IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Swingle, Frank Atwood Huntington, and
Washington Jay Miller, of San Francisco, California, in the United
States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 22nd May 1874, and dated the 1st April 1874.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alfred Swingle, Frank
Atwoood Huntington, and Washington Jay Miller, at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration,
on the 1st April 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
SWINGLE, FRANK ATWOOD HUNTINGTON, and WASHINGTON JAY MILLER,
of San Francisco, California, in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS,” and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto us, our executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal

page_text: "
"
وو
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8 is a sectional elevation showing the operative parts.
9, 10, are views of the lock mechanism.
11, 12, show a modification of the leading devices.
13, 14, show the devices for operating this modification.
A is the barrel; B, the breech block; and C, the stock of our -gun.
The breech piece B has an extension or bed piece D extending forward
beneath the rear end of the barrel, so as to serve as a support or frame
for the barrel to rest and move upon. This bed piece is made hollow in
the form of a U, and longitudinal grooves or ways a, a, are made
opposite each other on the inner side of the U shaped trough throughout
its length. The barrel A has a lug 6 formed upon its under side near
the rear end. Side projections d, d, extend outward from each side
of this lug. These side projections enter the grooves or ways a, a,
at the extremity of the bed piece D, so that the barrel can be moved
back along the bed piece until the re-enforce or rear end of the barrel
strikes the breech block B, the lug 6 moving in the gutter of the bed
piece. Two lugs may be provided for the purpose of steadying the
sliding movement. A cap or hollow metallic cover E is secured to the
under side of the barrel at the proper point to admit the outer end or
half of the bed piece, and serves both as a finish to the gun and a
protection to the slide and ways. The forward end of this cap is closed
with the exception of a hole through which the end of the ramrod
passes, while the rear end for convenience and finish is formed with a
semicircular curve and angular points e.
The trigger guard F and guard plate F¹ are made in one piece. The
guard plate is made U shaped, so as to fit over the bed piece D in the
rear of the cap E. A semicircular projection fis formed on the forward
end of the guard plate upon each side of the bed piece, so as to fit in the
semicircular of the cap E, and its upper edges are cut angular or
bevelling to fit against the angular point e of the cap, thus causing the
rear portion to clasp the sides of the barrel.
A hole is made through the semicircular projections and bed piece D,
through which a screw bolt passes. Thus it will be seen that the guard
and guard plate form a lever with the screw bolt as a fulcrum. A pin

page_text: desired extent.
Upon each side of the extension or bed piece D, and near its
junction with the breech block, is a square projection G. The guard
plate has a recess H formed on it which corresponds with this projection,
so that when the plate is drawn up closely the block will fit in the seat
or recess.
An enlargement I on the breech block serves to match the enlarge-
ment or re-enforce on the rear end of the barrel, and give a uniformity
of design, but otherwise than as a re-enforce it is unimportant. The
lower corners Z of the enlargement or re-enforce I' on the gun barrel is
bevelled towards the rear, while the upper corner or edge Z' of the
shoulder formed by the recess on the guard plate is bevelled in an
opposite direction. Thus when the gun barrel is drawn back against the
breech block, and the guard plate forced upward against the under side
of the bed piece, the bevelled corner of the recess, moving against the
bevelled corner of the enlargement, forces the barrel closely against the
breech block and makes a tight joint.
The magazine tube J is placed in the stock of the gun, extending
from below the rear end of the barrel in a line to the lower tang of the
butt, where it is closed by a screw or by other suitable means. The
upper end of the magazine opens into the gutter in the bed piece below
the barrel as shown. A vibrating lever j is secured in the gutter of the
bed piece upon a pivot, which passes through it in the manner of
trunnions, so that it will rock upon its middle. The rear end of this
lever is enlarged, and has a saddle or semicircular clasp plate K secured
upon it, so that when the rear end is depressed the saddle will come in
line with the magazine tube and receive a cartridge from it.
A spiral
friction spring is secured in a hole transversely across the lever below the
saddle, so as to bear against the opposite sides of the gutter and hold the
lever in place. This lever is operated automatically by the lug 6 on the
under side of the barrel. As the barrel is pushed forward the lug 6 rides
upon the lever and depresses its forward end, thus elevating its rear end,
so that the cartridge in the saddle will be brought in line with the bore
of the barrel. As soon as the saddle rises, the metal block upon which
it rests stops the end of the magazine tube. When the barrel is drawn
back, the point of the bullet enters the bore of the barrel, and is forced

