IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS." A communication from
abroad by David Kirkwood, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS." A communication from abroad by David Kirkwood, of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.
The first part of this Invention relates to that class of breech-loading guns, either
single or double barrelled, known as self-cocking breech-loading guns, in which the
hammer is automatically cocked upon the movement of the barrel to expose the
breech, and the trigger locked to prevent the accidental discharge of the gun.
According to my Invention the parts for effecting the self-cocking and for locking
the trigger are constructed in a more simple manner, are less likely to get out of
order, cheaper, and more easily worked than when constructed as heretofore.
The second part of the said Invention relates to an improved cartridge shell
cjector for breech-loading fire-arms. The ordinary cartridge-shell-extractor for
breech-loading shot guns is operated positively by the movement of the barrels, and
only partially forces out the shell from its chamber, after which the shell requires
to be removed by the hand; the latter operation consuming valuable time which
it is of great importance to save where rapidity of shooting is a desideratum. This
part of my said Invention has for its object to overcome this difficulty and enable the
shell to be thrown entirely out of its chamber by the ejector itself without the aid
of the band, the separate movement of which to remove the shell is thus dispensed
with, and to this end this portion of my Invention consists in an ejector operating
on guides or stems moving in lines parallel to the axis of the barrel, combined with
mechanism for giving it an accelerating movement outward, as hereinafter more
specially set forth.

page_text: My said Invention also consists in the combination with the cartridge-shell-
ejector, and its actuating spring, of a stop adapted to limit or modify the action of
the spring upon the ejector, or entirely prevent the spring from acting thereon
under certain circumstances, as hereinafter described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a double barrelled gun comprising the breech
and adjacent parts.
Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, with the side of
the breech removed, illustrating the construction of my Invention.
5
Figure 3 is a plan of a portion of the mechanism hereinafter described.
Figure 4 is a detail view of the sear and locking bar.
Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 2.
1
Figure 6 is a detail view representing the method of attaching the hammer to
the lug on the breech end of the barrel.
1
Figure 8 represents in elevation a modified arrangement for operating the
locking bar.
Figure 7 represents the hammer and sear in elevation.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of a breech-loading
shot gun having my improved cartridge-shell-ejector applied thereto, the breoch
being closed.
Figure 10 is a similar section with the parts in a different position.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the ejector and its operative mechanism.
Figure 12 is an elevation of the scar ends of the barrels with the ejector applied
thereto.
2
Figure 13 is a detail view representing the stop which is applied to the 2
cartridge shell ejector to render its spring inoperative or modify its action when
desired.
Figure 14 is a view of the stop and its operating lever detached.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 6, 7, and 8 A represents the barrel or barrels. It or they
is or are hinged or pivotted at a to the breech-piece B to tilt downwardly at the 3
muzzle and upwardly at the breech; C is the hammer. It is pivotted at c to the
. breech-piece, and its arm-c' bears at its end a horizontal pin or spur c³ that projects
upon the shoulder c³ forined on the locking lug c attached to the part c of the
barrel. This shoulder is formed by cutting a recess in the side of the lug or by
attaching a flat piece to its bottom, or in any other desirable manner. The hammer 3
bears near its striking end a tumbler-catch co, which is adapted to engage with the.
sear-nose c on the sear E. The trigger and trigger-spring may be of ordinary
construction, or the sear may be in one piece with the trigger; F is the hammer-
spring. The connection between its end f and the hammer is effected by means of
a toggle f', which enters a tapering slot f' in the hammer at the rear of the 4
pivot c.
The end of the slot should extend a trifle beyond a horizontal line drawn from
the pivot, and when uncocked the end of the toggle should not extend quite to this
borizontal line in order that provision for the easy play of the toggle may be
provided. Any suitable spring for giving motion to the hammer may be used in 4
lieu of this, but I prefer a construction that employs a swivel toggle or other loose
connection between the end of the spring and the hammer.
The operation of this part of my Invention is as follows:-Upon unlocking the
barrel it is turned downwardly at the muzzle, thereby lifting the breech and lug c,
causing the hammer C to be moved on its pivot sufficiently to enable the tumbler- 5
catch to engage the scar-nose. The connection between the arm c¹ of the hammer
and the lug is such that sufficient play is allowed to the pin projecting on the
shoulder while the breech is being moved upwardly, and to ease this movement
the shoulder may be made higher at its outer end, as represented in Figure 2, in
order that the surface on which the pin bears may be somewhat inclined when in a 5

page_text: horizontal position. Upon the downward movement of the breech the shoulder c³
is disengaged from the pin or spur, and the hammer is tripped upon, releasing
the trigger in the usual manner. For a double-barrelled gun these parts are
duplicated.
