IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR MAGAZINE ATTACHMENTS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REPEATING OR MAGAZINE ATTACHMENTS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
A communication from abroad by Josef Werndl, Managing Director of the
Oesterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft, of Steyr, in the Empire of
Austria.
Scaled the 4th February 1879, and dated the 2nd October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd October 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR MAGAZINE ATTACHMENTS FOR
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS." [A communication from abroad by Josef Werndl,
Managing Director of the Oesterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft, of Steyr, in
the Empire of Austria.]
This Invention relates to repeating or inagazine attachments for breech-loading
fire-arms, which may be used as repeaters or single loaders at will. I will describe
the attachments as applied to a sliding bolt gun.
The Invention relates, first, to a cartridge magazine constructed in the form of a
curved box or tube, corresponding in cross section to the length and diameter of a
cartridge, so that the cartridges will lay therein upon one another, the form of the
magazine being slightly irregular owing to the difference of diameter of the two
ends of the cartridge. The magazine is fixed to the left side of the breech by a
tenon on the former fitting in a groove in the latter, and this end of the magazine
is closed by a sort of shutter or cartridge carrier, by which the cartridges are
successively transferred from the magazine to the gun. The magazine is closed at
the other end, and provided with a door, at which it is filled with cartridges. At
this end also is contained a spiral spring compressed when the magazine is filled
[Price 8d i

page_text: with cartridges into a small box on the magazine. This spring presses upon a pusher
or follower sliding in the magazine and serving to feed the cartridges to the carrier
as fast as it transfers them to the barrel. This follower, which may be in the form
of a roller, has pins at the ends, which run in guide slots in the front and rear of
the magazine, having notches at one end for temporarily holding the spring and
follower back whilst the magazine is being filled.
The magazine may either be curved to about a semicircle upwards and slightly
over the breech, or it may be curved completely under the gun.
Another form of magazine is a complete annulus, being a drum of slightly conical
forn traversed longitudinally by a tube connected to the rear end of the drum, in the
annular space between which and the sides of the drum the cartridges are contained.
Upon this central tube another tube is fitted to turn, the latter tube having fixed on
it a ratchet wheel, acted on by a pawl or driver on the axis of the cartridge carrier or
shutter, whereby the said tube, and with it a push plate which it carries, is rotated
to feed the cartridges to the carrier. The latter is applied at an opening in the
under side of the drum, which is fitted as before to the upper left side of the
breech.
The cartridge carrier used in connection with the above-described magazine, and
by which a single cartridge is transferred from the magazine and dropped into the
breech of the gun just in front of the sliding bolt each time said bolt is drawn back,
consists of a segment of a tube mounted to oscillate on a longitudinal axis, and
enclosed within the aperture of the magazine. It may or may not have discs at the
ends to carry the journals or pins on which it turns. The said carrier is caused to
make about a half revolution in either direction for the purpose of presenting its
concave and convex side alternately to the cartridges in the magazine by a lug on
the sliding breech bolt running in a longitudinal and partly oblique groove on the
carrier, or by said lug striking alternately against oppositely inclined surfaces near
the two ends of the carrier, in which case a spring would be applied to hold the
carrier in the one or other position. The cartridges in the magazine are received
one at a time in the concavity of the carrier, which when partly rotated transfers
the cartridge therein contained to the breech just in front of the sliding bolt. At
the same time the exit of any more cartridges from the magazine is prevented.
When the breech bolt is slid forward the cartridge carrier is turned back to its former
position in readiness to receive another cartridge.
Another arrangement of magazine consists of a steel tube corresponding in
diameter to the diameter of the cartridges and running along the left side of the
gun parallel with the barrel and fixed to the gun stock by a spring clip, so as to be
readily detached together with the repeating mechanism and be carried in a sheath
or in the knapsack, or the magazine tube alone may be detached if the repeating
mechanism is permanently attached to the gun. The front end of the tube is closed
and contains a spring pusher to feed the cartridges backwards to the breech, the
cartridges in this case laying end to end along the tube. The tube may or may not
have a longitudinal slot to guide the cartridge feeder, and it may or may not be
made in sections, united by hinge joints and spring catches, or fitted to slide tele-
scopically in one another in order to render it more portable when detached from the
gun. Instead of a single tube a bundle of say three tubes may be mounted on a
longitudinal axis, so that when one is emptied another full of cartridges may be
turned into line with the repeating mechanism and locked in that position by a
spring catch.
