Improvements in or relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire-arms.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 3rd Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire-arms.
I, JOSEPH VOILIN, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a novel construction of magazine or repeating fire arm
in which the cartridges are introduced at the lower part under the breech box.
A repeating stop lever allows of the arm being charged and fired in the ordinary
manner, the magazine being kept charged; or of interrupting the continuous firing,
the magazine not being completely empty.
Further the cartridge magazine can be filled at one charge by introducing therein
a group of cartridges held in a kind of charger in the form of a packet or bundle.
The soldier is provided with a certain number of these bundles contained in his
cartridge box.
When the magazine is empty it is opened by pressing a spring knob the charger
falls, the packet of cartridges is inserted therein and the charger is closed.
The breech box to which is connected the barrel is of the ordinary construction
and the breech mechanism of the kind known as the bolt system.
The magazine made in one piece with the trigger guard can be closed by a
hinged bottom plate. Its upper part opens into a passage formed in the woodwork
of the stock provided with a cartridge guide connected to the lower opening of
the breech box.
The bottom carries a spring, the nose of which presses against the heel of a
false bottom to which is hinged a plate against which bears another spring. The
plate under the action of the spring, the false bottom and the second spring causes
the cartridges to rise towards the underside of the breech box.
The repeating stop lever is constructed with a hinged plate operated by means
of a lever having a knob provided with a snug mounted eccentrically and passing
into a slot.
The plate of the repeating stop lever has a lateral projection passing into an
opening formed in the side of the breech box above the rear part of the magazine.
When the plate is lowered, the projection presses on the upper cartridge and causes
it to descend at the same time as the others by compressing the springs. The
upper cartridge is then in such a position that it cannot be touched by the fore
end of the breech block which passes above it; the arm can then be charged at
each shot in the ordinary manner the magazine being kept entirely or partly filled.
To fire a succession of shots the knob of the repeating stop lever is pulled back
causing the snug to raise the plate, the projection on which follows its movement
and allows the cartridges to rise under the action of the springs. The upper
cartridge is then placed in such a position that its flange is seized by the movable
breech block and pushed forward during the closing of the arm. The upper cartridge
is introduced automatically into the firing chamber.
A fixed projection co-operates with the movable projection to keep the upper
cartridge at the proper height to allow the breech block to seize it, without inter-
fering with the backward movement of the empty cartridge case which then comes
against an ejecting-pin and is thrown from the breech box.
During the backward movement of the breech mechanism the second cartridge
takes the place of the first and is in position to enter the firing chamber.
To re-charge the arm the knob of a rod placed at the side of the magazine is
pressed which has the effect of disengaging a hook which frees the bottom plate
of the magazine. The latter then falls and the charger which held the packet or
bundle of cartridges falls with it. A fresh packet of cartridges is then introduced

page_text: into the magazine through the lower opening and the bottom plate is re-closed when
the arm is again ready to be fired.
The part which I call the charger is constructed of a piece of thin sheet metal bent
so as to form a channel or groove at each side of its lower part for the purpose of
preventing the cartridges from falling; the upper part is split to form a spring for
holding the upper cartridge. This charger being of small value may be thrown away
after use.
Dated the 4th day of January 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Magazine or Repeating Fire-arms.
I, JOSEPH VOILIN, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 a novel construction of magazine or repeating fire arm in
which the cartridges are introduced at the lower part under the breech box or at the
upper part.. A repeating stop lever allows of the arm being charged and fired in the
ordinary manner, the magazine being kept charged; or of interrupting the continuous
firing the magazine not being completely empty.
Further the cartridge magazine can be filled at one charge by introducing therein
a group of cartridges held in a kind of charger in the form of a packet or bundle.
The soldier is provided with a certain number of these bundles contained in his
cartridge box.
When the magazine is empty it is opened by pressing a spring knob, the charger
falls, the packet of cartridges is inserted therein and the charger is closed.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate
two forms of my improved magazine or repeating fire arm. Figures 1 to 5 represent
one arrangement.
Figure is a longitudinal section of the breech and the magazine, the magazine
being filled and the repeating stop lever lowered to retain the cartridges.
Figure 2, is a part side elevation shewing the repeating stop mechanism.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on line P Q of Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5 represent in elevation and transverse section respectively a packet
or bundle of cartridges prepared for charging the magazine.
The breech box A to which is connected the barrel B is of ordinary construction
and the breech mechanism C of the kind known as the bolt system.
The magazine D made in one piece with the trigger guard E can be closed by a
bottom plate F hinged at G. Its upper part opens into a passage formed in the
woodwork of the stock H provided with a cartridge guide I fitted flush with the
lower opening of the breech box.
