s of Rifles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Descriptions of Rifles.
1, ABRAHAM COLLEY, of No. 88 Green Street, South Richmond, in the Colony of
Victoria, Armorer to the Government of the said Colony, do hereby declare tho
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 consists of an improved cartridge magazine for attachment to those
descriptions of rifles which have a falling block for receiving cartridges as they are
discharged from my magazine. The Martini-Henry rifle is of such a character and
is the one to which my magazine is primarily designed to be attached-It consists
of a steel box approximately in plan to the shape of a cartridge when laid hori-
zontally, that is to say, one end of the magazine is made wider than the other,
the wider end being for the butt end of the cartridge. It may be made as high
as is convenient, the cartridges being laid one on the top of the other and if
preferred there may be a second vertical row of cartridges to discharge into the
first row but I think one row will be most convenient and will be generally
adopted. I affix a vertical strip of metal on each of the inner sides of the magazino
just at the point where the butt end of the cartridge decreases in size so as to act
as a guide and, thus prevent their jambing. In the lower part of this magazine I
provide a spring cradle in which the lowermost cartridge rests and I preserve this.
cradle in position by means of a spiral spring attached to one end of the spindle
which carries such cradle, and I attach a thumb-crank on the end of such spindle
and outside the magazine by moving which towards the rifle to which the magazine .
attached, the lowermost cartridge, that is to say, that which is immediately resting
on the cradle, is discharged through a long slot reaching from end to end of the
magazine, and when this magazine is properly attached to a Martini-Henry rifle the
said cartridge just falls into the falling block made for the purpose. In order to firmly
attach this magazine to the rifle I make a dovetailed slot immediately below the cart-
ridge discharge opening to enable the magazine to be slid on to a corresponding male
dovetail which I firmly affix to the side of the rifle. When thus slid on to this dove-
tailed piece I preserve it in position by a spring catch. The cartridges are supplied
to the magazine through a door at its broad end which is held in position by another

page_text: spring catch. In order however that my invention may be clearly understood I will
now proceed to describe the drawings hereto attached which clearly illustrate my
magazine and the mode of its attachment to a Martini-Henry rifle.
Figure 1 shows a plan, and
Figure 2 a side elevation of my magazine attached to a Martini-Henry Rifle.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the opposite side to that shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a back end elevation of same (with the magazine door open.)
Figure 5 is a plan of spring for securing magazine to body of rifle.
Figure 6 is an elevation of same.
A is the magazine itself having a door A' fastened by a spring catch AB is the
cradle upon which the cartridges rest-B¹ is the spindle of such cradle which is made
hollow and has a smaller square spindle running through it. It is fastened in
position by a collar and pin B². At its near end is a coiled spring B³ and on its
near extremity is a thumb crank B-C is a dove-tailed slot fitting on to a corre-
sponding dove-tailed bar O' fitted on to the side of the rifle. C is a spring catch
for preventing the magazine from slipping when the dove-tailed slot is slid over the
dove-tailed bar C³ is a thumb piece for pressing said spring catch out of position
when it is desired to remove the magazine from the rifle D is the ordinary falling
block on the top of a Martini-Henry rifle and it is evident that my invention is
applicable to any other rifle which has a similar falling block for receiving the cart-
ridges as they are discharged one by one from my magazine-The mode of operation
is as follows: The door A¹ of the magazine is first opened and the cartridges
supplied one above the other, the butt ends hindmost, as clearly shown in the
drawings. The door is then shut, the magazine attached to a rifle by sliding the dove
tailed slot over the dove-tailed piece (affixed to the rifle it is then ready for
firing. Immediately one cartridge has been discharged, its empty casing is thrown
upwards in the ordinary way and by a simple quarter-turn or less than a quarter-
turn of the thumb crank B the lowermost cartridge, that is to say, that one which
immediately rests on the cradle B, is discharged through the slot E into a receptacle D
on the top of the rifle, this can be then fired and the operation repeated until the
magazine is empty when of course it must be recharged. I have shown a magazine
containing five cartridges but there is no reason except that of convenience, why it
should not be made to carry moro or less. I think however a magazine of the size I
have shown will be that which will be most generally adopted.
:
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. In cartridge magazines for attachment to rifles, the use of a spring cradle
such as shown at B to discharge cartridges by means of a thumb crank B through a
slot in its side substantially as herein described and explained.
Second.. The dove-tailed slot C in the face of the magazine to fit on to a dove-
tailed bar Con the side of the rifle, and the spring catch to keep the magazine
from slipping when thus attached to the rifle substantially as herein described and
explained.
Dated this First day of March One thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight.
12th day of April 1888.
ABRAHAM COLLEY.
Abel & Imray,
Agents for the Applicant.