Year: 1888

page_text: I, LOUIS SILVERMAN, of 57° Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention rolates to magazine or repeating fire-arms of the kind or class wherein
the breech-block is pivoted at its rear end and is connected with an operating lever
arranged beneath the stock, so that, by moving the said lever downward, the breech
may be opened, the empty cartridge-shell extracted and the gun cocked, and, by the
upward movement of the said lever, the breech may be closed.
My said invention has for its object to provide means whereby, when the opening
of the breech and the extraction of the empty cartridge-shell have been effected, the
transfer of a fresh cartridge from the magazino into the gun and its insertion into the
barrel will be automatically performed.
In applying my invention to a "Martini" rifle, I provide tho same with a magazine
arranged in a suitable position on the side of the fire-arm, and provided with any
well-known or suitable spring for elevating the cartridges therein.
The said
magazine has near the top, at the side next the gun, an opening through which the
cartridges elevated by the spring will successively fall into position to be thrust into
the chamber of the gun as hereinafter described.
To the side of the magazine is pivoted a bent lever, one arm of which is provided
with a suitable friction-roller arranged to work in a slot in the aforesaid operating
lever, so that, in the downward movement of the said operating lever to open the
breech, the said bent lever will be turned upon its pivot as, and for the purpose,
hereinafter described. The other arm of the said bent lever is provided with
projections for the purpose hereinafter specified.
Upon the pivot-pin of the said bent lever is also pivoted an elbow-lever with which
is combined a coiled spring. A peculiarly shaped bent plate is pivoted to the upper
end of the said elbow-lover and is formed with a curved slot into which projects a
piu or stud on the elbow-lever, so that the said bent plate may move upward to permit
the closing of the breech.

page_text: When the aforesaid operating lever is moved down to open the breech, one of the
said projections on the bent lever engages with the edge of the elbow-lever and forces
the same backward, thus winding up or compressing its spring. The elbow-lever,
in its backward movement, passes over and compresses and moves aside a spring catch
secured to the side of the magazine. When the said elbow-lever has passed the said
catch, the latter moves back to its normal position and engages with the said elbow-
lever, thus preventing the return movement thereof until released as hereinafter
described, and permitting a cartridge to fall from the magazine into the space in
front of the said bent plate.
In the "Martini" rifle, the operating lever, when moved downward through the
required angle to open the breech, returns automatically through a small angle by
reason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the breech-mechanism. I
utilize this partial return movement of the said operating lever as follows, that is to
say:
In such partial return movement of the said operating lever, the aforesaid bent
lever is turned upon its pivot and an inclined projection on the said bent lever
forces the said elbow-lever laterally out of engagement with the aforesaid spring
catch, tho said elbow-lever being inade of a suitable thickness to allow sufficient
elasticity for this lateral movement. The coiled spring then reacts and moves forward
the elbow-lever which passes over the projection on the forward part of the said bent
lever. During this forward movement of the elbow-lover, the bent plate pivoted
thereto engages with the flange of the said cartridge and forces the same into the
chamber of the gun.
When the operating lever is moved upward to close the breech, the aforesaid
bent lover is moved back to its normal position and again engages with the elbow-
lever.
The elbow-lever in its normal position covers, or partly covers the aperture in the
side of the magazine, so that the cartridges are prevented from being pushed out by
the spring until the breech is opened, and the said elbow-lever moved back so as to
be clear of the said aperture.
In fire-arms of the kind or class above referred to, wherein there is no automatic
return of the operating lever, I provide a spring or springs for effecting a partial
automatic return movement of the aforesaid bent lever for the purpose above specified.
The said bent lever is sometimes suitably connected with the operating lever by other
means than those above described. Moreover the construction and arrangement of
the parts are, in some instances, otherwise modified to suit fire-arms differing in
construction from the Martini rifle.
Dated this 19th day of March 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: L
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire-arms.