The bottom plate F carries a spring J, the nose of which presses against the heel a
of a false bottom K to which is hinged a plate L against which bears a spring M.
The plate Lunder the action of the spring J, false bottom K and spring M causes the
cartridges to rise towards the underside of the breech box.
The repeating stop lever consists of a plate O (Figure 2) hinged at 6 and operated
by means of a lever R having a knob S provided with an eccentric snug c working in
a slot d. In Figure 2 the plate O is shewn lowered the dotted lines indicating its
position when raised by pulling back the lever R.
The plate O of the repeating stop lever has a lateral projection e passing into an
opening f formed in the side of the breech box above the rear part of the magazine.
When the plate O is lowered (as shewn by the full lines in Figure 2) the projection e

page_text: presses on the uppermost cartridge and causes it to descend at the same time as the
others by compressing the springs J, and M, as shewn by the full lines in Figure 1.
The uppermost cartridge is then in such a position that its flange or head cannot be
touched by the front edge of the breech block C which passes above it; the arm can
then be charged at each shot the magazine being kept entirely or partly filled.
To fire a succession of shots the lever R is pulled back by means of its knob S
causing the snug to raise the plate O into the dotted position Figure 2, the projection e
on which plate follows its movement and allows the cartridges to rise under the action
of the springs J and M into the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1. The
uppermost cartridge is then placed in such a position that its flange is seized by the
head of the movable breech block and pushed forward during the closing of the arm.
The upper cartridge is introduced automatically into the firing chamber.
A fixed projection 9 co-operates with the movable projection e to keep the uppermost
cartridge at the proper height to allow the head of the breech block to seize it,
without interfering with the backward movement of the empty cartridge case which
then comes against an ejector k and is thrown from the breech box.
During the backward movement of the breech mechanism the second cartridge
takes the place of the first and is in position ready to enter the firing chamber.
To re-charge the arm the knob of a rod 7 placed at one side of the magazine is
operated which has the effect of disengaging a hook m which frees the bottom plate F
of the magazine. The latter then falls into the position indicated by the dotted lines
in Figure 1 and the charger Z, which held the packet or bundle of cartridges falls
with it. A fresh packet of cartridges is then introduced into the magazine through
the lower opening and the bottom plate F is re-closed when the arm is again ready
to be fired.
The part which I call the charger, shewn in side elevation and front elevation
respectively in Figures 4 and 5, is constructed of a piece of thin sheet metal bent so
as to form an inwardly projecting lip at its lower part on each side for the purpose of
preventing the cartridges from falling out; the upper part is split at x to form a
spring for supporting the uppermost cartridge. This charger being of small value
may be thrown away after use.
The size of the charger depends upon that of the magazine which may be arranged
to contain a given number of cartridges which are placed in the chargers contained
in the soldier's cartridge box instead of the usual packets.
A modification of my invention is illustrated in Figures 6 to 13.
In this arrangement the cartridges are introduced through the bottom of the breech
box and I arrange the bottom of the magazine with an opening to allow the empty
charger to he pushed out as a full charger is introduced into the magazine to take the
place of the empty charger; but to obviate the serious objections to a permanent
opening in the bottom of the magazine, I provide a small spring-door which will only
open under the pressure of an empty charger when pushed by a full one. This door
prevents mud, dust, rain etc., from injuring the interior of the magazine.
The arm is also provided with two operating knobs, one of which serves to lower
the charger towards the bottom of the magazine to extract the cartridges by the
action of the bolt Y in its forward movement, which allows of firing the cartridges in
quick succession while keeping the magazine completely or partially filled; the other
knob has for object to allow the row of cartridges to pass out through the top before
having been used or spent. These two operations are effected by the same device,
arranged to be actuated in two different ways by the two knobs before referred to.
This arrangement comprises a kind of two-pronged fork which retains the charger
by means of a lateral projection on the latter and prevents the cartridges from
entirely leaving the magazine under the action of the carrier. It is adapted to
oscillate upon its rear end to interrupt the working of the magazine by lowering the
charger contained therein; or, by moving its two front prongs apart, the charger
becomes free and can leave the magazine under the pressure of the carrier-springs.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of this modification of the mechanism:

page_text: gure is a pian; and,
Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a side elevation partly in section of the left hand
side of the arm and an underside plan of the breech box.
The magazine D placed under the breech box A is united to the trigger-guard E
by a dovetailed tenon which affords a strong and rigid connection and at the same
time allows the parts to be easily separated." The cartridges are transferred from the
magazine to the breech box by the recesses T and U in the box and stock respectively,
when they are pushed by the carrier M.
