Improvements relating to the Feeding of Cartridges to Machine- guns, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1893-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1893
PROVIDIUNAL DEECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Feeding of Cartridges to Machine-
guns, and to Apparatus therefor.
1, OWEN JONES, of 17, Keppel Street, Russell Square, in the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
羲
My invention relates to the feeding of cartridges to machine-guns and to apparatus
therefor.
The main object of my said invention is to provide a positive feed for machine-
guns of that kind or class of which the well-known Gardner gun is a type.
In some of the machine-guns of this kind or class, such, for instance, as the two-
barrelled Gardner-gun, the plungers for thrusting the cartridges into the barrels
are so arranged that they operate alternately, that is to say, as one plunger is moved
forward to thrust a cartridge into the corresponding barrel, the other plunger is
moved backward to extract the empty cartridge-shell from the other barrel. In
Gardner guns of this description, there is a transversely moving slide whereby the
cartridges, which are fed successively into the gun, are moved alternately into the
spaces in front of either of the said plungers.
Now according to one part of my present invention, I provide an improved
cartridge-holder and improved feed-mechanism having a positive action, whereby
the cartridges are delivered alternately into either compartment of the said slide.
The cartridges are placed side by side in the cartridge-holder, and the said holder is
arranged to be moved intermittently through a transverse aperture or slot in the
gun-frame above the said slide, and is operated by the usual crank-shaft or cam-
shaft of the gun through the medium of the plungers or of cams or other suitable
devices. The said feed-mechanism comprises a device also operated by the said
crank-shaft or cam-shaft, through the medium of the plungers or of cams or other-
wise, for the purpose of successively moving the cartridges downward. from this
holder into the aforesaid slide, first into one compartment and then into the other
compartiment thereof.
I find it advantageous to construct my improved apparatus as follows, that is to
say I make the said cartridge-holder of sheet-metal, by stamping or otherwise,
with its forward and rear edges bent or curved in such a manner that they will
engage with the underside and sides of the heads or flanges and bullet-ends of the
cartridges, which will, therefore, be securely retained in place in the holder until
they are pushed one by one therefrom by the aforesaid device, when the said bent or
curved edges will yield or spring outward so as to release the cartridges. I prefer
to form slits in the edges of the holder between the cartridges, so as to produce a
series of springs whereby the cartridges will be separately held, so that each
cartridge will be released from the holder independently of the other cartridges
therein. The construction of the holder with these slits affords the further advantage
of imparting flexibility to the holder so that, as the cartridges are removed there-
from, it can be moved out of the gun through a curved guide or deflector and thus
kept a suitable distance from the crank-handle for actuating the gun, so that it will
not interfere with the proper working of the gun. This guide or deflector is,
however, only necessary in cases where the said crank-handle is of such length that,
in its rotary moveinent, it approaches too near to the said holder to allow of the
latter moving in a straight line out of the gun.
I sometimes use a pawl and ratchet or rack for feeding the cartridge-holder
intermittently through the slot in the gun-frame, the said rack being preferably
formed by making a series of holes in the sheet-metal holder, and the pawl being

page_text: formed on or attached to a pivoted lever operated by the said crank-shaft or cam-
shaft either directly or through the plungers or otherwise.
It may be advantageous to so construct and arrange the pushing-down device and
the pawl-lever, that the said pushing-down device will operate after the pawl-lever
has acted upon the holder, and while the said lever is being moved back to engage
with the next tooth or hole of the rack.
I provide one or more stops to engage with each cartridge in the holder as the
said cartridge is moved into position beneath the pushing-down device, so as to
prevent undue forward movement of the said cartridge-holder. A retaining pawl
or other suitable device is provided, if necessary, to prevent backward movement of
the cartridge-holder.
I can provide any desired number of my cartridge-holders to be inserted
successively into and fed through the transverse slot in the gun-frame; and these
holders when empty may be either thrown away or kept to be refilled with cartridges
and again used. If desired the said holders may be covered with paper or similar
material which can be torn off' just before the holder is introduced into the slot in
the gun-frame.
