IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS to be ass
Year: 1884

page_text: I, CHARLES MCGUIRE BATE, Lieutenant of the Corps of Royal Engineers
128 Westmoreland Road, Elswick in the City and County of Newcastle on Tyne
do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS
to be as follows:—
"
My invention relates to certain improvements in fire-arms such as are known as
of the self loading or repeating type, by means of which a series of cartridges can
be supplied into the "breech piece," and fired from the barrel, in succession from
a chamber or series of chambers forming what I call "the magazine."
The improvements which form the subject of my present invention consist of a
rotating "breech piece" to receive the cartridges and a revolving "magazine" from
which the cartridges are supplied to the "breech piece." The "brecch piece"
(which is bored to receive the cartridge) rotates on an axis, preferably at a right
angle, accross the axis of the barrel in such a manner that it may be made to present
the breech end to the mouth of the "magazine" to receive the cartridge and then
on being rotated on its axis come into position in line with the barrel ready to be
discharged.
After firing, on the "breech piece" being rotated, either beyond that position or
back towards the loading position, the empty cartridge case is expelled by any
suitable means such as a
" cam or a moveable lever inserted beneath the rim of
the cartridge case or a spring in the rotating "breech block."
33
The rotation of the "breech piece" on its axis from the loading point to the
firing point and vice-versa is effected by movement of the trigger-guard or in any
other convenient manner operated by the finger or otherwise.
The "magazine," which is attached in any suitable position preferably below the
barrel and parallel (or at a slight angle) with it or arranged in a series around the
barrel is made to revolve on its longitudinal axis bringing a series of chambers
(containing the supply of cartridges) in succession before the loading orifice, this
revolving motion being communicated either automatically by the emptying of
each chamber releasing a spring which allows the "magazine" to revolve so as to
bring the next chamber in front of the loading orifice, or by hand as each chamber
is emptied, or the fall of the hammer or other suitable action may be made to
revolve the "magazine " so as to bring the chambers successively in communication
with the loading orifice. The emptying of each chamber being accomplished by a
spring behind the cartridges or by any other suitable means.

page_text: I, CHARLES MCGUIRE BATE, of 128 Westmoreland Road, Elswick, in the City
and County of Newcastle-on-Tyne, formerly Lieutenant but now Captain of the
Corps of Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS" 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 certain improvements in fire arms of the kind known as
the self-loading or repeating type by means of which a series of cartridges can be
supplied into the breech piece and fired from the barrel in succession from a
chamber or series of chambers forming what will be hereinafter called "the
magazine."
The improvements which form the subject of the present invention comprise a
rotating breech piece to receive the cartridges and a revolving magazine from which
the cartridges are supplied to the breech piece.
The breech piece (which is bored to receive the cartridge) rotates on an axis pre-
ferably at right angles across the axis of the barrel in such a manner that it may
be made to present the breech end to the mouth of the magazine to receive the
cartridge and then, on being rotated on its axis will come into position in line with
the barrel ready to be discharged.
After firing, on rotating the breech piece either beyond the firing position or
back towards the loading position, the empty cartridge case is expelled by any
suitable means such as a cam or a moveable lever inserted beneath the rim of the
cartridge case or by a spring in the rotating breech block.
The rotation of the breech piece on its axis from the loading point to the firing
point and vice versa is effected by movement of the trigger guard or by any other
convenient means operated by the finger or otherwise. The magazine which is
attached in any suitable position preferably below the barrel and parallel or at a
slight angle with it or arranged in a series around the barrel is made to revolve on
its longitudinal axis so as to bring a series of chambers (containing the supply of
cartridges) in succession before the loading orifice, this revolving motion being
communicated either automatically by the emptying of each chamber releasing a
spring which allows the magazine to revolve so as to bring the next chamber in
front of the loading orifice, or by hand as each chamber is emptied; or the fall of
the hammer or other suitable action may be inade to revolve the "imagazine" so as
to bring the chambers successively in communication with the loading orifice.
j
The emptying of each chamber is accomplished by a spring behind the 'cartridges
or by other suitable means.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig 1, is a longitudinal
section on the line a. x Fig 2 illustrating the application of my invention to a
revolver and Fig 2 is a transverse section on the line y. y Fig 1. Fig 3 is a side
view of the revolver with its side cover plate removed. Fig 4 is a detached side
view of a portion of the revolver.

