Improvements in the Breech Mechanism of Quick Firing Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Breech Mechanism of Quick Firing Guns.
We, FRANCIS EDWARD DYKE ACLAND late Captain Royal Artillery, and CARL
HOLMSTRÖM Engineer, both of 32 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the breech mechanism of automatic and quick firing
guns.
In a gun of this kind or class as heretofore constructed it is usual to utilize the
extractor for locking the breech block in the loading position until a cartridge has
been inserted in the gun. We have found that this method of locking is open to
objection and our improvements are designed to provide mechanism which shall
have a more certain and efficient locking action.
When the
encounters
According to our invention we mount on or form with the crank shaft of the
breech-block, preferably at one end thereof, a disc having a cam like projection;
we further pivot to the stationary cradle of the gun a lever, one end of which
is formed with an inclined surface for the purpose hereinafter specified, and the
other end of which is coupled in any suitable manner to a pin that is, capable
of sliding in its bearing in the cradle in a direction transverse to the axis of
the gun. One end of the said pin preferably carries a runner or anti-friction
roller and extends into the path of the aforesaid cam projection on the breech
crank shaft. We form the side of this cam with a slope or inclination so
arranged that when the gun recoils the said inclined surface will engage with
and slide across the end of the aforesaid anti-friction roller and will act to
force the pin on which the roller is mounted inwards until the cam has cleared
the roller when the said pin will be forced out again to its initial position (that
is into the path of the cam) by a spring provided for the purpose.
gun again runs out after recoiling, the working edge of the cam
and is arrested by the roller, with the result that as the gun continues its
movement the crank shaft is partially rotated and opens the breech, and the
extractor is actuated as heretofore for the purpose of withdrawing the spent
cartridge. We so shape the cam that it allows the breech block to rise to the
loading level after having operated the extractor in the manner well known in
this class of gun. After the breech has been opened in the manner described
the block is maintained in the open position by the aforesaid sliding pin and
can, and the breech cannot be closed until the pin has been withdrawn out of
contact with the cam. For effecting this withdrawal we provide on
extractor axis a short finger adapted to engage with the aforesaid inclined surface
on the end of the pivoted lever in such a manner that when the extractor is
thrown forward by the insertion of a cartridge this finger acts upon the pivoted
lever and partially oscillates the same about its pivot thereby withdrawing the
sliding pin out of the path of the cam and thus releasing the said cam and
allowing the breech to be closed.
the
If desired we may provide a cam and a pivoted lever on each side of the gun, and
have two sliding pins in the gun carriage and two fingers on the extractor axis, one
for each lever.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co..
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements.in the Breech Mechanism of Quick Firing Guns.
We FRANCIS EDWARD DYKE ACLAND late Captain Royal Artillery and CARL
HOLMSTRÖM Engineer both of 32 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention relates to the breech mechanism of quick-firing guns.
In a gun of this kind or class as heretofore constructed it is usual to utilize the
extractor for locking the breech block in the loading position until a cartridge has
been inserted in the gun. We have found that this method of locking is open to
objection and our improvements are designed to provide mechanism which shall
have a more certain and efficient locking action.
According to our invention we mount on or form upon the crank-shaft of the
breech block, preferably at one end thereof a cam, we provide also a pin or bolt
which is capable of sliding in bearings in the cradle of the gun in a direction
transverse to the axis of the said gun and extends into the path traversed by the
aforesaid cam on the breech-block crank-shaft, when the said cam moves with the
gun
relatively to the cradle, in the recoil or in the running out of the gun. We pivot
to the cradle of the gun a lever, one end of which is actuated by the extractor, and
the other end of which is coupled, in any suitable manner to the said sliding pin
or bolt.
This mechanism is automatically operated to open the breech block during the
running out of the gun, and, in combination with a breech-actuating spring arranged
for operating the breech-block crank-shaft as hereinafter described, will raise the
breech-block to close the breech. The said mechanism will operate either auto-
inatically, upon the insertion of a cartridge into the charge chamber of the gun. and
its engagement with the extractor or will operate when manually released at the
proper time as for instance when applied to a gun in which loose ammunition is used
and wherein the action of an extractor in not available.
The said invention comprises also a safety device whereby the premature release
of the breech block and the jamming of a partially inserted charge in the breech is
prevented.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure is a side elevation of an automatic quick-firing gun adapted for fixed
ammunition constructed according to our invention and mounted on a naval
carriage.
Figure 2 is a plan of the breech end of the said gun and a portion of the
mounting.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 2 showing the breech closed.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the breech block which in Figure 3 is shown. in
place in the breech.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of parts of the mechanism.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 show in plan,.side elevation and end elevation respectively a
lever hereinafter referred to for operating the aforesaid pin or bolt.
