IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS to be as follows:-
"
My invention has reference to breech-loading small arms and particularly to
those of the Martini type and the improvements consist first in transforming such
arms into magazine or repeating arms by providing them with a distributing box
or cartridge holder and with a small automatic distributor as hereinafter described;
and secondly in the application to the arm of a metal plate or piece at the part
where the shooter places his hand this plate or piece being insulated from the
barrel so as to protect him from the heat of the same. The distributing box or
cartridge holder above referred to is fixed at the left hand side of the gun and will
hold two cartridges; when it is supplied with its two cartridges a third cartridge
is put directly into the barrel; the three charges can then be fired in succession as
will be understood from the following description. When the breech block is
closed a pivoted piece or lever which is moved by a stud or projection on the block
comes with its tail end behind the distributing box and prevents the cartridges
therein from falling out. When on the other hand the breech block is opened and
the cartridge case in the barrel is ejected the tail of the pivoted piece or lever is
lowered with the block and gives passage to the first of the two cartridges in the
distributing box. This cartridge drops into the opening or recess in the block and
is then pushed into the barrel; the breech is then closed in the usual way. In
order to prevent both the cartridges from falling from the box at the same time the
front end of the pivoted piece or lever is formed with a slot or guide to receive &
pin or spur on a cam or stop piece. When the tail of the pivoted piece or lever
is lowered with the block this cam or stop piece is lifted and partly enters the
distributing box so as to retain the second cartridge. When the breech block is
again closed this second cartridge is free to move into the position previously
occupied by the first. The distributing box is charged by an opening at the top
through which the cartridges can be inserted at an inclination.
The metal plate or piece for protecting the shooter's hand from the heat of the
barrel is fixed, as already stated, at the part where the hand is placed. It is
secured by means of a band which is formed in a piece with it and firmly embraces
the stock; an insulating material is between the plate and the barrel.

page_text: -
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents 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:-
The invention has reference to breech loading small arms and particularly to
those of the Martini type, and the improvements consist, first, in transforming such
arms into magazine or repeating arms by providing them with a distributing box
or cartridge holder and with a small automatic distributor as hereinafter described;
and, secondly, in the application to the arm of a metal plate or piece at the part
where the shooter places his hand, this plate or piece being separated from the
barrel so as to protect him from the heat of the same.
The annexed drawings illustrate the improvements. Figure 1 is a longitudinal
elevation of a gun of the Martini type; the breech is shown closed and the
distributing box filled with cartridges which are retained by a pivoted piece or
lever hereinafter described. Figure 2 is a similar elevation but with the breech
open at the time when the empty case having been extracted is replaced by one of
the cartridges that were in the distributing box. Figure 3 is a cross section on the
line A B of Figure 1. Figures 4 and 5 show respectively in elevation and in plan
the automatic distributing mechanism. Figure 6 is an elevation of the distributing
box detached. Figure 7 is a view of the band-protecting piece, and Figure 8 a
cross section showing it applied to the gun.
a is the distributing box or cartridge holder; it is fixed at the left hand side of
the gun band will hold two cartridges; when it is supplied with its two cartridges
a third cartridge is put directly into the barrel; the three charges can then be
fired in succession as will be understood from the following description. When
the breech block dis closed a pivoted piece or lever c which is moved by a stud or
projection on the block d comes with its tail end f behind the distributing box a
and prevents the cartridges therein from falling out: When on the other hand the
breech block d is opened and the cartridge case in the barrel is ejected, the tail f
of the pivoted piece or lever is lowered with the block and gives passage to the
first of the two cartridges in the distributing box. This cartridge drops into the
opening or recess in the block and is then pushed into the barrel; the breech is
then closed in the usual way. In order to prevent both the cartridges from falling
from the box at the same time, the front end h of the pivoted piece or lever c is
formed with a slot or guide to receive a pin or spur m on a cam or stop piece i.
When the tail f of the pivoted piece or lever is lowered with the block d this cam
or stop piece i is lifted and partly enters the distributing box so as to retain the
second cartridge. When the breech block is again closed this second cartridge is
free to move into the position previously occupied by the first. The distributing
box is charged by an opening o at the top through which the cartridges can be
inserted at an inclination.
t is the metal plate or piece for protecting the shooter's band from the heat of
the barrel; it is fixed, as already stated, at the part where the hand is placed. It

page_text: is secured by means of a band u which is formed in a piece with it and firmly
embraces the stock; an insulating material may be placed between the plate and
the barrel.
Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12 represent modifications of the distributing box. In
that shown in elevation in Figure 9 and in plan in Figure 10, the cartridges are
inserted ball-foremost into the box a through a suitable opening o at the upper
part. For greater security this opening may be closed by a sliding or hinged.
shutter or otherwise. In the modification shown in Figures 11 and 12 the
cartridges can be inserted either through the opening o or through the front end
of the box where there are two small flaps m m hinged at diametrically opposite
points in such manner as to allow of the introduction of the cartridges but to
prevent their exit. In order that the shooter may know if there are still one or
more cartridges in the box there are one or more holes q which allow him to see
into the box.
Figures 13 and 14 represent a modification of the distributing box which has a
single opening o through which it is charged; an incline c conducts the cartridge
to the point from which it should drop into the opening or recess of the breech
block.
Figures 15 and 16 represent a gun fitted with the hand-protecting piece which is
shown in Figures 17, 18 and. 19; the form differs somewhat from that shown in
Figures 7 and 8.
7
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me, I declare that what I claim in respect of breech loading small arms is
1. Constructing such arms with a distributing box to contain cartridges the said
box being fitted with an automatic distributor, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described.
2. Fitting such arms with a protecting piece or hand guard at the place where
the shooter places his hand when firing, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
Dad 10th
SN1005