page_text: out of the saddle at the instant the rear end of the lever is moved down
by the lug b. We thus provide an automatic loading device, which is
extremely simple and easily operated.
In many instances it will be desirable to arrest the cartridges in the
magazine tube so that the gun may be used as an ordinary hand breech-
loader. To provide for this we have made a slot in the magazine tube
near its upper extremity, we then secure one end of a flat spring m to
the inside of the lock case or plate which covers the right side of the
tube and lock, so that its opposite end will be over the slot. The
spring m has a lug or catch n which will pass through the slot in the
tube and arrest the passage of the cartridges when the spring is free.
The extreme end of the spring is bifurcated and bevelled towards the
plate. A button o on the outside of the plate, which may be corrugated
if desired, has a shank which passes through a slot in the plate so
that the inner or opposite end of the shank will move between the two
separated points of the spring. A head is then provided for the inside
end of the shank, so that by moving the button o back or forth with
the forefinger of the hand the head of the shank will, by moving up and
down the incline, either open or close the tube as desired. This arrange-
ment will be quite useful as it often happens that hand loading will
answer every purpose, while at any instant the entire magazine will be
required. It will be noticed that the button o is located within easy
reach of the forefinger of the hand even when the gun is sighted, so
that no time will be lost in releasing the cartridges in the magazine.
Around the breech pin we make an annular groove w, and upon the rear
end of the barrel we form an annular flange x which enters the annular
groove when the barrel is forced back against the breech piece. This
provides a socket joint which absolutely prevents leakage of the gas or
escape of burnt powder as in most breech-loaders. The shell extractor y
is secured in the groove wo and a small recess is made in the flange in
which it fits.
The firing pin a' passes through the breech pin and has a limited
motion longitudinally. The hammer b¹ strikes the end of the piu when
it drops, and by forcing the pin percussively against the butt of the
cartridge explodes the cartridge and fires the gun.
•
In order to render the hammer 6' perfectly secure and prevent its
being sett off by accident a pin c¹ passes down through it just in front of

page_text: the thumb piece d¹. This pin has a head e¹ secured to its lower end.
which works in a slot in the hammer head as shown, a spring serving to
keep it pressed against the upper end of the slot.
A recess f¹ is made in the under side of the slot, in which the hammer
works, at the proper point to hold the hammer at the half-cock. The
upper end of the pin projects sufficiently above the hammer to be readily
depressed by the thumb at the instant of cocking so that the head e¹ will
be pressed down out of the recess and thus free the hammer. Another
recess fat the full-cock receives the head e¹ and holds the hammer
cocked ready to fire. A curved bar or S shaped lever g¹ is pivoted at or
near its middle against the inside of the plate or covering of the lock;
one end of this lever is notched and forms the set or shoulder for the
trigger to catch upon when the gun is cocked. The opposite end is just
back of the recess f" or full-cock and is formed into a wedge. A
bearing or flat spring h¹ presses against the wedge end of the lever.
In drawing the hammer back to the full-cock the head e' of the pin c¹
forces the upper end of the S shaped lever down, thus raising the
opposite end until the trigger catches upon the shoulder prepared
for it. At the same instant the head e¹ enters the full-cock notch or
recess f¹¹.
When the trigger is pulled upon it is freed from the notch. The flat
spring & then forces the wedge at the opposite end of the lever under
the head e¹ so as to press it out of the recess f¹, thus causing the hammer
to fall.
When the hammer is released from the full-cock the head e¹ will pass
the recess for half-cock without locking, but the instant the gun is fired
the recoil of the explosion acting upon the end of the firing pin will
force the hammer back to the half-cock, thus providing almost_absolute
freedom from accidental discharges."
A screw is set in front of the trigger by means of which the set of
the trigger can be regulated to give a light or strong catch upon the
shoulder of the lever as desired.
The operation of our improved fire-arm is as follows:-The second
finger of the right hand is passed through the oval hole in the latch
plate of the guard ring, while the forefinger commands the trigger and
button o. In sighting the gun for firing the left hand naturally grasps.

