IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLES AND OTHER GUNS to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RIFLES AND OTHER GUNS to be as follows:-
"
The object of this Invention is improvements in rifles and other guns in which
the breech is opened and closed by means of a sliding bolt; such guns are specially
adapted to receive a magazine from which cartridges are supplied to the barrel.
The principal parts of the action of the gun are:-
1. The body; this part is screwed on in rear of the barrel and bored from end
to end with a cylindrical passage forming an enlarged continuation of the bore of
the gun. The sides of this body are slotted and grooved to receive the extractor
and also lugs upon the bolt. A socket is formed on its side to receive the magazine
which in its main features forms no part of the Invention and need not be
described.
2. The bolt; this part is a hollow cylinder fitting the cylindrical passage in the
body and capable of turning and sliding within it. The bolt has lugs on its exterior
which engage with the recesses formed within the body.
3. The firing pin; this part is contained within the bolt, its stem is surrounded
by a coiled spring which abuts at one end upon the head of the firing pin and at
the other upon the cam sleeve.
4. The cam sleeve is a short cylinder fitted within the bolt and there secured by
means hereinafter described it is cut away in rear so as to form cam like inclines.
The stem of the firing pin passes through the cam sleeve.
5. The hammer; this is a piece the fore end of which enters the hinder end of
the bolt, and it has inclines upon it corresponding to and operating with those on
the cam sleeve. The hammer is attached to the stem of the firing pin by means
hereinafter described. The rear end of the hammer when the gun is. closed enters
the end of the body so that in locking and unlocking the hammer is held from
turning with the bolt. Whilst unlocking the inclines on the cam sleeve drive back
the hammer compressing the coiled spring until at the top of the incline the hammer
clicks into a small notch in the cam sleeve and is retained whilst by the rearward
movement of the bolt the breech is opened. When the bolt is pushed back and
turned to lock it the hammer is released from the notch but is retained by the
trigger
וי

page_text: 6. The trigger; this is formed in one piece with the trigger spring and the sear.
The spring is secured by its two ends to the body and the sear is a projection from
it rising up through a hole in the under side of the body into the path of the
hammer. The spring is easily deflected by the pull on the trigger until the sear is
nearly withdrawn and then the spring comes down upon a stationary pin which
Bupports it at an intermediate point so that a stronger pressure on the trigger is
requisite entirely to withdraw the sear and release the hammer for firing.
7 The extractor; this piece fits a slot in the top of the body in which it slides
like the lid of a box being retained by guide grooves in the rear end of the body.
When the bolt is turned in unlocking one of the lugs at its hinder end enters a
recess in the under side of the extractor and engages with it so that the extractor
is drawn back with the bolt. The extractor has a projection on its head which as
the gun is opened and closed strikes corresponding projections on a sliding bar
which operates the magazine.
8. The locking bolt or half cock appliance; this part is a transverse axis
immediately beneath the trigger spring, it is notched on one side and has a thumb
piece at one end. In one position the axis supports the trigger spring so that it
cannot yield to the pull upon the trigger but when turned partly round the notch
is brought to a position such as to admit of the spring yielding. The further end
of the axis of this locking bolt is doubled upon itself where it enters the hole in
the body which serves as the bearing. The hole is enlarged internally and the
axis when thrust in opens out so that whilst turning freely it cannot be withdrawn
except by the application of considerable force.
The bolt is formed with four lugs, three of which have a hearing in the body and
serve to take up the recoil, their bearing surfaces are at right angles to the axis of
the bolt. The top rear lug also serves to fix the extractor to the bolt, the flange
entering the recess and keeping it firmly down when the bolt is withdrawn. The
front faces of the lugs are cut to a screw pitch and these bearing against corre-
sponding curved slots in the body extract the cartridge case partially when the
bolt is being turned for unlocking. The rear face of the body is cut to the same
pitch this acts as a stop when the bolt is being pushed in. The lower front stud is
used as a guide only it traverses along the groove in the lower part of the body as
the bolt is drawn back.
The method of connecting the hammer with the stem of the firing pin is as
follows. The stem has a groove around it at a short distance from the end and
the hammer has an oblong hole formed in it to receive the end of the stem.
The hammer is raised after the stem has been inserted and then lips formed at
the fore part of the oblong hole enter the groove in the stem. When the bolt is in
its working position in the gun the hammer cannot escape from the tail of the
firing pin.
