WARD-BURTON RIFLE.
This breech-loading small arm ltas a fixed chamber closed by a movable breech block which slides in the line of the barrel by direct action. As a single loader the piece is opened by turning up the handle of the breech-bolt so as to disengage the threads of the sectional screw, and then withdrawing the bolt. The motion of turning up the handle, in opening the piece, serves to revolve the firing-pin on its axis and to cause a spiral shoulder near its head to bear against a correspond ing surface into which the back of the firing-pin guide is formed. The point of the firing-pin is thus retracted from the face of the bolt in the closing of the piece, so as to avoid the accidental explosion of the cartridge during this operation. In turning down the handle these shoulders are no longer opposed. and the firing pin may then be driven forward in the usual way. For a similar reason the face of the bolt is made somewhat concave.
The piece is fired by a concealed lock moved by a spiral mainsprinpj,. The piece is cocked by compressing the mainspring by means of the firing-pin. which resting upon it, and catching, on the sear-bolt in closing, is held back against the resist ance of the mainspring, while the breech-bolt passes by, to the extent of the throw permitted the firing-pin. To fire the piece, the sear-bolt is drawn down out of the way of the trig-ger. To prevent the sear-bolt from accidentally slipping off the shoulder of the firing-pin when the mainspring is compressed, the surfaces in con tact are internotched, the annular groove so formed on the firing-pin, being cm, so as to permit the passage of the sear-bolt, when the breech-bolt is turned down into the position of firing. Extraction is accomplished by a spring-hook recessed on top of the bolt, and riding over the rim of the cartridge in closing, and ejection by a loose pin playing through the face of the bolt diametrically opposite to the extractor. This pin strikes the front of the scar-bolt in opening the piece. It ' thereby impinges against the lower edge of the cartridge head, and throws the cartridge-shell upward around the hook of the extractor, by which it is held. until
it is clear of the gun. The piece may be dismounted by turning aside a stop-screw beneath the horizontal arm of the tri,gger. The scar-bolt may then be pulled down out of the slot in the bottom of the breech-bolt, so that the bolt may be withdrawn.
As a magazine gun it is opened as just described; and in drawing back the breech-bolt the front end of the slot in its lower surfacc strikes the upper lever arm of the carrier, and throws up the tray in which its front part is formed. This tray supports a cartridge slantingly, so that the upper portion of the cartridge head shall project slig,htly above the bottom of the groove in which the bolt slides, while the point of the bullet is opposite the mouth of the chamber. The carrier is kept in this position by the action of the carrier-lever spring.
By reversing the movement of the bolt. its face catches against the ltead of the , cartridge and shoves it up the incline of the carrier into the chamber. As its move ment is completed the back end of the slot strikes the carrier-lever and forces I down the carrier opposite the mouth of the magazine. In its descent it strikes a spring catch magazine-stop operating to restrain the issue of the cartridges from • the magazine, and allows one to come out upon the tray.
The issue of cartridg•es from the magazine may be cut off by a slide operated by a projecting thumb-piece. The piece may then be used as a single :oader, hold ing the magazine in reserve.
The head of the follower is covered with India rubber in order to serve as a cushion for the rebound of the cartridges in firing.
The magazine is charged from below by drawing back the bolt, thus raising the carrier and exposing the mouth of the magazine for the successive introduction of the cartridges.
This arm uses a special ammunition, the general plan of which is that of the cup-anvil service cartridge. The fulminate is protected from accidental ignition in the magazine by being placed at the apex of a central packet formed in the cartridge-head. See Burton Magazine GUM.