Improvements in the Feed Mechanism of Machine Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th July, 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Feed Mechanism of Machine Guns.
I, JAMES GEORGE ACCLES, of Holford House, Perry Barr, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Engineer, do' hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the improvement and simplification of the feed
mechanism of machine guns of that type or class wherein the barrels rotate around
a central axis during the working of the gun. The said invention is chiefly designed
for application to those guns which are well known as the " Gatling" and the
"Accles" guns.
Heretofore in these guns the feeding of the cartridges to the barrels has been
effected by means of a cylinder or drum containing a great number of cartridges.
The said cylinder or drum, especially the former, had to be filled with great care
and when empty had to be removed from the gun and replaced by another cylinder
or drum full of cartridges. It is obvious that with such apparatus considerable
space, that should be available for the cartridges, is taken up by the feed-mechanism
and moreover the cylindrical or circular shape thereof is not advantageous in
respect of the packing of a number or series of such cylinders or drums for storage
or transport.
Now my present improvements are designed to afford the means whereby the
cartridges can be fed continuously to the gun for any required length of time
without the aid of a cylinder drum or other like apparatus to be attached to the
gun when full and removed when emptied of cartridges.
The said invention comprises a method of feeding whereby I can take ordinary
packets, boxes or cases of card, paper or other inexpensive material containing ten,
twenty or other convenient number of cartridges and present the same one after
the other to the feed mechanism which takes the cartridges from the said packages
or cases and supplies them successively to the rotating barrels without any
possibility of jamming.
I carry my said invention into practice as follows, that is to say :-The main
spindle that carries the handle whereby the gun mechanism is rotated, is geared by
means of a peculiarly forined toothed wheel with a clutch spindle which is geared
through a series of toothed wheels or pinions, with the feed wheels that take the
cartridges from the packages or cases and deliver them to the rotating receiver
from which they are pushed into the barrels. The feed wheels are formed with.
teeth with recesses or spaces between them of the proper shape to hold the
cartridges and carry them forward as the said feed wheels rotate. The said feed
wheels and gearing are mounted in a hopper or cover which is hinged to the case,
preferably at one side of the same, the same hopper being secured by suitable
clamping devices which permit it to be readily released when necessary. The shaft
or spindle of the said feed wheels extends through the front of the hopper and on
its end is fixed one of the aforesaid toothed wheels.
In combination with the said feed wheels we arrange curved or inclined surfaces
which form the entrance to a curved passage hereinafter described and which assist
in guiding the cartridges and keeping them in the said wheels. Moreover we
combine with the feed wheels a lever, one arm of which lies at the side of the feed
wheels in close proximity thereto and in such a position that as the first cartridge.
is taken in the feed wheels the said arm of the lever is depressed and the other arm
or end of the lever is consequently raised. In rising it acts on the clutch and
thereby puts the clutch spindle in gear with the series of wheels which operate the
feed wheels and starts the said wheels which will continue to rotate as long as the

page_text: cartridges are presented to them. A curved passage extends from the feed wheels
to the receiver through which passage the cartridges travel to the latter.
It is obvious that there must be a positive and certain rate of speed of the feed
wheels relatively to that of the barrels and this could not be conveniently insured
by the use of ordinary toothed gearing for connecting the mainspindle of the gun
with the first or clutch shaft of the feed wheel driving gear. I therefore employ a
peculiar form of gearing as follows, that is to say, on the main driving spindle I
mount a wheel the peripheral surface of which consists of alternate convex plain
spaces and pins or teeth, these pins are arranged to enter recesses in the periphery
of a wheel on the clutch shaft which is what is of that kind sometimes termed a
segment wheel and is similar to wheels used in some classes of watch work in
respect of having its periphery formed with concave portions between the said
recesses. Each pin of the driving wheel as it enters a recess in the said segment
wheel moves the latter a certain invariable distance and then the said segment
wheel pauses while a plain portion of the driving wheel moves over concave
portion of the segment wheel another pin then entering a recess of the latter and
again moving it through the same distance and to on during the revolution of the
spindle.
