Improvements in Breech-loading Small-arms.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1850-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech-loading Small-arms.
I, PAUL MAUSER, gun manufacturer of Oberndorf "/Neckar, in the Kingdom of
Württemburg, Empire of Germany, 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 relates to the construction of the barrel of breech-loading guns
especially of small bore or caliber, that is to say of inch and less diameter, and its
object is to furnish a barrel of the said kind as stiff and at the same time as light as
possible and with the capability of not being hindered by its fastenings to the stock to
lengthen or extend freely in rapid firing, and which possesses some other advantages
hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing, in which the same letters of reference indicate similar
parts, Figure 1 is a side view of the barrel with its stock and fastenings in section.
Figures 2 show a side view of the middle portion of the barrel with other parts in
section, and a cross section on the line 2-2.
Figures 3 show the front portion of the barrel in side view with other parts in
section, and two cross sections on the lines 1-1 and 3-3.
Figures show the back portion of the barrel with the foot of the back sight in
section and a cross section on the line 4-4.
Figures 2 to 4 are drawn on a larger scale than Figure 1.
Hitherto the small caliber barrels of breech-loading guns have been made to taper
uniformly from the large swell at their back end, which contains the seat for the
projectile and cartridge and which is screwed into the breech-case, to the muzzle, and
they have been fastened to the stock by rings or by projections on the barrel embedded
and fastened into the stock.
In rapid firing the barrel becomes hot and therefore lengthens or extends. But its
fastenings prevent it from following this extension and the barrel therefore is bent
or in other way deformed. The gun loses its true striking capacity. Endeavours
have also been made to lay the barrel for its whole length with play in a jacket
that is in a pipe of thin steel-sheet screwed at the back end to the back swell of the
barrel and grasping the front end of the barrel by the contracted front end of the
jacket, which arrangement did not allow the free extension of the barrel, and either
increased the weight of the arm or if the barrel were made correspondingly lighter
weakened its stability.
The present invention produces a barrel which can extend freely and is as stiff and
strong as any other of the same weight. Besides it allows a very easy mounting
of the front and back sights and a rapid adjustment of the back end of the barrel
to the closing bolt, in case the tight joint in this place should have been injured
by too frequent firing.
The barrel has at its hind swell g no faces but is cylindrical and screwed into the
case h. The other portion of the barrel is composed of two cylindrical
portions a and b of about equal length, of which the back portion a is of such outside
diameter as is necessary to resist the force developed by the explosion of the cartridge,
which finds its seat in the swell g. The front portion 6 of the barrel is throughout of
as small diameter as it is usually made only at the muzzle.
Where the two portions a and b of the barrel meet, sharp corners must be avoided
and the transition from one to the other must be effected by a rounded edge.
The barrel is snugly fitted to the stock and fastened to the latter by two bands d
and e.
The band d is mounted over the junction of the barrel portions a and b and
provided with an inner offset so that it touches the portion a as well as b, but leaves a
free annular space in front of the portion a. A similar free annular space is cut out

page_text: of the wood of the stock. This construction allows the portion a of the barrel to
extend freely. under the band d into the said free annular space.
The band e near the muzzle encircles by its upper part that portion of the barrel
marked band by its lower part the end of the stock, to the front face of which is
fastened a metal plate p fitting at its upper part the barrel. By this construction the
barrel is firmly held to the stock but can at the same time freely extend under the
band e and over the plate p.
The plate p possesses a hole, through which the cleaning rod passes. The band e
is held to the stock by a spring hook which is locked by the rod 1.
**
In case the tight joint between the back end of the barrel and the closing breech
bolt of the lock becomes faulty by frequent firing of the arm, the barrel is removed
from the breech case and material in proportion turned off from the back face of the
swell g so that when the barrel is screwed home again into the breech case the tight
joint is restored. In which case the barrel is turned round more or less so that the
two sights will no longer be at the top and must be taken off and adjusted. If they
are mounted in the usual way this would be a tedious and expensive alteration,
therefore the present invention provides a simple construction of mounting the sights,
which allows their easy and rapid adjustment. The foot k of the front sight is by its
ring placed upon a snugly fitting offset of the muzzle portion of the barrel and
secured in its true position by a set screws and fixed to the barrel by solder.
The back sight is placed in a similar manner by its socket shaped fastening & upon
the barrel portion a and secured in its true position by damping together the partly
split tube by the screw n or by using as a set screw the screw which fastens the
sight spring to the foot. After this the tube x is fixed by solder.
A slight heating will melt the solder so that after loosening the securing screws
each of the sights may be turned into the new correct position and resecured by
tightening the said screws. The cooling down of the parts will fix the sights again
to the barrel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is. to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Constructing the barrel of small caliber breech loading guns besides the back
swell g of two cylindrical portions a and b of different diameters, and fastening the
barrel to the stock by two bands d and e which permit a free lengthening or extension
of the barrel, substantially as shown and described.
2. The middle band having an offset so as to fit the two cylindrical portions a
and of different diameters of a gun barrel and mounted in such manner as to leave a
free space in front of the barrel portion a of larger diameter in combination with the
stock which possesses also a free space in front of the said barrel portion a, substantially
as shown and described and for the purpose explained.
3. The front band e with its upper part fitting the cylindrical barrel portion bin
combination with the plate p screwed to the stock, substantially as shown and described
and for the purpose explained.
4. The mounting of the two sights k and v, on the barrel portions a and b by closely
fitting tubes or ring shaped parts and a which are secured by clamping or set
screws and fixed by solder, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated April 12th 1890.
PAUL MAUSER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.