Improvements in and connected with Breech Loading Repeating or Magazine Small Arms.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Breech Loading Repeating or
Magazine Small Arms.
I, MURRAY HAINES DURST, of 13 Clapham Road, in the County of London,
Gentleman, 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 invention relates to certain details in the construction of magazine small
arms of the draw bolt class.
The details consist of ;-
First. In the complete. enclosing of a cylindrical or drum shaped magazine.
within the metallic walls of the shoc mechanism in order to protect the magazine
from injury during use in warfare.
Second. In the construction of a self operating cylindrical magazine of few
parts which is simple, cheap to build, light weight, and reliable.
Third. The construction of a draw back bolt of few parts and no screws, which
is easily taken apart and assembled without tools, and which can not be assembled
except in the proper manner.
Fourth. To an improved method of cocking the striker at the last movement of
the locking lever, and to a simple method of fixing the extractor in draw bolts with
thin walls.
Fifth. In the construction of a simple charger for use with small arms to facilitate
the charging of the magazines.
Figure 1 is a sectional drawing of the mechanism of the arm showing the
magazine enclosed, and the bolt in a position to be locked by turning the lever
down.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the under flap showing the manner in which
the magazine is enclosed.
Figure 3 shows an exterior perspective view with a charger full of cartridges
ready to be pressed down into the magazine.
Figures 4, 5, and 6, illustrate the details of construction of the charger.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, 124, 12B are detail views and modifications of
various parts of the bolt and striker.
Figures 13, 14, 15, 16 represent details of the magazine.
Figure 17 shows a perspective view of an end of the magazine casing, indicating
the construction of the cradle like spring lip from the common metal of the case
and inclined part.
Figure 18 is a sectional view of Figure 17, indicating the top cartridge lying in
the spring cradle and retained in place by the edge of the casing.
For the purpose of my invention, I mill out of the under side of the shoe of a
draw bolt gun a recess to enclose half the magazine. Then I attach to the lower
side, a cover, in this particular case being in one piece with the trigger guard, and
having a corresponding recess, so that when the two are fastened together there is
a recess between them for the magazine which is thus protected on all sides by a
metallic shield and is therefore essentially as little liable to injury as any other
part of the gun. Within this recess I place a cylindrical magazine preferably of
the construction hereinafter described.
The special feature of this shoe and under cup is the protection it gives to the
magazine, and this principle may be adopted in connection with any form of draw
bolt, shoe, and any form of drum shaped magazine. No inventor has yet
attempted to protect the magazine from injury by enclosing it in walls of steel,
гр..

page_text: .
and that is the special point I provide for, so as to insure that the magazine will
always be in a condition to operate perfectly so long as the gun is in a condition
to be fired.
gun
The magazine is provided with one or two lugs extending through slots in the
walls of the casing which serve to turn the magazine in order to form a cut-off.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1, B is the shoe of the
C is the bolt D is the striker. E is the locking collar. F is the striker spring.
Gis the stop wedge. H, H, are the locking lugs on the head of the bolt. I is
the sear.
J the trigger. L is the shoulder in the bolt against which the stop
wedge impinges and which arrests the spring. M is the locking lug on the sleeve E.
N is the cocking incline cut in the striker head.
In the position of the bolt shown it is pushed forward into the chamber ready
for the bolt knob to be turned down, which causes the lugs H to rotate_behind
solid portions of the shoe, as do all draw bolts with similar locking lugs. The act
of turning down the knob causes the face of the incline N to come in contact with
the side of the sear I, and the sear being stationary the striker is "cammed"
back until the sear end comes in front of the shoulder N' of the striker head, thus
cocking the striker. When the trigger J is pulled the striker is freed, and the
spring propels it forward to explode the percussion cap in the cartridge but
just as the point reaches the front end of the draw bolt, the wedge G impinges
against the shoulder L and the spring is brought to a stop. The wedge G works
in an elongated slot (shown at O, Figure 10) so that there is room for the striker
to move forward far enough to explode the cap after the wedge G has stopped
against the shoulder L.
