IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Middleditch Scott, of the Firm of
W. and C. Scott and Son, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 14th April 1870, and dated the 16th February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Middleditch
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 16th February 1870.
I, WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT, of the Firm of W. and C. Scott and
Son, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows :—
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms of the kind com-
monly called drop-down guns, and consists of the improvements herein-
after described in the construction of the joint on which the barrel or
barrels turn, the said improvements having for their object to preserve
the close contact of the breech ends of the barrels against the face of

page_text: the break off when the barrels are shut down, notwithstanding the wear
to which the said joint is exposed.
In constructing the joints of drop-down guns according to my
Invention, I make the parts in the ordinary manner, excepting that
instead of making that part of the joint called the hook on the end of
the lump on the under side of the barrels in one piece with the said
lump, I make the said hook separate from the lump and connect it
therewith and adjust it in the following manner:-I make the said hook
of a separate small block or picce of iron or steel, having at its back a
stem, the said stem having by preference a rectangular figure in cross
section. In the end of the lump on the barrels is a hole or recess of a
-size-proper-to-receive-the-said-stem_at_the_back_of_the_hook. Across the
lump another hole is made, into which the former described hole opens.
The end of the stem at the back of the hook projects into the cross opcuing
in the lump, and takes its bearing against the conical body of a screw,
which is screwed into the cross opening. By the advance of the said
conical screw in the said cross opening, its inclined body is made to
push outwards the stem of the hook to a greater or less extent, and when
by wear of the said hook upon the joint pin of the gun the breech ends of
the barrels no longer bear closely against the face of the break off it is
only necessary to turn and advance the said scrow in the cross opening,
when the hook of the joint is again brought into proper adjustment and
the breech ends of the barrels are made to bear closely against the face
of the break off; after the conical screw has been adjusted it may be fixed
by a set screw or pin. Besides the stem described the hook may be
provided with a guide in order to give it greater steadiness and firmness
on the end of the lump.
Although I prefer to effect the adjustment of the separate hook of the
joint by a screw, yet it may be adjusted by a wedge or other inclined
Suface

page_text: Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Middleditch Scott,
Her special licence that I, the said William Middleditch Scott, my
.executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Middleditch Scott, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time, agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Middle-
ditch Scott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Middleditech Scott, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to brecch-loading fire-arms of the kind com-.-
monly called drop-down guns, and consists of the improvements-
herein-after described in the construction of the joint on which tho
barrel or barrels turn, the said improvements having for their object
to preserve the close contact of the breech ends of the barrels against
the face of the break off when the barrels are shut down, notwithstanding.
the wear to which the said joint is exposed.
In constructing the joints of drop-down guns according to my
Invention, I make the parts in the ordinary manner, excepting that
instead of making that part of the joint called the hook on the end of
the lump on the under side of the barrels in one piece with the said
lump, I make the said hook separate from the lump, and connect it

page_text: therewith, and adjust it in the following manner: I make the said
hook of a separate block or piece of iron or steel, having at its back a
stem. In the end of the lump on the barrels is a hole or recess of a
size proper to receive the said stem at the back of the hook. Across the
lump another hole is made, into which the former described hole opens.
The end of the stem at the back of the hook projects into the cross
opening in the lump, and takes its bearing against the conical body of
a screw, which is screwed into the cross opening. By the advance of
the said conical screw in the said cross opening its inclined body is mado
to push outwards the stem of the hook to a greater or less extent, and
when by wear of the said hook upon the joint pin of the gun the breech
ends-of-the-barrels.no longer bear closely against the face of the break
off it is only necessary to turn and advance the said screw-in-the-cross-
opening, when the hook of the joint is again brought into proper
adjustment and the breech ends of the barrels are made to bear closely
against the face of the break off; after the conical screw has been
adjusted it may be fixed by a set screw or pin. Besides the stem
described the hook may be provided with a guide, in order to give it
greater steadiness and firmness on the end of the lump.
Instead of effecting the adjustment of the separate hook of the joint
by a screw it may be adjusted by a wedge or other inclined surface.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan of under side the barrels of a double drop-
down gun to which an adjustable joint hook constructed according to
my Invention is applied; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 is the same with the adjustable joint hook in longitudinal
section; Figure 4 is a cross section of the same taken on the line a,
Figure 2 and Figures 5 and 6 are parts of my Invention separately.
The same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure.
4 is the lump on the under side of the barrels, with which lump the
fastening bolt engages in the usual way. The front of the said lump is
usually called the hook, which hook and the fixed cross pin on the body
of the gun constitute the joint on which the barrel or barrels turn.
According to my Invention the front or hook c of the lump is made
separate from the fixed hind part b, and the said separate hook is capable
of a limited sliding motion upon the said hind part of the lump by

page_text: means of the guides d, d, with which the back parts of the separate
hook engage in the manner best seen in Figures 2 and 3.
The separate joint hook is represented detached in Figure 5. The
separate joint hook c has a stem cat back, which works in a longi-
tudinal hole at e in the lump b. The end of the stem is inclined.
Across the lump & is a second hole f into which the longitudinal hole e
opens (see the section Figure 3). The inclined end of the stem c* of the
hook c projects into the cross holef; in the cross hole f is a wedge g
(shewn separately in Figure 6) adjusted in the said hole by the screw h.
The inclined face of the wedge g bears against the inclined end of the
stem of the hook c, and supports the said hook in its adjusted position.
By means of a screw i engaging with one of a series of cut away parts
or notches on the head of the screw h (see Figure 1) the said screw h
may be locked in its place and the position of the wedge g, and conse-
quently that of the hook c preserved. When by wear of the hook c upon
the joint pin of the gun the breech ends of the barrels no longer bear
closely against the face of the break off the lock screw i is first turned
and removed from the head of the screw / so as to permit of the motion
of the said screw h. The said screw his next turned and advanced so
as to raise the wedge g in the cross hole f, by this means the said
wedge g bearing more or less against the inclined end of the stem c
pushes outwards the hook c to the required extent, and thereby com-
pensates for the wear of the said hook; the adjusted hook c is finally
fixed by driving home the screw i and causing it to engage with the
adjusting screw h.
Although I have shown in the accompanying Drawing a separate
wedge or inclined surface pushed home by a separate screw for adjusting
the separate hook, yet a conical screw working in the hole f in the
lump may be used for that purpose. Or a second wedge or inclined
surface may be used for advancing the wedge against which the stem of
the hook bears; but I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to any particular method of advancing the separate hook, as it
may be effected in various ways.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in breech-

page_text: loading fire-arms of the kind called drop-down guns, making the hook
of the joints of the said guns separate from and adjustable on the lump
on the underside of the barrel or barrels of the said guns, for the
purpose and substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Middleditch Scott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW..
WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT. (L.S.)