AN IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR REPEATING AND OTHER FIRE ARMS
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1883.
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr.. 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1889
I, JOSEF SCHULHOF of No. 4 Nibelungengasse, in the City of Vienna, in the
Empire of Austria, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN
IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR REPEATING AND OTHER FIRE ARMS to be as follows:-
"
The object of this improved mechanism for fire arms is mainly to provide an easy,
simple and reliable breech action for small arms especially for repeating pistols and
carbines..
I employ a sliding breech bolt, which is on either side provided with a horizontal
groove; said two grooves are parallel and opposite each other and terminate at their
rear end in a short cross groove, which said cross grooves are in opposite direction to
each other for the purpose hereinafter set forth.
The interior of the breech chamber is provided with two opposite lugs or studs over
which the breech bolt slides with the abovementioned longitudinal grooves.
The length of the latter being about that of the cartridge employed, the breech bolt
is permitted to make that way backward and forward in a straight line in the breech
case or chamber.
When the breech bolt is completely pushed forward the lugs or studs in the breech
case will strike the end of the parallel grooves in the breech bolt, where these turn'
into the short cross or circumferential grooves before described. This turning. being
rounded or slanting it follows that a pressure against the back of the breech bolt will
force the lugs or studs in the breech case to slide off into said short cross grooves,
whereby a turning of the breech bolt is effected. The turning of said cross grooves
over the lugs in the breech case forms the locking of the breech bolt.
The back and forward motion of the breech bolt is effected in the following manner:
At its rear end the breech bolt is on its surface provided with two opposite angular
shaped grooves standing with their angle in opposite directions. Into these grooves
fit the pins or prongs of a forked lever, the lower single and flat end or shank of which
fits sliding into a groove in the oscillating operating lever, which is pivotted on the
handle or lock frame of the fire arm.

page_text: In order to facilitate the sliding up and down of the shank of the forkod lever
in the groove of the operating lever the former may be provided with small rollers
fitting into the groove of the latter....
The bottom part of the operating lever is provided with an eye, a ring or any other
suitable device for handling it.
Imagining the breech bolt closed the operating lever will naturally stand at about
right angles to the former that is to say, the distance between the fork pins of the
sliding lever engaging with the breech bolt and the pivot of the operating lever will
be the shortest possible and in consequence the forked sliding lever will be as far
down into the groove of the operating lever as possible. If the eye or ring end of the
operating lever is now pushed forward, its upper end carrying in its groove the forked
sliding lever, will be moved rearward and being connected by said fork to the breech
bolt will cause the latter to move backward as well. The naturally increasing distance
between the pivot of the operating lever and the breech bolt in the angular grooves of
which the forked lever engages is compensated by the sliding of the latter lever from
its groove in the operating lever. When the breech bolt has been pulled back entirely
in this manner the sliding lever is in its most extended position, the distance from the
pivot of the operating lever to the breech bolt end being the longest.
It will be evident from the foregoing that a back and forward motion of the
operating lever by its 'ring, eye or handle will cause the opening and closing of
the breech bolt.
In order to steady the motion of the forked sliding lever it 'is guided in a slit in the
lock plate, the curve of which corresponds to the curve described by said lever as it
moves or swings back and forward with a simultaneous up and downward motion.
The rearward motion of the ring, eye or handle part of the operating lever is
effected or assisted by the action of a V spring upon said lever.
The trigger mechanism consists of the oscillating trigger which engages with an
oscillating trigger arm, the upper end of which is bent and reaches into the breech
case, where it may catch and arrest the firing pin in the usual manner as the breech
bolt moves forward.
The trigger is kept in position by a flat spring as usual. The lower end of the
trigger penetrates through a slit into the ring or eye of the operating lever, so that
the finger or hand, placed in said ring or eye must touch the trigger in pulling back
the operating lever the moment after the breech bolt has been pushed home and
turned to lock it, whereby the shot is fired?
The firearms so described may be made as single loaders or provided with any
magazine preferably the drum magazine of my system.
This drum magazine which has been patented to me by British Letters Patent
No. 10423 of 1887 may be modified in such manner that the cog seginent connected
with the magazine door and its corresponding cog wheel upon the axis of the magazine
be placed in front of the magazine instead of in the rear, while the rear part of the
magazine carries a flat spring for kooping the door closed. The coiled or spiral spring
may be placed into the interior of the magazine drum in order to reduce the length of
the magazine.
A modification of this kind could be advantageously adapted to small arms such as
revolvers and carbines.
1