It is very important in ceasing to work the gun at any time that the last cartridge
delivered to the feed wheels should pass to the receiver, but it is obvious that with
the mechanism thus far described that when the arm of the clutch-actuating lever
is no longer kept down, by a cartridge in the feed wheels the said arm will rise, the
leyer will release the clutch and the feed wheels will cease to operate and one or
more cartridges will be left in the curved passage. This would be very objectionable
for well known reasons.
I therefore provide the following means for preventing any possibility of the
cartridges remaining in the passage. For this purpose the clutch-actuating lever is
formed with a third arm which extends into contact with an arm which is pivotted
in the hopper and is so formed and arranged that one edge of its free or outer end
lies near the receiver and projects into the passage through which the cartridges
after leaving the feed wheels pass to the said receiver; the other edge of the free
end of the pivotted arm lies in contact with the aforesaid third arm of the clutch-
actuating lever.. As each cartridge comes in contact with the front edge of the
pivotted arm it causes the latter to act on the third arm of the aforesaid lever
and thereby keep the said lever in the position wherein it holds the parts of
the clutch in engagement till the last cartridge has passed from the passage into
the receiver.
Although I have hereinabove described my invention with reference to the
"Gatling" and "Accles" guns I wish it understood that the said invention may be
with slight modifications readily adapted to the Gardner" and other machine
guns.
Dated this 19th day of October 1891
65
HASELTINE, LAKE Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Feed Mechanism of Machine Guns.
I, JAMES GEORGE ACCLES of Holford House, Perry Barr, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, 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 :—
My invention relates to the feed-mechanism of machine guns and is chiefly.
designed 'for employment in guns of that type or class wherein the barrels rotate
around a central axis during the working of the gun. The said invention is
4

page_text: advantageously adapted for application to those guns which are well known as the
"Gatling" and the "Accles" guns.
It is well known that the efficiency of machine guns generally has been greatly
impaired by the liability of the cartridges to jam in entering the gun. The
jamming, that is to say, the injurious stoppage of the cartridges at some point of
the feed movement is commonly due to the fact that in moving by the action of
gravity they do not always keep time with the feed mechanism and are sometimes
caught and held by it instead of moving onward therewith.
One object of my said invention is to obviate this liability to the jamming of the
cartridges. Another object is to provide for supplying the cartridges to the gun
lirect from holders or cases, such as are hereinafter described, in which holders or
cases they may be packed and brought into the field.
Heretofore in guns of the "Gatling" and "Accles" type the feeding of the
artridges to the barrels has been effected by means of a cylinder or drum
ontaining a great number of cartridges. The said cylinder or drum had to be
illed with great care and when empty had to be removed from the gun and replaced
by another. cylinder or drum full of cartridges. It is obvious that with such
apparatus considerable space, that should be available for the cartridges, is taken
up by the feed-mechanism, and moreover the cylindrical or circular shape thereof
is not advantageous in respect of the packing of a number or series of such cylinders
or drums for storage or transport. These disadvantages are obviated by the
improvements hereinafter described.
Now my present improvements afford the means whereby the cartridges packed
and brought into the field in holders or packages (substantially such as those
described in the Specification of my Patent No. 4,487 of A.D. 1888 can be presented
therein directly to the feed mechanism on the gun. Therefore the fire of the gun
can be maintained as long as there are any cases or packages of cartridges
available, without any change or adjustment of any part of the feed mechanism or
its adjuncts such as is necessary when the cartridges have to be placed in a cylinder
or other receptacle which has to be attached to the gun when full and removed
when empty of cartridges. The aforesaid holders or packages consist of a case or
box and an inner corrugated slide or guide strip. The cartridges are placed with
their axes parallel to each other in the corrugations or grooves of the said slide or
guide strip.
My invention comprises a method of feeding which permits the aforesaid holders
or packages (each containing ten twenty or other convenient number of cartridges)
to be presented one after the other to the feed-mechanism, which removes the
guide-strip full of cartridges from the case or box and takes the cartridges
therefrom and supplies them successively to the rotating barrels and ejects the
empty cases and guide-strips from the gun.
