Improvements in Automatic Fire-arms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1894-Accepted, 5th Feb., 1895
Improvements in Automatic Fire-arms.
I, FERDINAND RITTER VON MANNLICHER, Gentleman, residing in Getreide-
markt 10, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
In the automatic fire arms, heretofore constructed and known, the breech bolt
is either operated by the rearward movement of the sliding barrel, the latter
receiving this rearward impulse by the recoil of the shot, or the barrel is stationary
and the breech bolt receives its rearward impulse by the shot directly. In both
cases the breech bolt receives its forward, or closing impulse by a spring, and in
the former case, where the barrel is also moveable, this latter is also provided with
a spring for bringing it again into its forward position after it has been moved
rearward by the recoil of the shot.
In my new improved automatic fire arm, I employ no breech bolt at all, and the
barrel receives a forward impulse by the shot and is carried rearward by a
spring.
:-
My improved fire arm, which may be a rifle, pistol, gun or cannon, either for
single loading or fitted with a magazine, merely consists of the barrel, which is
sliding and abuts with its rear or chamber-end against a rigid tail plate, and of
the firing mechanism, which may be of any desired and known construction. By
preference I employ a common hammer lock. The barrel, as already stated is
provided with a suitable spring for pressing it against the tail plate.
The operation of my improved automatic fire arm is the following:
The barrel being pushed forward with the hand, either a single cartridge is
introduced or the magazine is charged. A cartridge being introduced into the
chamber, the barrel is allowed to be moved back by its spring, which presses it
with its end and the bottom of the cartridge against the aforesaid rigid tail plate.
Upon the trigger being pulled, the hammer or firing pin strikes forward and with
its point through a small aperture in the tail plate, so as to explode the cartridge.
As the shot is being fired, the barrel thereby receives a forward impulse, sufficient
to move it forward by the length of the cartridge shell, which is at the same time
Under the influence
ejected by any of the well known devices for this purpose.
of its spring the barrel is now again moved rearward, and, when a magazine is
employed, the feeder of the latter has brought the next cartridge in line and on a
level with the receding barrel, which will thus take up this cartridge and the arm
is ready for the next shot. The striking mechanism, hammer, firing-pin etc., may
be cocked by hand, or automatically by being suitably connected with the sliding
barrel.
Instead of merely using a smooth tail plate, I may form the same into a cap or
casing, and provide the barrel at its rear end, similarly to the breech bolt in one of
my former Patents, with one, two or more locking studs or lugs, which turn into
suitable grooves or recesses in the aforesaid cap or casing. These grooves or
recesses are of such form, that they will first permit the entrance of said lugs on
the barrel, and then conduct said lugs into the transverse part of these recesses,
thereby giving a locking turn to the barrel. The lugs as well as the passage of
the longitudinal grooves or recesses into the transverse ones of the cap or casing
must be sufficiently inclined or rounded off to permit of being disengaged by the

page_text: force of the shot, but must at the same time offer a sufficient resistance. In the
closing or locking movement the barrel spring may be made to assist in the required
turning of the barrel.
Jah d... of Wahnuo 1901
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Associate Agent.
I, FERDINAND RITTER VON MANNLICHER, Gentleman, residing in Getreide-
markt 10, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, do hereby declare the nature of my
said 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 that class of fire arms in which the opening of the breech
and other functions of the mechanism are operated automatically by the force of the
shot. In the automatic fire arms known heretofore, either a sliding barrel is employed
which, together with the breech bolt, is driven back by the recoil of the shot and
moved forward again into its normal position by a spring or by the closing breech
bolt or the barrel is stationary and only the breech bolt is driven back by the
recoil and closed again by a spring.
In the automatic fire arm to be herein described no sliding breech bolt or
movable breech block is employed but only a rigid-tail or buttplate which alone
receives the recoil of the shot, while the barrel, in consequence of the reaction,
receives a forward impulse, following which it leaves the buttplate and slides
forward a certain length of way. The normal, closed position of the barrel
therefore is not the forward one as in other automatic fire arms, but the rearmost
position, in which it is held by a suitable spring.
Contrary to all automatic fire arms known, the barrel of the fire arm of my
present invention is driven forward by the firing of a shot and moved back again
into its normal position by a spring which has been compressed during the forward
movement.
This construction may be applied to fire arms of various kinds. In small fire
arms, such as for instance in pistols or light rifles, the barrel may have a straight
forward and backward motion and may freely rest with its end against the rigid butt-
plate, without any locking device whatever being required, the pressure of the
spring and the moment of inertia of the barrel offering sufficient resistance at the
moment of the firing of a shot to ensure correct and safe operation of the mechanism.
