Historical Document · 1895
Louis Schmeisser's recoil-operated firearm patent, granted 8 October 1895 and assigned to Theodor Bergmann: the design behind the Bergmann 1894–1896 pistols. The Bergmann 1896/1897 dive cites it for the mechanism's origin and the Schmeisser–Bergmann relationship.
(No Model.) -2_ Sheets-‘Sheet 1. L. SGHMEISSER. Y _ BEOOIL OPERATED FIREARM. No. 547,454. ,Patented 0013.8,1895. "Q. Ry K Wz'iizedzrar. ' > Q Iizlf(V2!N01". 4; % dwémulvgw a/é. lulszzlftohn. (No Modél.) . ‘ v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. ' L. SQHMEISSER. RECOIL OPERATED I‘IREARM. ‘No; 547,454.‘ ' Patented Oct. 8, 1895. lizyeraiorx UNITED STATES ‘PATENT OFFICE. Louis SCIIMEISSER, or MANNIIEIM, ASSIGNOR TO 'ruuonon nnncnunn, or ,G‘AGGENAU, GERMANY. 4 in v '. RECON-“OPERATED FIREARM. srncmoa'riou forming part of Letters Patent No. 54%,454, dated October a, 1895. ‘ Application ?led January 20, 1894. Serial No. 497,523- (No model.) Patentedin France June 8,1893, No. 230,689; in Germany June 10, 1893, No. 78,500,5l1d February 13, 1894, No. 781881] in England June 12, 1.893, No- 11,509 r in Italy June 80, 1898, No. 84,238; in Belgium can" 31, 1898, no. 106,826, and May 15', main. 109,829. in Switzerland December a, 1893, No. 7,201; in Austria May 31,1894. Ho- 44/ 2,000, and in Hungary June 36, 1894. H0. 878- - jectile-If now the proportion between the- 50 .To all whom it may concern: ' '- Be it known that I, LOUIS Scrmmssnn, gun ' maker, a citizen of Germany,residin g at Mann - heim, in the Grand Duchy ‘of Baden, Em weight of the breech-bolt and that of the pro jectile is such that up to the time that said projectile leaves the barrel the brooch-bolt has been driven back only a short-wny,there . pire of Germany, have invented certain new will be no loss of the driving power of “rogue, “55 and useful Improvements in Breech~Loading as the slowly backward moving breech-bolt, Firearms, of which the following is a speci? in combination with the shell pressed against‘ its hearing, will produce a perfectly gas-tight The invention has been patented in Ger~ closure at the rear. The further backward to many, No. 78,500, dated June 10, 1893, and motion of the cylinder serves for reloading 6a No. 78,881, dated February 13, 1894; in Aus of the ?rearm and for the compression of a ' tria, No. 44/2,000, dated May 31, 1894; ‘ in spring, which brings the breech-bolt again in Hungary, No. 678, dated J one 26, 1894; in the closing position after it has reached ‘its Switzerland, No. I1,201, dated December 6, utmost rear point, and the arm is ready to be 15 1893; in France, No. 230,689, dated June 8, used again. 65 1893; in England, No. 11,509, dated J une 12, ‘ In the annexed drawings two - forms of- con 1893;. in Belgium, No. 106,826, dated October struction of the autosloading arm with the 31, 1893, and No. 109,829, dated May 15, 1894, new breech-loading device are shown.v . and in Italy, No. 34,238, dated J une 30, 1803. Figure 1 is a side view of the arm, partly in cation. ‘ ' ‘ 20' My invention relates to a ?rearm in which section, with the breech closed. 'Fig. 2 is a 70 the closing of the breech,the loading, and the‘ side view with the‘ breech-bolt and adjacent -- cocking of the hammer is e?ected by the gas parts in section, said breeclvbolt being drawn ’pressure resulting from the explosion. It has back. Fig. 3 is a sectional view .on the line been usual heretofore to oppose a resistance X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a horizontnlsec :5 as strong as possible to the pressure of the tion through the breech-bolt and frame. Figs. 7 5 gases from the'rear or closing parts, so that 5 and 8 are details of the same. Fig. 6 is a said gas, after having yielded all its useful ness, could only escape through the front part. If the resistance is very great the breech is 30, opened either by hand or mechanically after detail view of the muzzle of the barrel and of . . each shot, and if slight, as in this class of arms, 2 In the frame A, to which the barrel is fas the frame of the spring. Fig.7 is a side view of a small hand-arm. Figs. 0, l0, and 11 are detail viewsof a safety-trigger. , 8o it ‘is opened or loosened by the pressure of the tenedand upon which the cartridge-magazine gas and bolted or closed again by hand by a A’ is disposed, the breech-bolt l3 can move in special mechanism or automatically. In the a. straight line within certain ' limits. The 35 improved system of breech-closing this. resist frame A is cut out vertically and to theright, 85 .. ance is made away with entirely, asthe same so that the cartridges can be carried directly . is based upon an entirely di?r'erent principle, into the barrel and that the shells can be ‘ ’ to wit: the principle of the power of. resists thrownout. 