IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS: to be as follows:-
Year: 1885

page_text: I HENRY AUGUST SCHLUND of 8 Great Tower Street, in the city of London;
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS: to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in machine guns and military and
sporting small arms, the improvements having for object to provide an arm in
which the recoil momentum is utilized to load and fire the arm and to eject the
empty cartridge case; by my improvements the weight of the arm is diminished,
its construction simplified and the recoil is not felt by the operator.
In carrying out my invention for a rifle, I enclose the barrel and breech within a
fixed tubular casing the barrel sliding therein. A coiled spring which I call the
return spring is adapted to the casing so that when the barrel recoils after the dis-
charge of the arm it compresses the said spring, and at the same time the barrel
carries with it the breech bolt containing a cylinder which I term the firing
cylinder; attached to the barrel are catches which hold the breech against the
barrel. When the limit of recoil has been reached the said catches coming against
shoulders or inclines release the barrel from the breech bolt, which is retained by a
trigger; the return spring now carries the barrel forward, thereby uncovering the
breech and allowing the ejector attached to the breech bolt to throw out the empty
cartridge case. A double trigger is provided to retain the breech bolt and firing
cylinder; the rear end of the tubular casing is closed by a screw.)
.plug against
which press spiral springs one within the firing cylinder and the other outside the
firing cylinder and bearing on the head of the breech bolt. When the tigger is
pulled the breech bolt is released and, being carried forward by its spring, pushes
the cartridge (which has been placed in the breech) into its chamber in the barrel,
and the second trigger being now pulled the firing cylinder is released and fires the
cartridge in the usual manner.
For magazine arms, the construction is substantially the same as that herein-
before described except that a magazine for cartridges is adapted to supply fresh
cartridges as the gun is fired and duplicate triggers are provided so that the whole
of the cartridges contained in the magazine can be automatically supplied to the.
arm and fired once the trigger is pulled; or by the ordinary triggers the cartridges
can be discharged in the ordinary manner.
For machine or battery guns the barrels are arranged in any suitable manner
and the breech mechanism is the same as that hereinbefore described except that
for economy I prefer to make it square in section; any suitable feed mechanism is
provided. A lever is provided to be brought into play in case of a missfire.

page_text: Improvements in Breech Loading Fire Arms.
"
I HENRY AUGUST SCHLUND, of the Kynoch Gun Factory Aston in the county
of Warwick, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING 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 improvements in machine guns and military and
sporting small arms the improvements having for object to provide an arm in
which the recoil momentum is utilized to load and fire the arm and to eject the
empty cartridge case; by my improvements the weight of the arm is diminished,
its construction simplified and the recoil is not felt by the operator.
In carrying out my invention for a rifle, I enclose the barrel and breech within a
fixed tubular casing the barrel and breech bolt sliding therein. A coiled spring
which I call the return barrel spring is adapted to the casing so that when the
barrel recoils after the discharge of the arm it compresses the said spring and at
the same time the barrel carries with it the breech bolt containing a cylinder or pin
which I term the firing pin; on the barrel are catches or screw threads which hold
the breech against the barrel. When the limit of recoil has been reached or nearly
reached catches or projections come against shoulders or inclines on the tubular
casing and the barrel is released from the said breech bolt which is retained by a
trigger the return spring now carries the barrel forward thereby uncovering the
breech and allowing the ejector attached to the breech bolt to throw out the empty
cartridge case. Two.triggers are provided to retain the breech bolt and firing pin ;-
the rear end of the tubular casing is closed by a screw-plug. When one of the
triggers is pulled the breech bolt is released and being carried forward by its spring
pushes the cartridge (which has been placed in the breech) into its chamber in the
barrel, and the second trigger being now pulled the firing pin is released and fires
the cartridge in the usual manner.
For magazine arms the construction is substantially the same as that herein
before described except that a magazine for cartridges is adapted to supply fresh
cartridges as the gun is fixed and duplicate triggers are provided so that the whole
of the cartridges contained in the magazine can be automatically supplied to the
arm and fired once the trigger is pulled; or by the ordinary triggers the cartridges
can be discharged in the ordinary manner.
For machine or battery guns the barrels are arranged in any suitable manner
and the breech mechanism is the same as that herein before described except that
for economy I prefer to make it square in section; any suitable feed mechanism is
provided. A lever is provided to be brought into play in case of a missfire.
=
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe.
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 is a longi-
tudinal section of a breech loading fire arm constructed according to my invention
the parts being in. the position they occupy when the arm is about to be fired,
figure 2 is a similar view to figure 1, but showing the position occupied when the
parts have recoiled as far as they are allowed immediately after the gun has been

