IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Osborne Ellis and Edward William Wilkinson
Trading as Charles Osborne and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS."
aled the 6th July 1877, and dated the 23rd January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Osborne Ellis and
Edward Willian Wilkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 23rd January 1877.
CHARLES OSBORNE ELLIS and EDWARD WILLIAM WILKINSON, trading as Charles
Osborne and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturers. IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
Our Invention relates to those kinds of breech-loading small-arins called drop;
down guns, and to the sliding "fore end" of the said drop-down guns; and our
said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in the fastening
or bolting mechanism of the said sliding fore ends.
By sliding fore ends we mean such fore ends as are capable of sliding upon the
barrels to fasten the said barrels to, or permit them to be detached from the body
of the gun, the fore end being carried with the barrels when the latter are detached
or stripped from the body of the gun.
'
a
According to our Invention we fasten the sliding fore end to the barrels either in
its advanced position or in its withdrawn position, by means of a lever bolt turning
upon a joint on the bar of the fore end. The said lever bolt is slightly cranked near
its joint part so that its two arms are in different horizontal planes, the rear arm
being in a lower plane than the front arm. The upper side of the free end of the
front arm of the lever bolt is inclined, and at the rear of the said inclined part is
short vertical arm or stop. The front arm of the lever bolt is pressed upwards, so
as to give a snapping action to the bolt by a spring between the bar of the fore end
and the rear arm of the lever bolt. Near the end of the rear arm of the lever bolt
is a thumb or pressing plate, by an upward pressure upon which the lever bolt is
unfastened, and the fore end may be moved on the barrels. The bar of the fore end
is slotted, the slot in the bar sliding upon a fixed loop on the under side of and
between the barrels, the said loop serving to guide the sliding fore end in its

page_text: motion. The fore end is retained in its place on the loop by a small cross pin
passed through the loop and bearing upon the bar of the fore end. By removing
this cross pin after unscrewing the wooden part of the fore end the said fore end
may be completely detached from the barrels.
The base of the rear part of the loop on the barrels is inclined and constitutes a
seat against which the inclined end of the front arm of the lever bolt seats itself
when the fore end is in its withdrawn position, and the base of the said inclined
part of the loop forms a shoulder against which the extreme end of the front arm of
the lever bolt engages when the fore end is in the position in which it fastens the
barrels to the body. The said shoulder or base of the inclined rear part of the loop
also serves as a stop to limit the motion of the "fore end," the short vertical arm on
the front arm of the lever bolt striking against the stop when the fore end is with-
drawn to its full extent.
When the sliding fore end is moved towards the butt of the gun to fasten the
barrels to the body the inclined end of the front arm of the lever bolt travels up the
inclined seat of the loop, and when the abutment of the fore end seats itself against
the body of the gun the extreme end of the front arm of the lever bolt snaps
against the shoulder or base of the inclined seat of the loop, and thereby fastens the
fore end in its advanced position.
In order to withdraw the fore end from the body for the stripping of the gun the
thumb plate end of the lever bolt is pressed upwards. The front arm of the said
lever bolt is thereby lifted from the shoulder of the loop and the fore end is
released and may be withdrawn from the body, the said fore end sliding on the
barrels.
When the fore end has been withdrawn to its full extent the stop or short
vertical arm of the lever bolt strikes against the base of the inclined seat of the
loop, and on removing the pressure from the thumb plate end of the lever bolt the
inclined front arm of the said bolt snaps upon the inclined seat of the loop and
fastens the fore end in its withdrawn position.
When the fore end is in its fastening or advanced position and the gun is closed
the extreme end of the rear or thumb plate arm of the bolt works in a slot in the
abutment of the fore end and also in a slot at the front end of the body, the said rear
arm having freedom of motion in the said slots. When however the gun is opened
by the turning of the barrels on their joint the slot in the front of the body is
removed from opposite the rear larm of the lever bolt, and the said bolt is locked,
that is, it cannot be raised to unfasten the fore end as the said rear arm of the bolt
bears against an uncut part of the body; the fore end is thereby incapable of being
withdrawn from the body so long as the gun is opened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Osborne Ellis and Edward William Wilkinson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th July 1877.
CHARLES OSBORNE ELLIS and EDWARD WILLIAM WILKINSON, trading as Charles
Osborne and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS.".
Our Invention relates to those kinds of breech-loading small arms called drop-
down guns, and to the sliding "fore ends" of the said drop-down guns; and our
said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in the fastening
or bolting mechanism of the said sliding fore ends.
