Improvements in or connected with Wedge Breech Closing Mechanism for Guns.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left 28th June 1899-Accented 29th July 1899
Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left 28th June 1899-Accepted 29th July 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Wedge Breech Closing
Mechanism for Guns.
I, AUGUST REICHWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, (a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried Krupp, of Essen,
in the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers), to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a wedge breech-closing mechanism for guns, the locking
of which with the gun barrel, is effected by means of a locking lever, provided
with a handle, in such a manner that a nose formed on the said lever, is caused,
by the pressure of a spring, to snap into a notch in the rear wall of the wedge
aperture, when the breech is closed. With the locking lever there is combined
a safety device, which, when in the operative position, not only completely locks
the locking lever, but also prevents the gun from being fired. The arrangement
may be such, that the safety spring will have the function of keeping the lock-
ing lever in engagement with the notch, (provided for its nose), in the rear wall
of the wedge aperture, thus enabling a separate lever spring to be dispensed
with.
According to this invention the breech mechanism consists of a locking lever,
rotatably mounted on a bolt or pivot pin in a recess in the breech wedge; a nose
formed on the locking lever engages in a notch in the rear wall of the wedge hole
when the breech is closed, and thus prevents the breech wedge from being moved
in the direction of opening, when the gun is fired. When the breech is to be
opened, the locking lever is turned about its pivot pin, by means of a pull exerted
on its handle, and thus its nose is moved out of the notch in the wedge hole.
On closing the breech, a safety spring, as will be more fully explained herein-
after, causes the lever nose to snap automatically again into its notch. Obviously,
however a special spring might be provided for this purpose.
The breech mechanism comprises a percussion lock, which is cocked by the
drawing back of the trigger, and fired at the moment in which the gun is to
be fired. In order to return the trigger again into the position of rest, there is
provided on the locking lever a projection, which latter, when the locking lever
is moved (for the purpose of opening the breech) acts against a rounded pro-
jection of the trigger, and turns the latter around about its pivot pin into the
position of rest.
The trigger, when it has arrived in the position of rest, limits, by means of a
projection, further movement of the locking lever in an unlocking direction.
This described co-operation of the locking lever and trigger possesses advantages,
in that when the breech is not fully closed, it is either impossible to fire the
gun or the movement of drawing back the trigger for the purpose of firing the
gun, effects and assures the locking of the breech mechanism. Thus if the breech
wedge has been pushed into the wedge hole, only to such an extent, that the
nose of the locking lever does not quite reach its notch, but bears against the
rear wall of the wedge hole, then the locking lever (against the projection of
which the rounded projection of the trigger bears), will prevent the trigger from
being pulled. If on the contrary, the locking nose is in position opposite its

page_text: notch, but for any reason (failure of the spring or the like), does not snap into
the notch, then when the trigger is drawn back its rounded projection will rotate
the locking lever, and will cause it to engage with the notch of the gun barrel.
The safety device is composed of a pusher, a safety pin, a safety handle,
and a spring.
The pusher is guided by means of two side fillets (of which
the first is made somewhat longer than the second, for the purpose referred
to later on), in corresponding grooves of the breech wedge.
In an aperture in the pusher, there is received the safety pin, which is acted
upon by a spring in such a manner that the safety pin has a tendency to hold
its end stud firmly in one or other of two notches provided in the breech wedge,
according to the position of the pusher. The safety handle is connected with
the safety pin by means of a connection in such a manner that an arm provided
on the safety handle lies embedded between two arms of the pusher, whilst, as
will be hereafter described, the arms of the pusher serve as safety devices, the
arm of the safety handle is only intended to transmit the pressure of the safety
spring to the locking lever.
It will be perceived that when the safety handle is pulled by the gunner
towards himself, against the pressure of the spring, the stud of the safety pin will
leave that safety notch of the breech wedge, in which it is situated at the time,
and then the pusher can be moved in its guides, and the stud of the safety pin
will be brought into engagement with the other safety notch of the breech wedge.
Now in the position of the safety device in which the stud of the safety pin
engages in the lower one of the notches of the breech wedge, the ends of the two
arms of the pusher are situated slightly below a lever arm on the locking lever,
so that there is no hindrance to the rotation of the locking lever for the purpose
of opening the breech, whereas that part of the arm on the safety handle which
projects beyond the arms of the pusher, bears upon the lever arm of the locking
lever. Consequently when the breech mechanism is unlocked by means of a
pull exerted on the handle of the locking lever, the lever arm of the said locking
lever will move the arm of the safety handle with it against the pressure of the
safety spring.