page_text: fired; figure 3 is a plan of figure 2; figures 4 and 5, are a longitudinal and end
view respectively shewing the breech bolt provided with projections or catches for
locking the same in bayonet slots in the barrel; Figure 6, is a horizontal section
partly in elevation of portions of the breech bolt and barrel in then locked
position; Figure 7 is a section on line A, B of figure 1; Figure 8 is a section on
line C, D, of figure 1, shewing the breech end of the barrel with the breech bolt
removed; figure 9 is a section on line E, F, of figure 1; figure 10 is a section on
the line G, H, of figure 1, and figure 11 is a longitudinal section through the fore
end of the breech bolt shewing the mechanism for ejecting the spent cartridge;
Figures 12, 13, and 14 shew views of the arrangement of screw thread for locking
the breech.
"
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a represents the barrel and B the breech bolt and lock generally both of which
slide by the action of the recoil in the tubular casing or shoe C; D is the return
bolt spring which is contained and works within a tube or chamber E.
The said return bolt spring is compressed by the action of the plunger F, which
is connected with the breech bolt B, through the medium of the link piece f³,
and the piece f, the slotted circular washer G, on the breech bolt pressing against
the piece f, the said breech bolt B, contains the firing pin or cylinder H with its
spring H, which is compressed by the turning action of the breech bolt pushing
backwards the firing pin head I. The backward movement of the firing pin H
and the piece I is caused by means of cams, the piece I being prevented from
turning by means of the slots J, in the tubular casing C, into which the projec-
tions I, engage.
The firing spring H' is compressed against the piece R, through which the firing
pin passes. This piece R has the counter cams R¹, cut on its outward face and is
screwed on the breech bolt as shewn in figure 1. The firing pin is thus retained
in the breech bolt B and is attached to the piece I by means of the binding nut S. .
The breech bolt B is locked to the barrel A. by means of two (or more) catches
shewn in the drawing at K figures 1, 2, and 8. On the breech bolt are projec-
tions L which have for object to engage the catches K, the bolt is made to lock and
unlock from these catches by the recoil which moves the projection M, against. the
cams N cut out on the casing C.
The bolt is retained by means of a trigger T and bolt T¹ which works against
the prolongation of the piece f³ at f³; the barrel being free is carried forward by
the expanding action of the return barrel spring O; the spent cartridge is retained
by the extractor P, attached to the breech bolt.-The tubular casing Ỗ is closed by
a screw plug Y.
In the case of a missfire the piece G, which is shewn in section at figure 9, is
revolved a third of a turn bringing the cut away portion of the said piece in front
of the piece f2. A spring Q serves to keep the piece G fixed at the two positions
the breech bolt can now be pushed back the tension of the return bolt spring D
being removed. The missfire cartridge is extracted and replaced by a fresh one.
The piece G, is then returned to its place ready to press against the piece ƒ³, when
the recoil occurs.
On the breech bolt is affixed a trigger V whose hook V', engages. the collar h¹, of
the firing pin when the same is pulled back by the action of the cams I. The firing
trigger W engages a spring piece W₁, which presses inwards the end of the trigger V,
at V³, causing the other end V1, to release the firing pin H.
X is a spring attached to the casing C as shewn in figure 3 and having a hook
shaped end X and a projection X'; the said hook projects through the casing and is
adapted to take into a notch X³, in the barrel a, on its recoil.
The operation of the arm is as follows:-The parts being in the position shewn
in figure 1, in order to fire the arm, the trigger W is pulled so as to operate the
trigger V and release the firing pin H which fires the cartridge; the recoil of the
breech bolt and barrel which are still locked together then takes place and the pro-
jection M on the breech bolt B will ride on the rearmost cam or incline N whereby

page_text: the projections on the breech bolt are rotated and moved out of engagement with
the catches K of the barrel a.-At the same time the rotation of the breech bolt
will cause the firing pin head I to cock the firing pin H by means of the cams R¹.
The springs D and O are compressed by the said recoil. When the limit of recoil
has been reached the hook or extension f³, will have engaged with the sliding
bolt T¹ of the trigger T and the breech bolt will be held in position until released
by the trigger T; the barrel now moves forward by means of its spring O until
the notch X³, engages with the hook X¹ of the spring ✗ thus holding the said
barrel while a fresh cartridge is inserted in the breech. On releasing the trigger T
the spring D.will cause the breech bolt b to move forward until the projections L
enter the bayonet slots in the barrel a, and at the same time the breech bolt will
press back the projection X³, on the spring X which will cause the hook X¹ to
release the barrel. The breech bolt and barrel will now complete their forward
movement together, the projection M on the breech bolt riding against the forward
cam N, of the casing C, thus rotating the breech bolt and causing the catches L to
engage with the catches K, on the barrel. The parts having now reached the
position as shewn in figure 1 the arm is again ready for firing.
The locking of the breech and the barrel can also be effected by means of the
interrupted screw thread shewn in figures 12, 13, and 14, which represent respec-
tively an end view of the breech bolt a part longitudinal section shewing the breech
bolt and barrel engaged or locked and a transverse section of the casing shewing
the breech end of the barrel.
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. In a breech loading fire arm in which the recoil movement is utilized to load
and fire the arm the herein described combination of cams and projections in the
tubular casing breech bolt and barrel for locking and unlocking the arm with the
return springs for opening and closing the breech substantially as herein before
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved breech loading fire arm herein before described and represented
in the accompanying drawing.
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