'l‘he cartridges can be put into r ance of bodies. The explosionof the powder the magazine A’ one by one or by means of a 40 produces a pressure of gas in thecartridge or loading-box. A spring-lover A2 presses the 90 shell which works uniformly against all sides. cartridges against the breech-bolt frame A“, According to the laws governing the power of so that each time the breech-bolt ll advances ' resistance the smallest movable part that is one cartridge is pressed into the cartridge exposed to that pressure will be put in motion seat A‘. The ?ring-pin b, it will be noticed, 45 the ?rst. A breech-bolt bearing against the is not worked by a spring. It is located within 95 rear end of the barrel, the weight of which is the breeclhbolt. For central percussion-car a certain multiple of that of the projectile, is tridges it is located in the center, and for our given a motion by the gas-pressure which is tridges having the percussion at the edge it correspondingly slower than the lighter pro r . _ ‘ ' eta-7,454 the sear F and the trigger G in such a man- - is located at'the edge. a The pin b can slightly nor that the connection between F and‘G can .move axiallyin the bolt B, but its dropping be interrupted for a moment. ' When the ham out is prevented by a pin b', Figs. 2, 3, andv or (Ms cooked, the sear F engages in the top .76 If new the triggerG is pulled the _ in the rear extremity of. the breech-bolt. notch 0. .4, engaginga cut b' of the pin b and screwed intermediate piece II, that is revolubly' con Nearjts forward extremity the breech-bolt B nected therewith, presses upon the tooth f of has a cross-bore b‘, in which the striking-peg thevsear and lifts the latter from the top B’, Figs. 1,, 2, 4, and 5, is arranged loosely. notch a, soFthat the hammer C, in consequence 75 The pin b passes through the striking-peg B’, , of the working of the spring 0' upon the same, so that the latter is prevented from moving drives the ?ring-pin forward, As the cock in the cylinder B. The s op-pin has a groove \ ing of the hammer follows immediately after b‘, through which the ejection-bar a, Figs. 2 the explosion and before the?ng'er can release > and 4, located at the rear wall of' the frame, the trigger, the ‘construction is such that as 80. withv passes. The breech-bolt B is provided p soon as the sear F is disengaged the'intermedi- I, a similar groove, in which the forward part ate piece slides over the tooth f and the ham of the vbara moves. The shell, which is driven be cooked without working the trig ‘ back with the breech-bolt B by the gas resul‘- mer can When _now the ?nger releases the t'rig- . ger. ‘in g from the explos'ion,'hits the nose'of the ejec ger, the piece II returns to its original position 35 tion~bar _a and is ejected in the well-known by means of the spring 71., after‘ which“ the manner, Whenqthe boltB moves backward, is ready for another shot. . ‘the estremity of the pin B', that projects to_ trigger ‘ _ In small ?rearms the trigger may be ar-;; ‘one side of the bolt, strikes-the frame A’ at a’ ranged to'be. pushed forward,-~as shown in. and limits the backward motion of the bolt.;, 7. In this'case the intermediate piece is 90. ' 'I‘hebreech-boltEthat by its backward motion Fig. changed, into a rail H’, upon they head of has cooked the hammer 0 again, is connected loosely with a spring E, located under the barrel in the body of the pistol, by means of an outside "rod D, Figs. 1,2, 3, 4, 6, and 8, which spring carries back the breech-bolt to As‘ the ham U the closing 'position- of Fig. 1. mer C, as well as the spring E, increases the which the trigger G’ presses. The latter can be put in position (shown by dotted linesin ‘Fig.7 7) for the sake of carrying the arm con veniently. At the rear end of the rail-H’ a presser h2 is pivotally disposed, which is'kept . ; in its normal position, as shown in Fig.7, by the presser It2 has_ dis- -. .‘resisting power of the breech-bolt, the. weight ‘ the spring h’. After engaged the sear F ii: glides over- the tooth of of the latter can be somewhat reduced, The the same, ‘so that the sear F can at once catch I00 screw-bolt b‘, with'its leaf b‘,'_serves; for con‘ into the top notch of the cock. - After necting the rod D with the bolt 3..