Year: 1887

page_text: A communication from abroad by MAROELLUS HARTLEY, of the City, County,
and State of New York, United States of America, Merchant.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 that class of arms in which a breech-block pivoted at its
rear end in the frame or receiver swings downward and backward to open the breech,
commonly known as the "Martini-Henry" system. It is an improvement upon the
arın patented by Letters Patent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, numbered 9796,
and dated July 12, 1887, and its object is to simplify and cheapen the construction
therein described.
In said former patent, the breech-block was made in two parts, both swinging on
the same pivot, with a passage between them for conducting the cartridges from the
magazine, in the rear stock to the chamber. In the present invention, the breech-
block is made in a single piece with a longitudinal opening through it which forms a
continuation of the magazine tube and serves to conduct the cartridges to the chamber
as in the former case.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate this invention,
Figure 1, is an elevation of an arm loaded and in condition for firing, with side
plate removed.
Figure 2, is a section with the parts in position for charging the magazine, and
Figure 3 ico
roor and elevation of the beach hook

page_text: A designates the breech-block, which, as above indicated, is made in one piece, as
in single loaders of this class, and it is pivoted in the frame at the rear end to swing
in a vertical plane to open and close the breech. The magazine is located in the rear
stock, and is provided with the feeding spring and with the holding bar, as described
in the patent above referred to. The breech-block A has a longitudinal opening a
through it which forms a continuation of the magazine tube, and through which the
magazine is charged and the cartridges conveyed to the chamber." Below the
opening a is a hammer bolt a' which is cocked through the operation of a dog a in
the shape of a crank lever, one arm of which passes through the rear end of the
hammer bolt, and the other arm of which is engaged by the trigger to hold the parts
in cocked position. The dog a² is hung on the same pivot or bolt with the operating
lever C by which it is turned when the latter is thrown down to open the breech, all as
fully explained in former patent.
In order to provide for the opening or passage a, the breech-block is made deeper
than in single loaders, and the resisting face is at the lower front corner, or diagonally
opposite the pivot pin a³ upon which the breech-block swings. When the breech is
closed, the forward part of the breech-block stands higher than usual and the frame is
corresponding higher than usual, to prevent the breech-block from projecting too
much above the frame.
In the side of the breech-block is a recess at in which is pivoted a detent as, a lateral
arm of which projects through an opening into the passage a and engages the flanges
of the cartridges as they are successively fel forward, as shown in Figure 2. During
the closing movement of the breech-block, the forward end of the detent a' is engaged
by a shoulder on the rear face of the extractor by which the detent is rocked on its
pivot, and its lateral arm disengaged from the flange of the front cartridge, and the
whole column is then free to be fed forward. a is a spring by which the detent is
held in engagement with the cartridges till released by the extractor.
The extractor has a long rearwardly extending arm which is struck by the
breech-block, when the latter is thrown down to open the breech, whereby a strong
leverage is exerted to start the bent shell from the chamber. On the opposite side
of the arm is an ejector 6' which is pivoted lower in the frame than the extractor,
and whose rearward projecting arm is shorter than that of the extractor. After the
extractor has been turned to start the shell, the continued movement of the breech-
block causes the latter to strike the short arm of the ejector, whereby a quick impulse
is given to the shell to throw the same entirely out of the arm.
The breech-block is cut away at the sides, as shown at a', to form recesses or spaces
into which the arms of the extractor and ejector project. This provides for the
necessary fall of the breech-block with the least depth of frame. At the rear, the
breech-block is also provided with said recesses a³ in which the arms c of the
operating lever C work to open and close the breech. When the lever is thrown
forward the arms c bear against the rear walls of the recesses a³ and exert a leverage
by which the breech-block is thrown down, while the return movement of the lever
causes the arms to bear against the front walls of the recesses, whereby the breech-
block is raised. When the breech is fully closed, the arms c pass under shoulders a
at the sides of the breech-block and lock the latter in closed position.
The upper walls of the recesses as are curved as shown, the curves forming ares of
a circle whose radius is equal to the length of the arm c of lever C, and whose centre
coincides with the axis of the lever when the breech-block is in position to bring the
front end of the passage a into coincidence with the breech chamber. At the rear
upper corners of the recesses a are small auxiliary recesses a which permit the
breech-block to fall to the position for charging the magazine, as illustrated in
Figure 2, and for operating the ejector to throw out the spent shell. When in this
position the united movement of the lever C to close the breech, raises the breech-
block far enough to bring the front end of the passage a into line with the chamber
then the breech-block remains stationary till the arms c strike the front walls of the
recesses a when it is further raised to fully close the breech.

