Patent GB-191314016-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Recoil Gear for Automatic Small Arms.
Inventor: EASTWICK JAMES
IPC: F41A19/34
Filed: 1913-06-17
Granted: 1914-06-17
Abstract: 14,016. Eastwick, J. June 17. [Cognate Application, 21,941/13.] Breech actions, sliding breech-block; breech actions, sliding barrel and breech - block.- Relates to inertia-weight guns of the kind described in Specifications 16,743/10 and 16,175/12, and consists in (1) substituting for the spring-butt of the latter Specification a construction in which the barrel and breechframe, together with the magazine and triggergear, are free to recoil on the stock against a spring which expands during the recoil of the weight; (2) special means for locking the barrel and breech frame to the stock until the shot is fired; (3) special forms of hand-lever, breechcasing, and trigger-mechanism; and (4) a device for converting the weapon into a single-loader. The gun is shown in sectional elevation in Fig. 1 in the uncocked position. The barrel 1, which is slidably mounted on the stock, is screwed into a receiver 2 rigid with a raceway 3 which is adapted to slide relatively to a casing 5 screwed to the stock. This casing has along its top a slot which is closed at the front by the receiver 2 and weight 9 when in their forward positions, and at the rear by a hinged spring- flap 10, shown in cross-section in Fig. 3. A cap 11, held by a spring catch 12, closes the rear of the casing. A lever 22, pivoted to the raceway 3, has a shoulder 26 adapted to hold the weight 9 in its forward position; the end 27 of this lever abuts against a block on the casing 5 and prevents rearward motion of the raceway. When the trigger 20 is pulled, the bell-crank 24 rocks the lever 22, but not enough to release the weight and raceway, the rod 21 is moved rearwards against a spring 29, and, through the bell-crank 30, raises a plunger 31, which presses the sear 32 out of its bent and fires the gun. At the beginning of the recoil, an incline 28 on the lever 22 engages an incline on the block, whereupon the lever is rotated and (1) frees the weight and the raceway and (2) releases, through the rod 21, a spring flap 35 from the plunger 31, which is then depressed by the front end of the lever 22 into its original position. The barrel and raceway recoil, compressing springs 16, while the weight lurches relatively forwards, compressing the unlocking- spring 161 and causing a tooth 321 on the sear to engage the forward end of a slot 322 in the raceway, and force the sear into bent. The unlocking-spring 161 then throws the weight rearwards, compressing closing springs housed in casings 14 in the raceway; during this movement, the firing-pin unlocks the bolt in the manner described in the afore-mentioned Specifications, the springs 16 return the barrel and raceway to their forward positions, the breech is opened, and an L-shaped ejector 54, Fig. 11, adapted to slide in an obstructed groove 57 in the raceway, ejects the empty cartridge-case. The closing-springs 14 then return the weight, and the parts resume their initial positions. The magazine casing 15 is fixed to the raceway 3, and is closed below by a hinged flap 17 in the base-plate of the trigger-guard. A handoperating lever 37 is mounted on an horizontal pin 38 on the weight, and when turned into the vertical position opens the flap 10 so as to afford a path for its rearward motion, retracts the firing-pin 34 by the action of a cam-surface 39 on pins 40 on the firing-pin, and, by means of a shoulder 41, depresses the lever 22 out of engagement with the. weight. The bolt 48 may be held locked by a safety-device comprising a screw 44, Fig. 2, the end of which is depressed by a quarter-turn of the screw until it forms a continuation of one of the lugs 46 of the receiver into which the tenons 47 of the bolt are adapted to turn. Since the bolt is adapted to be turned into the locking position by the firing-pin as this flies forward to fire, the gun cannot be fired if the screw obstructs the rotation of the bolt. The handle 45 of the screw projects, in the safety position, into the line of sight. The gun may be converted into a single loader by turning a lever 49 about its pivot 50, thereby raising blocks which prevent forward movement of the weight and recoil of the barrel and raceway. To facilitate dis-assembling, the weight may be made in two parts, and the casing 5 in three or four parts.