Improvements in Machine Gun3.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machine Gun³.
I, EDWIN MORRIS CAPPS, of 765, Julian Avenue, San Diego, in the County of
San Diego, and State of California, United States of America, Municipal Official,
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:-
-
This invention relates to improvements, in rapid firing machine guns, and it
more particularly refers to guns of this type having the barrel and firing
mechanism arranged to operate in conjunction with the cartridge holders, having
a series of cartridges arranged to be successively fed into a firing position.
Primarily this invention seeks to provide a gun of this character of an inex-
pensive but stable construction which can be easily manipulated and be effective
in its operation.
Another object of this invention is to produce a novel form of barrel and firing
mechanism and automatically fed cartridge holders designed to fire any of the
ordinary forms of military cartridges; in which a premature firing of the car-
tridges is rendered impossible; and in which the non-explosion of any of the
cartridges will not in any way clog or impede the proper firing action of the gun.
This invention also comprehends in connection with the firing mechanism a
novel form of sighting means designed to find the range by stadia measurement.
Another feature of this invention lies in the peculiar and novel form of cartridge
carrier or holder.
In its subordinate features this invention embodies certain novel features of con-
struction and peculiar combinations of parts, which will be first described in detail
and then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved gun, illustrating the manner of
sighting and firing the same.
Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, the parts being shown in a position just ready for
firing, the chock being shown elevated in dotted lines by the cam on the crank
shaft.
Figure 4 is a central longitudinal section of the gun, the parts being in a posi-
tion shown in Figure 3, the crank shaft and firing spring being shown in a
firing position in dotted lines.
Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section, the chock block being elevated and
the barrels shown out at their foremost position.
Figure 6 is a plan view, the parts being in the position shown in Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a rear elevation of the gun, the crank shaft being at a firing
position.
Figure 8 is a detail section illustrating the cartridge holder catcher mechanism.
Figure 9 is a transverse section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 6, looking in
the direction of the arrow .
Figure 10 is a similar view taken on the line looking in the direction indicated
by the arrow 1.

page_text: At a point about in line with their fulcrum, the side frame 3, are joined by
a stock cross member 9, which receives the direct firing shock and also forms an
upper guide for the breech end of the barrels, such member 9, also forming in
connection with the movable block portion presently referred to, the stop or
lock member of the stock to hold the barrels to a fixed and true position during
the firing operation.
The movable lock member is in the nature of a chock block 10, and consists of
a vertically swinging frame, the side arms 10%, of which are pivoted at 10b, to
the front end of the sides 3; the block 10, and the transverse brace rod 10°, which
connects the rear end of the arms 10, and also forms a lift member at the
ends 10, thereof adapted to be engaged by the crank shaft cams.
13 indicates the crank or firing shaft which is journaled transversely in the
rear end of the side frames 3. On this shaft at each end is mounted a cam
disk 14, which disks have a triple operating action in a single rotary movement,
as they at predetermined intervals engage and operate first to lift the chock block
to permit the forward slide movement of the barrel, second, in their engagement
with the abutments 7º, and third, in their engagement with the ends of the
cross bar 8.
The crank shaft 13 partially rotates in the socket 15° (Figure 8) in the rear
of the solid back end 15 of the stock in which the firing needles or pins 16
(Figure 5) are located and which may be of any approved construction, they
having the usual retractile springs 16, it being understood that the needles 16
are arranged to be driven into the primers of the cartridges when. acted on by
the impact or firing fingers 17, of which there is one for each firing needle.
The firing fingers 17, consist each of a very stiff spring plate secured at their
lower ends to the back piece 15, as shown, it being understood that instead of
being formed of extended members such fingers 17 may be in the nature of comb
like teeth formed on a single spring plate if desired, as indicated in dotted lines
in Figure 7. The upper ends of the spring plates 17, bear against the crank shaft
in line with the correspondingly arranged transverse segmental grooves 18,
formed therein, the slip ends 18* (Figure 4) of which are in the nature of knife
edges and have a differential or stepped relation to each other, whereby the
plates 17, will slip inward in rapid succession and not simultaneous, such opera-
tion being provided to reduce the recoil action to less than that of an ordinary
musket.
The rear or back wall 15 is extended upward and terminates at the ends in side
guides 19, having hopper like throats 19*, ending in vertical grooves 19, the
front wall of which may have one or more friction rolls 20, to facilitate the ready
drop of the cartridge holder, the ends of which are held to slide down through
the grooves 19b, which as will be clearly noticed from Figure 4 are open at the
bottom to permit a free discharge in the holder.