One very important feature of my invention is the use of the aforesaid guide-
strip in combination with the feed wheels and the clutch lever hereinafter described,
in such a manner that the feed mechanism is started by the insertion of every fresh
case of cartridges and stops when the last cartridge from each case passes therefrom
into the receiver. This feature of starting and stopping the feed mechanism with
every separate case or box of cartridges supplied thereto entirely obviates the
danger of the jamming of the cartridges in the gun. The first cartridge of each
case or series finds the feed wheels stationary in the proper position to receive it
and the last cartridge of each case or series must leave the wheels in the proper
position to receive the first cartridge of the next case or series. Therefore there
18 no possibility of the entering cartridge being gripped by any part of the
mechanism by reason of any failure of synchronism between the mechanism and the
cartridge. That is to say at the moment when the cartridge is transferred from
the guide-strip to the feed-wheel both parts are at rest so.there is no possibility of
injury to the cartridge by reason of any slight retardation of its movement at this
critical moment, and when once the cartridge has been transferred to the feed-
wheel it is impelled forward under positive control to the receiver.

page_text: In order that my said invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of an "Accles"
mechanism or apparatus applied thereto.
gun with my improved feed-
Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1 with the cover plate removed in order
that certain portions of the mechanism may not be obscured thereby.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line e, x of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an underside view partly in section of the parts shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line y, y of Figure 4, shewing a number of
cartridges in position.
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line, of Figure 2, certain of the parts
being omitted for the sake of clearness.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal central section on the line a¹, a¹ of Figure 6, of a
portion of a clutch shewn in that figure.
=
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the clutch shaft and mechanism which operates in
combination therewith.
Figure 9 is a side elevation shewing the clutch and gearing for operating the
feed wheels.
Figure 10 is an end view of Figure 9.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.
A is the case of the gun. B is the main spindle that carries the handle whereby
the gun mechanism is rotated. C is a hopper which is hinged at C¹ to the case A
and is retained in place by suitable clamping devices which permit it to be readily
released when necessary. D is a rotating receiver with teeth D¹ and recesses D'
into which cartridges are fed from the hopper C and from which they are pushed
into the barrels by the plungers.
EE are feed wheels or the two parts of a double feed wheel mounted upon the
shaft F which turns in bearings in the hopper C. The said feed wheels are formed
with teeth E' which have recesses or spaces E' between them of the proper shape
to hold the cartridges.
G is a cartridge guide, groove, or channel, in the hopper C, the upper end G¹ of
the said channel being open so that the case or box a of the holder containing
the corrugated guide-strip full of cartridges may be inserted therein as shewn
in Figure 5. G is a smaller channel in line with the channel G for the exit
of the empty corrugated guide strip b after the cartridges have been removed
therefrom in a manner which will be hereinafter explained. The passage G³ is
too small for any cartridge to pass through it.
Moreover this passage G will not allow the case or box a of the holder to
pass through it.
I provide for ejecting the cases or boxes upwardly through
the passage G. For this purpose I provide a spring pusher or box-ejector
arranged as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. This pusher consists of a piston c
having a lateral projection c¹, arranged in combination with a spring d in a
tubular guide c; the said guide is formed on a cover plate which is made to
fit in grooves formed in the hopper C as shown in Figures 1 and 4.
projection extends through a slot in the inner side of the tubular guide into
the path of the cartridges in the channel Gas and for the purpose hereinafter
described.
The
Gis a curved continuation of the straight channel G extending to the receiver D
and provided immediately below the end of this curved part of the channel is the
plough or ejector C3 by the aid of which the empty cartridge cases are caused to
pass through the channel I out of the gun.
J is a lever pivoted in the hopper C and having three arms J, J2 and J³.
The arm J, projects into the cartridge channel G. The arm J has on it a
bevelled projection K see Figure 7 which operates clutch mechanism hereinafter
fully explained. The extremity of this arm serves for putting the feed mechanism
in gear by hand.
L is an auxiliary arm pivoted to the hopper C upon the shaft F with its edge L¹

page_text: projecting into the curved cartridge channel G³ and its edge L'engaging with the
end of the arm J' of the lever J.
