IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hammond and Edwin Hammond both of
Winchester in the County of Hants for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hammond and Edwin
Hammond at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd
September 1882.
HENRY HAMMOND and EDWIN HAMMOND both of Winchester in the County of
Hants "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
It has been heretofore proposed for a great many years to employ an additional
sear catch or other fastening to prevent the forward motion of the hammer except
when the trigger is pulled this has been applied to the locks of both muzzle and
breech loading fire-arms as well as to the hammerless guns now generally used for
sporting purposes. Our improvements refer particularly to these hammerless guns
and the main object of the Invention is to render the "safety" more secure, the
action of it more effective and the construction more simple than heretofore.
According to our Invention we make our safety spring catch or fastening
preferably of one piece of metal and extending back to the end of the trigger plate
where it may be secured by the hand or trigger plate screw of the stock although
of course it may be secured in other ways if preferred. For some actions
be necessary to make this lever in two pieces for example when applying it to
ordinary locks. The forward end of the spring or lever is cranked against which
the hammer is caused to act or take when the lock is accidentally "jarred off"
without the triggers being pulled. On the cranked end of the lever or spring there
is a catch which takes into a corresponding notch on the hammer and the tail of.
the catch enters a cavity in the breech action, thus when the lock is accidentally
"jarred off" the striker or hammer is caught by the cranked end of the spring
lever which latter supported in the action holds the striker and its further progress
towards the cap of the cartridge is prevented.
may
The catch which is as before stated made preferably in one piece is necessarily
for double guns made forked; one side of each fork for each tumbler or hammer.

page_text: The spring catch is acted on or lifted directly by the trigger as the same is
pulled whereby the cranked end of the lever or spring is raised and the hammer or
tumbler is allowed to pass freely.
Our Invention further consists in the combination of an appliance for indicating
in hammerless guns the exact position of the same, viz: when it is cocked and
loaded or only when cocked and not loaded; for this purpose we provide two slides
or plates pivotted to the top of the breech action, one of these is acted on by a
lever in connection with the hammer and the other by a pin in face of breech
operated by the cartridge; when the cartridges are inserted the plate is forced back
and the word "loaded" exposed to view; when the gun is discharged the hammer
plate or indicator before mentioned is carried forward by a spring to its normal
position and the word "loaded" is covered thereby..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Hammond and Edwin Hammond in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd March 1883.
HENRY HAMMOND and EDWIN HAMMOND both of Winchester in the County of
Hants "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECHLOADING FIREARMS”.
"
It has been heretofore proposed for a great many years to employ an additional
sear catch or other fastening to prevent the forward motion of the hammer except
when the trigger is pulled this has been applied to the locks of both muzzle and
breech-loading firearms as well as to the hammerless guns now generally used for
sporting purposes. Our improvements refer particularly to these hammerless guns
and the main object of the invention is to render the "safety more secure, the
action of it more effective, and the construction more simple than heretofore.
According to our invention we make our safety spring, catch, or fastening
preferably of one piece of metal and extending back to the end of the trigger
plate where it may be secured by the hand or trigger plate screw of the stock
although of course it may be secured in other ways if preferred. For some actions
it may be necessary to make this lever in two pieces for example when applying it
to ordinary locks.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood we will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation
partly in section of an action constructed according to our invention Figures 2 and
3 are respectively elevation and plan detached of the safety spring catch or fastening
made of one piece of metal Figure 4 is a part plan shewing the slides or plates for
indicating the position of gun Figure 5 is a part vertical cross section showing the
detail arrangement and action of the lever on the indicating plate g drawn to a
larger scale than the previous figures. Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in section
particularly showing the spring for bringing the indicating plate g back to its
normal position. Figure 7 is a view partly in section showing the particular
arrangement of the second indicating plate g₁ which is acted upon by the cartridge
or cartridge case.
The forward end of the spring or lever a is cranked against which the hammer 6
is caused to act or take when the lock is accidentally jarred off without the trigger
being pulled. On the cranked end of the lever or spring there is a catch c which
takes into a corresponding notch d on the hammer and the tail of the catch enters
a cavity d¹ in the breech action thus when the lock is accidentally jarred off the
striker or hammer b is caught by the catch on the cranked end c of the spring
lever a which latter, supported in the action holds the striker or hammer b and its
further progress towards the cap of the cartridge is prevented. The spring or lever a
which, is as before stated made preferably in one piece is necessarily for double
guns made forked as shown, one side of each fork for each tumbler or hammer b.
The spring or lever a is acted on or lifted directly by the trigger as the same is
pulled whereby the cranked end c of the lever or spring a is raised and the hammer
b is allowed to pass freely.
e is the hand or trigger plate screw screwed at the end of the trigger plate as
before described which screw e passes through the safety spring or lever a and the
stock whereby the safety spring or lever a is firmly secured, and this is an essential
feature in our invention because it is impossible to place a screw on the safety
spring lever a, as the safety lever a must necessarily be inserted in the stock before
the trigger plate, of course however it might be secured by an additional screw
outside after the trigger plate is placed in position in the stock..
Our invention further consists in the combination of an appliance for indicating

page_text: :
in hammerless guns the exact position of the same viz: when it is cocked and
loaded or only when cocked and not loaded and this arrangement is shown with
reference to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 as before referred to; for this purpose we provide
two slides or plates g g¹ pivoted to the top of the breech action, one of these g is
acted on by a lever h (as shown particularly with reference to Figures 5 and 6) in
connection with and actuated by the hammer b, when the gun is discharged the
hammer plate or indicator g before mentioned is carried forward by a spring k to
its normal position and the word "loaded" is covered thereby. The other plate g¹
is acted upon by a pin i in face of breech operated by the cartridge or cartridge
case as shown especially with reference to Figures 4 and 7 when the cartridges are
inserted the plate g' is forced back and the word "loaded" exposed to view the
spring h¹ bringing it back to the normal position.
*
*
*
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our Improvements in Breech-
loading firearms.
First-The construction of a safety spring catch or fastening extending back to
the end of the trigger plate and acting at the fore end against the hammer or
against which the hammer falls when the lock is accidently jarred off without the
trigger being pulled, all substantially as described and illustrated with reference to
the accompanying drawings
Second-The mode and means described and shown of securing the spring catch
or fastening to the trigger plate after the insertion of the safety catch into the
stock the said catch spring being thereby held in position by the stock of the gun
and trigger plate.
Third-The arrangement for indicating in a hammerless gun whether it is cocked
or loaded or uncocked and unloaded by means of two slides constructed arranged
and acting substantially as described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings
In witness whereof I the said Henry Hammond have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
HENRY HAMMOND. (L.S.)