IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Powell, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
Sealed the 25th July 1876, and dated the 7th February 1876..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Powell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th February 1876.
WILLIAM POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
My Invention consists of the combinations or arrangements of parts herein-after
described for fastening down and releasing the barrels of breech-leading small-arms
of the kind called drop-down guns, and also for drawing the faces of the breech
ends of the said barrels to and holding them closely against the face of the
break-off.
For the purpose of fastening down and releasing the barrels of the said guns I
arrange and work a cross bolt in the following manner I place the cross bolt in a
mortice or opening made across the break-off, a vertical recess in the middle of the
break-off opening into the said mortice. Into this vertical recess a lump on the
face of the breech ends of the barrels takes when the barrels are shut down. Near
the middle of the cross bolt is a recess, one side of which is inclined or bevilled.
When the cross bolt is in its normal position the inclined side of its recess crosses
or nearly crosses the vertical recess in the break-off, so that when the barrels are
shut down a bevil or incline on the edge of the lump on the face of the said barrels
bears against the said incline or bevil on the cross bolt, and pushes back the said
bolt until the barrels have been completely shut down, when the said bolt snaps or
seats itself upon the top or seat of the lump and fastens down the barrels.
The cross bolt is withdrawn and its snapping action effected by the following
arrangements of parts:-On the tang of the break-off is a top lever, the axis of
which passes through the tang, and its lower end carries a horizontal arm, which
takes into a slot in the back face of the cross bolt. A V or double spring, bearing
on a shoulder on the horizontal arm near the axis on which it is fixed, gives the
snapping action to the bolt, and maintains the top or hand lever in its normal
position on the tang. By turning aside the top or hand lever the bolt is acted
upon through the horizontal arm described, and the bolt is withdrawn from off the
seat or top of the lump. The barrels are thereby unfastened, and their breech ends
may be raised for charging.
Instead of a top lever the cross bolt may be worked by a side lever, or a lever on
the under side of the gun."

page_text: My arrangement of parts for drawing the faces of the breech ends of the barrels
to and holding them tightly against the face of the break-off' is as follows:-In the
recess in the top of the break-off in which the prolonged rib between the barrels
takes when the said barrels are shut down I make a projecting stud or small lump,
having by preference a cylindrical figure in cross section, and I make in the
prolonged rib a hole or opening of a corresponding figure. The said projecting stud
or lump on the break-off and the hole or opening in the prolonged rib are curved,
the curves being struck from the axis or joint on which the barrels turn. When
the barrel are nearly shut down, the curved hole in the prolonged rib engages with
or hooks itself upon the curved stud or lump in the recess in which it seats itself,
and on the complete shutting down of the barrels the faces of the said barrels are
drawn to and held tightly against the face of the break-off by the joint action of
the inclined sides of the hole or opening and stud or lump described.
'SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Powell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th July
1876.
WILLIAM POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
My Invention consists of the combinations or arrangements of. parts herein-after
described for fastening down and releasing the barrels of breech-loading small-
arms of the kind called drop-down guns, and also for drawing the faces of the
breech ends of the said barrels to and holding them closely against the face of the
break-off.
For the purpose of fastening down and releasing the barrels of the said guns I
arrange and work a cross bolt in the following manner:-I place the cross bolt in a
mortice or opening made across the break-off, a vertical recess in the middle of the
break-off opening into the said mortice. Into this vertical recess a lump on the
face of the breech ends of the barrels takes when the barrels are shut down. Near
the middle of the cross bolt is a recess, one side of which is inclined or bevilled.
When the cross bolt is in its normal position the inclined side of its recess crosses
or nearly crosses the vertical recess in the break-off, so that when the barrels are
shut down a bevil or incline on the edge of the lump on the face of the said barrels
bears against the said incline or bevil on the cross bolt, and pushes back the said
bolt until the barrels have been completely shut down, when the said bolt snaps or
seats itself upon the top or seat of the lump and fastens down the barrels.
The cross bolt is withdrawn and its snapping action effected by the following
arrangements of parts:-On the tang of the break-off' is a top lever, the axis of
which passes through the tang, and its lower end carries a horizontal arm, which
takes into a slot in the back face of the cross bolt. A V or double spring bearing
on a shoulder on the horizontal arm near the axis on which it is fixed gives the
snapping action to the bolt, and maintains the top or hand lever in its normal
position on the tang. By turning aside the top or hand lever the bolt is acted upon
through the horizontal arm described, and the bolt is withdrawn from off the seat
or top of the lump. The barrels are thereby unfastened, and their breach ends may
be raised for charging.
Instead of a top lever the cross bolt may be worked by a side lever or a lever on
the under side of the gun.
My arrangement of parts for drawing the faces of the breech ends of the barrels
to and holding them tightly against the face of the break-off is as follows:-In the
recess in the top of the break-off in which the prolonged rib between the barrels
takes when the said barrels are shut down I make a projecting stud or small lump,
having by preference a cylindrical figure in cross section, and I make in the
prolonged rib a hole or opening of a corresponding figure. The said projecting stud

