An Improved Cartridge-feeding Device for Machine Guns.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Cartridge-feeding Device for Machine Guns.
I, LUCIEN FREDERICK BRUCE of 25 Grant Street, Springfield, County of Hampden,
State of Massachusetts, United States, 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:-
"
This invention relates to Cartridge-Feeding Devices for Machine Guns and pertains
to improvements in mechanism for controlling the movement of cartridges between
the feeder into which the cartridges are first placed and the revolving carrier of the
gun, and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of said
mechanism whereby it is brought into co-operative relation with, and under the
control of said carrier, and in improved means for attaching said mechanism to the
gun, all as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.
In the drawing forming part of this Specification, Figure 1 is an end elevation of
a portion of the revolving cartridge-carrier of the well-known Gatling gun, showing
a portion of the casing enclosing said carrier in section, and having applied thereto
cartridge-controlling mechanism constructed according to my invention. Figure 2,
illustrates detail parts of said cartridge-controlling mechanism and a portion of the
case enclosing the same, and a portion of the carrier of the gun, and is hereinafter
fully described. Figure 3, is a perspective view of a portion of the rotating cartridge-
carrier of the gun, together with a portion of the aforesaid cartridge controlling
mechanisn showing a cartridge in a certain position between a part of said mechanism
and the carrier, all as hereinafter described, said Figure having the base of the hopper
indicated thereon in dotted lines. Figure 4, is a perspective view of the cover-portion
of the said case in which is located said cartridge-controlling mechanism, and of a
cartridge feeder of well-known construction, attached to said case in operative
position.
Cartridge-feeding devices for machine guns heretofore constructed with a cartridge-
guiding or controlling wheel similar to the wheel, 5, of this application, have said
wheel applied thereto in a different operative relation to the cartridge-carrier of the
gun from that herein shown and described.
The essential object of this invention, is, to provide such construction and arrange-
ment of the cartridge-carrier of the gun and of a cartridge-guiding and controlling
wheel co-operating with, and having its rotation controlled by said carrier, as ensures
the most reliable and accurate movement of the cartridges, with great rapidity into
the
gun, and which obviates the danger of clogging and stopping the feed of the
cartridges during rapid firing.
In the drawing, B indicates the cartridge-carrier of the well known Gatling Gun,
said carrier, in practice, being adapted to be rotated with the barrels, and holding
cartridges in longitudinal semi-cylindrical grooves in positions in a line with the bore
of said barrels.
K, indicates the portion of the hopper of the gun directly over said cartridge-
carrier, and 6, the feeding-wheel case which is located in the hopper-cover, D.
The mouth, 12, of the hopper is adapted to receive the foot of the cartridge-feeder, 10,
the latter being secured to the hopper mouth by a thumb screw, 13.
The hopper-cover, D, is secured to the hopper by means of a fixed hook, 7 on one
end thereof, which engages with the adjoining edge or border of the hopper as shown
in Figure 1, and the hook, 8, which is pivotted on the opposite end of the cover,
capable of engaging by one end with the border of the hopper, as shown, and having
a thumb-screw, 9, passing through its opposite end and against the end of the

page_text: cover, D, whereby said hook is swung into engagement with the hopper to secure
the cover thereto, or is disengaged therefrom to permit said cover to be removed.
The said cartridge-carrier, B, is made with the usual longitudinal ribs, b, c, n,
thereon, which, ribs are substantially identical in form, but are differently designated
as above for the purpose of more clearly explaining the operation of the within-
described 'improvements.
The above referred to semi-cylindrical grooves in the carrier, are those shown
..between said ribs, and are indicated by, f.
To adapt the said cartridge-carrier, B, to the improvements herein described, it
has a series of annular grooves, v, formed in the said ribs thereon, there being as many
of said grooves as there are sections, w, of the feeding-wheel, 5, and the width of said
grooves is such as permits said sections to enter them more or less, when said wheel
is rotated, as shown in Figure 1.
The base or bottom, s, of the hopper, K, has a longitudinal slot, h, therein which
constitutes the throat of the hopper, and through which the cartridges pass into the
grooves, f, between the said ribs on the cartridge-carrier. Said base, s, is also formed,
as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, to permit the said ribs to project through it
as the cartridge-carrier, B, rotates. Figure 1, also shows the projection of said ribs
through the base of the hopper.
The feeding-wheel case, 6, is formed in, or attached to the hopper-cover, D, and
contains a cylindrical wheel-chamber as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which the feeding-
wheel, 5, is hung to rotate on a suitable shaft, 14. A passage, 15, through which
cartridges' pass from the feeder, 10, to the said wheel and its chamber, is formed in
the upper part of the cover, D. The discharge opening for cartridges at the lower
side of said wheel chamber is much wider than said passage, 15, at its upper side,
in order to permit the extremities of said ribs to enter said, chamber more or less, in
order to properly co-operate with the feeding-wheel, 5, as below described, in govern-
ing the movement of, and manipulating the cartridges so that they are made to take
their proper places, successively, in the grooves of the carrier, B.
The said feeding-wheel, 5, is constructed with sections, w, having circular notches in
their peripheries as shown. Said notches are formed in a line in the several sections
and at four different points in said peripheries, and they constitute, so to speak, four
cartridge-grooves in said wheel, parallel with the axis thereof, to receive the cartridges
as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, while they move through the wheel-chamber.
Teeth, o, are formed on each wheel-section, w, which are adapted to enter the said
annular grooves in the ribs of the cartridge-carrier as and for the purpose below
described.
$
The cartridge-feeder, 10, shown in Figure 4, in connection with the hopper-cover, D,
is a well known device and is employed in connection with said cover, hopper and
the cartridge-controlling mechanism, to receive cartridges from a box into its vertical
grooves, 9, 9, and hold them by their heads while they move downward. by gravity
through the mouth, 12, into said wheel-chamber. Any other suitable feeder than that-
shown in Figure 4, may be employed to convey cartridges into the hopper if it be
capable of properly directing the cartridges.
The operation of the above described improvements in causing cartridges to be
deposited, one after another in regular order, in the cartridge-receiving grooves of the
rotating cartridge-carrier, is as follows.
The first of a line of cartridges, a, moving down from the feeder lands on the
wheel, 5, and causes by its weight to turn in the direction of the arrow at the end
of said wheel, Figure 3, and the cartridge and said wheel will come to a stop in the
position shown in Figure 3, said cartridge, a, being engaged by the wheel 5, and
Tying against the outer side of the rib, b, it being understood that other cartridges
will lie against the wheel above said first one, in the position shown by dotted lines
in Fig. 1.
In starting the carrier, the cartridge, a, and the wheel, 5, remains momentarily quiet