If the pull acting upon the handle of the locking lever were to cease directly
after the unlocking operation, then the pressure of the safety spring will cause
the nose of the locking lever to snap again into the notch in the wedge hole,
and in this connection, the safety spring acts as a substitute for a separate lever
spring.
If the safety device is moved into such a position, that the stud of the safety
pin enters the upper one of the wedge notches, then the ends of the two arms
of the pusher bear upon the lever arm of the locking lever. As the pusher is
situated in guides which extend at right angles to the plane of oscillation of
the locking lever, the latter is now incapable of movement, nor can the trigger
be moved, because the first guide fillet of the pusher has entered, with that portion
by which it is longer than the second fillet, into the path of the trigger, and bears
against its rear edge, and the breech cannot therefore be either opened or fired.
The mode of operation of the breech mechanism is as follows:-Supposing the
gun to have been fired, if now a pull be exerted with the hand, upon the handle
of the locking lever, the latter with its nose, will leave the notch in the rear
wall of the wedge hole, and at the same time the projection on the locking lever
will move the trigger back into the position of rest, whilst the lever arm of the
locking lever will act against the safety spring.
The unlocking of the breech, if the pull be continued on the handle, will be
followed directly by the exit of the breech wedge from the gun barrel, so that
the loading chamber of the gun is exposed and can be charged with a new
cartridge. At the moment when, on the exit of the breech wedge from the
wedge hole, the nose of the locking lever has lost its bearing against the rear
wall of the breech hole, the locking lever will be rocked back, by the pressure of
the safety spring into its original position.

page_text: On closing the breech, the inclined surface of the nose of the locking lever,
will meet the rounded edge of the wedge hole, so that the locking lever will
be caused by the pressure of the spring to rock outwards again, and when its
nose has come opposite to the notch, the said nose will enter the notch. The
breech mechanism is now again ready for firing.
If the breech is to be safety locked, the handle of the safety device is pulled
by the gunner towards himself, and the pusher is moved towards the lever arm
of the locking lever, until the stud of the safety pin snaps into the upper notch
of the breech wedge. Then, because the arms of the pusher now bear upon the
lever arm of the locking lever, and the first guide fillet has locked the trigger,
the gun cannot be fired nor can the breech be opened.
The foregoing statement of the mode of operation of the breech mechanism, shews
that the locking lever oscillates twice to and fro in opening and closing the breech.
Now for the purpose of dispensing with one of these to and fro oscillations, since
it is of no importance for the operation of the breech mechanism, or in other
words, in order to arrange that the locking lever shall keep its unlocked position
unaltered, during the movement of the breech wedge, the following arrange-
ment may be adopted. In a recess in the stop flange of the breech wedge, a
bent lever is arranged in such a manner that its pivot pin lies in open bearings
in the stop flange, and the first arm of the bent lever bears against the gun barrel,
when the breech is closed. Upon the other or second arm of the lever, which
is provided with a claw, there presses a spring, the force of which cannot come
into operation, so long as the stop flange, and with it the first arm of the lever,
find a bearing on the gun barrel. But if the breech be only opened to a small
extent, the spring is obliged to push outwards the second arm of the bent lever
which is provided with the claw. On the lever arm of the locking lever, there
is arranged a claw, which claw when the locking lever is moved into the unlock-
ing position is situated exactly opposite the claw of the bent lever.
The following mode of operation now takes place, If the breech is unlocked,
and opened, then at the moment when the stop flange of the breech wedge moves
away from the gun barrel, and just before the nose of the locking lever has
lost its bearing against the rear wall of the wedge hole, the claw of the
bent lever will snap into the claw of the locking lever, and will keep
the latter firmly in the unlocking position. This position is retained by the
locking lever, until when closing the breech, and just before the nose of the
locking lever reaches the notch in the wedge hole, the first arm of the bent lever
strikes against the gun barrel, and in consequence of the movement of the bent
lever thereby produced, disengages the claw on the second arm of the bent lever
from the claw of the locking lever. The locking lever which is now again
released, snaps at the next moment with its nose into the notch of the wedge
hole, and in this manner re-establishes the locking of the breech wedge.
