IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REPEATING BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from abroad
by Valentine Fogerty, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
Sealed the 25th June 1867, and dated the 5th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissiouers of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1867.
J, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REPEATING BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication, to be as
follows:-
The said Invention relates to the construction of that class of magazine
breech-loading fire-arms in which flanged metallic case cartridges are used,
such cartridges being contained within a magazine' located in the stock of the
arm and being successively fed forward into the breech of the barrel.

page_text: The primary object of the said Invention is to so construct and arrange the
magazine that the cartridges are held in place therein without contact one
with another, and are fed forward by a positive movement, each being in turn
brought up into line with and forced into the breech of the barrel ready for
firing, and it is in the construction and arrangement of such magazine and in
the co-operative mechanism by which each cartridge is in turn carried from the
magazine into the barrel, and the shell removed from the barrel and expelled
from the arm after firing, that the said Invention chiefly consists.
The magazine for containing and feeding forward the cartridges consists of a
long tube made in two longitudinal sections or halves, the lower one having
provision for fixing it to the stock and the breech frame; the upper half slides
lengthwise upon the lower half, lateral movement being prevented by suitable
guides or stops; the upper half is held down to and (normally) closed upon
the fixed half by one or more springs. The inner surface of each half of the
tube has a series of equidistant recesses or depressions matching each with
the opposite one at the end of each forward or back movement of the sliding
piece, and when the magazine is filled with cartridges the flange of each
cartridge rests in two opposite recesses or against the shoulders formed by
such recesses. The upper tube piece has a reciprocative sliding movement
equal to the longitudinal distance between each two of these adjacent shoulders;
when the upper piece is carried back the shoulders of the recesses hold the
cartridges stationary in the lower part of the magazine. The rear inclines of
each upper recess and the cylindrical surface of the slide tube slide over each
cartridge flange until each upper recess comes opposite the flange in its rear
and slips down over the said flange. The upper tube piece being then moved
forward the shoulders of its recesses will carry forward the cartridges. The
magazine is arranged on one side of the stock, and is connected to and opens
into one side of the breech frame. When the sliding tube piece is in its
forward position its front end extends into a depression in the interior of the
said breech frame, the lower part of the said depression being line with the
inner surface of the lower tube piece; the front end of this depression forms a
pocket for receiving and holding the cartridges, and the said pocket is carried
by a lateral movement in front of the breech or recoil block whose forward
movement drives the cartridge into the barrel. The breech frame is provided
with the mechanism through which the reciprocating movement of the sliding
half of the magazine is effected, that through which the cartridge is carried
from the pocket into line with the barrel, that through which the cartridge is
forced into the said barrel, and that by which the shell of the exploded cartridge

page_text: slotted through to
is extracted and expelled from the arm. The breech frame is provided at the
bottom with a slot, through which the guard lever extends, this guard lever
having the breech block mounted upon its upper end. When the parts are
in position for firing this block is held and locked in a mortise cut down from
the top of the breech frame. The front face of the breech block forms the
recoil surface to the barrel, and the said block has a groove on one side, in
which a slide or striker is fitted. Near the front end of the magazine slide is
a stud, to which a hook or link is jointed, the opposite end of this link being
jointed to the rear end of the breech block, below which the guard lever is
connected by a link to the front end of the breech frame. Just in front of
and in line with the breech block is a cartridge seat or rest connected to the
said block by a short link. The cartridge in the pocket is carried at the
proper time to the seat piece, and rests thereon till it is forced into the barrel
by the forward movement of the breech block. The rest or seat piece fits and
slides in recesses or ways sunk laterally below the sides of the guard lever slot.
On one side of the said rest piece a space is left, in which traverses an arm on
the end of a cross shaft or pin extending through the rest piece; and on this
shaft is hung the extractor and expeller. The rear end of the barrel, at the
bottom of the recess in which the cartridge flange rests is
allow the forward end of the said extractor to pass up.
extractor comes up against the shell just in front of its flange, and the
continued rearward movement of the said extractor draws the shell from the
barrel. The upward movement of the extractor is effected by a projecting
surface sliding against a swell in a spring or projection as the rest piece
begins to move backward. As the rest piece draws near the end of its rear
movement the arm on the end of the cross shaft strikes a small dog or
projection, which tipping the arm throws up the extractor or expeller, and
thereby expels the cartridge case from the arm; this dog swings on a pin, and
when the rest piece again moves forward the said dog tips and allows it to
pass. The extractor is then tipped up again with the cartridge thereon, which
is thus brought more into line with the barrel, and its proper entrance into the
same is ensured. In a niche in the side wall of the pocket is a finger on the
top of a rocker arm, hung on a pin below the said pocket, and against this
finger the cartridge in the pocket lies. From the said rocker arm a stud
projects into the path of the adjacent side of the seat piece; this piece has an
incline or cam groove sunk in its side, into which groove the said stud enters,
when the seat piece goes back. After the extractor has returned to its normal
position this pin is struck by the incline at the rear end of the groove, aud. is
The point of this