The repeating mechanism is located at the rear end of the magazine, and consists
of a tubular chamber at the rear end of the magazine, or it may be a portion of
the magazine itself, having a segmental part mounted to oscillate on a longitudinal
axis in an opening in said chamber, the segment being furnished with end pivots on
its outer periphery received in ears or sockets on the chamber. This segment in one
position coincides with the chamber or tube of which it forms a portion, and in its
other position it crosses the magazine and presents its concave side to the opening.
in the side of the breech at which the cartridges are introduced. When in its first

page_text: position the rearmost cartridge is free to be pushed back beneath it, and when
turned to its second position the said cartridge is transferred to the breech of the
gun at the same time that the other cartridges in the magazine are prevented from
being fed backwards until the carrier is returned to its first position. This cartridge
carrier is oscillated by a lug on the sliding breech bolt striking an inclined projection
on the carrier when it is drawn back. A spring returns the carrier to its first
position on the forward movement of the bolt. The rear end of the chamber in
which the carrier works is open, and the cartridges when fed backwards meet a
spring stop, which is moved out of the way in filling the magazines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd.
April 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR MAGAZINE ATTACHMENTS FOR
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS." A communication from abroad by Josef Werndl,
Managing Director of the Oesterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft, of Steyr, in
the Empire of Austria.
This Invention relates to repeating or magazine attachments for breech-loading
fire-arms and their mechanism for transferring the cartridges in succession from the
magazine to the barrel of the gun. These improved magazine attachments may be
made detachable, or may be permanently connected to the gun; they may be readily
refilled when exhausted, and without detaching the magazine the gun may be used
either as a repeater or as a single loader at will.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated it
in the accompanying Drawings as applied to a gun on the sliding bolt system, and I
will proceed to describe it with reference thereto.
The Invention relates, 1st, to a cartridge magazine, of which I have illustrated
two forms in rear and side elevations in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, Sheet 1.. It consists
of a curved box or case A of a size to hold a number of cartridges laying singly one
upon the other, the said box being slightly wider and deeper at the rear than at the
front, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, owing to the larger diameter of the base end of
the cartridge. This magazine is fixed to the left side of the breech B of the gun
by a tenon on it fitting in a corresponding groove in a shoulder b projecting from
the side of the breech B. This end of the magazine is closed by a sort of shutter
serving as a cartridge carrier C by which the cartridges are successively transferred
from the magazine A to the gun B, as hereafter described. The magazine is closed
at the other end and provided with a door a at which it is filled with cartridges.
At this end also is contained a spiral spring & which when the magazine is filled
with cartridges is compressed into a small box D on the magazine. This spring
-presses upon, a pusher or follower E sliding in the magazine and serving to feed the

page_text: cartridges to the carrier as fast as the latter transfers them to the barrel. This
follower E, which may be in the form of a roller, has pins e at the ends that run in
guide slots e' in the front and rear ends of the magazine A. e² are notches at one
end to receive the pins e for temporarily holding back the spring d and follower E
whilst the magazine is being filled, after which the pins are released from the
notches. The spring d is of rather larger diameter than the width of the box A,
and it is partly received in and guided by a groove or bulge A¹ in the one side of
the magazine A. w is a lever pivoted at w¹ to the outer or convex side of case A
and terminating at one end in a nib w which, when in the position shown, passes
through a slot in the case and forms a stop to prevent the cartridges being fed to
the carrier when the gun is to be loaded by hand instead of from the magazine. In
the latter case the lever is turned back until the nib w² no longer obstructs the
cartridges. It is held in either position by a spring w³ bearing against a corner
near its pivot. The magazine may either be curved upwards to about a semicircle,
as in Figures 1 and 2, or it may be rather more than a semicircle and be curved
completely under the gun stock, as in Figures 3 and 4.
Another form of magazine is illustrated in longitudinal and cross section in
Figures 5 and 6. It is in the form of a complete annulus, being a drum F of
slightly conical form traversed longitudinally by a tube f connected to the ends of
the drum. In the annular space between F and f the cartridges are contained.