With reference now to the means employed for gearing the feed wheels E with
the main spindle B, it is obvious that in guns with moving barrels there must be a
determined and invariable rate of speed of the feed wheels E relatively to that of
the barrels and this could not be conveniently insured by the use of ordinary
toothed gearing for connecting the main spindle B of the gun with the first or
clutch shaft N of the feed wheel driving gear. I therefore employ a peculiar form
of gearing somewhat similar to that employed in some kinds of watch-work and
other mechanism, wherein an intermittent movement of one part is derived from a
continuous movement of another part, that is to say :-I mount upon the said
main spindle a wheel B' the peripheral surface of which consists of alternate convex
plain spaces B2, and concavities B³ see Figure 10 each of which concavities has
extending across it a pin B. This wheel B' gears with a wheel M on the clutch
shaft N which rotates in bearings in the frame of the hopper C. The teeth M¹ of
the wheel M have concave peripheral surfaces which by engaging with the convex
surfaces of the wheel B' retain the wheels in the proper relative position during the
intervals of rest which occur between the successive movements of the wheel M by
the action of the pins B on the teeth M¹.
O, Figures 8 to 10, is a spur pinion mounted in bearings in a part C of the frame
of the hopper C so as to be capable of turning freely on the shaft N, and is formed
in one piece or otherwise firmly secured to one part P of a clutch. P' is another
part of the said clutch which rotates with the said shaft and is keyed thereon in
such a manner that it cannot turn on the shaft but is free to slide endwise upon it
to engage with and disengage from the part P. The said part P' of the clutch is
normally maintained out of engagement with the part P by means of the spring (
which is retained between the collar P2 and the part C of the hopper frame. The
collar P is countersunk as shewn, so as to form a bevelled recess P³ into which
enters the aforesaid bevelled projection K Figure 7 upon the arm J2 of the three
armed lever J. The spur-pinion O gears with an intermediate spur-pinion R which
rotates upon a stud R' secured to the portion C2 of the hopper frame, and the said
intermediate pinion R gears with the spur wheel S which is secured upon the
shaft which carries the feed wheels E.
I will now describe the operation of my improved feed mechanism.
A cartridge-holder (of the kind illustrated at a, b Figure 5 for example)
containing a convenient number of cartridges, is passed into the channel G through
the opening at G', the lowermost cartridge of the series descending in the said
channel until it is received by the feed wheels E whose teeth E' project into
the said channel as shewn.
As the said lowermost cartridge is received by the feed-wheels the said cartridge
moves the arm J₁ of the lever out of the groove (+ and consequently moves the
arm J so that the bevelled projection K carried thereby is pressed towards the
outer circumference of the collar P formed upon the part P of the clutch, and
acting upon the inclined sides of the recess P³ moves the said part P¹ of the clutch
against the resistance of the spring Q into engagement with the part P. If the
main shaft B be rotated in the direction of the arrow (Figure 10) to operate the
gun mechanism, the wheel B¹ will rotate therewith and each pin B upon the said
wheel, as it enters a recess M³ of the wheel M, moves the latter a certain invariable
distance, and then the said wheel M pauses while one of the plain portions B³
of the wheel B will move over a concave portion of the wheel M, another
pin B then entering another recess of the wheel M and again moving it through
the same distance, and so on, during the revolution of the spindle B. Thus,
continuous rotation of the shaft B causes the regular intermittent rotation of
the shaft N to which the wheel M is fixed, and also of the portion P' of the
clutch.
The two parts of the clutch having been put into gear with each other in the manner
hereinbefore described such intermittent rotation as is above referred to is

page_text: transmitted through the wheel O, spur pinion R, and spur wheel S, to the shaft F
and the feed wheels E which are fixed thereto.
The slide or guide strip bis drawn out of the case a of the holder and the
cartridges are taken from the guide strip by the feed wheels in their rotation and
are pushed along the curved channel G towards the receiver D which rotates with
the main shaft B. The said receiver takes the cartridges successively from the
end of the channel G" and places them in line with the barrels as the latter come
to the firing position. The said cartridges are pushed into the barrels by the
plungers and the empty cases are extracted therefrom, and ejected through the
channel I. While the cartridges are being removed from the corrugated guide
strip by the feed wheels the said guide strip or holder travels downward and
finally leaves the hopper C by the passage G³, the empty case or box being
also ejected by the spring pusher or box-ejector c as follows, that is to say,
while the cartridges are passing along the channel to the receiver the projection
of the piston c is, by the passing cartridges drawn down to its lowest position as
shewn in Figure 5, the case or box a resting on or just above the said projection.