In some instances I make my cartridge-holder with clips to engage with the body
of the cartridges, the said holder being formed, if necessary, with flanges or
projections at its forward and rear edges to prevent accidental displacement of the
cartridges from or in the said holder. The said clips may be attached to the body
or top of the holder, or they may be formed by cutting and bending down pieces of
the sheet-metal of the said holder.
In applying my invention to guns wherein all the plungers move forward and
backward together, I arrange the transverse slot for the cartridge-holder on the
same level as the barrels and plungers, and I so construct the mechanism that the
plungers will, in their forward movement, enter the said holder and thrust
the cartridges into the corresponding barrels, and will, in their rearward movement,
extract the empty cartridge-shells from the barrels and leave them in the said
holder. And I provide the means whereby the cartridge-holder will, after the
plungers have been withdrawn therefrom, be moved through such a distance as to
bring fresh cartridges in line with all of the barrels. By these means, I obviate
the necessity for the reciprocating slide usually employed for bringing the cartridges
into line with the barrels.
In this case, I sometimes make the cartridge-holder in the form of a box or frame
adapted to contain a single row of cartridges arranged side by side in sepárate
compartments of the said box or frame.
I prefer that the transverse slot should be formed either in the body of the gun-
frame or in the cover thereof or partly in both of these parts, in such a manner that
should any of the empty cartridge-shells fail to be completely extracted from the
barrels, the obstruction thus caused to the operation of the feed-mechanism can be
readily removed the cover of the gun-frame being raised or opened for this purpose.
I sometimes provide the gun with a sliding or telescopic support for the cartridge-
holder, which support, when drawn out, extends a considerable distance from the
gun-frame on that side thereof into which the cartridge-holder is inserted, or on
both sides if desired. The said support is so arranged that, when the gun is not in
use, it may be pushed into a slot in the gun-frame or otherwise adjusted so that it
does not project outwardly from the gun-frame.
The cartridge-holders herein before mentioned may be made of spring steel, sheet-
iron, tin-plate, paper, cardboard or other suitable material.
By my improvements above mentioned I am enabled to apply a positive cartridge-
feed to a Gardner gun without altering the construction of the usual mechanism of
the gun.
Dated thin the 1
1
1000
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Feeding of Cartridges to Machine-
guns and to Apparatus therefor.
I, OWEN JONES, of 17 Keppel Street, Russell Square, in the County of London,
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 the feeding of cartridges to machine-guns, and comprises
improvements in the feed-mechanism of such guns and in cartridge-holders to be
used therewith.
The main object of my.said invention is to provide a positive feed for machine-
guns of that kind or class of which the well-known "Gardner "gun is a type.
In some of the machine-guns of this kind or class, such, for instance, as the one-
barrelled and the two-barrelled "Gardner" guns, there is a transversely moving
slide or feed-piece which receives the cartridges successively from a vertical hopper
or feeder, and moves them into the space in front of the plunger, or alternately
into the spaces in front of either of the plungers of the gun, so that they will be
thrust into the barrel or barrels by the said plunger or plungers in the forward
movement thereof.
Now according to one part of my present invention, I construct a machine-gun
of this kind or class with mechanism for intermittently feeding a cartridge belt or
holder through the gun, and with suitable means for transferring the cartridges
successively from this belt or holder into the aforesaid feed-slide or feed-piece by a
positive action, that is to say, without having to rely upon gravity for the feeding
of the cartridges to the gun.
My said invention, moreover, comprises an improved cartridge-holder wherein
the cartridges are placed side by side and are held tightly by clips, which are so
constructed that, whilst they afford the requisite support for the cartridges during
the feeding of the belt or holder through the gun, they will yield to permit the
disengagement of the cartridges from them by the device for transferring the said
cartridges to the feed-slide or feed-piece.
I find it advantageous to make a transverse aperture or slot through the gun-
frame above the said slide or feed-piece, and to provide for the feeding of the
cartridge-holder intermittently through the said aperture or slot by means of the
usual crank or handle of the gun through the medium of the plungers or of levers
and cams or other suitable devices; and I provide means whereby the device for
successively transferring the cartridges from the said holder into the feed-slide or
feed-piece, will have a positive motion imparted to it by the said crank or handle.