The parts are brought together in the following manner :-
The firing pin after having the spring placed upon it is passed through the cam
sleeve and its end inserted in the hammer, the hammer is then brought up concentric
with the sleeve, by this means the firing pin is fixed to the hammer; it is now
pushed into the bolt. The cam sleeve enters the bolt and a groove and projection
guide it to its place; it is then held in position by inserting a pin. The pin is in
the lug which engages with the extractor and in its turn is held in position by the
extractor.
Upon unlocking the gun the cam in the sleeve acting upon the cam on the hammer
pushes back the firing pin and compresses the spring, the hammer being prevented
from turning by its tail piece running in a slot in the body, it is held in this
position while the bolt is being withdrawn, by the point of cam entering the small
recess in the sleeve; this position is maintained until the bolt is within 1/8th of an
inch from home; when the bolt is turned for locking, the lugs bearing against the
quicker pitched slot drive the bolt completely home and the hammer remains beld
by the trigger.

page_text: The bolt is stopped at the rear by the lugs on the extractor coming in contact
with the faces on the body.
The extractor as already stated is furnished with a lug for the purpose of
engaging projections on the feed bar of the magazine, this bar is attached to the
side of the magazine upon which it slides. A slot is cut in the bar into which the
end of the magazine slide engages so that motion given to the bar is communicated
to the slide. The projection on the fore end of the feed bar is solid with it, but
the one at the rear is pivoted so that it may be turned up clear of the extractor lug
when it is desired to use the gun as a single loader.
The improvements may be enumerated as follows:-
(1). The force of the explosion is partly taken upon a bearing immediately
behind the barrel, by doing which the body and bolt may be much lighter than
usual, without being detrimental to strength.
(2). There is no opening in the bolt for the admission of damp or dust, the cocking
cam being entirely enclosed in the bolt.
(3). The extractor is of such strength, not hitherto obtained in any gun in which
the gun is in one piece.
(4). The substitution of a claw extractor to the single hook generally used in
rifles.
(5). The arrangement of trigger spring, whereby the first movement in pulling
off is very light, but at the last moment is regulated to the ordinary weight for
military arms.
(6). A simple half cock arrangement which can be put into gear when the gun
is loaded, without the usual danger attending this operation, and as easily removed.
When in use, live cartridges can be worked through the gun unfired, it therefore
forms an efficient drill stop.
(7). The method of fixing the firing pin to the hammer.
(8). The method of fixing the extractor to the bolt.
(9). The method of fixing the cam sleeve by the pin, shoulder and feather.
(10). The sliding feed bar on the magazine by which the supply of cartridges
from the magazine can be cut off, and the gun used as a single loader, although the
magazine remains in position ready for immediate use.

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RIFLES AND OTHER GUNS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is improvements in rifles and other guns in which
the breech is opened and closed by means of a sliding bolt, such guns are specially
adapted to receive a magazine from which cartridges are supplied to the barrel.
In the annexed Drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical and longitudinal section of the action of a rifle or gun
constructed in accordance with the invention.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical and longitudinal section of the body only.
Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of the body on the line A B in Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line C D in Figure 4.
Figures 7 and 8 show the extractor in elevation and plan.
Figure 9 is a plan of the bolt in the position it occupies during withdrawal.
Figure 10 is an end elevation of the bolt.
Figure 11 is a transverse section of the bolt on the line E F Figure 9 and shows
also the cam sleeve within the bolt.
Figures 12 and 13 show the pin by which the bolt and sleeve are held together.
Figures 14. 15 and 16 are side elevations of the cam sleeve and Figure 17 is an
end elevation of the same.
Figure 18 is the half cock bolt.
Figure 19 is a rear elevation of the hammer.
Figure 20 is an underside view of the same.
Figure 21 is a side elevation.
Figure 22 is a plan.
Figure 23 is a front elevation and
Figure 24 a longitudinal section of the fore part of the hammer.
Figures 25 and 26 show an elevation and plan of a portion of the magazine.
The principal parts of the action of the gun are:-
:
1. The body this part marked A is screwed on in rear of the barrel and bored
from end to end with a cylindrical passage forming an enlarged continuation of the
bore of the gun. The sides of the body are slotted along the top from end to end
to receive the extractor or as is indicated by dotted lines in Figures 5 and 6 the
body may remain closed at the top at the rear end the extractor being then made
lower.
The body is also grooved at the bottom and sides to receive lugs upon the bolt.
A socket a¹ is formed on its side to receive the magazine which in its main
features forms no part of this invention-and need not be described.
