Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 8th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th July, 1888
1 PIERRE AMBJÖRN COMTE DE SPARRE of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to repeating fire arms in which a magazine is employed
containing a certain number of cartridges intended to be fired successively. The
improvements have reference more especially to the Mannlicher military magazine or
repeating rifle. This gun has a small magazine containing five cartridges which is
placed in a metallic casing or receptacle under the gun and formed in a piece with
the trigger-guard. There are several objections to this gun; among others it does
not allow of a cartridge being fired without drawing on the supply contained in the
magazine, and when this supply is exhausted, that is to say: when the five cartridges
have been fired, the magazine, which is a jacket or holder of sheet steel, escapes from
its position and falls to the ground. The magazine with its five cartridges when
introduced into the gun presses upon a spring which it compresses sufficiently to
enable the magazine to be entirely received within the metallic casing or receptacle ;
it is retained therein by means of a hook or catch. The cartridges brought by the
spring to the appropriate height are pushed by the movable breech bolt or block into
the barrel. But it is not possible to fire a cartridge independently of the magazine
and to reserve the charge in this for an opportune time, and, as I have already
mentioned, when the cartridges in the magazine have all been fired it is no longer
retained in its casing and slides out and falls.
Now to obviate these objections I fit on either the right or left side of the magazine
casing or receptacle a spring held at one end by a screw and carrying at the other end
a push-pin which passes transversely through the trigger-guard plate and projects at
the other side. This spring has a spur or projection which passes through the side of
the magazine receptacle and enters one or other of two holes or notches in the side of
the magazine. When it is wished to fire a cartridge from the magazine, the magazine
must be pressed so as to make the spur engage with the lower of the two holes therein
and the cartridges will then be brought automatically in front of the breech bolt and
be pushed into the barrel. When on the other hand it is wished to fire one or more
cartridges independently of the magazine, the spring that pushes up the cartridges
DQ17

page_text: must be compressed, and the spur then engaging with the upper hole in the magazine
the cartridges therein will be held below the breech bolt and leave this free to pass in
order to fire cartridges introduced by hand into the breech chamber. As soon as it is
desired to make use of the cartridges in the magazine the push-pin on the side spring
is pressed so as to release the spur from the upper hole of the magazine; the
cartridges are then forced up by the ordinary spring to position to be pushed
singly by the breech bolt into the barrel.
In order to withdraw the magazine and its cartridges from the gun without firing
them, it is sufficient to press successively on the end of the spring-hook that holds
the magazine in place and then on the push-pin; the magazine is then pushed up
by the ordinary spring and is received in the band.
In order to supply a fresh magazine when the magazine charge is exhausted, a
slight pressure is exerted on the push-pin and the empty magazine falls into the
hand held under the trigger-guard to receive it. If it is not wished to preserve the
empty magazine it is simply left to be pushed out by the new magazine when this is
being put into place.
Instead of the side spring with spur and the two side holes in the magazine as above
described, two progressive notches or holes may be formed in the back of the magazine
to receive the spring hook that holds the magazine in place.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Magazine or Repeating Fire Arms.
I PIERRE AMBJÖRN COMTE DE SPARRE of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France,
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 invention relates to repeating fire arms in which a magazine is employed
containing a certain number of cartridges intended to be fire: successively. The
improvements have reference more especially to the Mannlicher military magazine or
repeating rifle. This gun has a small magazine containing five cartridges which is
placed in a metallic casing or receptacle under the gun and formed in a piece with
the trigger guard. There are several objections to this gun; among others it does
not allow of a cartridge being fired without drawing on the supply contained in the
magazine, and when this supply is exhausted, that is to say: when the five cartridges
have been fired, the magazine, which is a jacket or holder of sheet steel, escapes from
its position and falls to the ground. These objections are overcome by means of the
improvements which are hereinafter described. Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of
a Mannlicher rifle constructed with my improvements. Figure 2 is a plan of the
trigger guard and of the casing containing the magazine. Figures 3 and 4 are detail
views.
In the Mannlicher gun the magazine a (Figures 2 and 4) with its five cartridges
when introduced into the gun presses upon a spring b in the metal casing d and jointed
at c; it compresses this spring sufficiently to enable the magazine to be entirely
received within the metallic casing or receptacle in the chamber or part f; it is
retained therein by means of a spring hook or catch which engages with the rear
projection h. The cartridges brought by the spring & to the appropriate height are
pushed by the movable breech bolt or block i into the barrel g. But it is not possible
to fire a cartridge independently of the magazine and to reserve the charge in this for
an opportune time, and as I have already mentioned when the cartridges in the
magazine have all been fired it is no longer retained in its casing and slides out and
falls.
Now to obviate these objections I fit on either the right or the left side of the casing
or receptacle d a spring & held at one end by a screw and carrying at the other end a
push-pin m which passes transversely through the trigger guard plate and projects at
the other side. This spring k has a spur or projection n which passes through the
side of the magazine receptacle d and enters one or other of two holes or notches o
and o' in the side of the magazine a (see Figures 1, 2 and 3). Figure 3 shows the
spring k full size. When it is wished to fire a cartridge from the magazine, the
magazine must be pressed so as to make the spur n engage with the lower hole o¹
therein and the cartridges will then be brought automatically in front of the breech
bolt and be pushed into the barrel. When on the other hand it is wished to fire one
or more cartridges independently of the magazine, the spring b must be compressed

page_text: and the spur n then engaging with the upper hole o in the magazine the cartridges
therein will be held below the breech bolt and leave this free to pass in order to fire
cartridges introduced by hand into the breech chamber. As soon as it is desired to
make use of the cartridges in the magazine the push-pin m on the side spring k is
pressed so as to release the spur n from the upper hole o of the magazine; the
cartridges are then forced up by the ordinary spring b to position to be pushed
singly by the breech bolt into the barrel.
g
In order to withdraw the magazine and its cartridges from the gun without firing
them, it is sufficient to press successively on the end p of the spring hook that
holds the magazine in place and then on the push pin m; the magazine is then pushed
out by the ordinary spring band is received in the hand.
In order to supply a fresh magazine when the magazine charge is exhausted, a slight
pressure is exerted on the push-pin m and the empty magazine falls into the hand
held under the trigger-guard to receive it. If it is not wished to preserve the
empty magazine it is simply left to be pushed out by the new magazine when this is
being put into place.
Instead of the side spring k with spur n and the two side holes
0, o' in the magazine
as above described, two progressive notches or holes r, ¹ may be formed in the back.
of the magazine to receive the spring hook as shown in Figure 5.
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, in respect of magazine or repeating fire arms of the kind herein referred
to, is :-
1. The spring & fitted to the right or left side of the magazine receptacle held at one
end by a screw and carrying at the other end a push pin m which passes through
the trigger-guard plate and projects at the other side, the said spring having a spur or
projection n which passes through the side of the magazine receptacle and enters one
or other of two holes or notches in the magazine whereby the gun can as desired be
made to fire either cartridges from the magazine or cartridges introduced inde-
pendently of the magazine, substantially as herein before described and represented in
Figures 1 to 4.
2. The arrangement for the same purpose substantially as hereinbeforo described
and represented in Figure 5.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.