My said invention also comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 2 a side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal section, showing a
portion of a two-barrelled "Gardner" gun with my improvements applied thereto.
Figure 3 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 4 a transverse section, both drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating
details of construction.
Figure 5 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 6 a transverse section, illustrating another arrangement or modification
of my improved mechanism.
Figure 7 is a transverse section showing the parts in a different position, and
also illustrating one form of cartridge-holder.
Figure 8 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and

page_text: another modification of my invention.
Figure 10 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 11 a sectional side elevation, showing a further modification of my said
invention.
.
Figure 12 is a section on the line a, a, Figure 10, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 13 is a side elevation, partly in transverse section, and
Figure 14 an underside view, showing another cartridge-holder adapted for use
with my improved mechanism.
Figure 15 is a side elevation, and
Figure 16 a section on the line a, a, Figure 15, showing another modification
of my improved cartridge-holder.
Figures 17 to 21 and Figures 24 to 27 are different views illustrating other
cartridge-holders adapted for use with my improved mechanism.
Figure 22 is a sectional elevation of another form or modification of my improved
cartridge-holder.
Figure 23 a sectional elevation showing a part of a gun and a further modification
of my improved cartridge-holder.
Figure 28 is a sectional elevation and
Figure 29 a section on the line a, e, Figure 28, illustrating another cartridge-
holder adapted for use with my improved mechanism, and
Figure 30 is a sectional view illustrating a device hereinafter described for
affording additional support to the cartridge-holder in its passage through the gun.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the gun-frame; A' is the hinged cover thereof; B, B are the cartridges;
C is the cartridge-holder; D, D are the plungers; E is the feed-slide: Fis a
lever for transferring the cartridges successively from the holder C into the said
feed-slide E.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4, a feed-wheel G having radial
projections or arms and mounted in bearings G, is provided for moving the
cartridge-holder C intermittently through a transverse opening or slot a in the
gun-frame; this opening is preferably formed in the upper part of the body of
the gun-frame A, or in the lower part of the cover A' thereof, or partly in the body
and partly in the cover, so that, should any obstruction be caused by the cartridges,
access to the parts so obstructed can be readily obtained by raising the said cover,
the belt or holder being then left exposed on the body of the gun-frame. This
arrangement also facilitates the introduction of the belt or holder into the gun.
The wheel G is arranged to be intermittently rotated by spring-pawls H' carried
by and pivoted to a sliding block or carrier H, to which reciprocating motion is
imparted by means of a lever J pivoted at J' to the cover A' and worked by a
cam-groove K' formed in the central disc K of the crank-shaft.
There are two levers F for pushing the cartridges out of the belt or holder C
into the feed-slide E; these levers are pivoted at F to a support A³ firmly secured
in the cover A of the gun-frame. Each of the said levers F is provided with a
short arm F which extends into a space between two shoulders H2, H3 on the
sliding carrier H; cach lever F is, moreover, furnished with another arm F³ which,
when the lever is in the position shown in the drawing, bears against the underside
of the carrier H.
The cartridge-holder C is made in the form of a belt or band having attached
tliereto clips c which engage with the cartridges as shown, but which will yield to
permit the pushing of the cartridges therefrom into the feed-slide E by the
levers F.