Upon this central tube f as an axis, a collar G is fitted to turn, the collar having
fixed on it a flange or disc G¹ which closes at the rear the annular space in which
the cartridges are contained. It has also a ratchet wheel H fixed on it which is
acted on by a pawl or driver h on the axis of the cartridge carrier C, whereby the
said collar, and also a push plate I which it carries, is rotated to feed the cartridges
to the carrier. The pawl h is made in two parts jointed together at h' and acted
on by a spring to enable it (after moving ratchet wheel H) to yield and return past
the bevelled face of the next tooth in readiness to act. The cartridge carrier is
applied at an opening in the under side of the drum F which is fitted as before
described to the upper left side of the breech B. g is a spring catch or detent fixed
to druin F, and which falls into notches in the edge of disc G¹ to arrest the drum G
in the proper position for the cartridge to pass into the breech and prevent the
pawl when it strikes against the ratchet wheel on its return movement causing
any retrograde movement of the magazine. When the sliding bolt is drawn back
to open the breech the cartridge carrier is oscillated on its axis as hereafter
described, whereby the pawl h is raised and strikes a tooth of the ratchet wheel H,
thereby rotating the internal drum G, G', to the extent of one cartridge, the
ratchet wheel having as many teeth as there are cartridges when the magazine is
full. The cartridges are thus carried round by the pusher I until they meet a stop g¹
fixed inside the case F, whereby they are caused to pass to the carrier C and are by
it delivered successively to the breech of the gun.
The cartridge carrier used in connection with the above-described magazines is
illustrated in Sheet 2 of the Drawings, in which two modifications are shown as
applied to the cartridge magazine in Figures 7 and 8, and separately in detail in
Figures 7 and 8ª, The cartridge carrier consists of a segment of a cylinder or
tube C mounted to oscillate on a longitudinal axis and enclosed within the aperture
of the magazine A. It may or may not have discs C' at the ends, as in Figures 7, 7ª,
to carry the journals or pins c on which it turns, and the said pins c may either
.coincide with the axis of the segment C, as in Figures 7, 7ª, or they may be at the
circumference of the segment, as in Figures 8, 8. The said carrier is caused to
make about half a revolution on its longitudinal axis in either direction for the
- purpose of presenting its concave and convex sides alternately to the cartridges in the
imagazine by a lug m on the sliding breech bolt running in a longitudinal groove k
. in the convex surface of the carrier, which groove is partly oblique or helical at the
ends, as in Figures 7, 7a; or instead of running in the groove k the lug m may,
when the breech bolt is moved back and forth, strike alternately against oppositely
inclined surfaces n, n¹, at the two ends of the carrier, as in Figures 8, 8, in which

page_text: case a spring O bearing against a shoulder o on the carrier would be applied to hold
the latter in the one or other position. The cartridges in the magazine are received
one at a time in the concavity of the carrier, which when partly rotated on drawing
back the breech bolt as above described transfers the cartridge therein contained to
the breech of the gun just in front of the sliding bolt; at the same time the exit
of any more cartridges from the magazine is prevented. When the breech bolt is
slid forward the cartridge carrier is turned back to its former position in readiness
to receive another cartridge.
Another arrangement of magazine is illustrated in Sheet 3 of the Drawings.
Figures 9, 10, and 11 show elevation, plan, and end view of the magazine as applied
to a gun barrel. Figure 12 shows on a larger scale a top plan of the magazine
separately and partly in section. Figure 13 shows a side elevation and end view
of the cartridge carrier. Figures 14 and 15 show details of construction, and
Figure 16 shows a multiple form of this magazine. The magazine consists of a
steel tube P, corresponding in diameter to the diameter of the cartridges, and
running along the left side of the gun parallel with the barrel B, and fixed to the
gun stock by a spring clip p and a lug p¹, Figures 12 and 13, at the rear end
engaging with the stock. It may be readily detached together with the repeating
mechanism and be carried in a sheath or in a knapsack; or the magazine tube alone
may be detached if the repeating mechanism is permanently attached to the gun.
The front end of the tube P is closed and contains a spring Q and pusher Q¹ to
feed the cartridges backwards to the breech, the cartridges in this case lying end to
end along the tube. The tube may or may not have a longitudinal slot q,
Figure 14, to guide the cartridge feeder Q1, and it may or may not be made in
sections united by hinge joints and spring catches as in said Figure, or fitted to
slide telescopically in one another, as in Figure 15, in order to render it more
portable when detached from the gun. Instead of a single tube a set of, say three,
tubes may be mounted on a longitudinal axis r in an end plate R, as in Figure 16,
so that when one is emptied another full of cartridges may be turned into line
with the repeating mechanism and be locked in that position by a spring catch r¹.
