Improvements in Drop-down Guns.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1896
Improvements in Drop-down Guns.
1, WILLIAM CASHMORE, of 130, Steelhouse Laue, in the City of Birmingham,
Gun and Pistol Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of my invention is to produce a gun in which the two barrels are
actuated and fired by means of a single trigger acting alternately upon two
independent trigger blades and so preventing the accidental discharge of the two
barrels as is often the case with the present single trigger blade guns.
In carrying out my invention I form two independent trigger blades which work
in slots cut through the gun frame the said slots terminating into one broad slot
where the trigger passes through. The two trigger blades are fitted into two
grooves cut in the bearing formed with the gun frame and held by a screw passing
from side to side of the bearing upon which the blades are alternately moved by
the trigger the trigger always bearing against one or the other of the blades.
The trigger is narrowed down to the width of one of the blades and passing
through the said slot in the gun frame, into a groove cut in a vertical pin placed in
the front part of the said bearing. On the top of the said vertical pin I form a
thin head with two notches to receive the end of a spring fixed at the front of the
bearing for keeping the trigger in position under one of the said blades ready for
firing.
The two ends of the screw which forms the pivot for the trigger to turn on are
projected each side of the said vertical pin and pass through slotted holes in the
sides of the bearing. On one end of the said screw I form a head for engaging
with a bolt in the gun case for the purpose of moving the trigger from right to
left or left to right according to which barrel is ready for being discharged.
The trigger blades have suitable springs for keeping them down in place and a
split spring for keeping them apart fixed to the gun frame at the back of the
trigger blade.
Dated this 19th day of December 1895
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Drop-down Guns.
I, WILLIAM CASHMORE, of 130, Steelhouse Lane, in the City of Birmingham,
Gun and Pistol Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
5 in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to produce a gun in which the two barrels are
actuated and fired by means of a single trigger finger acting alternately upon two
independent trigger blades and so arranged that both of the trigger blades cannot
LD 017

page_text: which
Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of a drop-down gun action with my invention
applied; so much only of the gun action being shewn as is necessary to illustrate
my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same shewing the trigger finger and its
cognate parts in the positions which they occupy when ready to fire the right hand
barrel; Fig. 3 shews the said parts in the positions which they occupy when ready
to fire the left hand barrel;
Fig. 4 is a cross section on line X X of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is an inverted plan shewing the trigger finger ready to fire the right hand
barrel and
Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5 but shewing the said finger ready to fire the
left hand barrel;
Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 8 is an inverted plan of the trigger plate
with the moving parts removed;
Fig. 9 is a cross section on line Y Y of Fig. 7;
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of the trigger finger and the part to which it is
jointed; Fig. 11 shews the same parts as Fig. 10 in end elevation, side elevation
and in plan; and
Fig. 12 shews one of the trigger blades separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out my invention I form two independent trigger blades A¹A' which
work respectively in the two slots b₁ cut through the trigger plate B these slots
terminating into one broad slot 68 where the trigger finger C passes through. The
two slots 61 62 in which the trigger blades work are continued up in the bearing 64
formed with the trigger plate B and where they are held by and turn on the
fulerum screw a passing through the bearing and upon which the two blades A' A'
are alternately lifted by the trigger finger C which always bears against one or
the other of the blades A'A².
The trigger finger C is at cl narrowed down to the width of one of the trigger
blades A¹ A and passes through the slot 68 in the trigger plate into the groove d'
cut in the vertical pin D which turns in the vertical hole 66 in the fore part of the
bearing block 6. The trigger finger C is jointed to the vertical pin D by the cross
screw thus the trigger finger C is capable of a sideways swinging movement so
as to act on either the right hand trigger blade A¹ (see Fig. 5) or on the left hand
trigger blade A² (see Fig. 6) the pin D turning in the vertical hole 6, the trigger
finger C can also turn upwardly about the joint pin c² to lift either of the trigger
blades A'A³. On the top of the vertical pin DI form a projecting head d³ made
with two vertical notches d d with which the upper end e of the spring E (which
is fixed at to the trigger plate) engages, the upper part e¹ of this spring E being
made of a V-shape to correspond with the notches d³ d. When the trigger finger
is pushed over either to the right haud or to the left hand, the upper end e' of the
spring E engages with one or other of the notches d³ d and thus secures the
trigger finger C in the proper position.tp act upon the trigger blade of the barrel
which is to be fired. The ends of the screw c may project slightly at each side of
the vertical pin D and engage in the sluts be in. the sides of the block 6 and thus
form stops to limit the turning movement of the pin D. Each of the trigger
blades AA is provided with a separate spring for keeping the trigger blade down
in place these s, rings being marked respectively ff (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4).
Assuming the gun is loaded and ready to be fired with the trigger finger C in
the position shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 and 5 under the trigger blade A³ of the
right hand barrel, the trigger finger C is pulled lifting the trigger, blade 4 and
firing the right hand barrel, then by a side pressure on the trigger finger C the
latter can be pushed over to the left hand side as shewn in Figs. 3 and 6 and the
end e¹ of the spring E springing out of the notch d³ and into the other notch dª.

page_text: The trigger finger C is now under the left hand trigger blade A' ready to fire the
left hand barrel.
Upon turning down the barrels to extract the cartridges the small end
projection of the bolt G acts upon the shoulder ds of the pin D and turns the
pin D sufficiently to bring the trigger finger C back to the position shewn in
Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 ready to fire the right hand barrel so that when both barrels.
are loaded the trigger finger is always in the position to fire the right hand barrel
first.
It will be seen that by employing the one trigger finger with the two trigger
blades arranged as above described it is impossible to discharge the second barrel
whilst the first barrel is being fired as the trigger can only act upon one of the
trigger blades at one time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what.
I claim is :-
1. In a double drop-down gun the employment of two separate trigger blades
arranged in separate slots in the gun action in combination with one trigger finger
arranged to swing from side to side and to act under and lift either of the trigger
blades and a spring arranged to keep.the trigger finger in position. under either of
the trigger blades substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. In a double barrel drop-down gun the employment of the two separate
trigger blades A'A' arranged in separate slots 616 in the gun action in
combination with the trigger finger C jointed to the swinging pin D so as to swing
from side to side and to act under and lift either of the trigger blades A' A³ the
trigger_finger C being retained in either position by the upper end e¹ of the
spring E engaging in either of the two notches d³ d formed on the upper part of
the pin D, all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the:
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of September 1896.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.