page_text: while the rib, b, of the carrier moves under said cartridge, and said rib having passed
from under the cartridge, a, the latter drops onto the base, s, of the hopper in such
position that the approaching rib, c, engages with said cartridge (see Figure 2) and
by the movement of the rib, c, against it, it is carried along to the mouth of the
hopper-throat, h, into which it is carried by said rib, c, until it arrives at the position
shown by cartridge, 4, in Figure 1, that is to say, at the mouth of said throat when it
passes at once down the latter into one of the cartridge-chambers, f, between the ribs
of the carrier. As soon as the rib, b, passes from under the said cartridge, a, the latter
rolls off the edge of said rib and its ends strike said base, s, of the hopper as aforesaid
and on which it is carried along towards the throat, h, and while said cartridge is so
moving, the teeth, o, of the wheel enter the annular grooves, v, of the cartridge-carrier
as indicated in Figure 1, where one of said teeth is shown partly emerged from one of
said grooves, behind which tooth follows the cartridge, e.
While the said teeth, o, are entered into the grooves, v, a cartridge as, e, follows
directly behind said teeth (see fig. 1) and, owing to the fact that the space between
said base, s, and the extremity of the teeth, o, is of less width than the diameter of
the cartridge, the latter, in order to pass along after dropping on the base, s, must
engage to a certain degree with the wheel, 5, (see Figure 2, cartridge, 3) and thus
each cartridge constitutes, so to speak, a connection between one of the ribs of the
cartridge-carrier and the wheel whereby the latter and said carrier are caused to
move in consonance; and hence no blocking of the feed can take place for the wheel
and carrier move in unison, carrying the cartridges, one after another, between
them.
Heretofore in cartridge-feeding devices in which a wheel similar to wheel, 5, is
employed, said wheel has not been controlled by engagement with the carrier through
the intermediary of a cartridge as above described, and hence such devices failed to
produce the necessary uniform movement of wheel and cartridge-carrier.
The said wheel and cartridge-carrier as heretofore made and arranged, are capable
of rotary movements when conveying cartridges, but under such conditions act more
or less independently of each other, and, as a consequence, the cartridges from time
to time become blocked between the carrier and the adjoining walls of the hopper.
But said inconveniences are entirely obviated by the use of the within-described
improvements, for the feeding-wheel and cartridge-carrier are in engagement by
means of each of the interposed cartridges as they move along, and each cartridge
can only reach its proper groove in the carrier by the uniform, triple movement of
the wheel, the carrier, and the cartridge itself.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is:
1°. The cartridge-carrier of a machine gun capable of a rotary movement under
the hopper thereof, having a series of longitudinal ribs and cartridge-receiving
grooves as described, and a series of annular grooves transversely through said ribs,
combined with a feeding-wheel having a free rotary motion at the side of said carrier
consisting of united sections, w, having teeth thereon whose extremities enter said annular
grooves, and circular notches therein to receive cartridges, and a wheel-chamber
as described, within which said feeding-wheel rotates, substantially as set forth.
.2°. The cartridge-carrier having longitudinal ribs thereon and a series of annular
grooves transversely through said ribs as described, combined with a freely rotating
feeding-wheel capable of engaging with a cartridge lying on one of said ribs and of
entering said annular grooves, substantially as set forth.
3°. The cartridge-carrier having longitudinal ribs thereon and a series of annular
grooves transversely through said ribs as described, combined with the hopper, K,
having perforations through its base to permit the separated portions of said ribs to
extend therethrough and a freely rotating feeding-wheel capable of engaging with a
cartridge lying on one of said ribs and on said hopper-base therebetween during the

page_text: movement of the cartridge towards the throat of the hopper, substantially as set
forth.
4°. The hopper-cover, D, having the rigid hook, 7, on one end, the hook, 8, pivotally
attached to its opposite end, and the screw, 9, passing through one end of said pivotted.
hook, combined with the hopper, K, having a border with which said hooks engage,
I substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of February 1890.