The constructional carrying out of the principle upon which the herein described
apparatus is based may be variously modified without thereby altering the
nature of the invention.
201
1000
Improvements in or connected with Wedge Breech Closing
Mechanism for Guns.
I, AUGUST REICHWALD, of 9, New Broad Street, in the City of London, Steel,
Iron, Metal and Mineral Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven

page_text: tion, (a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Fried Krupp, of Essen,
in the Empire of Germany, Cast Steel Manufacturers), and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to a wedge breech-closing mechanism for guns, the locking
of which with the gun barrel, is effected by means of a locking lever, provided
with a handle, in such a manner that a nose formed on the said lever, is caused
by the pressure of a spring, to snap into a notch in the rear wall of the wedge
aperture, when the breech is closed. With the locking lever there is combined
a safety device, which, when in the operative position, not only completely locks
the locking lever, but also prevents the gun from being fired. The arrangement
may be such that the safety spring will have the function of keeping the lock-
ing lever in engagement with the notch, provided for its nose, in the rear wall
of the wedge aperture, thus enabling a separate lever spring to be dispensed with.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the subject of this invention,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the new gun breech mechanism. The handle of the
locking lever is cut away and the breech is closed and not safety locked. Fig. 2
is a horizontal section through Fig. 1; the breech is however, unlocked, Fig. 3
is a vertical section on the line I-II, looking from the right hand through
Fig. 1, whilst Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through Fig. 3, but shewing the
breech after firing. Fig. 5 is a section on the line I-II, looking from the left
hand through Fig. 1, and shewing the breech safety locked. Fig. 6 is a hori-
zontal section through Fig. 5. Figs. 7–10 are detail views of parts, detached.
Figs. 11-14 are respectively an elevation (Fig. 11), and three sections
(Figs. 12-14), shewing a modified form of construction of the breech mechanism.
Figs. 15 and 16 are detail views corresponding thereto of parts detached.
The breech mechanism shewn in Figs. 1-10 will now be described.
The locking lever A. (Fig. 7) is rotatably mounted on the bolt in a recess
in the breech wedge. Its nose b engages, (Figs. 4 and 6) in a notch s in the
rear wall of the wedge hole, when the breech is closed, and thus prevents the
breech wedge from being moved in the direction of opening, when the gun is
fired. When the breech is to be opened, the locking lever is turned about the
pin, by means of a pull exerted on its handle, and thus the nose is moved
out of its notch s. On closing the breech, a safety spring g, as will be more
fully explained hereinafter, causes the lever nose to snap automatically again
into the notch s. Obviously, however, a special spring might be provided for
this purpose.
The breech mechanism comprises a percussion lock, which, at the moment in
which the gun is to be fired, is cocked and released by the drawing back of the
trigger B. After firing, the trigger B assumes the position shewn in Fig. 4.
In order to return the trigger again into the position of rest (Fig 2), there is
provided on the locking lever A, a nose c which latter, when the locking lever
is moved (for the purpose of opening the breech), out of the position shewn in
Fig. 4, into the position shewn in Fig. 2, acts against a rounded projection
of the trigger B, and turns the latter around about the pin e into the position of
rest.
The trigger when it has arrived in the position of rest, limits, by means of
the projection t, further movement of the lever A in an unlocking! direction.
This described co-operation of the locking lever and trigger, possesses advantages
in that when the breech is not fully closed, it is either impossible to fire the
gun, or the movement of drawing back the trigger for the purpose of firing
the gun, effects and assures the locking of the breech mechanism. Thus if the
breech wedge has been pushed into the wedge hole, only to such an extent that
the nose of the locking lever, has not yet reached its notch s, but bears against
the rear wall of the wedge hole, then the locking lever (against the nose c of
which the projection t of the trigger bears) will prevent the trigger from being

page_text: pulled. If on the contrary the locking nose b is already situated opposite its
notch s but for any reason (failure of the spring or the like) does not snap into
the notch, then when the trigger is drawn back, its projection t will rotate the
locking lever A, and will cause it to engage with the notch s of the gun barrel.