By sliding fore ends we mean such fore ends as are capable of sliding upon the
barrels to fasten the said barrels to, or permit them to be detached from the body of
the gun, the fore end being carried with the barrels when the latter are detached or
stripped" from the body of the gun,
"

page_text: According to our invention we fasten the fore end to the barrels either in its
advanced position or in its withdrawn position, by means of a lever bolt turning
upon a joint on the bar of the fore end. The said lever bolt is slightly cranked near
its joint end so that its two arms are in different horizontal planes, the rear arm
being in a lower plane than the front arm. The upper side of the free end of the
front arm of the lever bolt is inclined, and at the rear of the said inclined part is a
short vertical arm or stop. The front arm of the lever bolt is pressed upwards so as
to give a snapping action to the bolt by a spring between the bar of the fore end
and the rear arm of the lever bolt. Near the end of the rear arm of the lever bolt
is a thumb or pressing plate, by an upward pressure upon which the lever bolt is
unfastened, and the fore end may be moved on the barrels. The bar of the fore end
is slotted, the slot in the bar sliding upon a fixed loop on the under side of and
between the barrels, the said loop serving to guide the sliding fore end in its
motion. The fore end is retained in its place on the loop by a small cross pin
passed through the loop and bearing upon the bar of the fore end. By removing
this cross pin after unscrewing the wooden part of the fore end the said fore end may
be completely detached from the barrels.
The base of the rear part of the loop on the barrels is inclined and constitutes a
seat against which the inclined end of the front arm of the lever bolt seats itself
when the fore end is in its withdrawn position, and the base of the said inclined
part of the loop forms a shoulder against which the extreme end of the front arm of
the lever bolt engages when the fore end is in the position in which it fastens the
barrels to the body. The said shoulder or base of the inclined rear part of the loop.
also serves as a stop to limit the motion of the "fore end," the short vertical arm on
the front arm of the lever bolt striking against the stop when the "fore end" is
withdrawn to its full extent.
When the sliding fore end is moved towards the butt of the gun to fasten the
barrels to the body the inclined end of the front arm of the lever bolt travels up the
inclined seat of the loop, and when the abutment of the fore end seats itself against
the body of the gun the extreme end of the front arm of the lever bolt snaps against
the shoulder or base of the inclined seat of the loop and thereby fastens the fore end
in its advanced position.
In order to withdraw the fore end from the body for the stripping of the gun
the thumb plate end of the lever bolt is pressed upwards. The front arm of the.
said lever bolt is thereby lifted from the shoulder of the loop and the fore end is
released and may be withdrawn from the body, the said fore end sliding on the
barrels.
When the fore end has been withdrawn to its full extent the stop or short vertical
arm of the lever bolt strikes against the base of the inclined seat of the loop, and on
removing the pressure from the thumb plate end of the lever bolt the inclined front
arm of the said bolt snaps upon the inclined seat of the loop and fastens the fore
end in its withdrawn position.
When the fore end is in its fastening position the lever bolt cannot be withdrawn
so long as the gun is open.
We will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner
in which our Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in longitudinal section partly in elevation the barrels
and part of the body of a drop-down gun, to which a sliding fore end constructed
according to our Invention is applied, Figure 1 representing the sliding fore end
fastened in its advanced position, and Figure 2 the same in its withdrawn position.
In the former position the barrels are fastened to the body of the gun, and in the
latter position the barrels may be detached from the body.
Figure 3 represents a portion of Figure 1 with the gun open for charging, and
exhibits the arrangement for preventing the unfastening of the fore end when the
gun is in that state.
い
Figure 4 represents a plan of under side of the fore end (the wooden part being

page_text: removed) and lever bolt, and Figure 5 represents an ond elevation of the abutment
of the fore end, and Figure 6 represents an end elevation of the body of the gun.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
Drawing.
a is the slotted bar of the fore end, and b, b, is the wooden part of the same;
The front arm c of
c, c², is the lever bolt of the fore end jointed at d to the bar a.
the lever bolt is pressed upwards, so as to give a snapping action to the bolt by the
spring e situated between the rear arm c² of the said bolt and the fore end bar a.
The upper side of the front arm c of the lever bolt is inclined, and at the rear of the
inclined part is a short vertical arm or stop c³. The lever bolt c, c², is worked or
released by the thumb or pressing plate ffixed to the rear, arm c² of the said bolt.
