun I place the trigger guard and handle in such a position that
the gunner can grip and hold them with one hand and I carry them upon a slide
which can slide lengthwise of the gun and which is pressed back by a spring so that
they are not carried backward with the gun when the gun recoils-consequently the
gunner's hand will not be driven back with nearly the same speed or violence as the
recoiling gun and injury to the hand will be avoided.
The trigger itself may either be allowed to go back with the recoiling gun or it
may be carried by the slide as well as the trigger guard and handle.
In this latter case the trigger is carried by a short axis mounted on the slide.
When the breech is closed and this slide is in its backward position this axis is
made to come in a line with another short axis carried by the gun in rear of the
breech mechanism—this short axis has on it an arm which when the axis is turned is
made to descend on to the tail end of the trigger lever and by depressing it to liberate
the striker.
Another arm projecting downwards from the axis comes in rear of an arm on the
axis of the trigger so that when the trigger is pulled and its axis thereby turned the
axis in line with it turns also and the gun is fired. On the recoil taking place the
slide carrying the trigger slides forward along the gun and the hand of the gunner'
is consequently not driven back with the same or with nearly the same speed or
violence as the recoiling gun.
If the trigger is carried by the gun and not by the slide it will when the gun
recoils move backwards away from the gunners finger without hurting it.
101
1087

page_text: Improvements in Quick Firing Guns.
I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT, of 53 Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil 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 :-
My improvements relate mainly to quick firing breech loading guns which are
mounted on carriages such as described in a former Patent granted to me No. 1751 in
the year 1886 or on similar carriages in which the gun slides backwards in a cradle
when recoiling and which are provided with a shoulder piece against which the
gunner who directs the aim rests his shoulder when aiming.
In order to allow of such guns being fired by the gunner pulling a trigger the
moment that the gun is correctly aimed on the object without the gunner having first
to take his hand off the trigger guard and without fear of his hand being damaged by
the recoiling gun I place the trigger guard and handle in such a position that the
gunner can grip and hold them with one hand and I carry them upon a slide which
can slide lengthwise of the gun and which is pressed back by a spring so that they
are not carried backward with the gun when the gun recoils-consequently the gunner's
hand will not be driven back with nearly the same speed or violence as the recoiling
gun and injury to the hand will be avoided.
The trigger itself may either be allowed to go back with the recoiling gun or it
may be carried by the slide as well as the trigger guard and handle.
In this latter case the trigger is carried by a short axis mounted on the slide.
When the breech is closed and this slide is in its backward position this axis is
made to come in a line with another short axis carried by the gun in rear of the
breech mechanism-this short axis has on it an arm which when the axis is turned is
made to descend onto the tail end of the trigger lever or sear and by depressing it to
liberate the striker.
Another arm projecting downwards from the axis comes in rear of an arm on the
axis of the trigger so that when the trigger is pulled and its axis thereby turned the
axis in line with it turns also and the gun is fired. On the recoil taking place
the slide carrying the trigger slides forward along the gun and the hand of the gunner
is consequently not driven back with the same or with nearly the same speed or
violence as the recoiling gun.
If the trigger is carried by the gun and not by the slide it will when the gun
recoils move backwards away from the gunner's finger without hurting it.
In the drawing annexed I have shown my invention applied to a breech loading
gun of the kind in which the breech piece turns on a centre below the breech and has
upon the back of it a wedge which locks it in its place.
The axis receives motion by a lever handle and by a slotted arm it actuates both the
block and wedge.
In opening the breech the axis by its rotation first causes the wedge to be drawn

page_text: downwards and then carries both it and the breech block round until the breech is
opened.
Breech loading guns of this description are now well known and are described in
the Specification of a former Patent granted to me.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the breech end of the gun with the breech open.
Figure 2 a side elevation with the breech closed and most of the parts in section.
Figure 3
a part plan view with the breech closed.
A is the breech block carried by the axis B on which is the lever handle C-D is
the wedge at the back of the breech block-E is the striker or hammer passing through
the breech block and pressed forwards by the spring F-G is a sear lever by which the
hammer is held back when cocked-H a spring acting on this lever. At the time when
the breech is opened the hammer is drawn back to its cocked position by an incline D'
on the wedge D-I is a short axis carried in a bearing in a block J which is bolted to
the breech end of the gun. Separate views of the block J are shewn at Figures 4, 5
and 6. K is a slide carrying the trigger guard and handle it has a projection K¹
standing up from it which passes into a corresponding slot formed longitudinally in
the lower part of the breech of the gun and can slide backwards and forwards therein―
L is a spring in this slot by which the slide K is pressed backwards until arrested by
a descending arm J of the block J. Separate views of the slide are shown at
Figures 7, 8 and 9. Across the upper face of the slide is a slot which forms a
bearing for the trigger axis M-separate views of the trigger axis are shown at
Figures 10 and 11.
It has the trigger finger M' descending from it at one end and at the other end an
arm M². This arm comes in front of a corresponding arm I' on the axis I so that when
the trigger axis is turned the axis I turns with it-On the axis I is a second arm I²
which when the breech is closed comes above the rear end of the sear lever G and
when the trigger is pulled forces downwards this end of the lever and sets the hammer
free to be thrown forwards by its spring. Separate views of the axis I are shown at
Figures 12 and 13. On the gun recoiling the slide K with the trigger guard and
handle are not carried back with it and the hand of the gunner is relieved from shock
as above explained.
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. Carrying the trigger guard and handle of the firing mechanism of a quick firing
gun by a slide capable of sliding forwards lengthwise of the gun.
2. Carrying the trigger, trigger guard and handle on a slide capable of sliding
forwards lengthwise of the gun and forming the trigger axis in two lengths one with
the trigger finger upon it carried by the slide and the other with an arm upon it
for acting on the sear of the firing mechanism and carried by the gun.
3. The construction of the firing mechanism of breech loading guns substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
Dated this 0th day of Tanna 1888