Untitled record

Application filed June 17, 1882. (No model.) short lever, the outer end of which is shown, is pivoted in a suitable block, which is adapted to slide between said guide-strips, and the opposite end of said lever projects far enough through said slot into said feeder to 55 strike and push along any cartridges which may become stopped therein as they pass through it. Said block and lever are moved up and down by hand. Said cartridge-receiver consists of a frame, D, having a perfo- 6o rated end and a triangular base, 5, on one side thereof, one perforated side, 6, and a front edge,7. SaidframeD is hinged to the feeder A at 0,andhasa springcartridge-stop, a, secured on its said front edge, on which is an arm at 65 about right angles thereto extending through saidfrontedge into the interior of thereceiver, as shown in Fig. HI, IV, and VIII. Frame D is provided with a long opening in its side 7, as in Fig. II, and at one edge of said open- 70 ing is placed a spring-catch, e, (shown clearly in Figs. Ill and IV,) having a slight rib on it next to said opening. On the inner face of said side of frame D, between said opening and its said edge, is fixed a strip, n, haying a cor- 75 rugated face, and at the end of said frame, near to its base, said corrugations extend nearly across said side and past the end of said opening therethrough, as seen in Fig. HL It will be observed that the above-named corruga- So tions are arranged transversely to said side of frame D.· A raised border, z, is provided on the edge of the aforesaid triangular base on frame D. A box, c, constituting a part of said receiver, having sides 8 and 9 of unequal 85 height and one edge and one end open, is hinged to the rear edge of said frame D in such a manner that when said box is shut against said frame—that is, swung from the position shown in Fig. HI to that shown in 90 Fig. IV—a receiver is formed, consisting of a box closed on all sides excepting at one end, and the latter presents an opening of the form shown in Fig. VIII. The narrow side of box c (see Fig. HI) is adapted to swing against the 95 inner face of the side of frame D, over the aforesaid opening, through the same, and back of the face-line of said line of corrugations n on the said side, as in Fig. IV, and there to become temporarily⁷ fastened by slipping past 100

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lucien F. Bruce, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of 5 Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cartridge-Receivers for GunFeeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved devices io for transferring cartridges from an ordinary box in which they are packed at the manufactory to a tubular cartridge-fSeder for machine or other guns, the object being to provide a cartridge-receiver adapted to be suitably con15 nected with a feeder into which the entire contents of said box may be dropped, and in which they may be temporarily held in substantially the same relative position that they occupied in said box, but not separated by partitions, 20 and from which they may be instantaneously discharged (each one during said discharge being held pratically in a horizontal position) into the end of said tubular feeder.

In the drawings forming part of this speci25 fication, Figure I is a perspective view of a cartridge-receiver embodying my invention, there represented as hinged in operative position to the end of a cartridge-feeder. Fig. II is a similar view to Fig. I, but showing the 30 reverse side of the device. Fig. Ill illustrates said receiver turned over at right angles to the side of said feeder, and shows a transverse section thereof. Fig. IV is a similar view to Fig. HI, but shows said receiver shut and the 35 position of cartridges therein when in that condition. Fig. V is a side elevation of said receiver and a section of said feeder. Figs. VI and VII are longitudinal sections of Fig. V on the lines x x y y, respectively, and illus40 trate the positions of the upper and lower ends of the cartridges when they are held by the receiver. Fig. VIII is an open-end view of said receiver adjoining said feeder.

In the drawings, A represents the upper end 45 of a tubular cartridge-feeder adapted to conduct cartridges, when properly introduced therein, to the operative parts of a machinegun. A slot is cut through one side of said feeder, as shown in Fig. II. Two guide-strips 50 are secured at the sides of said slot, and a

273,249 said rib on the spring-catch e. The extent of the opening movement of box c is governed by the border z on said triangular base to frame D, against which tbe side of said box swings, and 5 the latter being there arrested, a temporary partial covering for the open end of said box is formed by said base, as shown in Fig. Ill, when so opened, whereby the cartridges are held up until the box is closed. The inner io face of said wide side of box c is provided with a series of transverse corrugations in, extending nearly across the same, and the projecting portions of said corrugations are located opposite the depressions in the corrugations n 15 on the inner face of the side of frame D. Said corrugated side of box c is provided with an opening therethrough, whereby the position of the cartridges in the receiver can be inspected.

2o The operation of my improvement is as follows: The operator upon whom devolves the duty of supplying cartridges to the tubular feeder A takes a position at the side thereof (said feeder and receiver occunving in prac25 tice that shown in Fig. II) to the left, his left hand grasping the back edge of the receiver and his fingers reaching against the springcatch e. He takes a box of cartridges, from which the cover is removed in his right hand, 30 presses against spring-catch e, and the narrow side of box c with the fingers of the left one, and thus opens said box, as in Fig. III. He then swings the top of the receiver back a little to clear the cartridge-stop a from contact 35 with the feeder A, and to bring’ said receiver to a more convenient position to receive the cartridges, when he inserts the open or uncovered side ot said cartridge-box into box c, gives the receiver a quick throw or swing backward, 40 causing all of the cartridges in said packingbox to be instantly and simultaneously transferred to box c of the receiver, and, as said base 5 now lies partially under the cartridges, they are held up while box c is swung to shut against the frame D. The receiver is now shut by swinging box c to the position shown in Figs. IY and VIII, bringing the ball ends of the lower cartridges onto the arm on stop a, whereby the cartridges are temporarily held, 50 as hereinafter described, and the receiver is swung up with a sharp quick motion to a vertical position, as in Fig. II, drawing the arm on the stop a outward, and both rows of cartridges in the receiver pass at once into the feeder A, and thence to the gun.

It will be seen that the interior width of the receiver, when in a closed position, is considerably less across the top than across the bottom, (as it lies in Fig. IV,) and that conse6c quently the bullet ends of the cartridges are forced into the depressions of said corrugations, and, by reason of the above-described relative location of the projections and depressions of thelatter on each, or, rather, on the op65 posite sides of said receiver, said ends of the cartridges are forced a little past each other, as in Fig. VIII. Said receiver is of such width as to give some freedom of movement to the rim ends of the cartridges, as shown; but to properly control the movement of the latter it 70 is requisite that that of the ball ends should be restrained, as it is, by their contact with the said corrugated sides of the receiver when they move toward the feeder A, whereby they are caused to enter tho latter in a horizontal nosition. .

It will be seen that the arm on the stop a stands before the ball ends of said cartridges, and that the two at the end (see Fig. VIII) are crowded slightly into the grooves of the oppo- 80 site corrugations of the receiver, whereby the said two cartridges and all back of them are, by the co-operation of said arm on stop a and said corrugations, prevented from leaving the receiver until the latter is brought to a proper 85 position over the feeder A, and the arm on stop a is thereby drawn away from before the ends of said cartridges,when, owing to weight of their balls, the cartridges will at once start downward into the feeder in the manner above 90 stated. By the use of said receiver cartridges can be transferred from common packing-boxes to the feeder A with great rapidity and regularity.