Just as the wedge G has been stopped and the spring arrested in its forward
motion, the forward pin P, Figure 10, emerges from the slot 7 of the sleeve E and
comes into contact with the rear of the spring F. The momentum of the moving
striker causes the pin P to compress the rear end of the spring F, which causes the
striker to rebound, so as to bring the striker point back into the bolt head, and
this is its normal position.
The striker is never cocked except by the last locking motion of the bolt knob,
hence the cartridge can never be fired except when the bolt is properly home in
its chamber.
The special construction of the bolt is as follows:-The head of the striker D.
is sectioned to fit into the bolt C, so that both bolt and striker must always revolve
together but the striker has a backward and forward motion independently of the
main bolt.
In the front of the sectioned part of the bolt head, I provide an under cut R
with a projecting lip R. Upon the striker, 1 fit a loose sleeve E, Figure 11, with
a locking lng M. In front of the sleeve is a spiral spring retained in its place by
the stop wedge G held in an elongated slot by the tension of the spring F.
Sometimes provide the sleeve E with slots 9 extending through it lengthwise,
and arrange studs or pins P, P, Figure 10, to slide in these slots in order to
prevent the sleeve from turning on the striker, and also to cause the rebound
already spoken of.
To lock the striker with its spring in the bolt, I draw the sleeve E up to the
position shown in Figure 9 and give it a partial turn to bring the sleeve in front of
the studs P P where it is held. I then insert the striker and sleeve into the main
bolt from the rear and turn the locking lug M of the sleeve until it engages
in the under cut R, Figure 7. By turning the striker head until its sectioned
part coincides with the cut away section of the bolt head; the spring F draws the
striker head forward into the position shown in Figure 1, and the sleeve is forced
back, so that the locking lug M passes behind the lip R' of the under cut R,
Figure 7; this securely locks the bolt and striker together. In order to take the
bolt apart it is only necessary to push the striker forward as far as it can go, then
the lug M of the sleeve E can be moved around until it is unlocked from the
under cut R in the bolt head, the striker is then pulled back until the studs PP,

page_text: are in the rear of the end of sleeve E. But the striker cannot be taken out of
the bolt proper until it is withdrawn from the firing chamber nor can it be done
without overcoming the spiral tension of the spring. The sleeve E and spring F
can be taken from the striker by pulling the spring back until the wedge G is free,
when it can be withdrawn through the slot O and the spring and sleeve slip
freely off. The slot O is longer than the wedge G, so that when the wedge G is
stopped by the shoulder L in the main bolt the striker is free to move forward
until the back face of the slot comes into contact with the back edge of the
wedge G. At this point also the moving head of the striker head abuts against
the bolt C and the striker is arrested.
Sometimes I dispense with the stud pins P, P, Figure 10, then in that case,
I form the spring with an elongated end as S, Figure 12. This end is slipped into
one of the slots in the sleeve E, Figure 11. The front end of the spring Fis
retained stationary by its end T engaging against the wedge G.
The spiral
tension of the spring will keep the sleeve from turning on the striker except
pressure be put on to overcome the spring.
To assemble the bolt it is only necessary to push the striker forward into the
rear of the bolt until the striker head comes in contact with the bolt, then turn
the striker head until it will slip forward into the sectioned part of the bolt and
force it forward. When it reaches the extreme forward position, the sleeve E will
be rotated, so that its lug M passes into the locking under cut R, and back behind
When I wish to
the rib or nose R, securely locking the striker into the bolt.
make the bolt safe, I pull the striker back until the point N' of the incline will
turn past the rear face of the bolt, I then turn the striker until its point N¹
engages in a corresponding recess 1, Figure 7, in the rear wall of the bolt head.
The whole tension of the spring F is exerted to keep the point N¹ securely
engaged in the recess »¹. When the striker is thus locked, the whole bolt and
striker can be manipulated in inserting and ejecting cartridges from the magazine,
or singly, while there is no possibility of an accidental discharge. This is one of
the special features of this bolt, and all other bolts have ever seen or heard
of can not be manipulated when the safety device is locked. This is of importance
in drilling as live cartridges can be run through the magazine without danger.