page_text: locked and said lugs receive the recoil of the shot. The breech bolt is operated by the
forked lever b, sliding in the operating lever a. The latter is pivotted in or upon the
.lock frame of the arm by means of a pin or screw a³, and is below this pivot provided
with a ring a¹ or any other similar device for receiving the operating finger or hand.
Above its pivot, lever a is provided with a longitudinal slot or groove a³ in which
slides the lower shank of lover b. In order to lessen the friction and secure an easy
working of the parts lever b is provided with small rollers 61, 6¹ turning upon pins 64,
and running in said groove a³ of lever a.
64
The upper free end of lever bis forked, as shown, and provided with the studs b², 6²,
which fit into an angular groove c' each in the rear end of the breech bolt c. These
annular grooves c¹, c', are formed as shown in Figure 9 and like grooves c³, c³ stand
with their angles in opposite directions, so as to perimit a turning of the breech bolt by
about 45°.
In order to steady lever b, it is guided by its stud 63 in a slit d in the lock plate, the
curve of which slit corresponds with the curve described by said lever when operated.
The object in combining the two levers a and b in the manner described is to avoid the
long protruding breech bolt necessary in other similar breech actions. The loss
in length of the breech bolt is here compensated for by the variable length of the
combined lever a, b, which, as shown, is shortest when in a vertical or almost vertical
position, figures 3 and 4, and longest when in its oblique position, figures 2 and 5.
These two positions correspond to the closed or opened breech. When lever a is by
its ring a pulled back from the position shown in figures 2-and 5 in which the breech
is open into that shown in figures 3 and 4, the breech bolt being connected to lever b
by the studs 62, 63, is naturally pushed forward, while lever being held in position
above by said studs 62, 62 working in grooves c', c¹ of the horizontally moving breech
bolt, and below by its shank running in groove a³ of lever a, swinging in a circle,
must describe the curve indicated by slit d in order to follow both movements, and at
the same time slide down into groove a³ of lever a. When the breech bolt has been
pushed home in this manner lugs e², e2 are in contact with the rear end of grooves c², c²
of the breech bolt. The rearward pull against ring a' of lever a being still continued
will cause studs 62, 63 of the forked lever b to press against the forward slanting sides
of grooves c¹, c', in bolt c, and being forced into the inclined part of said annular
grooves will cause a revolution of the bolt by about 45°. By this partial revolution
of the bolt, lugs e², e² are brought into the recesses c³, c³ of grooves c², c², whereby the
bolt is locked as before described. This turning or locking movement is aided or
facilitated by the before described rounding off of the rear corner of the angle formed
by grooves c² and c³, figure 9.
Lever a is above at a cut out deep enough to permit the entrance of the forked
part of lever b.
In pushing the operating ring a¹ of lever a forward, the reverse
action takes place; breech bolt c is turned back by about 45° under the influence of
studs 62, 62 of lever b upon the slanting sides of angular grooves c¹, c¹, and then drawn
back sufficiently to free the breech opening e¹, figure 2.
As this pushing forward of lever ring a¹ by the finger would be difficult and tiring
for the hand, this forward motion of ring a¹ or rearward motion of bolt c is caused by
a spring, the one end of which rests against any suitable part or shoulder in the lock
frame while the other bears against a rounded point a² of lever a.
When the breech
is open spring stands in the position shown in Figure 2 and when ring a' is pulled
back, said spring fis compressed until lever a has reached its vertical position. When,
for the purpose of locking bolt c, lever a is pulled somewhat beyond this vertical
position, spring f swings downward into the position shown in figure 4 and now tends
to keep lever a in this position until ring a¹ has received a slight forward impulse by
the operating hand or finger when spring swings back into its original position and
forces lever a back into the position shown in figure 2 thus withdrawing the breech
bolt through which motion the emptied cartridge shell is withdrawn from the barrel
by the extractor et attached to bolt c in the usual manner. The breech bolt receives,.
in its interior, the firing pin g. between the two collars gl and g³, of which the spiral
spring his coiled. Collars g¹, being made of one piece with the pin, collar g³ is

page_text: screw-threaded in such manner as to permit spring to be screwed over it into its
proper place. Firing pin g is kept in the breech bolt by the bottom piece in figure 9
which may be screwed into the rear end of bolt c or for being easily detachable may
be fitted into a prismatic groove in the rear end of the bolt as shown. The firing pin
is guided in the rear in the central hole of bottom piece m and in front in the central
hole of the breech bolt.
The trigger i which has the form of a bell crank lever is pivotted to the lock frame
by a screw ¹ and its arm 2 is continually pressed forward by a spring n. Arm ³ of
the trigger engages into a corresponding recess ³, figure 14, in trigger lever k which
oscillates upon a screw k¹. To lever k is, at its upper end, rigidly attached the sear k³,
which reaches through a slit in the lock plate and through a slit m¹ in the bottom of
the breech bolt into the latter, where it catches collar g¹ of firing pin g, arresting the
latter when bolt c is being closed, whereby firing spring his compressed. A pull
against lever of the trigger will lower sear and permit the firing pin to strike
forward and fire the shot. The operating ring a¹ of lever a is, in its rear side,
provided with a slot at into which fits trigger arm 2 in such manner that when ring a
is pulled back completely arm 2 projects somewhat into ring a¹ so that at the instant
when the breech has been perfectly closed the operating finger in its rearward motion
will touch the trigger arm and thus fire the shot. This arrangement perinits of a very
rapid firing, as rapid as that of any self cocking revolver, over which this pistol has
the advantage that by the cartridge being fired in the barrel chamber direct, instead
of in a drum, there is no escape of gas, by which circumstance the shot of this pistol
is rendered more exact and effective than that of any revolver.
The magazine shown in the drawing, which consists of a drum o having a flap or
door o¹, o turning upon hinges r, r, and provided in front with a cap z attached to
the magazine by a screw z¹, need not be described here as it forms the subject of a
separate patent.
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 1
claim is :-
1-1n firearms with a sliding breech bolt, the two-armed oscillating lever a in
combination with the forked lever b sliding in the upper part of the former, the forked
part of said lever 6 engaging in angular grooves c¹ of the breech bolt, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth, and shown on the accompanying drawings.
2: In firearms of the kind specified in claim 1, the spring f for holding lever a in
two different positions substantially as described.
3-In firearms of the kind specified in claim 1, the breech bolt c provided with
the angular grooves c¹, c¹, and the angular grooves c2, c², the latter sliding upon
lugs e, e, in the breech box, for the purpose substantially as described and shown.
4:-In firearms of the kind specified in claim 1, trigger 2 with trigger lever k and
spring n, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 6th day of Arril 1889.