MILLER MAGAZINE GUN.
This gun is an adaptation of a magazine to the United States Service Spring field riflc. The alterations are as follows: The orig,inal receiver and breech-pin are replaced by a receiver alone, the tang being solid with it. The upper rear part of the receiver gives the bearing for the cam, while the space ordinarily filled by the breech-pin is utilized as a channel through which the cartridges are fed from the magazine in the butt-stock. The ejector-stud is replaced by one beveled on its rear as well as its front, in order that the cartridges may slip easily over it into the chamber. The magazine, is a tube slotted through its whole length. To the upper side of the side of the tube fiat springs are screw-ed. At the end of each spring and riveted to it is a lug, beveled on its rear service; all these lugs pass through holes cut in thc invazine and serve to separate the cartridges. A ratchet works in the slot in the magazine tube. It is operated by a slide attached to the guard-plate. When the slide is drawn hack the teeth of the ratchet pass in the rear of the heads of the cartridges. On being returned to position each tooth moves a cartridge forward, the lugs on the springs being pressed out of the way by the cartridges themselves. At the front of the ratchet is a cartridge-stop, held up by a spring. The stop is prevented from rising too far by a pin. When the
ratchet is withdrawn the stop-spring yields—since the cartridge cannot move backward on account of the shoulders of the lugs on the springs—the stop descends and is drawn under the first cartridge, which is then free to leave the magazine and enter the chamber, gravity being the motive force, the gun being held muzzle downward. When the ratchet is moved forward the second cartridge occupies the place of the first, the third of the second, and so on. The ratchet is prevented from entering the tube by two pins which bear against the outer surface of the tube along the edges of the slot. It is held in contact with the tube by a spring, which is kept from slipping off the bottom of the ratchet by two forks. 'flie magazine is loaded through a gate in the butt-plate. A projection on the breech-block hooks over a pin and prevents motion of the ratchet when the piece is locked. As a magazine gun, five motions are necessary to operate it, viz: cocked, opened, loaded (by operating the ratchet by the slide), closed, fired. The same number of motions is necessary as a single loader. This gun carries six cartridges in the magazine and one in the chamber. The last cartridg.,,e will not feed from the magazine, however, until forced down by others when the magazine is reloaded.