A.s
The extractor I use is shown in Figures 12 and 12", at the rear end and sides it is
bevelled as shown at V, and U. Near the front end is a stud W. In the
extractor way, of the bolt shown in Figure 7, are an incline V, and an under
cut U, Figure 8 also a hole W to correspond with the inclines and lug
on the
extractor. In fixing the extractor, it is inserted from the front of the bolt the
bevelled edges U being held down under the under cut U in the bolt.
the extractor is pressed home the hevelled end V begins to ride up the incline V',
Figure 7, in the bolt, the lug W then snaps into the hole Wand fixes the extractor
in the bolt. During the manipulation of the bolt and the action of the extractor to
withdraw cartridges, the lug W never comes completely out of the hole W, so
that this lug is made to do all the work of resisting the pull of the cartridge.
The construction of shoe 1 show is adapted to enclose and protect any form of
cylindrical or drum shaped magazine, but the magazine I use is preferably made
as follows-it consists of an outer casing in which one end is removable and has a
hollow shaft projecting inwardly to meet the other end. In Figure 1, the magazine
is shown in section in which a is the detachable end, b is the shaft extending
Around the
inwardly to meet the small end to which it is fastened by a screw e.
inside edge of the loose end a is cut a V groove 1, Figure 15, into which the
casing c fits, so that when the screw e is tightened, the end a and casing c are bound
rigidly together.
In one or both ends of this casing, I form collars d, d, Figures 1 and 15. These
collars support the ends of the cartridges and are an essential part of the magazine,
otherwise the cartridges would fall inwards and obstruct the spring. I cut a slot
in one side of the magazine case and turn down the flap j, Figure 14, to form an

page_text: incline plane, up which the cartridges are pushed to the bolt cavity. Near the
head end, cut transverse slits k, k, Figure 14, I then form the space between
the points, Figure 14, just a little too narrow to admit a cartridge freely. The
outer casing being of sheet metal, preferably steel or brass, there is a certain
amount of inherent elasticity in the cylindrical sides, so that the points i, i,
Figure 14, will readily give, so that cartridges can be forced straight down into the
magazine. By regulating the size of the slot n in relation to the cartridge used,
any desired resistance will be given by the spring lips i, i.
In another form of casing, I fashion a spring table or lip, preferably of a
cradle shape, from the metal of the casing f". The construction is shown in
Figures 17 and 18, in which e is the body of the casing, y is the part turned down
to form the incline, and is the table or lip turned up, which serves as a cradle to
hold the top cartridge in position for the bolt to push into the chamber.
I form my retaining lip preferably of a cradle shape, as shown in Figure 17 and
in section in Figure 18 where the cartridge is outlined as held between the
edge of the casing and the cradle spring . This cradle spring can be of any
suitable length up to the inside length of the magazine. The special feature of
this construction, is forming the table or lip out of the metal of the casing,
and of a circular shape so as to form a retaining cradle for the first cartridge.
Upon the inwardly extending shaft b, Figures 1 and 15, I arrange a combined
spring and cartridge pusher preferably of the form shown in Figure 13, which
has a long coil for encircling the shaft, with an end turned down to hook into
a hole in the shaft the other end is formed into an arm 7 which serves to push
the cartridges and against which the last cartridge in the magazine lies.
This end is continued and formed into a loop which encircles and slides freely
around the front end of the shaft b.
To assemble the magazine, the screw e is taken out of the casing, the loose end a
and shaft is withdrawn, the spring is slipped over it, the point p being set into a
hole in the wall of the shaft and the loop / encircling one end of the shaft, and
the whole inserted into the casing. The pusher part of the spring then impinges
against the turned down flap of the casing, and by turning the loose head a and
shaft any desired tension can be put upon the operating spring f. The screw e
being now screwed up the magazine is ready for operation.