'
The parts are shown in Figure 4 in the positions which they occupy when a
cartridge has been pushed out of the holder C into one compartment of the
feed-slide E and the levers F, carrier H and pawls H have been moved back to
their original position. In the working of the gun, the sliding carrier H is moved
to and fro across the gun by the lever J. In the movement of the carrier H in

page_text: the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 4, the pawls H' turn the wheel G
through such an angle as to bring the next succeeding cartridge in the holder C
into the space above the aperture over the feed-slide. When the carrier H is
moved from above the arms F3, its shoulders H' strike the arms F2 of the levers F,
thus turning the said levers about their pivots in such a manner that they push the
said cartridge out of the holder C into the other compartment of the feed-slide E,
the said slide having been previously moved so as to bring the first cartridge in line
with one of the barrels. In the return movement of the carrier H, the said carrier
strikes the arms 3 and raises the levers F into the position shown, and the pawls H
are at the same time drawn back so that they engage with the next succeeding arms of
the wheel G. To permit the cartridge-holder C to remain stationary during the
operation of the levers F, I provide on the cover A' of the gun, projections A²
having inclined surfaces A* whereby, when the carrier H has been moved
through such a distance as to bring the shoulders H2 against the arms F2 of
the levers F, the pawls H' come in contact with the inclined surfaces A.* and
will be thereby lifted out of engagement with the wheel G; the movement of
this wheel will, therefore, be arrested before the levers F commence to act upon a
cartridge in the holder.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6, the feeding of the cartridge-
holder C through the gun is effected by means of pawls L, which are carried by
and pivoted to the sliding carrier H, and the pivots L' of which extend through
elongated apertures or slots L² in the said pawls, so as to permit the pawls to
remain stationary during the operation of the levers F. In this case, the said
levers are provided with suitable springs F for effecting their return movement,
and are formed with short arms which extend into slots in slides M worked
by means of projections H4 on the carrier H, which projections extend between
shoulders M', M2 on the slides M.
In the movement of the carrier H in the direction indicated by the arrow in
Figure 6, the said carrier first acts upon the pawls L to move them backward and
permit them to engage with another cartridge in the holder C, the projections H
then act upon the shoulders M' of the slides M and cause the said slides to turn
the levers Fabout their pivots, so that they push the cartridge which is over the
opening, out of the holder into the feed-slide E as shown in Figure 7. In the
return movement of the carrier F, the pawls L remain stationary until the levers F
have been permitted to rise under the action of their springs, and the carrier H
then operates the said pawls so as to cause them to move the holder C through a
sufficient distance to bring a fresh cartridge over the opening. The projections *
then bear against the shoulders M2 of the slides M. A retaining pawl N,
Figure 7, or other suitable device is provided, if necessary, to prevent backward
movement of the cartridge-holder.
I sometimes provide one or more stops, to engage with each cartridge in the
holder C as the said cartridge is moved into position over the opening b, so as to
prevent undue forward movement of the said holder.
It is evident that, if desired, mechanism such as that shown in Figures 5 to 7
for transferring the cartridges from the holder to the feed-slide, can be used with
the mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 4, or with other suitable mechanism, for
feeding the cartridge-holder intermittently through the gun; or mechanism such
as that shown in Figures 1 to 4 for transferring the cartridges from the holder to
the feed-slide, may be used with the mechanism shown in Figures 5 to 7, or with
other suitable nechanism, for feeding the cartridge-holder intermittently through
the gun.
In the modification of my invention shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lever F for
pushing down the cartridges from the holder C into the feed-slide E, is pivoted to
a bracket A attached to the cover A' of the gun, and is operated by an inclined
or curved projection K on the disc K, its return movement being effected either
by means of the said projection K2 acting upon a short arm F5 of the lever F, or,

page_text: if desired, by means of a spring F. In the arrangement shown in Figures 8
and 9, the feeding of the holder C through the gun is effected by means of
pawls Land a pawl-carrier H, which carrier is operated by a lever J worked by
a cam-groove K¹ formed in one of the side discs K³ of the crank-shaft. In this
case, when the lever F is operated, the free end of the long arm of the said lever
passes through one or other of a series of holes in the cartridge-holder C; and
the parts are so constructed and arranged that the pushing-down device F will
operate after the pawls L have moved the holder C forward, and while the said
pawls are stationary or are being moved back to engage with a fresh cartridge in
the said holder.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 10, 11 and 12, I provide for the operation
of both the feeding and the pushing-down devices by means of projections or
cams K on the central disc K of the crank-shaft. In this case, the lever F is
constructed and arranged substantially as described with reference to Figures 8
and 9, and a feeding-lever P is arranged to turn about the same axis as the said
lever F. This lever P engages with one arm of a pawl-carrier H, which; in
this case, is a bell-crank lever pivoted to a bracket H³ firmly attached to the
cover A', and is suitably forked so that it will carry two spring pawls L. A.9
the lever F requires to be moved through a greater angle than the lever P,
both levers can be worked by the same projection or cam K². For this purpose,
the short arms of the levers F and P are so arranged that, in the rotation of
the crank-shaft for operating the gun, one or the other of the projections K² will
first act upon the lever F and then upon both levers to depress the same, thus
pushing down a cartridge from the holder C, and moving back the pawls L so that
they engage with a fresh cartridge in the said holder; and, in the further rotation
of the said crank-shaft, the said projection will first act upon the lever F and raise
the end of its long arm out of the cartridge-holder, and will then act upon both
levers to move them to the top of their stroke or travel, thus feeding the holder C
through the gun sufficiently to bring a fresh cartridge over the opening b.