I, LOUIS SILVERMAN, of 57 Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to fire-arms, such as the "Martini-Henry" rifle, wherein a
falling breech-block is employed, that is to say, wherein the breech-block is pivoted at
its rear end and is connected with an operating lever arranged beneath the gun-stock,
so that, by the downward movement of the said lever, the breech may be opened, the
empty cartridge-shell extracted and the gun cocked, and, by the upward movement of
the said lever, the breech may be closed.
My said invention has for its main object to provide a fire-arm of this kind or class
with a magazine and with means whereby, when the breech has been opened and the
empty cartridge-shell extracted, the transfer of a fresh cartridge from the said
magazino into the shoe or body of the gun and its insertion into the barrel will be
automatically performed.
An important feature of my said invention is the provision of a magazine and
feeding and loading mechanism which can be applied to a "Martini-Henry" rifle
without any alteration in the construction of the said rifle, and which can be readily.
attached to the said rifle and detached therefrom. My improved feeding and loading.
mechanism is, moreover, so constructed that it will be actuated through the medium
of the block-lever of the rifle, that is to say, the lever ordinarily employed for operating
the breech-mechanism.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown a magazine provided with feeding and '
loading mechanism in accordance with my said invention adapted for use with a
"Martini-Henry" rifle.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the rifle with the magazine attached thereto.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the said magazine detached.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, and
Figure 4 a rear elevation of the said magazine.
Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof, the side-plate hereinafter referred to being
removed, and the parts being shown in position for thrusting a fresh cartridge into the
barrel, and
Figuro 6 is a transverse section on the lino a, a, Figure 2, showing also parts of
the rifle.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the shoe or body of the gun, B the trigger-guard, the lever for operating the
breech mechanism, which lever is pivoted at to the shoe or body A, and is herein
termed the block-lever.
bis a
a is the casing of the magazine, which is formed with lips or flanges a', a² adapted'
to engage respectively with the upper and under sides of the shoe or body A.
spring catch adapted to engage with the upper part of the trigger-guard B to secure
and retain the magazine upon the gun. To prevent displacement of the magazine on

page_text: the gun, the side-plate c, which is next the gun when the magazine is attached thereto,
is made with a hole c which fits upon the projecting end of the indicator-pin
or block-lever pin C₁ of the gun and thus, together with the flanges a', a², and the
catch b, constitutes a very rigid connection between the magazine and the gun.
The magazine may be provided with any well-known or suitable spring for
elevating the cartridges therein. I prefer, however, to employ for this purpose a
spring the convolutions of which are of rectangular shape, and which is arranged
in the rear end of the magazine so that it will act upon the head-ends of the
cartridges, and I incline the forward end of tho magazine so that the bullet-onds of
the cartridges will slide-up the same as the heads thereof aro raised by the said
spring d.
The magazine is curved at the top and has at the sido next the gun an opening a³
through which the cartridges elevated by the spring will successively fall into the
shoe or body of the gun in such a position that they may be thrust into the
chamber, as hereinafter described. The said magazine is, moreover, provided with
a shield e which prevents the escape of the cartridges and ensures their falling into
the shoe or body of the gun.
To the side of the magazine is pivoted at fa bent lever f, the arm of which
is provided with studs or projections f³, fadapted to engage with the block-lover C,
when the magazine is applied to the gun, so that, in the downward movement of
the said block-lever for opening the breech, the said bent-lever will be turned
upon its pivot fl as, and for the purpose, hereinafter described. The other
arm of the said bent lever is provided with a projection fo for the purposes
hereinafter specified.
A
Upon the pivot-pin f₁ of the said bent lever is also pivoted an elbow-lever g
with which is combined a coiled or involute spring enclosed in a casing g'.
peculiarly shaped bent plate his firmly attached to the upper end of the said
elbow-lever g. This plato is so shaped that its lower odge will fit into the hollow or
cavity in the upper side of the breech-block, and so that, when the lever 9 moves
forward, the said plate will act conveniently to thrust a cartridge into the chamber
of the gun.
The lever g is sometimes provided with a pin or projection g² to facilitate
the backward movement of the same by hand when necessary.