The safety device (Figs. S, 9 and 10) is composed of the pusher C, the pin D,
the handle E, and a coiled spring. The pusher C is guided by means of its two
side fillets and f' (of which the latter f is made somewhat longer than the
former f, for the purpose referred to later on), in corresponding grooves of the
breech wedge, (Figs. 1, 2 and 6).
In an aperture in the pusher C, there is received the pin D, around the shank
of which the helical spring g is coiled, (Figs. 3, 5 and 6), the spring a bearing at
one end against a shoulder formed on the pin 1), and at its other end against a
shoulder in the aperture of the pusher C, the said spring having therefore a
tendency to hold an end stud m, of the pin 1), firmly in one or the other of
two notches (Figs. 3 and 5), provided in the breech wedge, according to the
position of the pusher C. The handle E is connected with the pin D by means
of a pin connection in such a manner that the arm provided on the handle,
lies embedded between the two arms i of the pusher C (Figs. 1, 4 and 6). Whilst,
as will be hereafter described, the arms i serve as safety devices, the arm / is
only intended to transmit the pressure of the safety spring to the locking lever.
It will be perceived that when the handle E of the safety device is pulled by
the gunner, towards himself, against the pressure of the spring g, the stud m
of the pin D, will leave the wedge notch in which it is situated at the time, and
then the pusher C can be moved in its guides, and the stuck m of the pin will
be brought into engagement with the other wedge notch. Now in that position
of the safety device in which the stud m of the pin D engages in the notch #
(Figs. 1 and 3), the ends of the two arms of the pusher C, are situated slightly
below the lever arm, so that there is no hindrance to the rotation of the locking
lever A, for the purpose of opening the breech, whereas that part of the arm h,
which projects beyond the arms i, bears upon the lever arm d. Consequently
when the breech mechanism is unlocked by means of a pull exerted on the handle
of the locking lever, the lever arm d, will move the arm of the handle with
it, against the pressure of the safety spring g (Fig. 2).
If the pull acting upon the handle of the locking lever were to cease directly
after the unlocking operation, it will be readily understood that then the pres-
sure of the safety spring g will cause the nose of the locking lever to snap
again into the notch s, and in this connection the safety spring y acts as a sub-
stitute for a separate lever spring.
If the safety device is moved into such a position, that the stud m of the
pin ), enters the wedge notch u (Fig. 5), then the ends of the two arms of the
pusher C, bear upon the arm d of the locking lever. As the pusher C is situated
in guides, which extend at right angles to the plane of oscillation of the locking
lever, the latter is now incapable of movement, nor can the trigger be moved,
because the fillet f¹ of the pusher C has entered, with that portion by which it
is longer than the fillet f, into the path of the trigger, and bears against its rear
edge, and the breech cannot therefore be either opened or fired.
The mode of operation of the breech mechanism which will be readily understood
after the foregoing description, is as follows:--When the gun has been fired, the
several parts of the breech mechanism are in the position shewn in Fig. 4. If
now a pull be exerted with the hand upon the handle of the locking lever A, the
latter with its nose b, will leave the notch s in the rear wall of the wedge hole,
and at the same time its nose c, will move the trigger B back into the position of
rest, whilst the arm of the locking lever A will strain the safety spring g
(Fig. 2).
The unlocking of the breech, if the pull be continued on the handle, will be
followed directly by the exit of the breech wedge from the gun barrel, so that the
loading chamber of the gun is exposed, and can be charged with a new cartridge.

page_text: At the moment when, on the exit of the breech wedge from the wedge hole, the
nose of the locking lever has lost its bearing against the rear wall of the
breech hole, the locking lever will be rocked back, by the pressure of the safety
spring g, into its original position.
On closing the breech, the inclined surface of the nose will meet the rounded
edge of the wedge hole, so that the locking lever will be caused, against the
pressure of the spring g, to rock outwards again into the position shewn in Fig. 2,
and when its nose has come opposite to the notch s, the said nose will enter the
notch s.
The breech mechanism is now again ready for firing.
If the breech is to be safety locked, the handle E of the safety device
is pulled by the gunner towards himself, and the pusher C is moved towards
the arm of the locking lever, until the stud m of the pin D snaps into the
notch of the breech wedge. Then, because the arms of the pusher C now
bear upon the lever arm, and the fillet f' has locked the trigger, the gun can-
not be fired nor can the breech be opened.