The charger Z represented in Figures 10 and 11 and in dotted lines in Figure 6 is
symmetrical and has a lug o on each side so as to hold it against one of the prongs of
the rectangular fork V held by the sear-spring p at its rear under the breech box. The
charger being symmetrical one of the lugs o always hooks onto one of the prongs of
the fork when the charger tends to rise under the pressure of the carrier which
pushes the lowermost cartridge towards the top.
The charger is introduced into the magazine in the following manner :-
When it is required to keep the magazine ready but without making use of it the
fork V is lowered, through the medium of the operating knob d¹ placed on the left
hand side of the arm. The knob d' is fixed on an oscillating lever e¹ having a slot f¹
eccentric to the axis of rotation of the lever e¹. A snug g' projecting .laterally
from the left hand side of the. fork V is located in the slot and draws along the
fork V with it when it is lowered by the action of the slot fi in pushing forward the
knob d. The front end of the fork V is depressed, as shewn by the dotted lines in
Figure 8, by being pivoted upon its rear end by reason of the play existing between
the latter and the sear-spring p which retains it; by this movement the branch of the
fork on which one of the luge is pressing forces the charger to approach the bottom
of the magazine drawing with it the cartridges to extract them by the action of the
bolt Y.
To liberate the full or partly full charger, after having opened the breech of the
arm, the two prongs q are moved apart by means of the double cam k¹ operated by a
small lever made integral with a vertical spindle m¹ operated by pushing forward
a thumb-piece z. As the cam k¹ is turning its widest part comes between the two
branches or prongs 9, of the fork, the effect of which is to move the branches or
prongs wider apart and to withdraw the lug o of the charger from the fork. The
carrier then drives the charger towards the top and causes it to leave the arm when
acting on the last cartridge.
The upper pivot n' of the spindle m¹ projects into the breech box and replaces the
ordinary ejector.
The magazine D has an opening at the back of sufficient size to allow the passage
of the empty charger. This opening is at ordinary times closed by a door K* which
is kept secured by a spring o¹.
The ends of the spiral spring o¹ are respectively inserted in the socket p¹ of the
door K¹ and in a notch q¹ of the plate r¹ formed integral with the pivot s¹ and held in
position when the spring has been tightened up by means of the screw v² as shewn in
Figures 12 and 13.
When the charger contained in the magazine is exhausted another full charger is
introduced through the breech box and presses against the other in passing through
the openings T and U. The full charger must be sharply pushed downwards into the
magazine and will drive before it the empty charger which opens the door K' and
passes through the bottom of the magazine; the door returns automatically to its
place under the action of its spring o'. To cause the empty charger to leave in this
manner it is necessary to act vigorously in order to allow the door to open sufficiently
for the passage of the charger.
When the cartridges in the magazine have been fired, if it is desired to simply
withdraw the empty charger without introducing another full one in its place it can
be pushed with the finger introduced therein through the breech box, or the thumb-
piece can be operated by pushing it forward in order to move the two prongs of the

page_text: fork V wider apart as already explained. The charger is then withdrawn through
the top by raising it by introducing a finger into the magazine through the breech
block.
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 :-
1. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, the arrangement
whereby the empty charger is allowed to leave through the bottom by opening a door
which hermetically closes the magazine at this part in combination with a repeating
stop which at will prevents the uppermost cartridge of the charger from being pushed
into the chamber or allows it to pass into the said chamber, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, introducing and
ejecting the charger through the bottom of the magazine by opening a hinged door
as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, the introduction
of the charger through the top of the magazine as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figures 6 to 13 of the accompanying drawings, the bottom of the
magazine being provided with a spring door which closes automatically and which
opens to allow the passage of the empty charger when another full one is introduced
into the magazine.
4. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, the repeating stop
consisting of a square adapted to act upon the uppermost cartridge and thereby
retain the charger and all its cartridges. substantially as herein before described.
5. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, the cartridge stop
consisting of a forked plate which acts on the charger to lower it for the purpose of
extracting the cartridges under the action of the movable head when it is required to
interrupt the working of the magazine, substantially as herein before described.
6. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, discharging the
magazine by means of the same fork the prongs of which are caused to be moved
apart to disengage the charger which is driven through the breech box by the action
of the carrier, substantially as herein before described.
7. In a magazine or repeating fire arm provided with a charger, a symmetrical
charger provided with two lateral lugs one of which always bears beneath one of the
prongs of the forks herein described for the purpose of holding the cartridges in the
magazine, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 4th day of Untober 1800.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.