House of Browning

In the design of US patent No. 545671 John Browning adapts the locking system of the Winchester 1895 to use a standard tube magazine. The carrier is also unique in that it does not utilize its own spring to operate. The patent was purchased by Winchester but never produced.

The most unique feature of this rifle is the carrier system. In typical Browning fashion it is a simple set of parts that function through complex interactions. The nose of the carrier is acted on by the magazine spring through the follower or cartridges in the magazine. Tension from the magazine spring works to hold the carrier in position throughout its range of motion. The rear of the carrier is acted on by the locking block, which causes it to partially rise while the action is opening. A cam surface on the carrier interacts with the lever to raise it into its uppermost position as the action begins to close. The rear of the carrier is also acted on by the pin of the lever link, which draws the carrier into its lower position when the action closes.

Inventor: John Browning

Assigned: Winchester, April 1895

Patent Attorney: Earl & Seymour