Figure 9.is an elevation of the breech end of the gun.
Figure 10 is an elevation similar to Figure 3 with the breech open
1
Figure 11 is a side elevation of the cam which is carried by the breech-block
crank shaft.
Figure 12 is a plan of Figure 11.
Figure 13 is an end view of Figure 11.
Figure 14 is a side elevation of the extractor.

page_text: Figure 16 is an end elevation of Figure 14.
Figures 2 to 16 are all drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.
A is the gun, B is the cradle in which the gun is supported and in which it moves
in the direction of its length during recoil and running out. B B are two cheeks
formed by rearward extensions of the cradle which are secured together at their
rear ends by the transom 132 to which they are bolted. The said cradle is provided
with trunnions B³ which rest in bearings formed in the extensions or checks C of
the pivot about which the gun is trained. D is the bearing within which the said
pivot rotates and E is the carriage to which the said bearing is secured. The
trigger and the cocking and firing mechanism of the gun may be of any suitable
kind. As they form no part of our present invention they are not hereinafter
referred to.
With reference now to the breech-actuating mechanism F is a crank-shaft which
extends across the breech below the axis of the gun and turns in bearings formed
in the said breech. A crank arm F keyed or otherwise firmly secured to the said
shaft, in the partial rotation of the shaft about its axis raises or lowers the breech
block G by sliding it up or down the breech frame. The walls of the breech frame
and the sides of the block are formed with grooves and projections AG which
serve as guides and bearing or resisting surfaces by which the block is securely
held against the breech.
One end of the shaft F projects beyond the side of the breech frame and has a
cam F secured upon the said projecting end. The said cam is an important feature
of our present invention. A raised portion 3 of its face is bevelled and inclined as
shown.
The edge of the said raised portion is shaped so that it has a plane surface at H
and another plane surface H inclined to the said portion H₁ and merging by the
curve H³ into a recess at H. I is an extension formed in one piece with the
cam F and provided with a hook 12 for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.
J is the aforesaid pin or bolt capable of sliding in its bearing in the cradle in a
direction transverse to the axis of the gun. The outer end of the said rod or bolt
is fitted with a handle J by which it may be actuated from the outside of the
cradle, and the inner end of the pin or bolt is preferably provided with an enlarged
head which serves as a stop. A spiral spring K surrounds the said pin or bolt
and is held between the head J2 thereof and a projection B forming part of the
transom B. The said spring exerts pressure upon the pin or bolt tending to force
it towards the cam F and, with the parts in the positions in which they are shown
in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 9 retains the head of the pin or bolt in contact with the face
of the raised portion F of the cam F
A lever I shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 apart from the gun is pivoted at L' to a
bracket formed upon one of the cheeks of the cradle. One end L2 of the said
lever is forked and engages with the rod J, and its opposite end L³ is bent
inward and provided with an upwardly extending projection which is bevelled as
shown in Figure 6.
The extractor comprises a pair of arms M each projecting from a boss or
collar M', the two bosses or.collars being carried upon a cross shaft N which turns.
in bearings in the gun. The said bosses or collars are free to rotate upon the
shaft N so that either part of the extractor may act independently of the other.
A claw M upon each arm engages with the rim of the cartridge when the same
is placed in the gun. Inclined surfaces M are formed upon the extractor as shown.
Studs G¹ on the breech block G will in the descent of the said block strike these
inclined surfaces and thereby operate the extractor to eject the spent cartridge
from the gun. According to our invention we provide the said extractor with an
arm M extended downward therefrom as shown so that in the movement of the
extractor about its pivot when the lever L has moved into a position herein-
after referred to, the end of the said arm may come into engagement with the

page_text: bevelled end L³ of the lever L, and move the latter for the purpose hereinafter
explained.
Projecting from the recoil-press cylinder P of the gun is a lug Q in which a
hole is bored to receive the long cylindrical nut or sleeve R which is screwed upon
one end of a rod S and may slide freely through the said hole. The other end of
the said rod S passes through a projection T formed upon the gun and the said
rod is connected by the link S to the cam an eye S being provided upon the
said rod for the purpose of engaging with the hook 12 upon the said cam.
A spring U is held in compression between the nut or sleeve R and the pro-
jection T. The amount of compression put upon the said spring may be readily
regulated by screwing the nut or sleeve R forward or backward upon the said
rod S.