The device for locking the trigger before the cocking of the hammer consists in
the sliding bar G, one end of which projects into a recess g in the side of the
stud g, which is operated by the top lever g in retracting the bolt II from the
locking lugs. This recess is of such a shape that upon the partial revolution of the
stud the shoulder g³, which forms one side thereof, acts to move the bar horizontally,
thereby causing it to move the locking bar G¹ sufliciently to shut upon the
trigger or sear. In lieu of the recess in the stud the stud may have an arm or
pin projecting therefrom, as shown in Figure 3, for effecting the movement of the
sliding bar. The bar has a slot and a screw-stud go, which passes through the
slot in the sliding bar, fastens it to the strap-portion of the breech-piece, and
allows the bar to slide to a limited extent. There is a loose connection between
the locking bar and sliding bar. The locking bar is attached to the pivot g²,
which bears at its outer end the side lever gs. The trigger g' may have a notch h,
over which the locking bar G₁ is moved when tripped, thereby allowing the
trigger to be moved upwardly, or it may be moved beyond the end of the trigger.
In Figure 4 I show a modification in construction, whereby the locking-bar is
adapted to lock the sear instead of the trigger.
In case the friction of the parts should not be sufficient to maintain the locking
bar in position on the trigger or sear after the top lever has moved back to its
original position, a spring go of sufficient strength to maintain it in that position, but
not sufficiently strong to return it to that position when the side lever g³ is moved
to disengage the locking bar, may be used, or the side lever g³ may be made to
bear against a side plate with suflicient stress to keep the locking bar in position.
The operation of this part of my said Invention is as follows, that is to say :-
Upon moving the top lever to withdraw the locking bolt the bar G is moved
sufficiently to throw the locking bar G' into a position to lock the trigger or scar,
and the locking bar remains in that position after the top lever has returned to its
original position and until it is moved therefrom by the side lever g³. The simplicity
of this construction and its advantages are obvious.
In order to engage the barrel with the hammer when it is down or uncocked, the
construction of the arm c¹ of the hammer, its pin, and the shoulder on the lug may
be such that the shoulder may engage with the pin during the downward movement
of the barrel, in which event the arm c¹ must be made thinner so as to become a
spring, and yield laterally in relation to the shoulder to allow it to pass by the pin
on the hammer-arm, but I do not confine myself to this construction.
I do not confine myself to the above described connection of the hammer-arm c¹
with the lug c, but may connect it by a loose joint, having the characteristics of
the joint herein described, to any part of the breech of the gun that shall have a
movement of any description in relation to the hammer, to move it sufficiently to
engage with the scar-nose, and for the purposeof operating the locking bar G¹. I do
Dot confine myself to the mechanism shown, but may use any suitable mechanism
employed for locking the barrel to the stock which has to be moved by hand in
unlocking the barrel, so that the latter may be unlocked from the breech piece and
the locking bar operated by one movement of a lever, push knob, or button.
The construction and operation of my improved cartridge-shell-ejector will now
be described.
In Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Drawing, A10 represents the breech-
piece of a shot gun, to which the barrels B10 are pivoted at a¹0 in a well known
manner, in order that their rear ends may be swung up out of their firing position
to receive the cartridges, and on the under side of the barrels are the usual lugs or
projections b¹o, c10, which fit into corresponding slots in the breech-piece A¹. D¹º is
the cartridge-shell-ejector, the face plate 20 of which fits as usual into a recess at
the rear ends of the barrels, and is provided with a rod or shank d¹º adapted to

page_text: slide longitudinally in an opening beneath the barrels made to receive it. 15 a
pin which projects up from the breech-piece A" near the joint pin al in such a
position that as the rear ends of the barrels are thrown up it is brought as usual into
contact with the end 25 of the shank or rod 10 of the ejector, which is thus by the
first part of the movement of the barrels forced outward with a positivo motion,
which serves to start or loosen and partially withdraw the empty shell C¹º, and as
the shank or rod 10 continues to move outward, an inclined shoulder or projection 15
on its side is brought into a position to be acted upon by the end 16 of a short
lever glo, against which rests a powerful spring 10, the force of which is thus
brought to bear upon the ejector, by which means a sudden outward movement or
impulse is given thereto, which causes it to instantly eject or throw out the shell entirely
clear of the barrel as soon as the rear end of the latter is sufficiently elevated to
allow the shell to clear the face of the breech-piece, this ejection of the shell being
thus accomplished without any assistanco whatever from the hand, which is a very
important advantage wherever extreme rapidity of firing is required. When the
ejector is forced back to its normal position, as seen in Figure 9, the end 16 of the
lever g10 rests against the under side of the rod do, which produces the maximum
tension on the spring h¹º.