When the block-lever C is moved down to open the breech, the projection on
the bent lever engages with the edge of the elbow-lever g and forces the said lover
backward, thus winding up or compressing its spring. In this backward movement
of the two levers, the projection passes over a catch or projection j on the side of
the magazine. In the first portion of the return movement of the levers f, g, the
said projection f slides upon an inclined surface of the said catch or projection j,
as indicated in Figure 5, and is thus disengaged from the elbow-lever 9, the forward
or return movement of which is then completed by its coiled spring. When the
elbow-lever is moved backward as above described, it allows a cartridge to fall
from the magazine into the space over the breech-block and in front of tho said
bent plate h, and, in the return movement of the said elbow-lover, the said cartridge
is thrust into the barrel by the said plate h, which acts upon the head or base of
the cartridge.
In the "Martini-Henry" rifle, as usually constructed, the block-lever, after it has
been moved downward through the required angle to open the breech and has been
released, returns automatically through a small angle by reason of the peculiar con-
struction and arrangement of the breech-mechanism. I utilize this partial return
movement of the said block-lever as follows, that is to say -In such partial return
movement of the said block-lever, the bent lever is turned upon its pivot and the
projection on the said bent lever, sliding upon the inclined surface of the catch j,
is disengaged from the said elbow-lever g. The aforesaid coiled spring then reacts
and moves forward the elbow-lever g which passes over the projection f on the bent
lever f, and, during this forward movement of the elbow-lever, the bent plate / pivoted
thereto, acting upon the base or head of the cartridge in front of it, forces the said
cartridge into the chamber of the gun as above described.

page_text: When the block-lever C is moved upward to close the breech, the bent lever fis
moved back to its normal position and again engages with the elbow-lever g.
The elbow-lever in its normal position covers or partly covers the aperture a³ in the
side of the magazine, so that the cartridges are prevented from being pushed out by
the spring until the breech is opened and the said elbow-lever moved back so as to be
clear of the said aperture. A stop is pivoted at ¹ to the rear end of the magazine
so that it can be turned down in front of the lever g (as shown in Figure 5) when the
said lever is at the rear end of its movement, for the purpose of holding back the said
lever to permit the filling of the magazine with cartridges through the aperture a³, or
to permit the use of the rifle as a "single loader." The said stop can, when desired,
be turned back into the position shown in Figure 4 to permit the action of the said
lever g in the manner above described.
To provide for holding down the cartridges in the magazine and permitting the
raising thereof by means of the spring so that they will be successively fed into
position to be thrust into the barrel, a spring stop or catch is attached to the forward
end of the magazine, its upper end being bent so that it enters a hole in the said
magazine, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, and holds down the cartridges therein.
The spring is formed with a projection having fixed therein a pin or stud / upon
which the lever g will act when moved forward, thus withdrawing the spring stop or
catch from the magazine, so that the cartridges may be raised therein by the spring d;
the uppermost cartridge cannot, however, escape from the magazine until the lever g
is moved back clear of the aperture a³. In this backward movement, the spring stop
or catch is allowed to enter the magazine between the uppermost cartridge theroin
and the one next below it, so that, while the said uppermost cartridge is permitted to
fall into the shoe or body of the gun, the remaining cartridges in the magazine are
held down by the said stop or catch 1.
In fire-arins of the kind or class above referred to wherein there is no automatic
return or partial return of the block-lever, I sometimes provide a spring or springs
for automatically effecting a partial return movement of the bent lever for tho
purpose above specified.
The aforesaid bent lever is sometimes connected with the block-lever (by other
means than those above described. For example, the said lever may be provided
with a stud and friction-roller working in a slot in the said block-lever. Moreover
the construction and arrangement of the parts are, in some instances, otherwiso
modified to suit fire-arms differing somewhat in construction from the "Martini-
Henry" rifle.
