IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Harvey, of No. 27, Pall Mall, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 7th December 1866, and dated the 7th July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Harvey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
July 1866.
I, CHARLES HARVEY, of No. 27, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
One of my improvements has reference to a mode of actuating the pin
which strikes and explodes the cartridge by means of the hammer without
the pin being hinged to the hammer.
My improvement consists in so arranging the pin and the hammer that the
pin is actuated the whole time that the hammer is drawn back into full
cock, instead of only being moved by the hammer till the latter is drawn to
half-cock, as heretofore, by which improved arrangement the hammer does not
leave the pin, but acts upon it at the moment when it commences its forward
motion, and consequently when it has the greatest power. For this purpose,
in one arrangement, I form upon the head of the striking pin a shoulder or
cam surface, against which a stud upon the hammer is made to bear, so
as to draw back the pin the whole time it is being cocked. The hammer

page_text: is also provided with a shoulder which, in firing, strikes against the end of
the pin, and thus drives it forward in order to explode the cartridge. In order
to guide the striking pin in its motion a groove is formed either in the lock
plate, or in a piece fixed to the breech, in which groove the striking pin slides.
In place of forming a projecting shoulder upon the striking pin a recess or
hole having a cam surface may be made in the same, against the cam surface
of which the stud on the hammer is made to bear in drawing it back. In
this case care must be taken that the stud does not fit tightly into the recess
or hole in the pin, so that, on firing, the forward motion of the pin shall not
be effected by such stud, but solely by the shoulder on the hammer.
In another arrangement I do not form any stud or projection either on the
striking pin or on the hammer, but I cause the head of the pin itself to work
in a recess formed in the hammer, the head of the pin and the recess being
so formed with cam surfaces that in drawing back the hammer the front
surface of the recess presses against the front surface of the head of the pin,
and thus draws it back, while in firing the back surface of the recess presses
against the back of the head of the pin and throws it forward.
Another part of my lavention consists of an improved arrangement for
removing the cartridge case from breech-loading fire-arms with hinged barrels.
For this purpose I fix upon the axle pin, upon which the barrels move, a cam
or excentric socket, which is so formed as to bear upon a small lever, hinged
either to the stock or to the barrel, the end of which lever is caused by the
cam or excentric to press against the end of the extractor, and thus to make
it protrude from the rear end of the barrels as these fall forward.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Harvey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HARVEY, of No. 27, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Harvey, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Harvey,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Harvey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 Charles Harvey, 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Harvey, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
One of my improvements has reference to a mode of actuating the pin
which strikes and explodes the cartridge by means of the haminer without the
pin or striker being hinged to the hammer.
My improvement consists in so arranging the striker and the hammer that
the former is actuated the whole time that the hammer is drawn back into full
cock, instead of only being moved by the hammer till the latter is drawn to half
cock, as heretofore, by which improved arrangement the hammer does not
leave the striker, but acts upon it the moment it commences its forward
motion, and consequently when it has its greatest power. For this purpose,
in one arrangement, I form upon the head of the striker a shoulder or can
surface, against which a stud upon the hammer is made to bear, so as to
draw back the striker the whole time it is being cocked. The hammer is
also provided with a shoulder, which, in firing, presses against the end of the
striker, and thus drives it forward in order to explode the cartridge. In order
to guide the striker in its motion a groove is formed either in the lock plate
or in a piece fixed to the breech, or in the breech piece itself, in which, groove
the striker slides. In place of forming a projecting shoulder upon the striker
a recess or hole having a cam surface may be made in the same, against the
cam surface of which the stud on the hammer is made to bear in drawing it
back. In this case care must be taken that the stud does not fit tightly into
the recess or bole in the striker, so that, on firing, the forward motion of the
striker shall not be effected by such stud, but solely by the shoulder on the
hanımer

page_text: In another arrangement I do not form any stud or projection, either on the
striker or on the hammer, but I cause the head of the striker itself to work in
a recess formed in the hammer, the head of the striker and the recess being so
formed with cam surfaces that in drawing back the hammer the front surface
of the recess presses against the front surface of the head of the striker, and
thus draws it back, while in firing the back surface of the recess presses
against the back of the head of the striker and throws it forward.
Another part of my Invention consists of an improved arrangement for
removing the cartridge case from breech-loading fire-arms with hinged barrels.
For this purpose I fix upon the axle pin upon which the barrels move a cam
or excentric socket, which is so formed as to bear upon a small lever hinged
either to the stock or to the barrel, the end of which lever is caused by the
cam or excentric to press against the end of the extractor, and thus to make
it protrude from the rear end of the barrels as these fall forward.
On the accompanying Drawing are shown my before described improvements
in breech-loading fire-arms as applied to a double-barrelled gun or rifle with
hinged barrels. Figures 1 to 9 show one arrangement of the improved mode
of actuating the striker, as also the improved arrangement for moving the
extractor.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the gun with the barrels locked and the
hammer at half-cock; Figure 2 shows the same with the barrels open, ready
for charging; Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section through part of the
breech of the gun with the barrels removed; Figure 4 shows an inside
elevation of the lock plate and hammer; Figure 5 shows a detached inside
elevation of the striker; Figure 6 shows an end elevation of the barrels with
the extractor; Figure 7 shows a detached elevation of the lever that moves
the extractor; and Figures 8 and 9 show respectively a perspective elevation
and a plan of the socket with can surface for actuating the lever; similar
letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the Figures.
As the general arrangement of this form of gun is well known, only such
parts will be referred to as are requisite for fully explaining the manner of
performing my Invention.
The striker A (colored yellow) works through the breech piece B in the
ordinary manner for firing the cartridge; it works in a groove C in the breech,
and is formed with a head a, which fits in a recess d formed in the hammer D,
by means of a projecting portion d' (colored red). The head a and recess d,
are so formed that in drawing back the hammer into half or full cock the front
portion of d presses against the front surface of the head a, and is thereby
made to draw the striker back, while in firing the back portion of d¹ strikes