If a spring were relied upon solely to operate the ejector so as to start and throw
out the cartridge-shell clear of the barrel, one of sufficient power would be required
to overcome with certainty under all circumstances the resistance produced by tho
sticking or friction of an exploded shell within its chamber, and a spring of such
power would seriously interfere with the closing of the gun; whereas by actuating
the ejector primarily with a positive motion, as described, a powerful leverage is
first exerted to start and partially dislodge the shell from its chamber, rendering it
possible to employ a spring for completing the movement of the ejector and
automatically throwing out the shell of much less power than would otherwise be
required, which spring will not in any way interfere with the ready closing of the
gun.
This construction embodies the positive and spring movements of the ejector,
producing the desired result in the most perfect and satisfactory manner, and avoids
all of the inconvenience and delay experienced in fire-arms of this description where
the ordinary extractor is employed.
Instead of the lever or end of the spring acting upon a shoulder or projection 15
on the side of the shank or rod 0, it may be so constructed and arranged as to act
directly upon the end thereof, and if desired the ends of the shank do and the
shoulder 15 may be square or rounded instead of inclined, as shown. Instead of a flat
spring a spiral spring may be employed if desired to actuate the shank of the
ejector without departing froin the spirit of my Invention.
As it is not always desirable that the cartridge-shell should be ejected clear of the
gun, as, for instance, when the sportsman is in a boat, which might cause the loss of
the shells, I overcome this difficulty by employing a stop, which acts upon the
ejector, and may be thrown in and out of action by a lever operated from the
outside of the gun or otherwise, this stop serving to modify or entirely prevent the
sudden outward impulse given by the spring which operates the ejector, so that
the latter may have a positive movement only, as in ordinary breech-loading
guns, or receive a greater or less powerful impulse from the spring to throw out the
cartridge-shell with more or less force as may be desired. One method of
accomplishing this is shewn in Figures 13 and 14, in which a stud or short shaft A¹²
is applied to the "fore part" of the stock, and provided outside thereof with a short
lever b12, which may be easily operated by the hand. The stud A¹² is provided on
its inner face with a hock or projection c¹², which, as the stud is partially revolved
by the lever b, projects or extends over the spring 10 in such a manner as to
prevent it from acting upon the lever g10 and imparting a sudden impulse to the
ejector. By turning this lever b12 more or less the projection c¹ can be made to
limit the throw of the spring to a greater or less extent, so as to cause the shells to
be expelled with more or less force.

page_text: Instead of the stop being made to operate upon the spring 10 which actuates the
ejector, it may be so arranged as to act upon the stem or rod 10 of the ejector, and
thus limit the outward motion or throw thereof, or the stop may be so constructed
as to limit the downward movement of the barrels, so that the ejector will not be
moved outward sufficiently far or to that point where the spring is allowed to impart
an outward impulse thereto. I do not therefore limit nyself to the particular
construction of the stop or the manner in which it is applied, as this may be
modified in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit of my Invention,
so long as the stop limits or modifies the action of the spring upon the ejector or
entirely prevents the spring from having any influence or action thereon.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it to be
understood that I do not claim actuating a cartridge-shell-ejector positively by
bringing it into contact with a pin or projection during the movement of the
barrels, neither do I clain broadly operating an ejector by means of a spring, as this
part of my Invention only relates to a peculiar combination of the two methods
under certain conditions whereby the desired result is attained in a simple and
economical manner. I am also aware that an accelerating cartridge extractor is not
broadly new, such an extractor having heretofore been used in rifled arms with a
Bwinging breech-block and rotating extractor, but I claim,-.
First. In a break-down self-cocking gun, the hammer having a projection or
pin in combination with the locking lug provided with a shoulder, whereby the
locking lug acts directly on the hammer-arm, substantially as above set forth.
Second. In a break-down self-cocking gun a trigger-locking device G' in com-
bination with and operated by the barrel-locking lever and sliding bar, substantially
as above described.
Third. The combination of the trigger, the locking bar adapted to be
automatically set in locking the trigger, as described, and the side lever for
tripping said locking bar, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
Fourth. The ejector provided with a stem sliding in a line parallel to the axis of
the barrel, and having the offset or shoulder 15 in combination with the rocking
lever glo, spring 10, and pin f10, all constructed, arranged, and operated as above set
forth.
Fifth. The combination with the cartridge-shell-ejector and its actuating spring
of a stop adapted to limit or modify the action of the spring upon the ejector, or
entirely prevent the spring from acting thereon, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hercunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand night lundead and night..
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)