By pressing upwards the thumb plate f, as indicated by the arrow Figure 1, the
front or acting arm c of the lever bolt is depressed or drawn from the barrels, and
the fore end is unfastened, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, and may be
moved on the barrels; g is the ordinary loop on the under side of the barrels ; this
loop takes into the slot a³ in the bar a of the fore end, and when motion is given to
the fore end the sides of the slot bear upon the said loop g, which loop thus serves
to guide the fore end in its motion. The sliding fore end is retained in its place on
the loop g by means of a cross pin h, passed through the loop, and bearing upon the
bar a of the fore end. When it is wished to completely detach the sliding fore end
from the barrels the cross pin h must be removed; this removal can only be effected
after the wooden part b of the fore end has been unscrewed from the abutment i
and bar a of the fore end and removed. The base of the loop g is. inclined and
forms a seat for the inclined part of the front arm c of the lever bolt when the fore
end is in its withdrawn position, as illustrated in Figure 2, and the rear or base part
of the said inclined seat 7 of the loop forms a shoulder against which the extreme
end of the front arm c bears when the fore end is in its advanced position, as
illustrated in Figure 1. This shoulder or base of the seat also serves as a stop to
limit the motion of the fore end in its withdrawn position, the short arm or
stop c3 bearing against the said shoulder or base of the seat, as seen in Figure 2.
The action of the fore end fastening is as follows:-When it is wished to fasten
the barrels to the body it is only necessary to press the fore end having the position
Figure 2 towards the butt of the gun into the position represented in Figure 1. In
taking the position Figure 1, the inclined end of the front arm c of the lever bolt
travels along the inclined seat of the loop, and when the abutment i seats itself
against the body m the extreme end of the front arm c of the lever bolt snaps
behind the shoulder or base of the inclined seat of the loop, and thereby fastens
the fore end in its advanced position and secures the barrels to the body. When it
is wished to withdraw the sliding fore end from the body m for "stripping" the
gun the thumb plate f of the lever bolt is pressed upwards, as indicated by the
arrow Figure 1. By this motion the rear arm c² of the lever bolt is raised, and the
front arm c made to descend from the shoulder of the inclined seat 7 of the loop, as
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, and the fore end is released and may be made
to take the position Figure 2 by sliding it on the barrels. When the fore end has
reached the withdrawn position Figure 2 the arm or stop c³ of the lever bolt strikes
against the base of the inclined seat I, and on removing the pressure from the thumb
plate the inclined front arm c snaps upon the said seat and fastens the fore end
in its withdrawn position.
In the abutment i of the fore end is a slot n in which the extreme end of the
rear arm c² of the lever bolt works, and in the front end of the body m is a slot
or cut away part p.
When the fore end is in its fastening or advanced position, as illustrated in
Figure 1, the extreme end of the said arm c² works in the abutment slot n and also
in the slot p in the body, the rear end of the said rear arm having freedom of
motion in the said slots n, p. When however the gun is opened by the turning of
the barrels on their joint, as seen in Figure 3, the slot p in the front of the body m

page_text: is removed from opposite the end of the rear arm c² of the lever bolt, and the said
bolt is locked, that is, it cannot be raised to unfasten the fore end as the rear arm
of the bolt bears against an uncutaway part of the body, as seen in Figure 3. The
fore end is thereby incapable of being withdrawn from the body so long as the gun
is open.
Although we have only described our Invention as applied to a gun having a
fixed bearing, yet we wish it to be understood that our Invention is equally
applicable to guns having bearings of the kind commonly known as loose bearings,
that is to say, bearings situated in the slot n of the abutment of the fore end, and
working upon a pin crossing the said slot. As the construction of the said loose
bearing is well understood and constitutes no part of our Invention, we do not
consider it necessary to describe or represent the same.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention,-
The improvements in fastening or bolting mechanism of sliding fore ends of drop-
down guns herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, the lever bolt jointed to the bar of the fore end in combination with
the inclined seat and shoulder of the loop on the barrels for fastening the fore end in
its advanced and withdrawn positions respectively, the parts of the said lever bolt
and inclined seat and shoulder being constructed, combined, and used substantially
as described and illustrated.
Also the arrangement of parts described and illustrated for preventing the
unfastening of the fore end when the gun is open for charging, whether the same be
applied to guns having fixed bearings or to guns having loose bearings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Osborne Ellis and Edward William
Wilkinson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CHARLES OSBORNE ELLIS.
(L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
EDWARD WILLIAM WILKINSON. (L.S.)