page_text: thereby moved downwards. The finger forces the cartridge on to the rest or
seat piece, and is returned to its position in the niche as the next forward
movement of the piece begins. In charging the magazine a lever is used to
pry up the upper half of the tube slightly; this lever extends into a slot in a
finger plate at the butt of the stock, and the magazine is pried open by raising
this finger plate, the said plate serving also as a gate to close the mouth or
entrance to the cartridge tube.
To insure the cartridges being properly introduced into the magazine .a
spring or yielding stop may be placed at the end of the said magazine, this
.spring presenting an obstacle to the entrance of the flanged end of the cartridge,
but yielding to allow the flange to pass when the pointed or bullet end of the
cartridge is introduced first.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Build-
ings, Chancery Lane, in the County of. Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her,heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and.no others, from time to time and at. all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention. of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REPEATING BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
.seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings forming a part
of this Specification :-
The said Invention relates to the construction of that class of magazine
breech-loading fire-arms: in which flanged metallic case cartridges are used,
such cartridges being contained within a magazine located in the' stock of the
arm, and being successively fed forward into the breech of the barrel.
Heretofore the movement of the cartridges so located has been effected by a
spring, the said cartridges being placed in line end wise and in contact, so
that the stress of the spring against the rearmost one pressed the whole series
forward, bringing each front one into position at the proper time to be fired.
Such construction or arrangement is objectionable from the liability of
explosion of the cartridges by reason of their contact, and for various other
reasons; and the primary object of this Invention is to so construct and
arrange the magazine that the cartridges are held in place therein without
contact one with another, and are fed forward by a positive movement, each
being in turn brought up into line with the breech of the barrel, and forced
into the same ready for firing, and it is in the construction and arrangement
of such magazine, and in the co-operative mechanism by which each cartridge
is in turn carried from the magazine into the barrel, and the shell removed
from the barrel and expelled from the arm after firing, that the said Invention
chiefly consists.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: tridges as fed forward by the said magazine; Figures 7, 8, and 9 embrace:
cross sections of the magazine tube, as will be herein-after described.
The first part of the said Invention relates to the magazine for containing
and feeding forward the cartridges. The said magazine consists of a long
tube A made in two longitudinal sections or halves a, a', the lower one a
having provision for fixing it to the stock B and the metallic breech frame C..
The upper half a slides upon a¹ lengthwise, the lower- piece having pro--
jecting guides b. fitting info grooves in ears c projecting from the upper
half, as seen at Figure 7, which is a cross section through one of these ears."
The back of the grooves prevents lateral movement of the upper half in one:
direction, and a stop d, seen at Figure 8, which is a cross section through the:
same, prevents similar movement in the opposite direction. The upper half is.
held down to and (normally) closed upon the fixed half by one or more:
springs e encompassing or approximately encompassing the tube, as seen in
elevation at Figure 8. The inner surface of each half of the tube has a series
of equidistant recesses or depressions.f, matching each with the opposite one.
at the end of each forward or backward movement of the sliding piece a, and>
when the magazine is filled with cartridges the flange of each cartridge.
rests in two opposite recesses, as seen in Figure 2, or against the shoulders:
formed by such recesses.:
".
Figure 9 is a cross section through the bottom of two opposite: recesses.
The upper tube piece has a reciprocative sliding movement imparted to it:
equal to the longitudinal distance between each two of these adjacent
shoulders, so that when a series of cartridges is in the magazine and the upper.
piece is carried back, the shoulders of the recesses hold the cartridges.
stationary in the lower part during such back movement of the upper part..
The rear incline of each upper recess and the cylindrical surface of the slide
tube adjacent thereto slide over each cartridge flange (the upper tube yielding
slightly therefor) until each upper recess comes opposite to the flange in its
rear, and slips down over such flange. Now if the upper tube piece be slid
forward again the shoulders of its several recesses must carry forward the
several cartridges resting there against into the recesses next. above in the.
lower piece, as will be readily understood.
The magazine is not placed centrally in the stock, but is arranged in one
side thereof, and is connected to and opens into the breech frame B on one. S
side of the same (the relative position of the breech frame and magazine.
being shown at Figure 5). When the sliding tube piece is in its forward.
position its front end extends into a depression h in the interior of the breech

