Improvements in Automatic Fire Arms.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Fire Arms.
I, FERDINAND MANNLICHER, Engineer, of I Getreidemarkt No. 10, Vienna,
Austria, 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 that class of fire arms in which the force of the recoil
of the shot is employed for operating the breech bolt, and has for its object the
construction of an improved automatic gun of this description, in which the
opening of the breech bolt is effected by the recoil, and the closing by a spring.
In the annexed drawings a mechanism of this kind is shewn, as applied to a
quick firing magazine rifle, of which:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section with closed breech and in cocked
position, immediately before firing.
Figure 2 is a similar section through the rifle with open breech, and the barrel
in its rearmost position (immediately after the shot has been fired).
Figure 3 shows the rifle in the same section with open breech, and the barrel in
its intermediate position (at rest).
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the rear part of the breech,
with the mechanism for cocking and releasing the firing pin, showing the latter in
its uncocked position.
Figure 5 shews the same section with the firing pin cocked.
Figure 6 is a rear view corresponding to Fig. 5.
Figure 7 shews the cocking lever separately in three different views.
Figure 8 shews the sear, also separately, and in three views.
Figure 9 shews the trigger in two views.
Figure 10 shews the breech bolt in side view, and
Figure 11 shews the same in bottom view.
Figure 12 is a front view of the breech bolt, and
Figure 13 is a rear view of the same.
Figure 14 shews the locking or coupling bar in side view.
Figure 15 the same in top view, and
Figure 16 in bottom view.
Figure 17 is a side view of the rear part of the barrel, and
Figure 18 is a rear end view of the same.
Figure 19 is a side view of the guide of the locking bar, and
Figure 20 is a top view of the same.
Figure 21 shews in cross section and side view of the breech bolt, a safety device
for the rifle.
Similar letters of reference indicate in all figures corresponding parts.
The rifle essentially consists of the barrel a, sliding in a guide sleeve A, and
provided at its rear end with the oscillating locking bar G, the breech receiver B
to which guide sleeve A is attached, and the sliding breech bolt C guided in the
breech receiver.
Breech bolt C, which is free to slide back and forward in the breech receiver,
contains in the usual manner the firing pin c and firing spring c¹. To the rear end
of the breech bolt is hinged the cocking lever D, the lower arm d of which projects
on the lower side of the breech bolt, and its other arm d' engages in a recess c³ in
the rear end of the firing pin. Just forward of the cocking lever D the breech
bolt carries the oscillating sear E in such manner that the latter can engage with
and arrest lever D when the firing pin has been cocked. This cocking is effected
by and during the rearward movement of the breech bolt in the following manner.

page_text: Arm d, which projects below the breech bolt, in its rearward movement strikes
upon an inclined surface b in the receiver B, over which it slides and whereby it
is swung forward and upward, thereby causing arm d to swing backward and thus
to draw back the firing pin into its cocked position. Lever D having arrived in
this position, as shewn in Fig. 5, sear E, by also moving over inclined surface bis
caused to engage with lever D so as to arrest the same in this cocked position. A
springe attached to, or acting upon sear E only serves to secure this engagement.
In the breech receiver, behind the breech bolt is situated a coiled spring B',
which is compressed by the rearward movement of the breech bolt, and which
always has the tendency to drive the breech bolt into its forward position; this
movement is however prevented by the trigger F. Trigger F is pivotted in the
lower part of the breech receiver, and provided with a spring 3 for keeping its
forward part always in a raised position. To this forward part of the trigger an
arm is pivottally attached and by a spring continually pressed to the rear
against a pin or shoulder & in the breech receiver.
When the breech bolt is brought into its rearmost position and has compressed
the spring B', trigger arm f rises in front of the bolt as shewn in Fig. 3 and
retains it in this position, a forward movement of arm f being prevented to a
sufficient extent by shoulder in the receiver.
Barrel a, which as before mentioned, is guided in a sleeve A, is by a spring A'
situated in the rear part of said sleeve, continually pressed into its forward
position. To the lower rear part of the barrel is hinged the locking bar G, which
in moving back and forward with the barrel, slides upon the guide surfaces H H³.