page_text: the cap E on the under side of the barrel. In this position it is only
necessary to press downward with the second finger of the right hand.
to unlatch the guard catch, and a further movement lowers the guard
and guard plate lever until the recess H clears the projection G. This
movement of the lever causes the joint at f to move the barrel forward
about the sixteenth of an inch. The left hand then pushes the barrel
forward until the lug b strikes the transverse bolt, which forms the
fulcrum of the lever. This movement, as above explained, removes the
shell of the discharged cartridge, and brings a fresh cartridge opposite
the bore of the barrel, so that when the barrel is forced back the gun
is loaded, and the saddle forced down opposite the magazine tube to
receive a fresh cartridge. When the barrel is thus forced back the same
operation of the joint at f, which first moves the barrel forward about
the sixteenth of an inch, also prevents the complete closing of the
joint to the same extent, so that there will be no danger of exploding
the cartridge by the percussion of drawing the barrel back. The second
finger of the right hand then draws the guard and plate lever up to its
locking position, causing the inclined faces of the recess H and enlarge-
ment on the end of the barrel to draw the parts firmly together, and
close the joint.
If desired a self-cocking device may be applied between the guard
plate and cock, so that the final locking movement of the lever F, F¹.
will cock the gun. Such an arrangement could be very simply and
readily applied, but as quite a strong prejudice exists against self-cocking
guns, we have deemed it unimportant to represent such an arrangement.
in this connection.
We are aware that a breech-loading fire-arm has heretofore been con-
structed, in which the barrel moved forward to provide a space for
loading and removing the shell of the discharged cartridge by employing
the guard as a lever for moving it; but in our gun the guard and
guard plate lever are used only as locking and unlocking devices,
while the hand and muscles of the person firing the gun moves the
barrel.
Another improvement in this class of repeating or breech-loading fire..
arms, which we have invented, consists in the employment of an
oscillating breech piece, the movement of which accomplishes the same
purpose as our sliding barrel arrangement. This arrangement is shown

page_text: at Figs. 11 and 12, where K¹ represents the breech piece.
This breech
piece is provided with an arm or journal upon each side, which serve
as trunnions for it to oscillate upon. The rear end of the barrel is
chambered out at m¹ upon one side of the breech sufficiently large to
receive the breech piece K³, as shown, so that one of its trunnions will
bear in the metal, which is left on one side, and in a steel plate cap on
the opposite side.
The rear end of the chamber is made circular, and also the lower
corner of the forward end. The breech piece K¹ is made to correspond
in shape with the chamber, so that when it oscillates a close fit is pre-
served. The magazine tube n³ is placed in the stock of the gun, lying
in a straight line from the lower rear corner of the stock to the
chamber o¹ with which it communicates below the firing pin a¹. Now
it will be seen that when the breech piece K' lies horizontally in the
chamber o¹ its bore will communicate with the bore of the barrel, while
the firing pin covers the bore in its rear; but by oscillating the brecch
piece, so as to depress its rear end its bore will be brought in line with
the magazine tube, while its forward end is so elevated as to permit the
discharged shell to be forced out by the entering cartridge.
Usually an inclined groove q¹ will have to be made at the end of the
chamber in advance of the bore in the breech piece when in this position,
in order to permit the discharged shell to pass out. On the under side
of the breech piece we secure two friction rollers r¹, 1³, one near the
front, and one near the rear end. Just below the breech piece a
horizontal bar or lever 8¹ (Fig. 13) is secured next to the false trigger
guard F (Fig. 14) by the same screw which secures this trigger guard
to the gun. The upper face of this bar is formed into one or more
curves to accommodate the rollers 21, 1, which bear upon it. The
lever arm u¹ of the trigger guard F passes upon one side of the bar s¹,
and in order to allow it to move back when the false trigger guard is
thrown forward the edge of the bar is bevelled off in a curved line below
the lever arm, so as to let the arm move back freely almost to its full
stroke. At this point the arm will strike the shoulder v¹ at the rear of
the bevel, when a further motion causes the lever bar 81 to oscillate
sufficiently to carry the breech piece to its loading position in line with
the magazine. A plate or connecting rod w¹ has one end loosely secured
to the extremity of the lever arm u', and to its opposite extremity a
slide is attached. This slide moves back and forth longways above.