page_text: frame, the lower part of this depression being in line with, or in continuation
of the inner surface of the lower tube piece a¹; the front end of this depression
form's a pocket i for receiving and holding the cartridge previous to a lateral
movement given to it to carry it in front of the breech block or recoil block C,
the forward movement of which drives it into the barrel D.
The breech frame B contains within it or extending from it, besides the
depression and pocket just mentioned, the mechanism through which the
reciprocating movement of the sliding half of the magazine is effected, that
through which the cartridge is carried from the pocket i over into line with
the barrel, that through which the cartridge is forced into the barrel, and that
by which the exploded cartridge shell is drawn from the barrel and expelled
from the arm, and these devices will now be described.
The breech frame B is slotted through at the, bottom, and in and through
this slot the guard lever plays and extends, this guard lever having mounted
upon its upper end, and rocking freely upon the joint m, the breech block C.
When the parts are in position for firing the block C is held and locked in
fixed position in a mortise k cut down from the top of the breech frame B,
the sides and ends of the block fitting closely to the walls of the mortise, while
its front face fits closely against the breech of the barrel, which opens into
this mortise, the said face forming the recoil surface to the barrel, and the top
surface of the block in this position is flush with the top surface of the breech
frame B. In a groove on one side of the block is a slide or striker n, the
front end of which, by the blow of the hammer against its rear end, is driven
against the cartridge head or flange and fires the piece. As this striker, the
hammer, and the lock are not new, and as their location, construction, and
method of operation are well known, they will not be particularly described,
and the hammer and lock are not shown in the Drawings. Near the front
end of the magazine slide a is a stud o, to which a hook or link p is hung or
jointed, the opposite end of this link being jointed to the rear end of the
breech block, and below the breech block the guard lever is connected by a
link to the front end of the breech frame B by a stationary joint pin r. Just
in front of and in line with the breech block C is a cartridge seat or rest E
connected to the block C by a short links which permits a considerable
vertical movement to the block relatively to the seat piece. The cartridge in
the pocket (before alluded to) is carried at proper time from said pocket
over on to the seat piece E and rests thereon in position for the forward
movement of the breech block to force it into the barrel. At the sides of the
rest piece it fits and slides in recesses or ways sunk laterally below the sides

page_text: of the guard lever slot. On one side of the said rest piece a space u is left in
which travels an arm von the end of a cross shaft or pin w extending through
the rest piece, and on this shaft is hung the extractor and expeller x, by action
of which the exploded cartridge shell is drawn from the barrel and thrown from
the piece. The rear end of the barrel at the bottom of the recess in which
the cartridge flange rests is slotted through, as seen at y, and through this slot
the forward end of the extractor is thrown up when (after firing) the breech
block begins to move back. The point of the extractor comes up against the
shell just in front of the flange thereof, so that the continued rear movement
of the extractor draws the shell from the barrel; this upward movement of
the extractor point is effected by a projecting surface in front of the line of
the shaft pin which slides against a swell in a spring or projection a³ as the
piece E begins to move back, and it is held up against the flange until the
cartridge shell is clear from the barrel by contact of its projection with the
adjacent surface against which it slides. As the piece E draws near the end
of its rear movement the arm v strikes a small dog or projection extending
into its path from the breech frame B, which tipping the arm throws up the
extractor (or expeller), and thereby expels the cartridge from the piece ; this.
dog swings on a pin, so that when the piece E goes forward again the dog
tips and allows it to pass (the dog assuming its normal position when the arm
has passed it); the extractor is then again tipped up with the cartridge there-
upon, bringing the said cartridge up more into line with the barrel to guide it
and ensure its proper entrance into the barrel. In a niche in the side wall
of the pocket i is a finger d on the top of a rocker arm e hung on a pin fa
below the said pocket, and against this finger the cartridge in the pocket lies.
From the arm e projects a stud 9 into the path of movement of the adjacent
side of the piece E; this piece has an incline or cam groove h* sunk in its
side face, as seen in Figure 6, into which groove the stud g² enters when the
piece E goes back. Just after the movement of the expeller has thrown out
the cartridge, and the said expeller has returned to its normal position; this
pin is struck by the incline at the rear end of the groove, and is thereby moved
downwards; this movement swings the finger d' inward, causing it to force
the cartridge inward and on to the rest or seat piece E, the finger being
returned to its position in the niche as the next forward movement of the
piece E begins. As has been previously stated, the upper half of the magazine
tube swings up from the fixed half, and in charging the magazine a lever is
is used to pry up the upper half of the tube slightly, so that the cartridge
may be dropped into the magazine without the necessity of reciprocating the

