IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIREARMS, CONSISTING OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR the OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR COCKING HAMMERLESS GUNS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wellington Greener of Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Gun Manufacturer for an Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIREARMS, CONSISTING OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR
the
LETTERS PATENT to William Wellington Greener of Birmingnam in
County of Warwick Gun Manufacturer for an Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIREARMS, CONSISTING OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR
COCKING HAMMERLESS GUNS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wellington Greener
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1880.
WILLIAM WELLINGTON GREENER of Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Gun Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS CONSISTING
OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR COCKING HAMMERLESS GUNS."
My invention relates in the first place to that description of fire arms known as
Hammerless drop down guns, and consists mainly of the mechanism hereinafter
described, by the action of which the cocking of the gun is effected by the raising
of the breech ends of the barrels, and opening the breech for charging the gun.
I will describe this first part of my invention thus. I use tumblers having a pro-
jecting arm extended forwards from the seers bents and the lock mechanism may
be arranged either in slots cut in the body of the breech action or upon lock plates
and screwed or otherwise attached to the gun. I bend or turn in the extreme ends
of the projecting arms of the Tumblers until they nearly meet and resemble the
tails of seers when screwed in position upon a gun. I affix in the under lump of
the barrels a swivel working in a slot, and swung upon a pivot and capable of
receiving a predulating motion in a line with the axis of the barrels the lower
extremity of this swivel forms a hook and when the barrels are in position it hooks
under and engages with the turned in extremities of the Tumblers, and upon the
barrels being raised for loading, it raises the projecting arms of the Tumblers and so
lifts them to full cock.
"
--The-swivel-is-kept up to its work by and retained in position by a rod sliding
horizontally, in or upon the lump of the barrels (or otherwise suitably affixed to
the barrel as the nature and form of the particular arm may require) one
extremity bearing against the fore part of the swivel and the other coming into
contact with the fore end of the gun when placed in its position upon the barrels.
The length of the rod is so arranged that when it is pushed into its position by the
fore-end its near extremity pushes against the swivel and forces it under the

page_text: turned in extremities of the Tumblers and keeps it in that position until the for-
end is removed
The same cocking motion may be obtained with the swivel placed upon the fore
part of the back lump under the barrels, on the back parts of either the fore or back
lumps, I also construct the swivel of a T form and thus obviate the leening in of
the extended arms of the Tumblers or I can construct the Horizontal sliding rod of
sufficient strength to cock the locks and I make it either flat or T shaped at its
rear extremity in order that it may engage with the extended arms of the Tumblers
in the same manner and for the same purposes as the swivel already described. Or
I cock the locks by a cam swung in the under lump of the barrels, upon a pivot,
and which by placing the fore-end in position upon the barrels, so act upon one
extremity of the cam as to cause its other extremity to project beyond the extremity
of the lump and engage with the extended arms of the tumblers in the same
manner and for the same purposes as the swivel and horizontal sliding rod already
⚫described.
I can also use a V spiral or other suitably shaped spring to keep the swivel, the
horizontal sliding bar, or the cam, up to its work and thus dispense altogether with
the aid of the fore-end in cocking the gun.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said William Wellington
Greener in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th September 1880.
WILLIAM WELLINGTON GREENER of Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Gun manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS CONSISTING
OF IMPROVED DEVICES FOR COCKING HAMMERLESS GUNS"
My Invention relates to that description of Fire Arms known as "Hammerless
drop-down guns" and consists mainly of the mechanisms herein after to be set
forth, illustrated, and described, and by the action of which, and by the raising the
breech ends of the barrels, and opening the gun for charging, the cocking of the
lock is effected.
In order that the proper nature of my invention may be rightly described and
ascertained, I shall have reference.to the various, drawings hereunto annexed.
In guns to which my invention is.applied, I use tumblers having a projecting
arm 'extended forward from the seear bents, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 7, 8, and the
lock mechanism may be arranged either in slots cut in the body of the Breech
action, or upon Lock plates affixed to the Gun.