In some instances, I provide the magazine with a spring catch adapted to enter the
scrow-hole of the trigger-pivot and engage with the bottom of the shoe, which
projects partly over the said hole. Or the magazine is provided with a catch adapted
to engage with any other suitable part of the gun.
I am aware that it has been proposed prior to the date of my Patent to provide a
rifle of the Martini-Henry kind with a magazine which is attached to the side of the
breech the feed mechanism of which magazine is operated by the under lover, and I
lay no claim at large to such an arrangement.
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 that
I claim :-
-
First. A magazine (for uso with a "Martini-Henry" rifle or other fire-arm having
a falling breech-block) provided with feeding and loading mechanism substantially as
herein described to be actuated by the block-lever of the said fire-arm, for the purpose,
above specified.
Second. A magazine having lips or flanges adapted to engage with the upper and
under sides of the shoe or body of a gun and having a catch adapted to engage with
the trigger-guard or other part of the gun, as, and for the purpose, above specified.
Third. The above described method of providing for preventing displacement of

page_text: the magazine upon the gun by means of the projecting portion of the indicator-pin
or block-lever pin, as above specified.
Fourth. The combination, with a rifle, of a detachable magazine provided with
mechanism as herein described for feeding or transferring cartridges therefrom sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifth. The above described method of providing a rifle of the kind or class above
mentioned with a magazine and with feeding and loading mechanism without altering
the construction of the said rifle.
Sixth. A magazine which is provided with an
upon the head-ends only of the cartridges, and
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
elevating spring arranged to act
which has its front ond inclined,
Seventh. A magazine provided with a bent lever adapted to engage with the block-
lever of a gun and with a loading lever acted upon by a spring so that, when the
said bent lever is moved in one direction, the said loading lover will be drawn back
to permit a cartridge to fall in front of it, and, when the said bent lever is moved
through a small angle in the reverse direction, the said loading lever will be released
and moved forward by its spring, substantially as, and for the purpose, ot forth.
Eighth. The improved magazine provided with the feeding and loading mechanism
consisting of the parts constructed and combined substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes,
above specified.
Dated MS DIYCHOn day of December 1000
L. SILVERMAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 22nd Jan., 1889
I, LOUIS SILVERMAN, of 57" Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
My invention relates to magazine or repeating fire-arms of the kind or class wherein
the breech-block is pivoted at its rear end and is connected with an operating lever
arranged beneath the stock, so that. by moving the said lever downward, the breech
may be opened, the empty cartridge-shell extracted and the gun cocked, and, by the
upward movement of the said lever, the breech may be closed.
My said invention has for its object to provide means whereby, when the opening
of the breech and the extraction of the empty cartridge-sheil have been effected, the
transfer of a fresh cartridge from the magazine into the gun and its insertion into the
barrel will be automatically performed.
In applying my invention to a "Martini" rifle, 1 provide the same with a magazine
arranged in a suitable position on the side of the fire-arm, and provided with any
The said
well-known or suitable spring for elevating the cartridges therein.
magazine has near the top, at the side next the gun, an opening through which the
cartridges elevated by the spring will successively fall into position to be thrust into
the chamber of the gun as hereinafter described."
To the side of the magazine is pivoted a bent lever, one arm of which is provided
with a suitable friction-roller arranged to work in a slot in the aforesaid operating
lever, so that, in the downward movement of the said operating lever to open the
breech, the said bent lever will be turned upon its pivot as, and for the purpose,
hereinafter described. The other arm of the said hent lever is provided with
projections for the purpose hereinafter specified.
Upon the pivot-pin of the said bent lever is also pivoted an elbow-lever with which
is combined a coiled spring. A peculiarly shaped bent plate is pivoted to the upper
end of the said elbow-lever and is formed with a curved slot into which projects a
pin or stud on the elbow-lever, so that the said bent plate may move upward to permit
the closing of the breech.