‘ Therefore, ‘again the ?nger has released the trigger the rod in order to remove the breech-bolt it is only spring' brings the rail H’ back again in its necessary to loosen the screwb‘, whereby the originalit’position. As soon as the presser h‘ ?ring-pin b. becomes free also. In order to / retain the closing-spring rod D in the right has passed under the cam f, a spring h’ car 10; it back again to its normal position‘, and position where the breech-bolt is removed, the ries the arm is ready to be shot off again. , _ . ~' same is provided with a cam that engages in a In order to prevent-the hammer (l'from op V corresponding groove of the cylinder-frameA'. erating prematurely, the ?rearm is provided V d’ is a roughened surface disposed upon the 110 rod D, which gives a better hold for the hand with a trigger-safety, Figs. 9 to 11. A lover .I, that can revolve‘ around a hinge t‘, is placed when it is required ,to keep the cylinder‘ in the upon the back wall of the frame A. A spi open position, Fig. 2. .. ' . (l2 isa calk disposed at the side of the rod int ‘spring if, that works upon the smaller arm, , D, upon which the spring E works,and d'i's a‘ of this lever, tends to push it away from the " -' rest for the leaf b‘ of the screw b‘. The frame ' frame A. The longer arm of the lever 1, car rrs of the springE hasa side ‘slot e, in which the rie's a teeth t", to catch into an op‘ening‘c? in stay (1‘, between the rod D and the calk d’, the hammer 0, so that it can hold the same in its cocked position. In the leverI ‘another The ?rearm is-provided with a spring or lever K is pivotally arranged, which carries a 120 cock-lock which differs only as far as the trig‘ disk L, which rests upon the opening a‘ or the frame in the position of rest.‘ When the fin-v 5 ger apparatus is concerned from' the usual get is brought into the trigger-guard, the disk construction. ' - It is a well-known fact that in auto-loading L is pushed aside and the‘ lever K is pressed ' consequence of ?rearms the hammer is cocked so soon after againstr the frame A. The arm of the lever I is r25 the explosion that the ?nger cannot let the this is that the‘ longer away from the frame and the tooth 1?. Fe trigger go back quickly enough and that the pushed is released from the slot 0' of the cock 0, Fig. disengaged sear F cannot catch in time into the top notch o of the hammer to hold it 10. The safety device is thus thrown out of cocked. In order to insure engagement of the action ‘and the hammer can fall when the Figs. 6 and 8, can slide. , - _ , > sear F in the top notch 0, even if the ?nger trigger is pressed. As soon as the ?nger is re movedlfi'om thetrigger-opening a8, the spring 55 still rests upon the trigger, an intermediate 'i’ carries the lever I and the disk L again to piece H, worked bya spring; Is placed between 547,454 I s the original position, Figs. 9 and 11, thus causé certainty of hitting the mark is increased, as ing the tooth {a to engage and hold the ham the last injurious recoilvis reduced to a mini 35 mum. The ?rearm works as follows: At the mo I claimment that the ?ring-pin strikes the cartridge 1. In combination in a ?re arm, the recip the powder that it contains explodes. The rocating breech bolt, the ?ring pin and the tension of the generated gas works forward stop pin B’ arranged in a lateral opening in upon the projectile and backward upon the the breech bolt and held by the ?ring pin,‘ bottom of the shell and through this upon the said stop pin being arranged to limit the heavy breech-bolt, the resisting power of movement of the breech bolt, substantially as which is increased by the power of the clos described. mer cocked. - ing-spring. The counter-pressure opposed to 2. In combination in an automatic ?re arm those gases in'front is therefore considerably the sliding breech bolt, the spring for limit 45 - less than the counter-pressure opposed at the ing the movement thereof and to place the rear. For this reason the backward motion same under tension and the rod D extending is so slow that the projectile will already have along the outside of the armto connect the left the barrel before the shell, resting against breech bolt with the spring, substantially as its bearing in the bre‘ech—bolt, has been driven described. ' 20 back so far that the gas can escape. There is thus no loss of the driving power for the projectile on account of‘ the gas escaping at the rear. The empty shell is thrown out by the ejector when the cylinder moves back 3. In combination in a ?re arm, the breech bolt arranged to be pressed back by the gas resulting from the explosion, the spring for returning the breech bolt forward, the rod for connecting the breech bolt and spring, the ?r ward and the arm is cooked again. I During ing pin and the. screw b2 for connecting the 25 the movement of the breech-bolt, which is in vrod and?ring pin‘ with the breech bolt, said ?uenced by the spring E and the rod D, a new pin passing through an elongated cut in the cartridge is taken from the magazine and ?ring pin, substantially as described. 60. pushed‘into the barrel. Thearm is ready to In witness whereof I have hereunto set my be ?red again. \ The advantage of the present construction compared with the ?rearms now in existence is its simplicity, which makes it very appro priate for military. purposes.‘ Besides the hand in presence of' two witnesses. Witnesses: LOUIS. SCHMEISSER. . J OHANN SCHILBP, J r., A. B. BEYREUTHER.