In Figures 1 to 6, I have shown a cartridge-holder C, which consists of a belt
or band of metal, canvas or other suitable material having the clips rivetted or
otherwise attached thereto, which clips hold or grip the body of the cartridges in
such a manner that the pushing-down levers can act upon the cartridges close to
the ends of the said clips, and the said clips will yield as above explained to permit
the disengagement of the cartridges therefrom. prefer that the clips should have
sufficient spring or elasticity to ensure their resuming their original form after the
cartridges have been pushed out of them.
I sometimes make the said clips as shown in Figure 7, so that they will bear
upon the bottom of the slot or opening a and will straddle the opening b as shown,
and thus more efficiently support the cartridge-holder while a cartridge is being
pushed down therefrom into the feed-slide E.
In Figures 13 and 14, I have shown another form of cartridge-holder, in which
the belt or band c' is formed of sheet-metal, and the clips c are adapted to engage
with the heads or flanges and bullet-ends of the cartridges B, so that the said
cartridges will be securely retained in place in the holder C until they are pushed
successively therefrom by the pushing-down device. This holder is provided with
openings or slots 2 to permit the operation of a pushing-down lever such as that
shown in Figures 8 and 9. I find it advantageous to make slits d in the edges of
the said holder C between the cartridges, so as to form a series of spring clips
whereby the cartridges will be separately held, and each cartridge can be released
from the holder without releasing the other cartridges. The construction of the
holder with these slits affords the further advantage of imparting flexibility to the
holder, so that, as the cartridges are transferred therefrom to the feed-slide,
the said holder can be moved out of the gun through a curved guide or deflector
and thus kept at a suitable distance from the crank-handle used for actuating the
gun, so that they will not interfere with the proper working of the same. This

page_text: guide or deflector is, however, only necessary in cases where the said crank-handle
is of such length that, in its rotary movement, it approaches too near to the said
holder to allow of the latter moving in a straight line out of the gun.
I sometimes make the belt or band e' with holes e, as shown in Figures 13 and 14,
so that the cartridge-holder may be fed intermittently through the slot in the gun-
frame, by means of a pawl such as is shown in Figure 25, adapted to engage with
the said holes.
Figures 15 and 16 show another modification of my cartridge-holder in which
the clips care attached by rivets or otherwise to a metal band and engage with
the body of the cartridges; the said clips are provided with projections c³ to engage
with the rear ends of the cartridges and prevent accidental displacement of the said
cartridges from or in the holder C, and the band c is provided with projections &
to travel in guides in the gun-frame as and for the purpose hereinafter explained
with reference to Figures 22 and 23.
The clips of the cartridge-holder may, if desired, be formed as shown in
Figures 17 and 18, by cutting and bending down pieces of the sheet-metal of the
band c¹.
Figure 19 shows a holder C in which the clips care attached to strips c¹ of
canvas or similar material.
Figure 20 shows another form of clip designed to be attached to a metal band
or bands or to strips of canvas or similar material.
Figure 21 shows another form of cartridge-holder made by bending a strip of
sheet-metal or stiff paper or cardboard in such a manner as to form a series of
clipse having pieces which extend downward below the cartridges so that the
said clips will rest on the bottom surface of the opening or passage a in the gun,
each clip being provided, if desired, with a projection for the purpose above
specified, and with holes to admit the lever F.
Figures 22 and 23 show other forms of my cartridge-holder in which I provide
at the top of each clip e projecting pieces to travel in guides A in the gun-frame,
which thus afford efficient support for the clips while the cartridges are being
pushed down therefrom.
