Improvements in and relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire Arms.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire Arms.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agonts,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to magazine or repeating fire arms of the class described in
the Specification of former Letters Patent dated May 23rd 1885 No. 6373. In
repeating fire arms of this class the cartridge, boxes each containing a certain
number of cartridges, are inserted from above into a cartridge box casing arranged
below the breech.
On closing the breech the breech bolt or plug engages with the uppermost cartridge
and carries the same into the barrel. When the cartridge box is emptied it has to be
ejected from the cartridge box casing by a movement of the hand before a fresh
cartridge box can be inserted.
The object of the present invention is to so construct the cartridge box, cartridge
box casing, and cartridge feeder or conveyer, that when the cartridge box is emptied
it falls from the cartridge box casing through an opening provided in the bottom of
the latter.
To this end the cartridge box is made approximately in the form of a parallelogram,
open at three sides; or in other words it is made of a strip of thin sheet metal bent to
a U-shape. Into this box the cartridges are inserted with their heads, the projectiles,
projecting through the open side. The sheet metal is bent inwardly at the top and
bottom of the box, so that the cartridges cannot fall out through these parts and
suitable guiding grooves or indentations are provided in the sides of the box, to
impinge on the flanges of the cartridge heads, and to guide them during the movement
of the cartridges.

page_text: The bottom of the cartridge box casing is open at the rear.
Within this casing is
arranged an elevator consisting of a lover with a suitably arranged spring bearing
against its shorter arm; while its longer arm has pivoted thereto another arm forming
a rest for the cartridges and held in contact with the same by means of a suitable
spring.
A
When a full cartridge box is inserted into the cartridge box casing, the cartridge
elevator or feeder is depressed against the spring acting against its shorter arm.
catch prevents the cartridge box from being ejected through the opening at the top of
the cartridge box casing by the elevator, and the inward bend of the upper edges of
the cartridge box coming against the sides of the uppermost cartridge prevents the
falling down of the cartridge box through the opening in the casing, the cartridges
being held up by the elevator.
When the breech bolt or plug is moved forward, it impinges against the uppermost
cartridge, the head of which is in the path of the said breech plug and pushes it into
the breech chamber of the barrel, the grooves or indentations of the sides of the
cartridge box being shaped to properly guide the uppermost cartridge in moving
forward into the barrel.
་
After the first cartridge has been fired, and the empty cartridge shell ejected by the
backward motion of the breech bolt or plug, the elevator lifts the remaining cartridges
in the cartridge box, so as to bring the second cartridge into the position which the
uppermost has previously occupied thus bringing its head into the path of the breech
bolt for enabling it to be pushed into the breech chamber by the forward movement
of the breech-bolt.
Thus all the cartridges are raised, pushed into the breech-chamber, and fired in
turn. When the last cartridge is pushed from the cartridge box the latter falls by
gravity through the opening in the rear portion of the bottom of the cartridge box
casing, the elevator being so small as to pass freely between the upper inwardly
bent edges of the cartridge box.
When it is desired to remove a cartridge box not yet emptied it is only necessary
to open the breech and to release the catch preventing the cartridge box from being
ejected through the top opening of the casing. The elevator then at once ejects the
said box upwards by its pressure against the cartridge contained therein.
Dated this 15th day of November 1886.

page_text: or grooves r r are formed on its sides for the proper guidance of the cartridge box B;
within this casing is arranged an elevator, consisting of a lever h pivoted on a pin /³
with a suitably arranged spring h¹ attached thereto, and bearing against an arm S
which is pivotally attached to the lever and forms a rest for the cartridges being
hold in contact with the same by means of the said spring h². The said lever h is also
pushed upwards by the action of a spring b.
•
When a full cartridge box is inserted into the cartridge box casing, the cartridge
elevator or feeder is depressed against the spring h³ acting against the arm s.
The cartridge box is prevented from being ejected through the opening at the top
of the cartridge box casing by the elevator by a projection 9 on the cartridge box
and a suitable catch n on a double armed lever H; and the inward bend A, 1 of the
upper edges of the cartridge box coming against the sides of the uppermost cartridge
prevents the falling down of the cartridge box through the opening in the casing, the
cartridges being held up by the before mentioned elevator.
When the breech block or plug C is moved forward it impinges against the upper-
most cartridge, the head of which is allowed to project slightly above the top of the
cartridge box and is, in the path of the said breech block, pushed into the breech
chamber C of the barrel, the grooves or indentations of the sides of the cartridge
box a, a being shaped as shewn at u, u to properly guide the uppermost cartridge in
moving forward into the barrel.
I attach to the said breech-block C any well known form of extractor.
After the first cartridge has been fired, and the empty cartridge shell ejected by the
backward motion of the breech block or plug C, the elevator lifts the remaining
cartridges in the cartridge box, so as to bring the second cartridge into the position
which the cartridge fired had occupied prior to being pushed into the breech chamber,
thus bringing its head into the path of the breech block C, and thereby allowing
it to be pushed into the breech chamber C by the forward movement of the said breech
block.
Thus all the cartridges are raised, pushed into the breech-chamber and fired in turn.
When the last cartridge is pushed from the cartridge box the latter falls by gravity
through the opening a, in the rear portion of the bottom of the cartridge box
casing A, the elevator being so small as to pass freely between the upper inwardly
bont edges of the cartridge box B.
h
When it is desired to remove a cartridge box not yet emptied it is only necessary
to open the breech and to release the catch y preventing the cartridge box from being
ejected through the top opening of the casing by pressing the lower part D of the
double armed lever H.
The elevator then at once ejects the said cartridge box upwards by its pressure
against the cartridge contained therein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The cartridge box or frame represented in Figures 3 to 5 and shown in the
magazine or casing in Figures 1 and 2, consisting of a C shaped, sheet metal plate,
embracing the cartridges at their rear part, and provided with pressed guide
grooves a a and u u with upper and lower lips and by which box or frame a
number of cartridges, (for example five) are held together in such a manner that
they can be inserted together with the frame as a hole in the magazine of a
repeating gun.
Second. The combination of such a box or frame with the construction as described
in the said former specification of a magazine casing A with a fixed feeder h the latter
being automatically compressed by the insertion from above of the box or frame filled
with cartridges.
Third. The arrangement of the elevator / pressing the cartridges against the turned
in edges i, i, and thus preventing the cartridge box or frame from dropping through
the opening r, r, in the casing substantially as set forth.

page_text: Fourth. The construction of the double-armed lever H (Figures 1 and 2) which by
means of the projection n on the upper arm holds the inserted cartridge box or frame
in its place; and which by pressure upon the lower arm D of the said lever causes
the disengagement of the projection n and allows the removal of the cartridge box
from above.
Fifth. The arrangement of the cartridge frame, according to which the elevator or
feeder is narrower than the spaces between the upper and lower lips 1, 4, and 1, 12,
thereby allowing it to move upwards without obstruction, and also permitting an
empty cartridge box or frame to fall from the casing A by its own weight.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.