I bend or turn in the extreme ends of the projecting arms of the tumblers HH
until they nearly meet and resemble the tails of seears when they are screwed in
position upon a gun. The form of the elongated arms of the Tumblers when turned
in is shewn in OO Figure 3.
I affix in the under lump of the barrels a swivel or hook I Figures 2 and 3
working in a slot, and swung upon a pivot in the Lump, so that it is capable of
receiving a pendulating motion in a line with the longitudinal axis of the barrels,
the lower extremity of this swivel or hook; forms a catch and when the barrels are
in position it hooks under and engages with the turned in extremities of the
tumblers H. H. and upon the barrels B B being raised for loading, it raises the
projecting arms of the Tumblers and so lifts them to full cock.
The swivel or hook I keep to it's work and retain in position by one of the
following devices:-
--
First. I place in the Lumph of the barrels B B Figure 2 a sliding rod or Bar f
capable of sliding longitudinally in the slot cut for it in the Barrel lump, h, and kept
from falling out of the said slot by a stop pin n, or by shaping the rod or bar of
two thicknesses as shewn detached in Figure 6 and forming the slot in lump
accordingly, the Thicker extremity being in contact with the hook or swivel I.
The one extremity of this rod f comes into contact with the back side of the
book I the fore extremity projecting from the lump and coming into contact with
the Forend D Figure 2, the length of this rod I so adjust that upon the Forend D
being placed upon the barrels the hook or swivel I is forced backward until in it's
proper position beneath the curved extremities of the Tumblers H, in which position
it is retained by the said Rod f until the Forend is removed.
Secondly. I keep the hook I in position by elongating backwards the Tail of the
Forend D itself, until it presses against the back of the hook I.
This will be understood upon reference to the drawing Figure 10 in which D is
the Forend; I the hook or swivel and d d the elongated tail of Forend D, also
to Figure 8, in which the Forend D is in position upon the barrels B and forcing
beneath the curved arms of the Tumblers the cocking lever, swivel, or hook I.
Or I can dispense entirely with the hook or swivel I, the Rod f, or the elongated
tail d d of the Forend and substitute a cam M Figure 7 pivoted in a slot in the
Lump of the Barrels or in duplicate upon each side of the Lump, or on either one
side of the Barrel lump, providing it has a tail to reach beneath the arms of both
the Tumblers.
This cam or lever M, I so adjust, that by placing on the forend the upper

page_text: -
extremity is acted on by the toe of the Forend so that this cam moves on it's
pivot and causes. it's other extremity to project beneath the arms of the said
tumblers.
In Figure 9 the cam M and the forend D and their position when in contact are
shewn. In Figure 4 is shewn end and side elevation of the kook or swivel I, and
in Figure 5 the pivot screwed into the Lump h on which the hook or swivel I is
swung.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 c is the seear and h the seear spring, a the seear
pin, L the mainspring B the barrels, A the breech action body, and e the
Tumbler, but I do not confine myself to the forms therein shewn but use any modi-
fication thereof that the size or other requirements of the gun may determine.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I do hereby claim as my Invention:-
The cocking of Drop down Hammerless fire arms by either of the afore-mentioned
devices and the various parts comprising the same; to wit:-
First. The turning in of an elongated arm of the tumbler for the purposes of
raising it to cock, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The hanging of a hook or pivot from the lump for the purpose of cocking
the gun as well as the hook and pivot themselves all arranged substantially as
herein before described and illustrated.
Third. The action of a longitudinally sliding rod in the lumps of the barrels as
an adjunct to the cocking of the tumblers, by coming directly or indirectly into
contact with them, or by retaining in position any cocking device all materially
and substantially for the purposes herein before set forth and described.
Fourth. The prolongation of the Tail of the Forend as an adjunct to cocking the
locks by retaining in position a cocking device materially and substantially for the
purpose herein before set forth and described.
Fifth. The use of a lever or cam pivoted to the Barrel lump as an instrument for
raising the tumblers to full cock materially and substantially as herein before set
forth and described.
In witness whereof I the said William Wellington Greener have hereunto set
my hand and seal this first day of September in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
FETTTITAMO
ADDNOD