The repeating mechanism is located at the rear end of the magazine, and consists
of a tubular chamber S (or it may be a portion of the magazine tube itself) having
a' segmental part or cover T mounted to oscillate on a longitudinal axis in an opening
in said chamber, the segment T being furnished with end pivots t on its outer
periphery which are received in ears or sockets on the chamber S. This segment
in one position coincides with the circumference of the chamber or tube S, and in
its other position it lies partly across the said chamber, its concave side being
turned towards the opening in the side of the breech B at which the cartridges are
introduced, as shown in Figure 13.
When the carrier is in its first position the rearmost cartridge is free to bo
pushed back beneath it, as shown in Figure 12, and when turned to its second
position the said cartridge is transferred to the breech of the gun, the other car-
tridges in the magazine being prevented by coming against the end of the carrier T
from being fed backwards until the carrier is returned to its first position. This
cartridge carrier T is oscillated by a lug m on the sliding breech bolt striking an
inclined projection u on the rear end of the carrier when it is drawn back. A
spring W attached to chamber S bears on the top of the carrier T and returns it to
its first position on the forward movement of the breech bolt.
The rear end of the chamber S in which the carrier T works is open, and the
cartridges, when fed backwards, meet a spring stop v, Figure 13, which is moved
out of the way when filling the magazine by depressing a thumb lever v¹ to which
it is attached. The magazine is filled by inserting the cartridges successively at the
open rear end of the magazine, thereby compressing the spring Q at the front end.
The number of cartridges which the magazine will hold depends of course upon its
length; the last cartridge inserted always lies in the chamber S just beneath the
carrier T, and on drawing back the sliding breech bolt until its lug m strikes the
projection u the carrier T is oscillated and transfers the said cartridge to the breech

page_text: of the gun, as above described. On sliding the bolt forward again to push the said
cartridge into the barrel and close the breech, the carrier is by the spring W
returned to its normal position, and the whole of the cartridges in the magazine are
moved backwards by the spring pusher until the next succeeding cartridge comes
under the carrier T and meets the stop v in readiness to be transferred to the gun at
the next time the breech bolt is drawn back. x, Figure 12, is a spring stop,
adjusted by means of a slider, for preventing the cartridges being fed to the carrier
when the gun is to be loaded by hand.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The improved cartridge magazine attachment for breech-loading guns,
constructed of the forms shown in Figures, 1, 2, 3, 4, provided with spring pusher
for feeding the cartridges, and combined with a carrier for transferring them to the
breech of the gun, substantially as specified.
.
2nd. The improved construction of annular or cylindrical cartridge magazine
attachment combined with a carrier for transferring the cartridge to the breech, and
operated substantially as described, and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.
3rd. The carriers, constructed, applied, and operated substantially as herein
described, and shown in Figures 7, 7, 8, 8a, for transferring the cartridges succes-
sively from the magazines to the gun, substantially as specified.
4th. A cartridge magazine attachment of tubular form when mounted alongside
the barrel, and provided with a carrier consisting of a cover pivoted to work in an
opening in the upper side of the magazine, substantially as described, and shown
in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
5th. The cartridge carrier mounted to work on a longitudinal axis in an opening
in the upper side of a tubular magazine, and provided with an incline to be struck
by the sliding breech bolt in order to move said carrier in one direction, and with
a spring to move it in the other direction, as specified.
6th. The combination with a tubular magazine open at the rear end and provided
with a spring pusher and oscillating carrier or cover, as herein specified, of the
spring stop v, as set forth.
7th. Constructing a tubular cartridge magazine in short lengths or sections
hinged together or fitted to slide telescopically within one another, substantially as
described, and shown in Figures 14 and 15.
8th. The combination with a single carrier or cover, mounted to work in an
opening in the upper side of a short tubular chamber as in Figures 11 and 12, of a
set of two or more magazine tubes mounted to rotate on a longitudinal axis so as
to be turned successively into line with the tubular chamber of the repeating
mechanism, substantially as described, and shown in Figure 16.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)