These surfaces are of such height that they allow bar G to slide over them when
the latter is completely raised against the barrel; when the barrel is moved back
however, so that bar G with its shoulder g arrives at the rear end of surfaces H H!,
the bar may swing downward so that its shoulder g rests behind the end of
surfaces HH', whereby, the forward movement of the barrel under the influence
of its spring A' is prevented, as shewn in Fig. 3. In a suitable opening of bar G
a small lever J is pivotted, the object and working of which will be described
farther on.
The position shewn in Figure 3 is that when the barrel is at rest, and the breech
bolt open.
When the trigger is pulled, its arm is lowered and releases the
breech bolt, which is shot forward by its spring B, taking in this movement a
cartridge from the magazine, situated underneath the receiver and introducing the
same into the barrel. Arrived near the rear end of the barrel the breech bolt slides
over the head of bar G, where its inclined surface k which leads into a recess k
encounters the inclined surface g² of bar head g¹. Thereby bar G is raised and
its head g¹ is brought into recess k of the breech bolt, where the surfaces k² and g³
abut. By the raising of bar G in the manner described its shoulder g has been
disengaged from the end of the guide ribs H H', and the barrel followed by the
breech bolt is moved forward by the united action of its own spring A¹ and
spring B of the breech bolt as far as sleeve A will permit. Now bar G rests
solidly upon surfaces H H', and rigidly keeps barrel and breech bolt in their
coupled position shewn in Figure 1.
When the breech bolt has thus arrived in its closed and locked position, and
when the pressure of the finger upon the trigger is released, nose of the
articulated trigger arm engages with nose e¹ of sear E, as shewn in Figure 1.
The trigger being pulled again, lever, in consequence of the engagement of its
nose with nose e, disengages sear E from lever D whereby firing pin c is liberated,
and by its spring c¹ driven against the cap of the cartridge.
The shot being fired, its recoil drives back the barrel and the breech bolt coupled
thereto. During this movement the breech bolt must be separated from the barrel,
which is effected in the following manner. The upper arm of lever J pivotted in a
recess of bar G fits into a recess in the end of the barrel, so as to rest against the
front end of the breech bolt when the latter is closed. The lower arm of lever J,
which projects below bar G, and which runs in a groove between guides H, H',

page_text: strikes against a projection as the barrel is moving back. The forward move-
ment thereby imparted to the lower arm of lever necessarily throws back its
upper arm, which separates the breech bolt, the extractor of which holds the
empty cartridge shell, from the barrel. Before this can take place however, that
is, immediately before the lower arm of lever J strikes against projection A¹, the
uncoupling of the breech bolt from the barrel is effected in the following manner.
Shoulder y of bar G having arrived at the end of guides H, H' an inclined surface y
at the rear end of bar G strikes against the inclined surface of a rigid lug L,
thus causing bar G to swing downward and to enter with its rear end into a recess /¹
of said lug L. This recess retains bar G in its lowered position while the
separation of breech bolt and barrel is effected by lever J in the manner before
described. Up to the moment of their separation breech bolt and barrel have
been moving back with equal speed, as the barrel is brought to a stop however,
the simultaneous stroke of lever J causes the breech bolt, when being uncoupled,
to finish the remaining part of its way back with increased velocity, whereby
spring B is compressed. Arrived in its furthest rearward position, the breech
bolt would again be arrested by trigger arms but for the circumstance that the
described movements caused by the recoil are so quick, that the finger, pulling the
trigger for firing the shot, has no time to release the trigger and to permit arm to
rise in front of the breech bolt. The latter therefore, driven by its spring B',
returns unobstructed into its locking position as before described, taking another
cartridge from the magazine into the barrel. Before this takes place however, the
barrel has, under the influence of its spring A¹, returned from its position at the
moment of uncoupling shown in Figure 2, into that shown in Figure 3, where bar G,
held down by a spring ³ placed between it and the barrel, is again arrested by its
shoulder y striking against the end of guides H, H. The barrel remains in this
position of rest until struck by the advancing breech bolt, when the operation of
coupling is again effected in the manner described.
When the magazine is to be charged which I do by preference from above
through the breech receiver, the breech bolt is pulled back by hand, by means of
its hand piece N. and is held in its open position by trigger arm as before
described. The firing pin being cocked by the same movement, the gun is ready
for firing as soon as the trigger is pulled to allow the breech bolt to move into its
locked position.