page_text: against the back surface of a, and throws it forward. For actuating the case
extractor E, which is of the usual form, a small bell-crank lever F (colored
blue) is situated in a recess formed in the part G of the fore end of the stock
fixed to the barrels, and turns on a pin g fixed in the part G. The vertical
arm of this lever rests either against the end of or in a notch formed in the
extractor E, while the horizontal arm is in contact with the cam surface h,
formed on the socket H (also colored blue) carried by the axle pin I. By
this arrangement it will be seen that as the barrels with the part of the stock
G are made to fall forward for the purpose of re-loading, the cam surface h
presses back the short arm of the lever F, and thereby causes the long arm
of the same to push out the extractor E, as shown in Figure 2; if the lever
works in a notch in the extractor it will on closing up the barrels also move
back the extractor somewhat, the upper arm of the lever being for this
purpose pressed back by the cam surface h, as shown by their relative positions
at Figure 2.
Figures 10 to 14 show the first herein-before described improved mode of
actuating the striker. Figure 10 shows a part side elevation of the gun;
Figure 11 shows a part longitudinal section of the same; and Figures 12 to
14 show respectively a plan, an outside elevation, and an inside elevation of
the striker. In this arrangement the head of the striker A (colored yellow)
has a groove or slot a formed in it, in which works a stud d fixed on the
inner surface of the hammer D, the groove or slot being so formed that on
drawing the hammer into full cock it moves back the striker the entire
distance, and in such a manner that the projection or shoulder d' formed on
the hammer (colored red) does not move away from the back surface of the
head of the striker. By the forward motion of the hammer on firing the
shoulder d¹ is consequently caused at once to act upon the striker, so as to
throw it forward when the hammer has the greatest power. As in the arrange-
ment previously described the striker inay slide in a groove in a plate C fixed
to the breech, or in the breech plate itself.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
it is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself in
the application of the same to the precise arrangement of fire-arms shown on
the accompanying Drawing, as the herein-before described modes of actuating
the striker may be applied to any other description of breech-loading fire-arms
in which the cartridges contain their own fulminate; also, the herein-before
described mode of actuating the extractor is applicable not only to the arrange-
ment of firc-arms with hinged barrel or barrels shown, but also to those other
arrangements known as the "snap action," and the "wedge-bolt action."

page_text: Furthermore, I wish it to be understood that I am aware it has already been
proposed to actuate the striker by means of the hammer without the former
being hinged to the latter, and also that it has before been proposed to move
back the cartridge case extractor by a contrivance brought into action by the
falling forward of the hinged barrel or barrels, and I therefore in no way claim
these modes of action generally, but what I claim is,―
First, the arrangement for actuating the striker by means of the bamnier
in breech-loading fire-arms, wherein the striker is formed with a bead fitting
into a recess in the hammer, so formed that the striker is drawn back by the
pressure of the front surface of the recess upon the front surface of the head,
and is thrown forward by the pressure of the back surface of the recess on the
back surface of the head, substantially as herein-before described with reference
to Figures 1 to 5 on the accompanying Drawing.
Second, the arrangement for actuating the striker by means of the hammer,
in breech-loading fire-arms, wherein a stud or pin on the hammer works in a
slot, groove, or cam surface in or upon the head of the striker, which slot,
groove, or cam surface is so formed that the striker is moved back by the
hammer the whole time that the latter is drawn into full cock, in order at
once to be thrown forward by a shoulder on the hammer on firing, substantially
as herein-before described with reference to Figures 10 to 14 on the accom-
panying Drawing.
Third, the arrangement for actuating the cartridge case extractor, in
breech-loading fire-arms with hinged barrels, wherein the motion of the
cartridge case extractor is obtained by means of a lever acted upon by a cam
surface or excentric socket upon the axle pin, brought into action by the
falling forward of the barrels, substantially as herein-before described with
reference to Figures 1 to 9 on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Harvey, have hereunto set
my
iny hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.