IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Southgate and Edward
Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd
January 1880.
THOMAS SOUTHGATE, of Burton Crescent, and EDWARD HARRISON, of the Strand,
both in the County of Middlesex, Gunmakers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in snap action breech loading
fire arms known as self cockers, double as well as single. We will first proceed to
describe the improvements relating to single guns or rifles; we make the lever,
which is preferably placed on the right hand side, full cock the hammer at the
same time and in addition to drawing back the bolt or unfastening the grips on
the steel lumps, to enable the barrel to be brought down for the purpose of loading,
and in addition to which we make a novel kind of knuckle joint which enables
the barrel to be detached without removing the fore part hereinafter described.
Firstly. The steel lump is cut through at the knuckle joint with an opening at
the top; the furthermost part of the round hole thus made through the steel
shall extend to and be level with the end of knuckle joint of the action; the said
joint of action instead of being formed with a cross pin going through, as in most
cases, the knuckle is in its full size allowed to extend across the slot of the action.
To enable this solid knuckle to be got into the joint hole through the steel lump
first herein mentioned, the upper portion of the circle forming the solid knuckle of
the action must be cut out. A curved or hollow being best, the amount cut away
from the solid knuckle must be sufficient to allow of it being pushed through the
opening made in the steel lump with which it has to form a knuckle joint. The
action is preferably placed at or about right angles with the barrel to allow of
it being pushed with facility into the opening in the steel lump made to receive
it. When pushed or hooked fairly into its place the barrel may be brought into its
closed position, and is fastened ready for firing.
In order to prevent the barrel falling too far when opening for loading, rendering
it likely to come off the action in the same way as it went on, we fit a stop to
prevent it falling any more than necessary for loading, which stop has to be pushed
back when the barrel is required to be taken out.
Having described the joint about which the barrel moves, we will proceed to
describe the self cocking arrangements which are as follows:-
The lever, which we place on the right hand side (or may be used on the left), is

page_text: made with a boss let into the action, and extending about half way through the
opening which is cut for the usual lockwork where the boss on the lever abuts
against a tube, which has been formed out of the solid or screwed in the action
from opposite side, through which tube the small spindle of the lever turns and is
kept in its place by a screw; there is a slot cut in the upper part of the boss of
the lever which projects through the side of action into the inner cavity. This
slot engages the back hooked end of the action bolt, and draws back the said bolt
when the side lever is depressed, unfastening the barrel by the same movement,
and at the same time the cock or hammer is raised to full cock by means of a
projection on the flat surface of the boss of lever in front of said tube, which
projection engages in the top end of a curved slot cut in the cock or hammer. The
said cock or hammer is fitted on to the outside of said tube to prevent friction,
which otherwise would be very great if the cock or hammer were allowed to work
on the naked lever spindle without the intervening tube before mentioned. At the
back surface of the lever another slot is cut in which the lever spring works,
causing the lever to fly back into its upper position, pressing the bolt forward into
the grips on the closing of the barrel and action.
The hammer which works on the tube before mentioned is held in position by
a trigger underneath, or rather a trigger and sear in one; on the trigger being
pulled the hammer is actuated in the usual way by the. main spring, which
together with the lever spring is placed at the back, and may be a double or a
single spring, the main spring and lever spring may be made out of one piece.
A loose striker, or a striker combined with cock and tumbler, or striker as
hereafter described for the double may be used; the other parts of the gun may
be made in the usual way and do not form part of our Invention.
Having described the working of the single gun or rifle, we will now proceed to
describe the "double," which is cocked also by the opening of the gun for loading,
not by the lever as in the single, but by the dropping or opening of the barrels.
We prefer in this gun to use the old and well tried side locks. We use the ordinary
drop anap action, and by means of a pair of cocking rods running through the
action from the lip of forepart joint at the outer side of knuckle to the hammer or
cock, in such a manner that when the barrels are allowed to drop in opening for
loading the forepart actuates the pair of cocking rods, causing them to move
backwards or towards the breech of barrels, and pressing against the hammers
cocks the locks.
We well now describe the strikers, which are gas tight, rendering escape of gas
into the lock work impossible.
In the first place we drill a striker hole in the usual way to reach the cap when
the gun is loaded, we then cut out a circular hole with a hollow cutter leaving a
tube round the striker hole; we then fit a striker, which is also made with a tube
round it, the striker working in the striker hole, and its outer tube fitting over
the tube left solid round the striker hole, so that when the gas escapes it will close
up whatever looseness there may be in the fitting of the strikers, and should a
broken cap cause an escape of gas the locks cannot be injured by it.
Another method of preventing gas from escaping through the striker hole into
the locks is by making a vent hole through the action from the underpart of the
detonating, or from any other convenient part, into an ordinary striker hole, the
said vent hole entering the striker hole in front of the flange or collar (which is
usually left on strikers to bear against the under part of nipple, and prevent them
from coming out too far). We place the vent hole in front of the flange of striker
in order that gas from broken cap or faulty cartridge escaping through the
striker hole comes in contact with the said flange, closing up before it the way
into the locks, and escaping freely through the vent hole.
In order to render this gun quite safe from accidental discharge we fit a self
acting safety which acts upon each lock separately, and is not moved out of gear
by any other means than by pulling the trigger. To effect this arrangement we
fit a stud or block at the back of the trigger blades; this stud is slotted through

page_text: in continuation with the trigger slots, and a pair of catches or hooks are fitted in
said slots, and pivotted near the base of upright block or stud in which they work.
The upper ends of the hooks or catches being pressed forward by a spring engage
themselves over the sear tails, and holds the sear or sears firmly in the bents of
the tumblers until the trigger is pulled, when by means of a projection on the
catches near their centre and projecting into the backs of the trigger blades
in such a manner that when the trigger is pulled, the trigger acting upon the
projections on the catches removes their upper ends from over the sear tails, thus
enabling the sears to be pulled out of the bents of the tumblers, and allowing the
hammer to fall on the striker.
The cocking of this gun being effected by the dropping of the barrels we fit a
spring in the bottom of the slot of the action to bear on the under side of the steel
lump pressing upwards to assist in cocking the locks when the muzzle ends of the
barrels are lowered and the breech opened for loading, the spring being again
cramped when the gun is closed.
In addition to the ordinary double grip bolt, which is connected with the top
lever in the usual way, we connect another bolt in front of the boss of the top
lever, the said bolt being divided at its back end forms two prongs, one on either
side; the left hand prong is provided with a projection on its inner side, which
enters a notch in the side of the boss of the top lever, and is thus by the said
lever moved backwards and forwards, taking effect and forming an additional grip
in an extension of the top rib of barrels.
Our Invention also provides a safety spur on the sears of the locks, projecting in
such a manner as to be acted on by the main spring or by the tumblers when the
gun is cocked, and pushes the sear nose into the bents of the tumbler independently
of the sear spring, so that if the sear spring should be broken the gun would not
be disabled; the same provision may be effected by a projection on the tumblers
or hammers acting on the sears, or by a separate limb to work from the cock or
tumbler underneath or over the main springs, but we prefer to use the sear
projection.