Attention must be called to the fact, that in the construction described the
trigger cannot operate upon the sear during the back and forward movement, of the
breech bolt, but only when it is in its closed and locked position. The breech bolt
is provided with an extractor m³, and opposite to the same with an ejector m².
The kind and form of magazine employed with the arm is immaterial for the
operation of the mechanism, but I employ by preference a magazine adapted for the
reception of cartridge clasps or packages.
The general operation of the described rifle is the following. The breech bolt is
drawn back by means of its hand piece until caught by the trigger arm; now a
package of cartridges is introduced into the magazine and the trigger is pulled.
The breech bolt shoots forward, takes a cartridge from the inagazine into the
barrel, and is coupled with the latter. The trigger being released, its arm engages
with the sear, and a second pull upon the trigger fires the shot. The recoil
operates the mechanism in the manner described, the empty shell being ejected at
the same time, and a second release and subsequent pulling of the trigger fires the
second shot, and so on as long as there are cartridges in the magazine.
Although I consider the trigger arrangement described and shown as best suited
for my automatic breech mechanism, other trigger devices may be employed in
combination therewith. When required there may for instance be adapted a
trigger which will automatically release the firing mechanism as soon as the breech
bolt is closed, so that all the shots are fired in uninterrupted succession.
Figure 21 shows by way of example a safety device to be employed in combina-
tion with the described breech mechanism.

page_text: This device consists of a lever S pivotted in the side of the breech receiver.
Lever S is provided with a pin s which projects through a circular slit in the
breech receiver into the interior of the latter. The breech bolt is provided with
a groove s² which is so situated that it corresponds with slit s' when the brecch
bolt is closed. When lever S is turned down its pin s enters into grooves 82 of the
breech bolt and draws the latter back so far that its sear becomes disconnected
from the trigger, whereby a firing of the shot is prevented.
The breech mechanism described may of course not only be employed for small
arms, but also for machine guns; the calibre and kind of cartridges employed
being immaterial for the operation of the mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt operated by the recoil of the shot, the
sliding barrel a pressed forward by a spring A', the coupling bar G pivotally
attached to the barrel and provided with a spring y, with a head g¹ with the
inclined surfaces g' and y' for coupling and uncoupling, and with a shoulder g for
retaining the barrel in an intermediate position; substantially as described.
2. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot, the
breech bolt C, receiving its forward movement by a spring B', and provided at its
forward end with a recess for the reception of a locking or coupling bar pivotally
attached to the barrel, and with an inclined surface k for raising the coupling bar
into said recess; substantially as described.
3. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot, and
provided with a sliding barrel a, to which a coupling bar G is pivotally attached, a
lever J pivotted in said locking or coupling bar, and a rigid projection placed
outside of bar G in such position that by striking against said projection lever J
may effect the separation of the breech bolt from the barrel; substantially as
described.
4. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot and
provided with a sliding barrel a to which a coupling bar G is pivotally attached, a
trigger F with articulated arm f for arresting the breech bolt in its open position
when pulled back by hand; substantially as described.
a
5. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot, and
provided with a sliding barrel a, to which a coupling bar G is pivotally attached,
lock, consisting of the firing pin with fixing spring c', a cocking lever D
engaging with pin c, an inclined surface in the receiver, sear E acting upon
lever D, and a trigger F with arm fand nose f2 for engaging with the sear when
the breech bolt is closed; substantially as described.
6. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot, and
provided with a sliding barrel a, to which a coupling bar G is pivotally attached,
a magazine M situated underneath the breech receiver and adapted to receive and
hold the cartridges enclosed in clasps or packages; substantially as described.
7. In fire arms with sliding breech bolt, operated by the recoil of the shot, and
provided with a lock consisting of a firing pin operated by a cocking lever, with a
sear for arresting said cocking lever, and with a trigger for disengaging said sear, a
safety device consisting of a lever S with pin s, engaging into a grooves of the
breech bolt when the latter is closed, so as to withdraw the sear from engagement
with the trigger; substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of April 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.