page_text: the upper end of the magazine tube as the trigger guard is thrown
forward and back, and has a claw bar y¹ secured to it, which, as the false
trigger guard moves back, catches in a recess and over a shoulder on
the rear of the upper cartridge in the tube, and forces it forward into
the bore of the breech piece, causing it to drive the shell of the dis-
charged cartridge out at the upper end of the breech piece. A further
closing of the false trigger guard brings the breech piece to a horizontal
or firing position, and enters the upper wedge-shaped end of the slide into
a corresponding recess in the lower corner of the breech piece, by which
the breech piece is keyed to its position. The spring in the bottom of
the magazine tube keeps the cartridges close up against the breech
piece in the ordinary manner of magazine guns. In order to fill the
magazine the breech piece is oscillated to the proper position to bring
its bore in line with the magazine tube, and the cartridges are forced
through the breech piece until the tube is full. The real trigger guard
is permanently fixed to the gun, and the false guard F fastens to it
when closed by means of a spring latch, which is operated by the finger,
and which engages with a hole in the guard, thus securely fastening the
operating guard when not required for use.
Our rifle barrel is made with two lands or projecting ribs, which have
any desired twist given them in passing from one end of the barrel to
the other. These ribs are formed by taking a barrel with the ordinary
round hole through it, and cutting away a portion upon each side of the
proposed rib, so that the bore will then be of an oval shape with the
ribs or lands opposite to each other, and in the longest axis of the oval.
By this method of cutting the rifling we are enabled to save much labor,
as it will only be necessary to cut out a very small portion of the metal,
in order to produce the necessary lands, and a rifle constructed in this
manner gives excellent results in practice.
Having thus 'described our Invention, what we claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-.
First. The breech piece B with its U shaped extension or bed piece D
having the grooves or ways a, a, in combination with the barrel A with
its lug b and projections or guides d, substantially as and for the purpose
above described.
Second. The sliding barrel A, having its re-enforce or enlargement I¹
led at 12 in mmbination with the crowd and cuerd plate lezer Tu

page_text: with its recess H having an inclined edge Z', substantially as and for the
purpose above described.
Third. The sliding barrel A with its hollow case or cap E in com-
bination with the locking guard and guard plate lever F, F", when the
two provide a joint at f, by which the initiatory and final closing 5
movement of the barrel against the breech piece is accomplished in sub-
stantially the manner and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In combination with the sliding barrel A with its lug 6 we
claim the vibrating lever j with its saddle or semicircular clasp ring K, or
equivalent device, substantially as and for the purpose above described. 1
Fifth. The annular groove w around the breech pin in combination
with the annular flange X upon the extremity of the barrel for the
purpose specified.
Sixth. The latch plate q having the oval finger hole t, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Seventh. The finger button O in combination with a suitable device
for arresting the cartridges in the magazine tube, substantially as above
described.
1
Eighth. In combination with the hammer b¹ the pin c¹ with its
head e in combination with the recesses f¹, f", arranged to be depressed 2
at instant of cocking the gun, substantially as described.
Ninth. In combination with the hammer 6' with its locking pin e
and the recesses f¹, f", we claim the S shaped bar or lever g¹, having
one end provided with a trigger set, while the other end is formed into
a wedge, and employed to lift the head e¹, substantially as and for the 2
purpose above described.
Tenth. The breech piece K¹ with its arms or trunnions in combina-
with the oscillating bar or lever S₁ and trigger guard F, substantially as
and the purpose described.
Eleventh. The oscillating breech piece K¹ in combination with the 3
magazine tube n' when arranged, substantially as described, whereby
the cartridges may be fed directly into the breech block, and at the
same time the old cartridge forced out.
Twelfth. The oscillating breech piece K', magazine tube n³, bar or
lever and trigger guard F with its lever arm u³, connecting rod w¹, and

page_text: slide x¹ having the claw bar y³, all constructed and arranged to operate
substantially as herein described.
Thirteenth. The slide ¹ with its upper wedge-shaped end in com-
bination with the recess x¹¹ in the breech piece for locking the breech
piece in the firing position.
Fourteenth. The oval bore for a rifle barrel having the two lands
opposite to each, and in the longest axis of the oval, substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Swingle, Frank Atwood
Huntington, and Washington Jay Miller, have hereunto set our
hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
5
ALFRED SWINGLE.
(L.S.)
FRANK ATWOOD HUNTINGTON. (L.S.)
WASHINGTON JAY MILLER.
(L.S.)
Witnesses,
JOHN L. BOONE,
C. M. RICHARDSON.