page_text: When the aforesaid operating lever is moved down to open the breech, one of the
said projections on the bent lever engages with the edge of the elbow-lever and forces
the same backward, thus winding up or compressing its spring. The elbow-lever,
-in-its backward movement, passes over and compresses and moves aside a spring catch
secured to the side of the magazine. When the said elbow-lever has passed the said
catch, the latter moves back to its normal position and engages with the said elbow-
lever, thus preventing the return movement thereof until released as hereinafter
described, and permitting a cartridge to fall from the magazine into the space in
front of the said bent plate.
::
In the Martini" rifle, the operating lever, when moved downward through the
required angle to open the breech, returns automatically through a small angle by
reason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the breech-mechanism. I
utilize this partial return movement of the said operating lever as follows, that is to
say:
.
In such partial return movement of the said operating lever, the aforesaid bent
lever is turned upon its pivot and an inclined projection on the said bent lever
forces the said elbow-lever laterally out of engagement with the aforesaid spring
catch, the said elbow-lever being made of a suitable thickness to allow sufficient
elasticity for this lateral movement. The coiled spring then reacts and moves forward
the elbow-lever which passes over the projection on the forward part of the said bent
lever. During this forward movement of the elbow-lever, the bent plate pivoted
thereto engages with the flange of the said cartridge and forces the same into the
chamber of the gun.
When the operating lever is moved upward to close the breech, the aforesaid
bent lever is moved back to its normal position and again engages with the elbow-
lever.
The elbow-lever in its normal position covers, or partly covers the aperture in the
side of the magazine, so that the cartridges are prevented from being pushed out by
the spring until the breech is opened, and the said elbow-lever moved back so as to
be clear of the said aperture.
In fire-arms of the kind or class above referred to, wherein there is no automatic
return of the operating lever, I provide a spring or springs for effecting a partial
automatic return movement of the aforesaid bent lever for the purpose above specified.
The said bent lever is sometimes suitably connected with the operating lever by other
means than those above described. Moreover the construction and arrangement of
the parts are, in some instances, otherwise modified to suit fire-arms differing in
- construction from the Martini rifle.
Dated this 12th day of March 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire-arms.
I, LOUIS SILVERMAN, of 57 Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical 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 fire-arms, such as the "Martini-Henry" rifle, wherein a
falling breech-block is employed, that is to say, wherein the breech-block is pivoted at
its rear end and is connected with an operating lever arranged beneath the gun-stock,
so that, by the downward movement of the said lever, the breechi may be opened, the
empty cartridge-shell extracted and the gun cocked, and, by the upward movement of
the said lever, the breech may be closed.
My said invention has for its main object to provide a fire-arm of this kind or class
with a magazine and with means whereby, when the breech has been opened and the
empty cartridge-shell extracted, the transfer of a fresh cartridge from the said
magazine into the shoe or body of the gun and its insertion into the barrel will be
automatically performed.
An important feature of my said invention is the provision of a magazine and
feeding and loading mechanism which can be applied to a Martini-Henry" rifle
without any alteration in the construction of the said rifle, and which can be readily
attached to the said rifle and detached therefrom. My improved feeding and loading
mechanism is, moreover, so constructed that it will he actuated through the medium
of the block-lever of the rifle, that is to say, the lever ordinarily employed for operating
the breech-mechanism.
·
In the accompanying drawings I have shown a magazine provided with feeding and
loading mechanism in accordance with my said invention adapted for use with a
"Martini-Henry" rifle.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the rifle with the magazine attached thereto.
Figure 2 is a side élevation of the said magazine detached.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, and
Figure 4a rear elevation of the said magazine.
Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof, the side-plate hereinafter referred to being
removed, and the parts being shown in position for thrusting a fresh cartridge into the
barrel, and
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line a,, Figure 2, showing also parts of
the rifle.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the shoe or body of the gun, B the trigger-guard, the lever for operating the
breech-mechanism, which lever is pivoted at C to the shoe or body A, and is herein
termed the block-lever.
a is the casing of the magazine, which is formed with lips or flanges al, a adapted
to engage respectively with the upper and under sides of the shoe or holy A. is a
spring catch adapted to engage with the upper part of the trigger-guard B to secure
and retain the magazine upon the gun. To prevent displacement of the magazine on

page_text: the gun, the side-plate c, which is next the gun when the magazine is attached thereto,
is made with a hole which fits upon the projecting end of the indicator-pin
or block-lever pin C of the gun and thus, together with the flanges a', a² and the
catch b, constitutes a very rigid connection between the magazine and the gun.