I show and claim other forms of combined springs and pushers in my application
No. 18516 of 1891, which are equally applicable to this magazine. The special
feature and utility of these springs are that they act directly upon the column of
cartridges.
Other inventors employ spiral springs in cylindrical cases in numerous ways but in
cach case the spring acts upon a pusher revolving carrier, or other intermediary
which acts upon the cartridges.
By the direct action of the spring I very much simplify the construction of the
magazine and do away with all'interior parts. The essential parts of my magazine
being the casing with supporting collars, d and delivery orifice na spring pusher g
and its supporting shaft b.
This construction of magazine is best adapted to rimless cartridges but when the
cartridges have rims I prevent the projecting rims from catching upon one another
by encircling the collar d in the head end a of the case c with a loose star sleeve Z,
Figure 15 and 16, so segmented as to effectually hold the heads of the rim
cartridges apart from one another. By this means rim cartridges are operated in
this magazine as smoothly and freely as rimless ones.
Figure 16 shows this star sleeve in perspective, and Figure 15 its application in
the casing, in which the sleeve Z is shown encircling the collar d of the end
casing a. The sleeve turns freely upon the collar d, and is retained from slipping
off by the shoulder d' of the shaft .
The collars in the ends of the case whereby the cartridges are supported; the
special forms of mouth whereby the inherent spring in the casing is utilized the

page_text: application of the spring pusher direct to the cartridges; and the star sleeve for
separating the heads of rim cartridges, are all special features of my automatic
magazine.
This magazine is extremely simple and cheap to make. There is no possibility
of the cartridges jamming and it gives the greatest capacity with the least amount
of substance.
The magazine is arranged in the enclosed recess of the shoe, so that it can be
turned as far as necessary to bring the throat and a closed portion alternately under
the exit slot in the shoe. The motion is limited by any suitable spring stop as at m,
Figure 1.
When it is desired to use the gun as a single loader, the closed portion of the
casing is turned up, and the magazine is securely closed against all access of foreign
matter.
In order to turn the magazine from the outside, suitable milled lugs or faces »,
Figures 3 and 14, are attached and which project through slots of the cover A and
shoe B Figures 2 and 3 as shown, so that the magazine can be readily rotated to
open the throat a or to close it as the shut off.
The magazine being enclosed and protected on all sides by the shoe, it is
secure from all accidental injury. This liability to become disabled is the worst.
objection to existing fixed forms of magazines, which are otherwise the most satis-
factory in use. This feature of enclosing a magazine in a metallic shield so as to
make it secure from injury is also a special feature of this invention.
The magazine is perfect in itself and feeds the cartridges automatically up to and
within the travel of the bolt of the gun, and this magazine could be used as a
detachable magazine or cartridge feeder as well as a non-detachable one.
In connection with my small arm, 1 use a charger or filler Q shown on an
enlarged scale in Figures 4, 5, and 6 consisting of a strip of metal with side
grooves of such a width, that the flanges on the heads of the cartridges will
slide freely in them, points t, t, Figures 3, 4, and 5 projecting inwardly prevent the
cartridge from sliding out. These obstructing points may be springy to yield
when pressure is brought to bear on them; or the charger may be made of inelastic
metal like tin, in which case a point or flap of metal ¹, Figure 6, would be turned
down over the end cartridges to hold them in, the retaining points or flaps t' being
broken or pressed away, as the cartridges are forced past them.
I wish to state that my charger is radically different from the similar formed
clips or charges claimed by P. Manser in his Patent No. 12689 of 1888, and by
Ferdinand Mannlicher in his Patent No. 9773 in the year 1889.
Both these chargers or clips depend upon, an elastic property in the frame or
springs attached thereto which is exerted upon the heads or rims, or bodies of
the cartridges to retain them in place. In the chargers claimed under both of
these Patents, there is always an elastic pressure upon the bases of the
cartridges, to press them against the walls of the grooves. In my charger the
cartridge flanges lodge freely in them, there being no elastic pressure upon
the cartridges while they are held in the chargers.