In fire arms using heavier charges, a greater resistance to the forward impulse
of the barrel is secured by giving the barrel a rotary movement and by providing
it at its rear end with a locking stud or studs, and the receiver near the butt-plate
with corresponding locking grooves.
By way of example I have shown in the annexed drawings a rifle constructed
in this latter manner.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of this rifle in open position.
Fig. 2 shows the same in its closed position.
Fig. 3 shows the rear end of the barrel.
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the receiver, the stock and other parts being
removed.
Fig. 5 is a cross section through the receiver on line A-B of Figure 1.
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are details of the mechanism.
Fig. 10 shows in section the rear end of the barrel and the butt plate fitted for
cartridges without metallic shells.
In all figures similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

page_text: The improved mechanism essentially consists of the sliding barrel L, spring F,
and butt plate S. The receiver G is closed at its rear end by the butt plate S,
and to the forward end of the receiver is attached a tube or casing R in which the
barrel L is guided and which contains the spring F. At its rear part the barrel L
is provided with one, two or more locking lugs W, W, which are shaped or placed
in the manner of screw-threads, and which fit into corresponding grooves or
recesses n, n in the receiver. When, through the firing of a shot, the barrel
receives its forward impulse, the pitch of the locking studs W, W in the recesses n, n
will cause the barrel to perforin a rotary movement, for instance of 90°, whereby
said studs are turned out of their recesses in the receiver. As soon as studs W, W
have left recesses n, n the barrel will be carried forward by its momentum in
rectilinear direction until it is arrested by a suitable stop in the receiver or in the
guide tube R, as shown.
In this forward movement the barrel has compressed spring F, and as soon
as the forward movement of the former is arrested, spring F will drive the
barrel back against the butt plate S, while studs W, W will give the barrel its
The described
locking turn, as soon as they engage into their recesses n, n.
opening rotation of the barrel, as caused by the studs W, W, in recesses n, n may
either be assisted or retarded, according to the direction of the rifling in the
barrel, by the rotary tendency imparted to the barrel by the projectile moving in
the rifling.
As already stated, the barrel may also be used without any locking device, in
which case its movement will of course, only be a rectilinear one, but otherwise
the operation or construction of the described mechanism will not in any way be
altered.
For opening and closing the barrel by hand, a knob or handle x is provided. A
fire arm of the kind described may be used as a single loader, but as a matter of
course it is by preference provided with a magazine. In the annexed drawing I
have shown a magazine M disposed underneath the receiver, but any other kind of
magazine may be used.
By way of example I have also shown a firing mechanism, the cocking of which
is effected automatically by the movement of the barrel.
This mechanism consists of a slide g disposed underneath the receiver and provided
at its rear end with a striker or firing pin h, fitting into a central hole in the butt-plate.
At its forward end the said slide g is provided with a cocking stud i and, in order
to permit free access to the magazine underneath the receiver, slide g is suitably
cut out or forked as indicated by Figure 7. In the tail piece of the receiver is
housed the firing spring k, which has the tendency to drive slide g into its forward
position. The barrel is provided upon its under surface with a recess 1, which
receives the cocking studi, when the barrel is in its closed position. When the
barrel is turned for unlocking it, the forward inclined surface of recess
operates upon stud i in such manner that slide g is forced backward and the firing
spring is compressed. In this, cocked, position as shown in Fig. 1 the slide is
arrested by the trigger mechanism which will be described later on.
As this cocking movement has been completed before the barrel has finished its
unlocking rotation, the cocking stud i having arrived at the narrow end of the
recess shown in Figure 3, this narrow end of recess will operate against the
correspondingly inclined side of stud i as the unlocking rotation of the barrel is
continued, so that stud i is forced from recess 7, whereby slide g is at this end
depressed by the height of stud i. Slide g is guided with its rear end sufficiently
free in the receiver to permit this downward swing of its forward end. This
forward end of slide g, when in its horizontal position, is supported by and moved in
a groove or seat m in the receiver. At the point where slide g has to perform its
downward movement, groove m terminates in a recess or step m' into which the
end of the slide may drop, so that the barrel can freely slide over studi in its
continued forward movement.
As the barrel is returning in its locked position its recess again arrives above

page_text: cocking stud i, and the slide g which has, by the before described movement, been
cocked somewhat beyond the point at which the sear will arrest it, is now driven
forward to this latter point by its spring k.
The forward end of part of slide g being chamfered as indicated in the drawing,
this incline sliding against the shoulder formed by step m¹ will cause the forward
part i, of the slide g to rise again into the seat m as slide g performs this forward
movement. Slide g now again occupies its horizontal position and, when released
by the trigger, can strike forward, so that its pin h will explode the cartridge.