I can provide any desired number of cartridge-holders to be inserted successively
into and fed through the transverse slot in the gun-frame; and these holders, when
empty, may be either thrown away or be refilled with cartridges and again used. If
desired, the said holders may be covered with paper or similar material which can
be torn off just before the holder is introduced into the slot in the gun-frame.
It is not absolutely necessary to employ cartridge-holders provided with clips
adapted to engage with and support the cartridges until the same are forcibly
disengaged therefrom by the lever or levers F. In Figures 24 and 25, I have shown
a cartridge-holder consisting of a box Q the lid Q of which is provided with
projections Q2 and slides into grooves in the box Q. The cartridges are placed in
the spaces between the said projections. When the holder is inserted in the gun,
the lower edge of the box comes against a stop k therein; the lid Q of the said
box is then fed intermittently through the gun by means of pawls L engaging
with holes in the said lid, so that the cartridges are brought successively over the
opening and may fall or be pushed downward through the same.
Figures 26 and 27 show an arrangement in which a corrugated strip Q³ is
arranged in the box Q and is fed out of the said box together with the cartridges
by a feed-wheel G, the top of the box being slotted to admit the radial arms of the
said wheel.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 28 and 29, instead of using a box, I make
the corrugated strip Q³ with projections c³ to engage with the rear ends of the
cartridges, and I form slots in the parts of the said strip, and pass through
these slots a rod c which retains the cartridges in the holder.
In this case,
provide a stop k in the gun, so that, when or shortly before the holder arrives at
the opening &, the further movement of the rod will be prevented and consequently
the cartridges may fall or be pushed successively through the said opening b.

page_text: When I employ a cartridge-holder having clips such as are shown in Figure 7,
I sometimes provide a bridge or support so arranged that it will hold up the said
clips as they pass across the opening b, but will yield or move aside to permit the
pushing down of the cartridge into the feed-slide and will immediately afterwards
resume its proper position and thus be ready to support the next clip as the
cartridge-holder is fed through the gun. This bridge or support may consist of
two pivoted arms or plates 1, Figure 30, one at each side of the opening b, which
arms or plates are held up by suitable springs m, and one of which overlaps the
other as shown; or it may consist of one such arm or plate.
It is obvious that my improvements above described are applicable to a one-
barrelled as well as to a two-barrelled gun.
I can, if desired, dispense with a feed-slide or its equivalent, and provide for
successively pushing down the cartridges from the belt or holder into the space in
front of the plunger or plungers of the gun, by means of a lever or levers such as
I have hereinbefore described. This modification of my invention is also applicable
to multiple-barrel guns in which all the plungers move forward and backward
together. With this arrangement, suitable provision must be made for supporting
the cartridges in line with the barrel or barrels, whilst permitting the empty
cartridge-shells, when extracted, to fall from the gun. It is, however, more
advantageous, in some cases, to use a transversely moving feed-slide substantially
as hereinbefore described.
In applying my invention to guns wherein all the plungers move forward and
backward together, I, in some instances, arrange the transverse slot a for the
cartridge-holder on the same level as the barrels and plungers, and I so construct
the mechanism that the plungers will, in their forward movement, enter the said
holder and thrust the cartridges into the corresponding barrels, and will, in their
rearward movement, extract the empty cartridge-shells from the barrels and leave
them in the said holder. And I provide feed-mechanism, similar to that herein-
before described, whereby the cartridge-holder will, after the plungers have been
withdrawn therefrom, be moved through such a distance as to bring fresh cartridges
in line with all of the barrels. By these means, I obviate the necessity for the
reciprocating slide usually employed in such guns for bringing the cartridges
received from the vertical hoppers or feeders into line with the barrels. In this
case, I sometimes make the cartridge-bolder in the form of a box or frame adapted
to contain a single row of cartridges arranged side by side in separate compartments
of the said box or frame.
It is obvious that, if desired, I can employ, in place of the feed-slide E, an
oscillating feed-piece having a downward extension and pivoted at its lower end to
the gun-frame, the said oscillating piece being constructed with one or more
movable partitions like the feed-slide of the "Gardner" gun as usually constructed.