The magazine may be provided with any well-known or suitable spring for
elevating the cartridges therein. 1 prefer, howover, to employ for this purpose a
spring d the convolutions of which are of rectangular shape, and which is arranged
in the rear end of the magazine so that it will act upon the head-ends of the
cartridges, and I incline the forward end of the magazine so that the bullet-ends of
the cartridges will slide-up the same as the heads thereof are raised by the said
spring d.
The magazine is curved at the top and has at the side next the gun an opening a
through which the cartridges elevated by the spring will successively fall into the
shoe or body of the gun in such a position that they may be thrust into the
chamber, as hereinafter described. The said magazine is, moreover, provided with
a shield e which prevents the escape of the cartridges and ensures their falling into
the shoe or body of the gun.
To the side of the magazine is pivoted at fa bent lever f, the arm f2 of which
is provided with studs or projections adapted to engage with the block-lever C,
when the magazine is applied to the gun, so that, in the downward movement of
the said block-lever for opening the breech, the said bent-lever will be turned
upon its pivotas, and for the purpose, hereinafter described. The other
arm of the said bent lever is provided with a projection for the purposes
hereinafter specified.
Upon the pivot-pin f of the said bent lever is also pivoted an elbow-lever
with which is combined a coiled or involute spring enclosed in a casing g¹. A
peculiarly shaped bent plate 4 is firmly attached to the upper end of the said
olbow-lever J. This plate is so shaped that its lower edge will fit into the hollow or
cavity in the upper side of the breech-block, and so that, when the lever 9 moves
forward, the said plate will act conveniently to thrust a cartridge into the chamber
of the gun. The lever g is sometimes provided with a pin or projection g² to facilitate
the backward movement of the saine by hand when necessary.
When the block-lever is moved down to open the breech, the projection f on
the bent lever engages with the edge of the elbow-lever y and forces the said lever
backward, thus winding up or compressing its spring. In this backward movement
of the two levers, the projection passes over a catch or projection on the side of
the magazine. In the first portion of the return movement of the levers f, g, the
said projection f slides upon an inclined surface of the said catch or projection ;,
as indicated in Figure 5, and is thus disengaged from the elbow-lever g, the forward
or return movement of which is then completed by its coiled spring. When the
elbow-lever 9 is moved backward as above described, it allows a cartridge to fall
from the magazine into the space over the breech-block and in front of the said
bent plate h, and, in the return movement of the said elbow-lever, the said cartridge
is thrust into the barrel by the said plate h, which acts upon the head or base of
the cartridge.
"
In the Martini-Henry" rifle, as usually constructed, the block-lever, after it has
been moved downward through the required angle to open the breech and has been
released, returns automatically through a small angle by reason of the peculiar con-
struction and arrangement of the breech-mechanism. I utilize this partial return
movement of the said block-lever as follows, that is to say:-In such partial return
movement of the said block-lever, the bent lever is turned upon its pivot and the
projection on the said bent lever, sliding upon the inclined surface of the catch j,
is disengaged from the said elbow-lever g. The aforesaid coiled spring then reacts
and moves forward the elbow-lever g which passes over the projection on the bent
lever f, and, during this forward movement of the elbow-lever, the bent plate / pivoted
thereto, acting upon the base or head of the cartridge in front of it, forces the said
cartridge into the chamber of the gun as above described.

page_text: When the block-lever C is moved upward to close the breech, the bent lever is
moved back to its normal position and again engages with the elbow-lever g.
