HOTCHKISS MAGAZINE GUN.
This gun was first exhibited in the spring of 1876 at the Centennial, at Philadel phia. It has since been much improved. Its operation is simple. T. To open the breech-bolt: Hold the stock firmly with the left hand a little in front of the re ceiver; and with the rig,ht hand raise the handle, and draw back the bolt, making but one motion. 2. Close the bolt by an inverse motion. This operation cocks the piece. 3. To cock the piece without withdrawing., the bolt: Raise the handle as before, and immediately turn it down. 4. To load the magazine: Raise the handle, and draw back the bolt. Take a cartridge between the thumb and middle finger, placing, the point of the forefing,er on the bullet ; insert the head of the cartridge in the receiver, just in front of the point at which it narrows down, and press it back in the magazine until a distant click—the head passing the cartridge stop—is heard. Repeat the operation until five cartridges have been inserted. An
other may then be placed in the chamber.
The magazine cut-off is found on the rig,ht of the piece, just in the rear of the bolt-handle. It serves to lock the magazine so that the arm may be used as a single loader while the contents of the magazine are held in reserve. When the thumb piece is pushed forward, however, the arrangment of th., mechanism is such that no cartridges can escape from the magazine to the chamber, 2,nd the weapon is practically a single loader. The bolt-lock is placed on the left side of the receiver, opposite the magazine cut-off, and serves at the same time to lock the bolt and the trigger in such a manner that the bolt cannot be turned or drawn back, nor the arm fired. To lock the bolt and trigger push forward the thumb-piece of the bclt lock ; this can only- be done when the bolt is closed and the gun cocked. To unlock the bolt, push back the thumb-piece of the bolt-lock.