I can also combine my present improvements with a transversely moving feed-
slide such as is used in the well-known "Nordenfelt" machine-guns.
It is evident, moreover, that I can somewhat further modify the construction and
arrangement of my improved apparatus without departing from the nature of my
said invention.
I sometimes provide other suitable devices for intermittently feeding a cartridge-
belt or holder through the gun and for transferring the cartridges successively
therefrom to the aforesaid feed-slide or feed-piece. And I sometimes use my
pushing-down device in combination with other suitable means for feeding cartridges
into the gun.
It will be seen that my improved mechanism has a positive action, and is,
therefore, not dependent upon gravity. My invention, moreover, affords the
further advantage that it can be applied to existing guns, without alteration, or
with but very slight alteration of the ordinary mechanisin of the gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood

page_text: that I am aware that the use of a sliding pawl-carrier for feeding a cartridge-
holder intermittently through a gun is not new, and I therefore make no claim to
such a pawl-carrier except in so far as it constitutes one of the clements of the
novel combinations herein set forth; nor do I claim broadly or irrespectively of
my improvements herein set forth a cartridge-holder having clips to engage with
the cartridges; but I claim :-
'
First. The combination, with a transversely moving feed-slide or feed-piece such
as-is hereinabove referred to, in the space behind the barrel or barrels of a gun, of
suitable means for intermittently feeding a cartridge-belt or holder through the
gun, and for transferring the cartridges successively from such belt or holder to
the said feed-slide or feed-piece by a positive action, for the purpose above
specified.
Second. A machine-gun having a transversely moving feed-slide or feed-piece in
the space behind the barrel or barrels, and provided with mechanism for inter-
mittently feeding a cartridge belt or holder through a transverse aperture or slot
in the gun-frame, and with a device for transferring the cartridges successively from
the said belt or holder into the feed-slide or feed-piece, substantially as, and for
the purpose, above specified.
Third. The improved cartridge belt or holder having the clips which engage
with the cartridges in such a manner as to afford the requisite support therefor
during the feeding of the belt or holder through the gun, whilst permitting the
pushing down of the said cartridges from the belt or holder as above described, and
constructed substantially as described with reference to Figure 7, Figure 12,
Figures 15 and 16, Figure 21, or Figures 22 and 23 of the drawings, for the
purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination, in a machine-gun, of suitable means for intermittently
feeding a cartridge belt or holder through the gun and a device for pushing the
cartridges directly from the said belt or holder into the space beneath it,
substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The pushing-down device constructed and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The combination of the mechanism for intermittently feeding a cartridge
belt or holder through the gun, the device for transferring the cartridges from the
said belt or holder into the space beneath it, and the means for actuating the said
mechanism and device by the operating crank or handle of the gun, substantially
as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Seventh. The improved feed-mechanism arranged in the cover of the gun-frame
in combination with a transverse opening or slot in the said cover or in the body of
the gun-frame, in such a manner that, when the cover is raised, the cartridge belt
or holder will be left exposed upon the body of the gun-frame, substantially as, and
for the purpose, above specified.
Eighth. The pawl-carrier for feeding the cartridge belt or holder through the
gun, and the pushing-down device constructed and combined in such a manner that
the said belt or holder will remain stationary while the said device is pushing a
cartridge or cartridges therefrom and returning to its original position, substan-
tially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Ninth. The combination, with the mechanism for feeding the cartridge belt or
holder through the gun and with the pushing-down device, of a movable bridge for
supporting the said belt or holder during the passage of the clips thereof across the
opening or slot through which the cartridges are pushed, substantially as, and for
the purpose, above specified.
Tenth. The modification of my invention wherein I provide for intermittently
feeding a cartridge-holder through the gun from side to side thereof, and for
thrusting the cartridges from the said holder into the barrels and drawing the
empty cartridge-shells back into such holder, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.

page_text: Eleventh. A machine-gun provided with my improved mechanism constructed
and arranged substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, or
to Figures 5, 6 and 7, or to Figures 8 and 9, or to Figures 10, 11 and 12, and
operating as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Dated the 1st day of May 1893
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.