page_text: The magazine is charged through an opening at i in the bottom of the frame
and through the breech-block, as represented in Figure 2. A shoulder in the frame
catches the first cartridge and holds it in the position indicated. When the next
cartridge is inserted, the first is pushed back into the opening in the breech-block
until its flange is caught by the detent a when the second will be caught and held
in position 1, and so on till the magazine is filled, the last cartridge being pressed
back with the finger till its flange is caught by the detent.
The magazine being charged, the operation of the arm is as follows: When the
operating lever C is thrown forward the holding bar d, the teeth of which project
into the magazine, is allowed to drop away from the latter and release the cartridges
as fully explained in the former patent. Then the arms c press against the rear
walls of the recesses as by which the breech block is drawn down and the breech
opened. At the same time, the dog a² is turned on its pivot with the lever till its
rear arm is engaged by the trigger. As the breech-block approaches the limit of
its downward movement, it first strikes the arm of the extractor and starts the
shell from the chamber, and then immediately strikes the arm of the ejector b' by
which the started shell is thrown entirely out of the arm.
The return movement of the lever first raises the breech-block till the front end of
the passage a coincides with the cartridge chamber, which is the loading position.
Just before this position is reached, the detent a³ is tripped and the cartridge within
the breech-block released so that it may move forward as soon as the loading position
is reached. At this point the breech-block remains stationary while the arms c move
forward along, or in contact with the upper curved walls of the recesses a* and until
they strike the front walls to fully close the breech as already explained. This
interrupted movement of the breech-block gives ample time for the cartridge to
enter the chamber and avoids all liability of its being caught by the rapid movement
of parts. During the earlier part of the movement of the breech-block, the front end
of the detent as is engaged by a shoulder on the rear face of the extractor, whereby it
is rocked to release the cartridge held by its lateral arm. The continued movement of
the block causes its front end to press the extractor out of engagement with the
detent.
The first cartridge having now passed the detent, it is ready to be inserted into the
chamber, and this is accomplished as soon as the opening a in the breech-block is
brought into line with the chamber, the cartridge and those behind it being pressed
forward by the feeding spring in the usual manner. After the loading is effected, the
breech-block continues its closing movement till the arms
shoulders a when the arm is in condition for firing.
c pass under the
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a fire arm, a combined cartridge conduit and breech-block made in one piece
pivoted at the rear end to swing downward in opening, and upward in closing the
breech of the barrel, and having a passage entirely through it, in combination with
a magazine behind said breech-block in the stock of the gun, substantially as
described.
2. In a magazine gun, a combined cartridge conduit and breech-block made in one
piece pivoted at its rear upper corner and swinging in a vertical plane to open and
close the breech of the barrel, and carrying a firing pin or hammer, in combination
with a magazine in the rear stock of the gun behind said breech-block, substantially
as described.
3. In a magazine gun, a combined cartridge conduit and breech-block made in one
piece pivoted at its rear upper corner and swinging in a vertical plane to open and
close the breech of the barrel, and carrying a firing pin or hammer in combination
with a magazine in the rear stock of the gun behind said breech-block, and a detent
mounted on said breech-block to normally arrest the cartridges in their forward

page_text: movement but to release them one by one during the upward movement of the breech-
block for closing the breech of the barrel.
4. In a magazine fire-arm, the combination with the chamber and with the
magazine in the rear stock, of a swinging breech-block having a passage through it
which forms a continuation of the magazine, and having one or more side recesses a³,
and an operating lever provided with one or more arms c, which work in said recess
or recesses to operate the breech-block, the top walls of the recesses a³, being arcs of
a circle concentric with the axis of the lever when the parts are in the loading
position, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 16th day of December 1887.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.