The foregoing statement of the mode of operation of the breech mechanism,
shews that the locking lever A oscillates twice to-and-fro, in opening and closing
the breech. Now for the purpose of dispensing with one of these to and fro
oscillations, since it has no importance for the operation of the breech mechanism,
or in other words in order to arrange that the locking lever A shall keep its
unlocked position (Fig. 2) unaltered during the movement of the breech wedge,
the arrangement shewn in Figs. 11-16 may be employed. In a recess in the
stop flange of the breech wedge, a bent lever F (Fig. 16) is arranged in such a
manner that its pins o lie in open bearings r in the stop flange, and its arm z
bears against the gun barrel, when the breech is closed, (Fig. 12). Upon the
other arm of the lever, which is provided with a clawn, there presses a spring 4,
which bears against the end of a hole provided in the stop flange. It is clear
that the force of the spring 7 cannot come into operation so long as the stop
flange, and with it the arm of the lever F, find a bearing on the gun barrel.
But if the breech, be only opened to a small extent (Fig. 14), the spring 7 is
obliged to push outwards the arm of the bent lever which is provided with the
claw n.
On the arm'd of the locking lever A, there is also arranged a claw 1,
(Fig. 15), which claw, when the lever A is moved into the unlocking position,
(Fig. 13) is situated exactly opposite the claw of the bent lever F.
The following mode of operation now takes place. If the breech is closed, the
parts just described assume the relative positions shewn in Fig. 12. If the
breech is unlocked, (Fig. 13), and opened (Fig. 14), then at the moment, when
the stop flange of the breech wedge moves away from the gun barrel, and just
before the nose of the locking lever A has lost its bearing against the rear
wall of the wedge hole, the clawn of the bent lever F will snap into the claw p
of the locking lever, and will keep the latter firmly in the unlocking position
(Fig. 14). This position is retained by the lever A, until when closing the breech,
and just before the nose of the locking lever reaches the notch s, the arm z of
the bent lever F strikes against the gun barrel, and in consequence of the rotation
of the bent lever thereby produced, disengages the clawn from the claw p
(Fig. 13). The locking lever, which is now again released, snaps at the next
moment, with its nose b, into the notch s, and in this manner re-establishes the
locking of the breech wedge.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1
1. A wedge breech closing mechanism for guns, wherein the locking of the
breech wedge with the gun barrel, is effected by means of a lever A, provided
with a handle, and rotatably mounted on the breech wedge, the lever A, being
caused by the pressure of a spring, to enter with its nose b, into a notch s of the
rear wall of the wedge hole.

page_text: 2. A form of construction of the wedge breech closing mechanism for guns
according to Claim 1, in which after firing the gun and unlocking the breech,
the locking lever A. acts, by means of a nose e provided thereon, upon a projec-
tion t of the drawn back trigger B, for the purpose of moving the latter back
into the position of rest.
C
3. A form of construction of the wedge breech closing mechanism for guns,
according to Claims 1 and 2, in which the locking lever A, retains its unlocked
position during the movement of the breech wedge, the said locking lever being
engaged by a spring catch F', mounted in the stop flange of the breech wedge,
the arrangement being such that this catch F, is caused to enter (when the breech
is opened) by the pressure of its spring into the path of the locking lever, to
engage the latter, and prevent it from rocking back into its original or locking
position, while when the breech is closed, the catch F is kept out of the path of
the locking lever by contact with the gun barrel.
4. In combination with the wedge breech closing mechanism for guns according
to Claims 1, 2 and 3, a safety device consisting of a pusher C (which is guided
in the breech wedge transversely to the plane of oscillation of the locking lever A,
and of the trigger B); the said pusher when in the safety position bearing, upon
the arm of the locking lever, and also against the trigger, and being held fast,
in the safety or in the firing position, by means of a pin D (which is provided
with a handle E and is adapted to be moved rectilinearly in said pusher) in
such a manner that the pin D), is caused by the pressure of a spring g, to snap
into one or the other of two notches ( and 2) provided in the breech wedge.
5. A form of construction of the safety device according to Claim 4, in which
the handle E is provided with an arm h, resting upon the arm of the locking
lever A, for the purpose of transmitting the pressure of the safety spring g, to
the locking lever, and thereby rendering a separate lever spring superfluous.
Dated this 28th day of June 1899.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.