9
The trigger mechanism consists of the trigger Z to which is pivoted a hook z,
which is held in upright position by a suitable spring. The sear o, which is
pivoted in the receiver, or in the magazine frame as shown in the drawing
terminates at its rear end in a hook which is held in raised position by a suitable
spring. In their normal position hook of the trigger is in engagement with the
hook of sear o, when, however, slide 9 occupies its forward, uncocked position, a
shoulder g' of the latter bears against hook and keeps the same out of engagement
with the hook of sear o. When the slide y is drawn to the rear and cocked in the
manner already described, hook at first is liberated only so far, that it will rest
against the lower side of sear o, without, however, engaging into the hook of the
latter, which is also kept depressed by slide 9. After this rearward, cocking
movement of slide 9 has been completed, sear o becomes free to rise with its rest o¹
against the rest g" of slide 9, whereby the latter is arrested in its cocked position,
while at the same time hook z can engage with the hook of the sear o.
If, now,
the trigger is pulled, its hook z draws the sear o downward by its hook and releases
the slide g.
An untimely release of slide g, and a thereby accidental discharge of the shot
before the barrel is locked is prevented by the position of part of slide 9 in
the step or recess m¹ in the receiver, which it cannot leave until stud i has
entered recess of the barrel, that is until the latter has completed its locking
movement.
When the magazine is to be charged, the barrel has to be opened by hand and
pushed forward; in order to keep the barrel in this position a recess p is provided
in the interior of the receiver, as shown in Figure 6. The barrel spring F having
a tendency to turn the barrel to the right, will cause one of the locking studs W to
enter and be caught in this recess p, whereby the barrel is arrested in this position.
After the magazine has been charged, a slight turn to the left given to the barrel
will suffice to clear lug W from recess p, whereupon the barrel will be driven back
against the end or butt-plate S and locked by its spring. The end or butt-plate
is provided with an extractor r and an ejectors of known construction.
The rear
end of the barrel may be provided with an inclined surface t for loosening the
cartridge shells in the usual manner (Fig. 8).
If in the fire arm herein described cartridges are to be used which are not of
metal, but the shells of which are of a material which will burn or explode together
with the charge, the device shown in Fig. 10 may be employed. This consists of a
cup shaped piece P tightly inserted into the butt or end-plate S and by preference
made of platina. The rear or chamber end of the barrel is bored out so as to fit tightly
over the said cup P, the conical form of cup P serving to prevent the escape of
gas to the rear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. In automatic fire arms, the combination with a sliding barrel of a rigid end
or butt-plate S for the barrel to rest against, and of a spring F for driving the
barrel back against said butt or end-plate after it has been thrown forward by the
firing of a shot.
2. In automatic fire arms, the combination with a sliding barrel having one or
more inclined locking studs W, of a rigid end or butt-plate S having one or more

page_text: correspondingly inclined locking grooves or recesses n, and of a spring F for driving
the barrel back against said butt or end-plate after it has been thrown forward by
the firing of a shot.
3. In automatic fire arms, the combination with a sliding barrel having one or
more inclined locking studs W, of a rigid end or butt-plate S have one or more
correspondingly inclined locking grooves or recesses n, and of a spring F for driving
the barrel back against said butt or end-plate and for imparting to the barrel a
turning movement after it has been thrown forward by the firing of a shot.
4. In automatic fire-arms, the combination with a sliding barrel, a rigid butt or
end-plate and a spring for driving the barrel back against said end-plate after the
firing of a shot, of a conical, cup shaped closing piece P inserted into said end or
butt-plate and fitting into the end of the barrel.
g
5. In automatic fire arms of the kind herein described, a firing or striking device
consisting of a slide 9 carrying at its rear end the firing pin and near its forward
end a cocking stud i, in combination with a recess upon the surface of the barrel
for operating the rearward movement of slide g and with a spring k for driving
slide g forward again, substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
6. In automatic fire arms of the kind herein described, a trigger device con-
sisting of the trigger Z with a spring-operated hook z pivoted thereto and of a
sear o pivoted in the gun and provided with a hook, suited to engage with hook z
when the striking slide is cocked, substantially as described and shown in the
drawing.
7. In automatic fire arms of the kind described herein, a device for preventing
the untimely discharge of the piece, consisting of a groove or seat m in which the
forward end of slide g is guided and of a step or recess m¹ into which said end i¹
may sink when depressed by locking stud i as it leaves its recess in the barrel,
substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
8. In automatic fire arms of the kind herein described, a device for retaining the
barrel in its open position, when opened by hand, consisting of a recess p in the
receiver into which a locking stud may turn and be caught, until again released by
giving the barrel a turn to the opposite side, substantially as described and shown
in the drawing.
Dated the 3rd day of December 1894..
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
London, Chartered Patent Agent.