2. The bolt this part marked B is a hollow cylinder fitting the cylindrical
passage in the body and capable of turning and sliding within it. The bolt has
lugs on its exterior which engage with the recesses formed within the body. The
handle fixed upon the rear end of the bolt is marked b¹.

page_text: 3. The firing pin: this part marked F is contained within the bolt, its stem is
surrounded by a coiled spring S which abuts at one end upon the head of the firing
pin and at the other upon the cam sleeve.
4. The cam sleeve marked K is a short cylinder fitted within the bolt and there
secured by means hereinafter described it is cut away in rear so as to form cam
like inclines The stem of the firing pin passes through the cam sleeve.
5. The hammer marked H; this is a piece the fore end of which enters the
hinder end of the bolt, and it has inclines upon it corresponding to and operating
with those on the cam sleeve. The hammer is attached to the stem of the firing.
is
pin by means herein after described. The rear end of the hammer when the gun
closed enters the end of the body where at a' there is a groove to receive it so that
in locking and unlocking the hammer is held from turning with the bolt. Whilst
unlocking the inclines on the cam sleeve drive back the hammer compressing the
coiled spring until at the top of the incline the hammer clicks into a small notch k¹
in the cam sleeve and is retained whilst by the rearward movement of the bolt the
breech is opened. When the bolt is pushed back and turned to lock it the hammer
is released from this notch but is retained by the trigger.
6. The trigger: this part marked M is formed in one piece with the trigger
spring m¹ and the sear m². The spring is secured by its two ends to the body and
the sear is a projection from it rising up through a hole in the underside of the
body into the path of the hammer. The spring is easily deflected by the pull on
the trigger until the sear is nearly withdrawn and then the spring comes down
upon a stationary pin P which supports it at an intermediate point so that a
stronger pressure on the trigger is requisite entirely to withdraw the sear and
release the hammer for firing.
7. The extractor: this piece marked E fits the slot in the top of the body in
which it slides like the lid of a box being retained by guide grooves with over-
lapping lips in the rear end of the body. When the bolt is turned in unlocking
one of the lugs at its hinder end enters a recess e' in the underside of the extractor
and engages with it so that the extractor is drawn back with the bolt. The
extractor has a projection e² on its head which as the gun is opened and closed
strikes corresponding projections on a sliding bar which operates the magazine.
8. The locking bolt or half-cock appliance: this part marked L is a transverse
axis immediately beneath the trigger spring, it is notched on one side and has a
thumb piece at one end. In one position the axis supports the trigger spring 80
that it cannot yield to the pull upon the trigger but when turned partly round the
notch is brought to a position as seen in Figure 1 such as to admit of the spring
yielding. The further end of the axis of this locking bolt is doubled upon itself
where it enters the hole in the body which serves as the bearing. The hole is
enlarged internally and the axis when thrust in opens out so that whilst turning
freely it cannot be withdrawn except by the application of considerable force.
The bolt is formed with four lugs as seen in Figure 9 two of these marked b*
and b are on the upper side of the bolt and there are two others b' and b' on the
under side. Of these lugs three namely 63 63 and 6' have a bearing in the body
and serve to take up the recoil their bearing surfaces are at right angles to the axis
of the bolt. The top rear lug 63 also serves to fix the extractor to the bolt the
flange upon it entering the recess e¹ and keeping the rear end of the extractor
firmly down when the bolt is withdrawn. The front faces of the lugs are cut to a
screw.pitch and these bearing against corresponding inclines in the curved slots in
the body extract the cartridge case partially when the bolt is being turned for
.unlocking. The rear face a* of the body is cut to the same pitch this acts as a stop
when the bolt is being pushed in The lower front stud b is used as a guide only
and not to lock the bolt in the body it traverses along the groove a³ in the lower
part of the body as the bolt is drawn back.
The method of connecting the hammer with the stem of the firing pin is as
follows. The stem has a groove around it at a short distance from the end and
the hammer has an oblong hole h¹ formed in it to receive the end of the stem,
"

page_text: Ine nammer 18 raised atter the stem has been inserted and then a lip formed
at the fore part of the oblong hole enters the groove in the stem. When the bolt
is in its working position in the gun the hammer cannot escape from the tail of the
firing pin.