The elbow-lever in its normal position covers or partly covers the aperture ³ in the
side of the magazine, so that the cartridges are prevented from being pushed out by
the spring until the breech is opened and the said elbow-lever moved back so as to be
clear of the said aperture. A stop k is pivoted at to the rear end of the magazine
so that it can be turned down in front of the lever g (as shown in Figure 5) when the
said lever is at the rear end of its movement, for the purpose of holding back the said
lever to permit the filling of the magazine with cartridges through the aperture a³, or
to permit the use of the rifle as a single loader." The said stop can, when desired,
be turned back into the position shown in Figure 4 to permit the action of the said
lover g in the manner above described.
"
To provide for holding down the cartridges in the magazine and permitting the
raising thereof by means of the spring so that they will be successively fed into
position to be thrust into the barrel, a spring stop or catch is attached to the forward
end of the magazine, its upper end being bent so that it enters a hole in the said
magazine, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, and holds down the cartridges therein.
The spring is formed with a projection having fixed therein a pin or stud 12 upon
which the lever will act when moved forward, thus withdrawing the spring stop or
catch from the magazine, so that the cartridges may be raised therein by the spring d
the uppermost cartridge cannot, however, escape from the magaz ne until the lever
is moved back clear of the aperture a³. In this backward movement, the spring stop
or catch is allowed to enter the magazine between the uppermost cartridge therein
and the one next below it, so that, while the said uppermost cartridge is permitted to
fall into the shoe or body of the gun, the remaining cartridges in the magazine are
held down by the said stop or catch 1.
9
In fire-arms of the kind or class above referred to wherein there is no automatic
return or partial return of the block-lever, I sometimes provide a spring or springs
for automatically effecting a partial return movement of the bent lover for the.
purpose above specified.
The aforesaid bent leve is sometimes connected with the block-lever C by other
means than those above described. For example, the said lever may be provided
with a stud and friction-roller working in a slot in the said block-lever. Moreover
the construction and arrangement of the parts are, in some instances, otherwise
modified to suit fire-arms differing somewhat in construction from the "Martini-
Henry" rifle.
In some instances, 1 provide the magazine with a spring catch adapted to enter the
serew-hole of the trigger-pivot and engage with the bottom of the shoe, which
projects partly over the said hole. Or the magazine is provided with a catch adapted
to engage with any other suitable part 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 that
I claim :-
:-
First. A magazine (for use with a "Martini-Henry" rifle or other fire-arm having
a falling breech-block) provided with feeding and loading mechanism to be actuated
by the block-lever of the said fire-arm, for the purpose, above specified.
Second. A magazine having lips or flanges adapted to engage with the upper and
under sides of the shoe or body of a gun and having a catch adapted to engage with
the trigger-guard or other part of the gun, as, and for the purpose, above specified.
Third. The above described method of providing for preventing displacement of
the magazine upon the gun by means of the projecting portion of the indicator-pin
or block-lever pin, as above specified.
Fourth. A magazine in which the cartridges are elevated by a spring and the top
of which is curved so that the uppermost cartridge when released will be forced out
of the magazine by the said spring and will fall into position to be thrust into the
barrel of the gun.

page_text: Fifth. The combination, with a rifle, of a detachable magazine provided with
mechanism for feeding or transferring cartridges therefrom into the barrel of the
said rifle.
-Sixth. The above described method of providing a rifle of the kind or class above
mentioned with a magazine and with feeding and loading mechanism without altering
the construction of the said rifle.
Seventh. A magazine which is provided with an elevating spring arranged to act
upon the head-ends only of the cartridges, and which has its front end inclined,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Eighth. A magazine provided with a bent lever adapted to engage with the block-
lever of a gun and with a loading lever acted upon by a spring so that, when the
said bent lever is moved in one direction, the said loading lever will be drawn back
to permit a cartridge to fall in front of it, and, when the said bent lover is moved
through a small angle in the reverse direction, the said loading lever will be released
and moved forward by its spring, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Ninth. The improved magazine provided with the feeding and loading mechanism
consisting of the parts constructed and combined substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes,
above specified.
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Dated this Eleventh day of December 1888.