page_text: sliding tube piece a to bring each into position in the tube; this lever extends
into a slot in a finger plate n³ at the butt of the stock, and the magazine is
pried open by raising this finger plate, the plate serving also as a gate to close
the mouth or entrance to the cartridge tube; the forcing up of the plate to
raise the upper half of the magazine tube also opens this gate, while the
pressure of the spring e carries the piece a' and the gate back to position,
when the finger plate n² is released.
The construction of the arm having thus been explained, its operation may
be described as follows:-Suppose the magazine to be charged and the parts
to be in position for firing, as seen at Figure 8, the hammer having then
been thrown down by the trigger, and the cartridge thereby exploded by driving
the striker against the cap (under which the fulminate is contained) the guard
lever is then drawn down, the first effect of which is to draw directly down
in its mortise in the breech frame the breech block C; this block descends
until its rear end can slip under the top piece of the breech frame, when the
continued movement of the lever acting against the link g as a fulcrum forces
the breech block back towards the stock; this movement, of course, through
the connection of the block with the sliding piece a of the magazine, carries
the piece a back (the cartridges remaining stationary) until its depressions
slip over the flanges of the cartridges next.below them. As the breech block
is thus moving back the cartridge extractor is brought against the shell of the
exploded cartridge as before set forth, and draws the said shell from the barrel,
the extractor flying up when the shell gets beyond the barrel and expelling the
said shell. As this rear movement .at. the block completes itself the finger d
is forced inwards, carrying the cartridge that lies in the pocket i over on to the
seat or rest piece E with its point in line with the barrel. These movements
having been thus effected, carrying the guard lever and other parts into the
position seen at Figure 2, the lever is next moved back towards the stock.;
this brings the front face of the breech block against the cartridge and forces
the same into the barrel, the point of the retractor dropping below the cartridge
flange as said point moves under the barrel.. This movement also draws
forward the sliding magazine piece a, and with it the several cartridges resting
on its recesses or against the shoulders thereof, each being fed forward from
one recess in the fixed piece-a¹ to the one next in front of it. The front
cartridge (or the one next in rear of the pocket) by the last forward movement
of the cartridge was carried into the breech frame B, its flange being lodged
in a recess o' therein, and as the sliding or feed piece a now moves forward
its front end abuts against the cap.of. this cartridge and feeds it forward into

page_text: the pocket. The barrel having been thus charged and the cartridges all fed
forward the last part of the upward movement of the guard lever carries the
breech block up into its mortise with its recoil face against the barrel, the
guard lever, breech block, and other parts being forced into this last position
by the stress of a spring m upon the link 9, and through it upon the guard
lever, this position of the lever locking and maintaining the parts in position
until the guard lever is forcibly drawn down; the arm is now ready for firing
again, and it will readily be seen that these operations may be repeated with
great speed until the magazine is exhausted, and that upon such exhaustion
the magazine may be again quickly recharged with cartridges; this arrange-
ment of the parts of the arm is very simple, and the said arm is very easily
manipulated through the various movements described, and the position of
the recoil block is such that there is no liability of accident or derangement
of parts from the recoil in firing.
The specific construction and arrangement of parts of my improved fire-arm
may of course be somewhat modified, retaining however the main features as
described. The said arm may also be used as a single loader by dropping the
cartridge directly on to the seat piece E when the guard lever is thrown down,
and the arm may be so used when the magazine is charged by introducing a
catch to prevent the cartridges in the magazine from moving; or a single
loader may be made without the magazine, but having the breech block and
its directly co-operating mechanism arranged substantially as shown. In
charging magazines located in the stocks of breech-loading arms cartridges
are liable to wrong introduction, that is to say, to be accidentally introduced
by the flanged instead of the pointed end, thereby causing much trouble; to
prevent this a spring or yielding stop p² may be placed at the end of the
magazine, this spring presenting an obstacle to the entrance of the flanged end
of the cartridge, but yielding to allow the flange to pass when the pointed or
bullet end of the cartridge is introduced first, this yielding stop being applicable
both to magazines made and arranged as shown and to others having different
constructions or methods of operation.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
The combination with a breech-loading barrel of a magazine in which the
cartridges are fed forward by a positive movement of one part of the magazine
or a device attached thereto, substantially as described.
Also, constructing and arranging the feeding devices in such a manner

page_text: that the cartridges are held out of contact with each other, substantially as
described.
Also, the location of the magazine in one side of the stock so that each
cartridge may be fed up to the barrel, and may then be carried by lateral
movement over into line therewith, and thence into the barrel, substantially as
specified.
Also, in combination with the breech block C the mechanism connected
therewith, by which each front cartridge is carried first into line with and then
into the barrel, and the mechanism by which the exploded shell is withdrawn
from the barrel and expelled from the arm.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.s.)