If it be desired to disconnect the said link S¹ from engagement with the exten-
sion from the cam F2 in order to dismantle the gun it is only necessary to insert a
tool between the shoulder S3 on the rod S and the projection T on the gun and to
move the said rod slightly towards the rear when the eye S2 can be disengaged
from the hook 12. By unscrewing the nut or sleeve R from the rod S the spring U
may be removed and the rod S and link S withdrawn from the gun through the
hole T in the projection T. Considerable force is sometimes required to extract a
spent cartridge from the breech of the gun after it has been expanded tightly
thereinto by the force of the explosion. We therefore provide means whereby
the said spent cartridge may be slowly started from its position of rest, the
extractor being afterwards operated by the breech-block to eject the cartridge case
smartly from the gun in the usual manner. For this purpose we form upon each
arm M of the extractor a projection V extending into one of a pair of grooves W
in the breech-block each of which is widened at its upper end and there pro-
vided with a recess W One edge of the said groove is inclined upwardly and
rearwardly as at W2, for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained.
We will now proceed to describe the manner in which the said improved breech
mechanism operates, assuming to commence with, that the gun is loaded and that
the parts occupy the position in which they are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 9.
When the gun is fired, it recoils in the cradle and carries the cam F past the
head of the pin or bolt J. The spring K will retain the said pin or bolt in close
contact with the raised portion F3 of the cam, so that the pin or bolt will move
towards the cam F' as the bevelled portion H of the cam travels past it, and when
the cam has travelled rearwardly and is quite clear of it, the said pin or bolt will
be forced to such a distance towards the cam as to be in the path of the raised
portion of the cam in the return movement thereof in the running out of the gun.
The rod S the link S', the nut R, and the spring U, as well as the cam F2, partake of
the recoil movement of the gun, for the cylindrical portion of the nut or sleeve R
slides freely through the hole in the lug Qaud at the termination of the recoil
movement these parts will occupy the same positions relatively to each other as
they occupy in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 9 and the breech will remain closed.
Movement of the pin or bolt J into its extreme position as described will move
the lever L on its pivot L¹ so that the bevelled portion of its end L³ comes into
the path of the end of the downwardly extended arm M³ of the extractor.
During the running out of the gun the cam F returning therewith brings the
portion of its edge into contact with the head J of the pin or bolt so that
by the movement of the shaft F with the gun relatively to the head J the said
cam commences to rotate in the direction of the arrow (Figures 3 and 10) and
causes the breech block to descend until the breech is fully open.
In the downward movement of the breech block G the inclined portion W2 of
the groove W comes into contact with the projection V on the extractor arm, and
in the further descent of the block moves the extractor arins M to the rear and
causes them to start the empty case from the breech as herein before described.
The breech block continues to descend and the studs G¹ thereon strike the

page_text: inclines M on the extractor, whereupon the arms M will be jerked or moved
quickly to the rear to eject the cartridge and the projection V on each arm will
be brought over the recess W
By the time that the breech is fully open the cam F2 will have assumed the
position indicated in Figure 5 and the straight surface H thereof will be paralle!
with the direction of motion of the gun in the cradle consequently there will
be a pause in the rotation of the cam F while the said straight or plane
surface slides over the head J2 of the rod J and the descent of the breech
block G will cease.
During this pause in the rotation of the cam F2 the breech block G is retained
in its lowest position and the gun continues to run out. The maintenance of the
said block in its lowest position ensures that the studs G₁ shall bear upon the
inclined surfaces M of the extractor so that the lower end of the arm M³, which
at the moment when the breech block assumes its lowest position is to the rear of
the end L of the arm L, is kept well clear of the said end L³ until the extractor
arm M³ travelling with the gun is above the bevelled portion thereof. During this
period it is impossible for any rebound of the extractor to take place, and should
any rebound afterwards occur while the extractor moves from its lowest position
into that indicated in Figure 10 the only effect would be that the end of the
arm would strike the end of the lever 1. but would be prevented from
operating it owing to the resistance of the spring K to the movement of the pin or
bolt with which the opposite end of the lever L is connected. The cam then
moves further forward with the gun after the straight surface Hleaves the head .J²
of the pin J and the cam and shaft then begin to turn in the opposite direction and
slightly raise the breech block until the cam is brought to rest in the position
indicated in Figure 10 being held in this position by the head J in opposition to
the pull of the spring U. It will be obvious that during the said movement of
the cam into the position indicated in Figure 10 the movement of the cam and
consequently of the breech block will be gradual, owing to the curve of the portion H*
of the cam. During the rotation of the cam F and the shaft F in the direction
of the arrow the hook 12 on the extension 1 of the cam draws the rod S and the
link S towards the rear and moves the nut R towards the projection T causing the
said nut to compress the spring U.