The stop points t simply prevent the cartridges from passing out except when
pressure is exerted.
In some cases, the cartridges may be retained by pasting a strip of any suitable
material over the ends of the charger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The enclosing under the bolt chamber of a small arm of a cylindrical or drum
shaped cartridge magazine, so that the magazine is protected on all sides by a
metallic shield substantially as and for the purposes described, and shown in the.
drawings.

page_text: 2. The construction of a drawback bolt, so that the striker has a back and forth
travel independently of the main bolt, but so that the striker and main bolt must
revolve together, substantially as and for the purpose shown.
3. In a draw back bolt of a small arm, the sleeve E, for locking the striker into
the main bolt by a bayonet joint, and for causing the rebound of the striker
substantially as and for the purpose shown.
4. The construction of the striker spring, Figure 12, of a draw back bolt, so that
a sleeve like E, locking by a bayonet joint is prevented from unlocking by the
spiral tension of the spring, substantially as shown.
5. The pins or studs P, P, Figure 10, travelling in slots in a sleeve encircling
the striker of a draw bolt for a small arm and fixed in the main bolt for coming in
contact with the striker spring to cause the rebound of the striker, substantially as
and for the purpose shown.
6. In a draw back bolt of a small arm, the stop wedge G in combination with the
slot O, Figure 10, and the shoulder L, Figures 1 and 7, for causing the rebound of
the striker, as described.
7. In a draw back bolt of a small arm, the wedge G in combination with the
slot O, Figure 10, and a spiral spring such as F for retaining the spring upon the
striker, substantially as shown.
8. In a draw back bolt of a small arm, the camming back in cocking against the
sear of the striker in locking the bolt, substantially as and for the purpose shown.
9. In a draw back bolt of a small arm, the inclined plane V', Figure 7, in com-
bination with under cut edges U¹, Figure 8, hole W, Figure 7, and oppositely
inclined plane V, bevelled edge U and lng W on the extractor for fixing the
extractor into thin walls of draw back bolts, as shown.
10. The construction of the outer casing of a cylindrical or drum shaped
magazine for use in small arms with inwardly projecting collars on one or both
ends to support the cartridges by their ends in a circular layer, substantially as
and for the purpose shown.
11. The construction of a self operating cylindrical or drum shaped cartridge
magazine in such manner that the operating spring acts directly upon the cartridges
to force them toward the delivery orifice substantially as and for the purpose
shown.
12. The construction of a combined spring and cartridge pusher for use in
cylindrical cartridge magazines in which the spring and pusher acts directly upon
the cartridges to cause them to rotate toward the delivery orifice, substantially as
and for the purpose shown.
13. The use of a star sleeve turning upon a collar in the end of the casing for
separating the heads of the cartridges, substantially as and for the purpose shown.
14. The construction of the outside casing of a cylindrical or drum shaped
magazine, so that the inherent elasticity in the metal retains the top cartridge in its
proper position to the bolt, and yet allows cartridges to be pushed sideways into
the magazine when filling it, without the use of specially prepared spring lips
substantially as shown in Figure 14.
15. The formation from the metal of the casing of an arresting table or lip
Figures 17 and 18, preferably of a curved or cradle shape to hold the top cartridge
in position, substantially as shown.
16. The turning upon its longitudinal axis of an enclosed cylindrical magazine
under the bolt chamber of a small arm, so that a closed portion of the casing shall
be opposite the exit orifice of the shoe to form a cut off, substantially as shown.
17. In combination with a magazine small arm, a charger or filler for holding a
series of cartridges by their heads, in which there is no elastic tension exerted
either on the heads or bodies of the cartridges; but in which the cartridges can
move freely in the guide grooves and are only prevented from passing out of one
or both ends by obstructing points, or other equivalent device on the ends, which
retain the cartridges in the guide groove until pressure is used to cause them to

page_text: overcome the obstructions and leave the charger, substantially as and for the
purpose shown.
Dated this 14th day of January 1899
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Murray Haines Dursi.