The parts are brought together in the following manner :—
The firing pin F after having the spring $ placed upon it is passed through the
cam sleeve K and its end inserted in the hammer H; the hammer is then brought
up concentric with the sleeve. By this means the firing pin is fixed to the
hammer; it is now pushed into the bolt B The cam sleeve enters the bolt and a
groove and projection or feather / guide it to its place, it is then held in position
by inserting the pin shewn by Figures 12 and 13. The pin is in the lug b³ which
engages with the extractor it has two flanges and is held in position by the said
flanges passing into grooves in the lug 6 when the pin is turned one quarter round.
Upon unlocking the gun the cam in the sleeve acting upon the cam h³ on the
hammer pushes back the firing pin F and compresses the spring S the hammer
being prevented from turning by its tail piece running in the slot a² in the body.
The hammer is held in this position while the bolt is being with-drawn by the
point of cam entering the small recess k' in the sleeve. This position is maintained
during the return of the bolt and until the bolt is within 1/8th of an inch from
home when the bolt is turned for locking the lugs bearing against the quickly
pitched slots a³ drive the bolt completely home and the hammer remains held by
the trigger M.
The bolt is stopped at the rear by the lugs e³ on the extractor coming in contact
with the faces on the body.
The extractor as already stated is furnished with a lug e' for the purpose of
engaging projections n and n¹ on the feed bar N of the magazine, this bar is
attached to the side of the magazine upon which it slides and it is connected with
the magazine slide O at o.
The magazine may be such as is described in my specification No 2104 in the
year 1883 except that no spring is employed, the movement in both directions
being imparted by the lugs e e on the extractor. Thus the motion given to the
bar is communicated to the slide. The projection on the fore end of the feed bar is
solid with it but the projection n' at the rear is pivotted at n² so that it may be
turned up clear of the extractor lug as is shown by dotted lines in Figure 25 when
it is desired to use the gun as a single loader.
The improvements may be enumerated as follows:-
(1.) The force of the explosion is partly taken upon a bearing immediately
behind the barrel, by doing which the body and bolt may be much lighter than
usual without being detrimental to strength.
(2). There is no opening in the bolt for the admission of damp or dust, the
cocking cam being entirely enclosed in the bolt.
(3). The extractor is of great strength.
(4). The double claw extractor is substituted for the single hook generally used
in rifles.
(5). The trigger spring is so arranged that the first movement in pulling off is
very light but at the last moment is regulated to the ordinary weight for military
arms.
(6). A simple half cock arrangement is provided which can be put into gear
when the gun is loaded without the usual danger attending this operation and as
easily removed. When in use live cartridges can be worked through the gun
unfired it therefore forms an efficient drill stop.
(7). The method of fixing the firing pin to the hammer.
(8). The method of fixing the extractor to the bolt.
(9). The method of fixing the cam sleeve by the pin shoulder and feather.
(10). The sliding feed bar on the magazine by which the supply of cartridges
from the magazine can be cut off and the gun used as a single loader although the
magazine remains in position ready for immediate use,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1). The arrangement of the bolt and body for locking; the bolt being provided
immediately behind its face with a lug which is square in rear and inclined in front
and the body having a corresponding inclined groove with a square face on which
the corresponding part of the bolt abuts when the breech is closed and locked
substantially as described.
(2). The arrangement of the bolt, firing pin, cam sleeve and hammer; the cam
sleeve being entirely enclosed within the bolt, the firing pin passing through the
cam sleeve and having the hammer attached to it and the cam sleeve when the bolt
is turned operating against an incline on the hammer substantially as described.
(3). The trigger with its spring and sear formed with it and operating by the
deflection of the spring between two terminal supports substantially as described.
(4). The combination with the trigger and trigger spring supported at both
extremities of an intermediate support with which the spring comes into contact
just before the hammer is released substantially as described.
(5). The locking bolt L constituting the half cock arrangement substantially as
described.
(6.) The firing pin F and hammer H connected together by a head on the firing
pin entering an oblong hole in the hammer and passing in front of a lip at the
mouth of the said hole substantially as described.
•
(7). The body A and extractor E, the extractor having a double claw and sliding
as a lid over the opening in the body substantially as described.
(8) The bolt B and extractor E the bolt having a lug which when the bolt is
turned for unlocking enters a groove in the extractor and so holds it until the bolt
is next turned in locking substantially as described.
(9). The bolt B and cam sleeve K the said parts being connected by means of a
pin, a groove and a feather substantially as described.
(10). The magazine with its slide O connected with a jointed sliding bar N with
lugs n¹ and n substantially as described.
1
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