In the slight return movement of rotation of the cam from the position indicated
in Figure 5 into the position shown in Figure 10 the compression of the spring U
is slightly relaxed but it maintains a pull upon the rod S and the link S which is
sufficient to cause the cam F and shaft F to turn in a direction opposite to that
of the arrow and into position to raise the breech block and close the breech if the
pin or bolt J be withdrawn from contact with the edge of the cam.
The pin or bolt J may be withdrawn from engagement with the cam F2 by hand,
by pulling the handle in a direction away from the gun, or automatically by the
contact of the rim of the cartridge with the claws M upon the extractor arms M
which as the cartridge is pushed home into the chamber will cause the downwardly
extended arm M of the extractor to descend in the vertical plane and to come
into contact with the bevelled end 13 of the lever L so as to move the said lever
in the horizontal plane upon its pivot L' and cause its opposite end L² to move the
rod transversely in its bearings against the resistance of the spring K and thereby
withdraw the head from the cam.
Te prevent the premature release of the breech block by the accidental contact
of a partially inserted charge with one of the two arms of the extractor the said
extractor and other parts of the apparatus hereinbefore described may be arranged
as follows, that is to say. The pin is controlled by two levers pivoted to the
cradle instead of by the one lever L hereinbefore described. One lever is pivoted
to each side of the cradle, and both levers are operated by one of the duplicate
parts of the extractor in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to the
operation of the lever L. Or we may arrange so that both of the said extractor
arms have a downwardly extending arm similar to the arm M each to operate one

page_text: of the said levers but we prefer that there should be only one of the said down-
wardly extending arms for the purpose specified. Each arm of the divided extractor
is provided with a projection which is situated and utilized in the same manner as
the projection V the extractor hereinbefore described and for another purpose for
which the projections upon the arms of the double extractor are in the descent of
the breech block brought over the recesses W' of the breech block so that should
either portion of the extractor be operated by an ingoing charge and actuate the
pin or bolt J to release the cam F2 the breech block will tend to rise owing to the
action of the spring U but will be retained by reason of the engagement of
the projection on the arm of the other portion of the extractor with the wall of
the recess W¹ in the manner illustrated in Figure 10. But as soon as the charge
is properly inserted in the chamber both of the extractor arms will be disengaged
from the breech block which by the action of the spring U will then complete its
upward movement to close the breech.
Thus by making the extractor in independent duplicate parts we obtain a very
efficient safety device.
It should be clearly understood that the cam upon the breech-block crank-shaft
and the transverse rod which slides in the carriage and by which the cam is
engaged may be in duplicate that is to say, one set of the mechanism with a
corresponding breech actuating spring may be arranged on each side of the gun so
that the said transversely sliding rods are actuated by any of the arrangements of
extractor herein before described.
The improvements hereinbefore described are applicable not only to a quick-
firing gun which recoils in a trunnioned cradle, but are applicable also to a
quick-firing gun trunnioned in a cradle which travels in slides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim:
In a quick-firing gun
First. The combination with the breech block, of a cam on the crank shaft
supported by and moving with the gun, and an adjustable stop or bolt J sup-
ported in bearings in the cradle, and operating substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Second. A cam having the peculiar construction or formation herein described
with reference to Figures 3, 5, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the drawings for the purpose
specified.
Third. The combination with the breech-block of a spring connected by a rod
or rods to the cam and compressed or compressible between a lug or projection on
the gun and a long nut or screw-threaded sleeve which is adjustable on the rod
and can slide end wise therewith through a bearing in another projection on the
gun substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The combination with the breech block, of a lever or levers arranged
to be actuated by the extractor arm or arms to operate the stop or bolt for
releasing the aforesaid cam substantially as herein before described and for the
purpose specified.
Fifth. The provision for automatically withdrawing the spring, stop or bolt
from the cam on the insertion of a cartridge by means of the extractor arm M'
arranged in combination with the lever for operating the said stop or bolt substan-
tially as described and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The modification of our invention whereby we provide for withdrawing
the stop or bolt by hand substantially as set forth.
Seventh. A breech block having grooves whose edges are inclined at a slight angle
to the direction of movement of the said block in combination with an extractor
which starts and ejects the spent cartridges and also operates as a locking
and releasing device substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purpose
*specified.

page_text: Eighth. The flat surface H' of the cam the pin or stop J, the breech block, the
bevelled end of the lever L and the extension M' of the extractor arranged in
combination and operating as and for the purpose specified.
Ninth. The combination of the flat surface H and the part H' of the cam
for the purpose specified.
Tenth. The breech mechanism consisting of parts such as are described with
reference to the accompanying drawings constructed, arranged and operating sub-
stantially as and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1891
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.