US38935A - Improvement in self-loading fire-arm - Google Patents

Description

A. BALL.

Magazine Fire-arm.

Patented June 23, 1863.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT BALL, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-LOADING FIRE-ARM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,935, dated June 23, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT BALL, of the city and county of Worcester, State of Mas sachusctts, have invented a new Repeating Breech-Loading FireArm; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, due reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a side view with the working parts in position for discharging the piece, or when discharged. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of a portion of the magazine-case. Fig.4 is a side view in section with the working parts in position as receiving a fresh charge after being discharged. Fig. 5 is a side view of the movable side plate upon the breech-pin, covering, when in position, the working parts of the piece and lock-work, by which- B represents the barrel; WV, the magazine for holding the given amount of fixed ammunition; 0, the cartridges; 0, the charging-carriage; R, the lever by which the charging-carriage is operated; P, the locking-piece of the charging-carriage, with its flange or projection 41 resting upon the tumbler I; g, the spring to lift P into its proper position at the proper time; H, the hammer; I, tlietumbler; c, the lever-key by which the charging-carriage is unlocked after being discharged; f, the spring attached to the lever-key to insure its proper and firm insertion on the piece P; x, the movable side plate, and z the screws by which the side plate is firmly secured and held in its proper position; S, a spiral spring in the magazine-case for moving forward the ammunition; T, the plunger which transmits the action of the spring S to and upon the ammunition; N, the knob by which the plunger is forced backward, and thus placing both itself and the spring in position for loading the mag azine; D, the spring by which the cases are thrown from the arm after it has been discharged; J, the spring or guard by which the cartridge is kept in its proper position on the charging-carriage a portion of the time while being carried from the magazine-case to the barrel.

The construction and operation of the arm are as follows: The barrel, Figs. 1, 2, 4, is made in the usual manner, and is screwed into the breech-pin 1), Figs. 1 and 4, in the usual manner, as shown at Fig. 4. The breech-pin 1), Figs. 1 and 4, is forged of wrought-iron, or cast of malleable iron or other suitable metal, and giggecl and slabbed in (to adapt it to the desired peculiar construction of my piece) in the usual manner. The charging-carriage O, the locking-piece P, the key 0, with the springs f and g, and the tumbler I and the hammer H, Figs. 1 and 4, are each made in the usual manner, and by the usual processes used in constructing gun-work. V

Operation: In loading the magazine-case preparatory to action or use, the spiral spring S, Figs. 3 and 4, is drawn back by the knob N, and held back by the notch in the side of the slot K, Fig. 3. WVith the plunger T held in this position, the cartridges are inserted into the chamber of the magazine, over the charging-carriage 0, when depressed by the lever R, as shown in Fig. 4, the side plate, Fig.

5, being made with a depression at A, for the.

purpose of ease of loading the piece, as well as for another object, to be hereafter explained. The chamber having been loaded with the requisite number of charges, the knob N, Fig. 3, is turned out of the notch in the side of the slot K in the case, and the force of the spring S brought to act upon the charges, through the plunger T, so as to force the charges back into the'charging-carriage O, as shown in Fig.4. By elevating the lever R, Fig. 4, the charging-carriage O, with its charge, is elevated and carried forward as it rises until it reaches its ultimate position, as shown by 0, Fig. 1, the charging-carriage O forming a part of the bore of the barrel, as shown at 0, Fig. 2, the case of the cartridge 0, Fig. 1, being pushed forward into the barrel sufficiently far beyond the end of the chargingcarriage O to effectually close the joint between the barrel and the end of the carriage. During the passage of the charging-carriage 0 from its position as seen at O,Fig. 4,to that shown in Fig. 1, the other end of the carriage has passed forward off of the upper end of the key 0, and slid along the upper surface of the locking-piece P until the moment of reaching its final position, as in 'Fig. 1, at which moment the spring 9, acting upon the piece P, throws it upward and locks the charging-carriage, as shown in Fig. 1, thus forming the breech-pin to resist the recoil of the charge when fired. -During the transition of the charging-carriage 0 from its position as shown in Fig. 4 to that in Fig. 1 the hammer H remains stationary and elevated,as at H in Fig. 4, and in position ready to discharge the arm. During this operation, and previous to discharging the arm, the upper end of the key 0 remains still in the key-hole made through the locking-piece P, Fig. 4. Further, this operation of changing the charging-carriage 0 from its position as shown in Fig. 4 to that in Fig.

1 has placed P in such position that the hammer H may now be thrown down by the mainspring of the piece, (which is not shown, but

is made attached to the tumbler I, and used in the common form and usual manner,) it being impossible to discharge the piece until the piece P, Fig. 1, has reached the position here shown. Further, also, during the transition of the charging-carriage 0 from the position as seen in Fig. 4, when it receives the charge, to that shown in Fig.1, soon after the carriage has commenced its elevation, the spring J, Figs. 1 and 4, at its lower curve, through a slot in the top of the carriage, strikes upon the flange of the cartridge 0 and keeps it in its proper position until it passes into the bore of the arm.

The arm having been loaded and ready for discharging, as above described,it is now discharged by throwing the point of the hammer H, Fig. 1 upon the cartridge, in the usual manner of exploding fixed ammunition. At the moment of the hammer H reaching the cartridge 0 the portion of the tumbler above G,Fig.1,has been forced by the mainspring under the point of the projection c of the locking-piece P, thereby insuring the certainty that the lock P is in such position thatthe charge shall not be blown backward. The arm having been loaded and discharged,

as above described, the next operation is to divest the piece of the empty shell and recharge the same. The hammer H is elevated to its upright position. (Shown in Fig. 4.) When the hammer descended to perform the office of exploding the cartridge 0, as seen in Fig. 1, the key 0 was thrown up, and by its spring f looked onto the upper side of the piece P, and now, .by elevating the hammer to its position as seen in Fig. 4, Pis drawn down and the charging-carriage freed,so that by depressing the lever R the'carriage 0 may slide backward over the upper surface of P, the flange of the cartridge'O being in the groove 1, Figs.

1 and 4, made crosswise of the charging-carriage and fitted to receive the same. When the depression of lever B commences it pulls the carriage O backward, at first nearly parallel with the bore of the piece, and with itself takes the shell of the exploded cartridge O,and when reaching a point opposite the center of the side spring D, Figs. 2 and 4, this spring descends and throws the shell out of the arm sidewise through the opening A in the side plate, Fig. 5. The lever B having now reached the position shown in Fig. 4, the

charging-carriage O has slipped the key 0.

from P, and is now in its proper position for reloading, when, by the action of the spiral spring S, another cartridge, 0, is forced into the carriage 0, ready to be carried thereby into place, as above described.

It is evident that various modifications of form and proportion of parts may be made without departing from the principles of my inventionas D maybe made a hinged lever,

with a spring, and other parts more or less In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT BALL. Witnesses:

A. L. BURBANK, J O. HAMMOND.

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