IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTIONS OF DROP BLOCK BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
"
19
I HENRY GARDNER of 166 Fleet Street in the city of London Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTIONS OF DROP BLOCK BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS.
A communication to me from abroad by Jacques Phillippe Pieri of 16 Rue Monge
Paris, France, Gentleman,
This invention relates to certain combinations, positions, and operations of
details of the "actions" of drop block breech loading fire arms, whereby a more
efficient manipulation of the opening, the extraction of the empty cartridge cases,
the loading, and the closing are effected.
The invention is intended to overcome the many inconveniences that are known
to exist in the "system Martini.”
The features of novelty in this invention are:—
1. Forming a step or shoulder in the neck of an extractor for temporarily
arresting the upward motion of the closing (breech) block and thereby keeping the
gun open until a charge is being inserted into the barrel, the block being then free
to rise and close the breech opening under the action of a spring.
2. Forming a nose or projection on or in the cheek of the closing lever which
nose can be set opposite a detent or wing of the trigger to prevent the trigger
being moved accidently or otherwise when the arm is at the "safety" position.
3. Forming an extra notch in the cheek of the closing lever for the detent or
wing of the trigger to enter when the arm has to be discharged.
4. Forming a wing or projecting detent at the back and part of the trigger, to
serve as an abutment against the closing lever for safety purposes when the arm is
loaded.
5. Fitting a sliding bolt, which can be set in the path of the closing lever to
prevent it going home.
6. The combination of the above features of novelty in or to the same drop block
breech loading fire arm, whether as a single arm, or as a magazine or repeater drop
block breech loading fire arm.
7. Arranging a magazine tube below the barrel to hold cartridges in reserve said
cartridges in succossion being partially withdrawn by the extractor while an empty
one is leaving the barrel.

page_text: Ine icatures of novelty in this invention are
1- Forming-a-step-or-shoulder in the neck of an extractor for temporarilly
arresting the upward motion of the closing (breech) block and thereby keeping the
gun open until a chargo-is-being-inserted-into-the barrel, the block being then free
to rise and close the breech opening under the action of a spring.
2 Forming a nose or projection on or in the cheek of the closing lever which
nose can be set opposite a detent or wing of the trigger to prevent the triggor
being moved accidentally or otherwise when the arm is at the "safety" position.
3 Forming an extra notch in the cheek of the closing lever for the detent or
wing of the trigger to enter when the arm has to be discharged.
4 Forming a wing or projecting detent at the back and part of the trigger to
serve as an abutment against the closing lever for safety purposes when the arm is
loaded.
i,
6 Fitting a sliding bolt, which can be set in the path of the closing lever to
prevent it going home.
6 The combination of the above features of novelty in or to the same drop. block
breech loading fire arm, whether as a single arm or as a magazine or repeater drop
block breech loading fire arm.
7 Arranging a magazino tube below the barrel to hold cartridges in reserve said
cartridges in succession being partially withdrawn by the extractor while an empty
one is leaving the barrel.
This invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 shows the breech portion of a small arm with the opening lever thrown
down and the nose of the block on the tail of the extractor which it has struck
with sufficient force to withdraw and eject the empty cartridge case.
-
Figure 2 shows the breech action in the same position. as at Figure 1 but with
the nose of the block caught under the shoulder formed in the neck of the extractor
to prevent the block rising until the flange of the cartridge has been pushed home
which notion pushes the extractor into its recess and releases the nose of the block
which rises simultaneously under the automatic closing action of the lever by the
main spring the arm being then ready for firing as shown at Figure 3.

page_text: In the sectional view Figure 4 a plate under the stock is pushed into the path of
the opening lever the trigger being so locked by contact with the body of the lever
as to prevent accidental discharge.
Figures 5 and 6 show the same invention slightly modified to suit a magazine
rifle a fresh cartridge being partially drawn out of the magazino simultaneously
with the extraction and ejection of the empty cartridge caso.
For the purpose of this invention I form a step or shoulder A on the neck B of
the extractor so that when the lever C is thrown down in a forward direction the
breech block D is pulled down. This allows the spring K to throw the head B of
the extractor outwards which motion removes the empty cartridge case partially
from the barrel F. The end of the block then forcibly strikes against the tail
piece E of the extractor and rapidly ejects the empty cartridge case clear of the
gun. The spring G is put into tension by this movement and the hammer I cocked,
the nose J of the sear K engaging in the notch L under the action of the spring M.
as shown at Figure 1 of the annexed drawings. On the release of the lever C the
spring G causes the lever to partially return and the front end N of the block D to
rise until it abuts against the shoulder or step A of the extractor by which the
block is held as seen at Figure 2 of the drawings, a fresh_cartridge is then slid
along the breech block D and as it enters the barrel F, the flange P presses against
the extractor B and the force exerted to insert the cartridge into the barrel F pushes
the extractor homo, this releases the block D from the notch A and the spring G
compels the lever C to return to its normal position and the block D at the same
instant to be closed by the head R of the lever C riding against the curve S by tho
rebound of the spring G. The movements thus effected have no influence on the
hammer I or sear K, tho springs T and M still keeping them in the firing position
ready for the trigger U to be pulled back for discharging the gun as shown at
Figure 3 of the drawings.
When the hammer I is forced up to full cock its head V rubs against a spring W
and causes a button X to be exposed above the level of the stock Y to indicate that
the hammer is cocked.
To enable the gun to be set at "safety" I fit a sliding bolt a to the under side
of the stock Y so that when the bolt is pushed forward as at Figure 4 it prevents
the lever C going close to the stock. This action causes a projection b on the
cheek c of the lever C to come opposite a nose-pieco or wing d formed at the back
of the trigger U as at Figure 4.
The sliding bolt a is governed by a spring e which holds the bolt a at the
backward or at the forward position.
Figures 5 and 6 represent a repeater or magazine gun furnished with my before
mentioned improvements and with a supply of cartridges in a lower barrel or tube f
from which by the extractor B the cartridges g in succession are withdrawn at each
opening of the breech block D said block D having a greater travel downwards
within the box h so that the extractor not only withdraws, and ejects an empty
cartridge case, but removes a full cartridge from the magazine f sufficiently far to
enable it to be caught hold of and withdrawn by the thumb of the person using the
gun and be then lifted and inserted into the barrel F as before explained, the
spring G at this instant returning the block D and lever C to the first position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1 Forming a step or shoulder A in the neck of the extractor B for temporarilly
arresting the up or closing motion of the block D and thereby keeping the gun in
an open position as and for the purpose described.
2 The nose or projection b on the cheek c of the lever C as described.
3 The wing projection or detent d at the back of the trigger U as described.
4 The sliding bolt a fitted and arranged for the purpose explained,

page_text: 5 The combination of the various appliances and their method of action as and
for the purposes described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the annexed
drawings.
;
6 The construction and arrangement of magazine or repeater gun as described
with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the annexed drawings.
ו
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SAA