page_text: a is a breech piece able to rotate on pivots a¹. These pivots have bearings in
the sides of the breech frame so that the axis of the breech piece is at right angles
to that of the barrel b. a² is the hole or chamber within the breech piece for the
reception of the cartridge. c is a magazine mounted upon a rod or spindle d
beneath the barrel b and capable of revolving under the action of a helical
spring within a spring box c¹. The magazine c in the example shown is
provided with five cartridge.chambers e each capable of receiving three.cartridges f
and provided with a spring g (having a cap or tubular plunger h) for forcing the
cartridges outward. is a trigger guard pivotted at i¹ and jis a trigger pivotted
at is a hammer pivotted at 3. The trigger guard i is provided with an
arm k curved at * and provided with a projection or tooth k¹. is a cam plate
(with tooth) fixed to the breech piece a. The forms of the adjacent portions of
and are respectively such that when the trigger guard is partially rotated on i¹,
the breech piece will be partially rotated on a¹. The cartridge extractor is
pivotted at m and comprises two arins m¹ the ends of which are curved and bear
upon curved surfaces a³ (shown partly in dotted lines) formed upon both sides of
the breech piece. The arrangement of the arms m² with reference to the breech
piece is such that when the latter is rotated backward in the direction of the
arrow after firing, the ends of the arms m¹ pass behind the empty cartridge case
and extract it. The case falls out between a cartridge guiden and the trigger
guard . One of the arms m' is provided with a pin m³ that takes into a curved
slot o in the arm k. The edge of the slot is so formed as to impart the necessary
motions to the arms m' through the pin m² when the trigger guard is operated.
The cartridge guide n is so arranged with reference to an orifice p in a fixed
plate p¹ that when one of the cartridge chambers of the magazine is opposite the
orifice a cartridge can be forced therethrough by the spring g and then passing up
the curved guide n will enter the chamber a² in the breech piece. Each spring
cap or tubular plunger h is provided with a plate or tappet q guided by slots e' in
its chamber e. is a spring pin pivotted at r¹ and normally projecting through a
hole in the plate pl so as to take against the edges of one of the bent plates s¹
carried by the magazine so as to normally prevent the magazine being rotated by
the action of the helical spring c*.
The operation of the revolver is as follows. When the parts are in the positions
shown in Figs 1 and 3 the cartridge f within the breech piece a is ready to be
discharged by pulling the trigger j. When this has been done the hammer is
cocked and the trigger guard is drawn back. This movement of the trigger
guard causes the breech piece a to be partially rotated by the arm k as above
described so that the breech chamber is brought into position to receive another
cartridge from the magazine, the empty case of the previously discharged cartridge
having been extracted during the said partial rotation of the breech piece by the
extractor arms m' as herein before explained. By now returning the trigger guard
to the position shown in the drawings the breech piece is returned to the firing
position. When all the cartridges have been discharged from one chamber e the
plate or tappet q of its cap or plunger comes into contact with the spring pin r
and forces it away from that edge 8 of one of the plates against which it rested
during the emptying of the said magazine chamber, thus allowing the magazine to
partially rotate until the next chamber e is in line with the orifice p whereon the
pin acting as a stop prevents further rotary movement of the magazine until this
chamber is emptied, whereupon the pin r is again acted upon as before, and so on.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is
1. In a self-loading or repeating fire arm, the use of a breech piece to receive a
cartridge to be discharged so arranged as to partially rotate on an axis at right
angles to the axis of the barrel in such a manner that it may be made to present

page_text: one end of its breech chamber to a magazine to receive a cartridge and then by
partial rotation on its axis will be caused to assume a position in line with the
barrel ready for firing substantially as described.
2. The combination with a breech piece of the kind referred to in the preceding
claim of a revolving magazine substantially as described.
3. The improved fire-arm constructed arranged and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.