The magazine is formed of and fitted into a slot mit in the stock. When in place it is held by a catch, which can be withdrawn by the small trigger shown in front of the main trigger in Fig. 1. Inside the magazine is a platform or false bottom mounted on a spring. and on this platform the cartridges are placed to the Dumber of eight. When the magazine is full the spring is folded quite flat. and the platform is at the bottom of the maga zine. The cartridges aro prevented from being shot out by the spring by Iwo short turned in lips at the mouth, under which the rear ends are inserted in filling. The rims project sufficiently above these lips to be caught by the bolt-head, while the points are pressed up by the spring to clear the other end of the magazine. By the time the rim is clear of the lid the bullet is, or should be. in the chamber of the barrel. The soldier is supposed to carry a second magazine hilly charged in his pouch, and in a moment of emergency he can discard the first and substitnle for it the second. If he does not do this he can refill the first with out removal by putting in cartridges. one by one, through the breech of the gun. The car tridges are solid-eased, The bore of the barrel is '303 in.. and the rifling is on the modified Telford plan. A full discussion of the merits and demerits of this arm will be found in Engineer/ay, February Ii, 1891.
The Jlonaalfieher Mall uzine Rifle, adopted by Austria, is represented in Fig. t. The most striking feature of this arm is that it is not designed to be used as a single-loader. At all times the soldier uses his magazine, no :natter how deliberately he may take aim. Instead of being issued singly to the soldier, the cartridges are sent out in packages of five (Fig. ;), held together by a light steel clip, and the whole five, with the holder, are placed in the magazine with more ease than one, since they present a better finger-hold. At each backward and forward motion of the bolt a cartridge is pushed out of its holder, forced into the barrel and extracted, and as soon as the last has been removed, the holder drops through a hole in the bottom of the magazine and falls on the ground. Another point of interest is that the bolt has no turning-motion on its axis. It is pushed straight in and out, and is locked by a drop-catch. The moment it is home the catch takes against a fixed projection in the body, which resists the rearward action of the powder-pressure, The first action of drawing back the handle of the bolt is to lift the drop-catch over the projection, when the bolt can be readily withdrawn, bringing the empty cartridge-case with it. The magazine is not intended to be removed, and is fitted with a spring, the platform of which always remains parallel to the cartridges, and directs their points to enter the chamber. Fig. 5 shows the body of the rifle with the bolt drawn back. The top cartridge in the magazine can be seen standing ready to be driven into the chamber. When the bolt is moved forward its round end (Fig. 6), beyond which the extractor projects, catches the base of the cartridge standing in the clip or cartridge-holder (Fig. 7). Before the cartridge is free from the clip the bullet is entirely within the chamber, and forms a guide to lead it forward. When the clip ceases to hold the rear end of the cartridge, the extractor catches it and presses it against the hollowed side of the body, along which it slides into its place. There is no chance of a jam taking
place, however fast the feeding may be effected, since the cartridge is held both at front and rear. The magazine-spring lies partly within the steel clip without touching it. As soon as one cartridge is removed the remainder are all pushed up, the pressure of the upper cartridge against the turned-in sides of the holder supporting the latter; as soon as the last cartridge is put into the barrel this pressure is, of course, withdrawn, and the empty holder drops down, leaving a clear space for the insertion of another. The spring is formed of two blades : the lower is pivoted near the bottom of the magazine by one of the screws shown. while the second is pivoted to the first. At each joint there is a strong spring of considerable range, so that the cartridges are pressed up steadily and firmly to the very last. This pressure is resisted by a catch o• rib on the back of the holder, which takes against a small catch pro vided with an external pressing-piece at the back of the magazine. This piece can not be seen in the engravings. The bolt is made in two pieces, the main part being bored from end to end. In its center lies the striker with the mainspring, and in a groove in its side is the extractor (Fig. 6). The front end of the bolt is closed by a screw, having a small hole in it for the striker to pass through. In the head of this screw is a gate which receives the extractor ; by this means the screw is locked and can not chatter back. Into the back of the bolt there slides the handle, the two being held together by the striker and spring, as by an elastic bolt. To the end of the striker is screwed the cocking-catch, which engages with a sear on the trigger. On the under side of the handle-piece is a fixed incline, which the main spring constantly tends to draw in between the bolt and the drop-catch on the latter. This action, however, can not take place until the bolt has been pressed in so far that the drop piece (Fig. 6) has arrived over a cavity cut in the gun-body to receive it. Immediately this position is attained, the handle-piece can be pushed forward to lock the bolt. At the same time the cocking-catch hooks on the sear, and the piece is cocked ready for firing. In ex tracting, the handle is first drawn back to lift the drop-catch over the projection ; during this time the bolt stands still. Further motion carries the bolt back, and with it the extractor and the cartridge. (See Engineering, March 6, 1891.) The Mouser _Magazine Rifle, represented in Figs. S and 9, has been adopted by the Belgian, the Turkish, and the Argentine Governments. It has a magazine which, although not absolutely fixed, is nut intended to be removed except at considerable intervals for pur poses of cleaning. The cartridges are issued in sets of five, held together by clips or holders, but these clips do not go into the magazine, and form no part of the equipment of the rifle. The cartridges in their holder are placed directly over the mouth of the magazine, iuni by pressure of the thumb are fed out of the holder into the magazine. Fig. S shows the body of the weapon, with the bolt drawn back and the magazine lull. Fig. 9 shows details.