As before stated, my improved firing mechanism can be adapted to fire any of
the ordinary forms of military cartridges.
To provide for a positive and true feed of the cartridges in line of firing, I
prefer to employ a holder or carrier having a peculiar and novel means for securing
the cartridges thereto, which, however, involves a slight change of the cartridge
shell construction to adapt its being conveniently and fixedly connected to the
holder.
The cartridge holder proper consists of a thin sheet steel (mild or medium)
plate 21 (Figure 10) of a width to freely slide within the side grooves 19b, and
of a length to carry a number of rows of cartridges preferably 10, which are so
spaced as to be readily projected into the breech of the gun barrels after the
holder is fed in place and the barrels moved back to the firing position.
In the manufacture of the holders holes are punched therein by suitable machi-
nery at exact distances apart, corresponding to the separation of the chambers
in the gun barrels, the punch action being so produced as to raise thimbles
around the holes in the plate as indicated at a, in Figure 12.

page_text: engage the firing pins to fire the cartridges in that particular row projected into
the gun barrels."
After firing a further rotation of the crank shaft first raises the chock block,
then moves the barrels forward and at the same time brings the fingers 24
through the next succeeding set of apertures in the cartridge holder, which during
this time is supported by reason of its second row of cartridges resting in the
seats forming part of the cross member 7, such operation being repeated until
the last row of cartridges in the holder has been fired, when the withdrawal of
the fingers 24 and the movement of the barrels inward allows such cartridge
holder with the blank shells to drop from the gun by gravity.
By constructing a firing mechanism as described it is obvious that the gun can
be sighted at a depression or elevation as may be desired and the rear end of the
gun steadied by the gunners shoulder and arm, and the crank shaft operated
by his free hand.
It will also be observed that by feeding the cartridges to the firing mechanism
in the manner described it will be impossible to fire the cartridges prematurely
and furthermore, should any of the cartridges fail to explode, such failure of
explosion could not in any way affect the operation of the gun, as the unexploded
cartridge would move out with the empty shells holder.
In connection with my improved firing mechanism and supplemental stock
for sighting and steadying the gun I provide a sighting means adapted to enable
the gunner to properly sight the central barrel of the series of barrels. For this
purpose a forward sight is mounted on the supplemental stock portion, which
consists of a sight member 31 (Figure 11) having a rectangular space 32, provided
with a vertical wire 33, and a horizontal wire 34 crossing it, which are arranged
similar to the wires of the engineers transit telescope.
35 indicates a rear sight which may be of any of the modern forms of peep
sights now in general use.
In practice the gunner so sights that the central barrel will fire at the point
of intersection of the wires, and the barrels on each side distribute their shots
at equal distances apart on each side thereof and along the horizontal wire.
To prevent the cartridge holders from bending or buckling forward, in case any
of the exploded shells should swell or stick in the breech of the gun barrels, causing
a draft or haul on the cartridge holders as they are moved forward, stop members
in the nature of an upper and a lower set of rods 80, 80°, are provided, the upper
set 80, of which are made fast to the cross member 9, of the stock, while the
lower set are made fast to and project rearward from a cross piece 90, under the
barrels, as clearly shown in Figure 5.
These rods 80, 80°, pass rearward nearly in contact with the front face of the
cartridge holder and act as impacts or stops to prevent the holders buckling
forward, and hold it true within its guides, and thus avoid all possibility of the
holders dropping out of the guide grooves and clogging the gun.
This form of sight is also designed to find the range by stadia measurement, it
being noticed by reference to the drawing that the upper and lower edges of the
rectangular space in the forward sight has well defined edges and that the hori-
zontal wire is midway between them, as the distance between the forward and rear
sights remains the same and the distances between the horizontal wire and the
upper and lower edges of the spaces in the course of manufacture of the sight
are so made as to just cover the average height of a man (3 feet 10 inches) at say
500 yards, while peeping through the rear sight, then by simple proportion the
man would cover one-half the space at 1000 yards and one-third the space at
1500 yards, etc.
In using the gun the gunner places his eye to the aperture in the rear peep
sight and moves the gun vertical or horizontally (it being understood that the
base in practice is mounted to rotate on its bearing) as the case may be, until
either the upper or lower edge of the forward sight just cuts along either the
head or feet of the enemy.