But when the last cartridge has travelled past the said projection the piston c,
being no longer restrained, is thrust upward by the spring and ejects the empty
case from the upper end G₁ of the aforesaid channel G.
.
During the passage of the cartridges along the channel G they continue to
act upon the lever J, as above described, to keep the two parts of the clutch
together but when the last cartridge delivered to the feed wheels E passes below
the arm J, the lever no longer acts on the part P of the clutch to keep it in
engagement with the part P thereof. Were the parts of the clutch then permitted
to separate the movement of the feed wheels would cease and one or more
cartridges would remain in the curved channel G³. This would be very objectionable
for well known reasons and therefore I provide for preventing the disengagement
of the parts of the clutch as follows, that is to say:
The auxiliary arm L is so arranged that each cartridge in the curved channel G+³
as it passes to the receiver comes in contact with the front edge L' of the said arm
and causes the same to act upon the arm J³ of the lever J. and keep the said lever
in a position wherein it holds the parts of the clutch in engagement, till the last
cartridge has passed from the passage G³ into the receiver D, whereupon, the lever J
being no longer restrained, the parts of the clutch will be separated by the action
of the spring Q, the movement of the feed-mechanism will then cease and the
bevelled recess P³ in the collar P' will act upon the projection K of the lever J so
as to cause the said lever to turn upon its pivot and protrude its end Jinto the
channel G.
By the means abve described the feed mechanism is caused to gear with the
main spindle B when a holder containing cartridges is properly inserted in the feed
channel and the said mechanism is automatically put out of gear when, but not
until the last cartridge of a series has passed from the channel G³ to the rotary.
receiver 'D.
Moreover by reason of the fact that the feed mechanism is restarted by the
insertion of every fresh case of cartridges and requires no adjustment of its parts
for permitting such insertion or removing the empty cases or guide strips, it is
obvious that fresh cases or series of cartridges may be supplied one after the
other with great rapidity and thus a practically continuous fire may be maintained
from' the gun.
Although I have hereinabove particularly described my invention with reference
to the "Gatling" and "Accles" guns I wish it understood that the said invention
may be with slight modifications readily adapted to other machine guns.
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 :-
'First. The feed wheels arranged in combination with the clutch mechanism and

page_text: the feed-channels so that the feed-mechanism is started by the entering cartridge
and kept in operation while the cartridges are passing along the channel to the
receiver as and for the purpose specified.
Second. Feed mechanism or apparatus constructed to receive boxes or cases of
cartridges and to deliver the said cartridges to the receiver and to be started by
the insertion of each box or case to operate as and for the purpose specified.
Third. The combination of toothed feed-wheels with a guide or channel in such a
manner that when a box or case provided with a guide-strip such as that above.
described, containing cartridges, is inserted in the said channel the feed wheels will
detach the guide-strip from the said box or case and take the cartridges successively
therefrom for delivery to the receiver as above set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the said feed wheels and channels, of the spring-
pusher or box-ejector substantially as described for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The three-armed lever which has one arm projecting into the feed-
channel and which is arranged in combination with a clutch forming part of the
driving gear substantially as described, for the purposes specified.
Sixth. The combination, with the said three-armed lever of the auxiliary arm
which projects into the delivery end of the cartridge channel, substantially as
hereinbefore described, for the purpose specified.
Seventh. The toothed feed-wheels arranged in combination with the gearing by
which intermittent rotary motion is imparted to them from the main driving spindle
or crank-shaft substantially as set forth and for the purpose specified.
Eighth. In a machine-gun the aforesaid feed mechanism mounted in a hopper or
case which is hinged or otherwise suitably attached to the breech of the gun so as
to be readily removable therefrom, substantially as set forth.
Ninth. The improved feed-mechanism consisting of the parts herein described
arranged and operating as explained with reference to the accompanying drawings
for the purposes specified.
Tenth. A machine gun provided with my improved feed mechanism, substantially
as herein before described.
D1 1 10 1
CT
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.