page_text: more of open
the prolonged rm are curved,
When
the curves being struck from the axis or joint on which the barrels turn.
the barrels are nearly shut down, the curved hole in the prolonged rib engages with
or hooks itself upon the curved stud or lump in the recess in which it seats itself,
and on the complete shutting down of the barrels the faces of the said barrels are
drawn to and held tightly against the face of the break-off by the joint action of
the inclined sides of the hole or opening and stud or lump described.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan the breech end of a drop-down gun containing
mechanism constructed according to my Invention for fastening down the barrels
of the gun, and for drawing the faces of the breech ends of the barrels to and
holding them against the face of the break-off, the stock, lock, and other parts of
the gun being omitted; Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same,
partly in elevation.
Figure 3 represents the body of the gun partly in horizontal section and partly
in plan, and exhibits the mechanism for working the bolt; and Figure 4 represents
a cross section of the body taken at the face of the break-off.
Figure 5 represents the fastening bolt detached.
Figure 6 represents in plan and longitudinal section the breech end of the
barrels and Figure 7 represents in longitudinal section and plan a portion of the
break-off of the gun, the said Figures 6 and 7 exhibiting my arrangement for
drawing the faces of the barrels. to and holding them against the face of the
break-off.
I will first describe the fastening down mechanism.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
is the cross bolt working in a mortice or opening made in the break-off b. The
motion of the said cross bolt is limited by the fixed pine working in the slot d in
the said bolt. A vertical recess e in the middle of the break-off bopens into the
mortice in which the cross bolt a slides (sec Figures 3 and 4). Near the middle of
the cross bolt a is a recess f, the side of which is curved or inclined (see the
separate views of the bolt, Figure 5). When the cross bolt a is in its normal
position, that is, in the position represented in the Drawing, the curved or inclined
side of the recess fin it nearly crosses the vertical recess e in the break-off b;
g is the lump on the face of the breech ends of the barrels h. The lump g when
the barrels are shut down takes into the vertical recess e in the break-off, and the
inclined edge of the said lump (see Figure 2) bearing against the bevilled or
curved side of the slot f in the said bolt pushes back the said bolt, the said bolt
sliding transversely in its mortice, and on the barrels reaching their closed position
the said bolt snaps or seats itself upon the top or seat of the lump g, as represented
in Figure 2, and thereby fastens down the barrels.
The bolt a is withdrawn to unfasten the barrels for reloading, and the snapping
action of the bolt effected on shutting down the barrels in the following way:-i is
a top lever on the tang of the break-off, the said lever having a side or horizontal
motion. The axis of the said top lever passes through the tang l, and its lower
end carries a horizontal arm or tumbler m, working in a horizontal slot in the
break-off b, the said arm m taking into a recess n in the back face of the cross
bolt a (see Figure 3). By means of the V or double spring p bearing on a shoulder
on the arm or tumbler m the snapping action of the bolt a is effected, and the top or
hand lever i maintained in its normal position on the tang. On turning aside the
top or hand lever i in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 the bolt <<
is moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 by the action of the
arm or tumbler m upon it. By this movement of the bolt the solid part of the
said bolt is withdrawn from off the seat or top of the lump g, and the barrels are
unfastened, the recess in the bolt being made to coincide with the lump g, and
also with the vertical recess e in the break-off. The lump g can now be lifted

page_text: through the vertical recess e, and the breech'ends of the barrels raised for charging.
On shutting down the barrels the bolt a is first pushed back by the edge of the
lump g, and afterwards made to snap upon the seat of the said lump by the action
of the spring p, and the barrels are fastened down as before explained.
In working the bolt a froh tlie under side of the gun a vertical axis is passed
from the under side of the gun, and has at its bottom a thumb plate, and near its
upper end a horizontal arm, similar to the arm m, but shorter, which arm takes
into the back of the bolt.. By imoving aside the thumb plate at the under side of
the gun the bolt a is withdrawn, and the barrels unfastened.
In working the bolt a from the side of the gun I use a cranked lever having a
vertical motion. The external arm or thumb plate of the lever is situated against
the side of the body, and the short internal cranked arm is situated nearly vertically
in the break-off, and takes into a recess in the under side of the bolt. By depressing
the external arm or thumb plate of the lever the cranked inner arm withdraws the
bolt and unfastens the barrels.
I will now describe my arrangement of parts for drawing the faces of the breech
ends of the barrels to and holding them against the face of the break-off.
g is the
projecting rib between and at the breech ends of the barrels, the said rib q taking
into a recess of a corresponding shape in the top of the break-off b. In the
recess is a projecting nearly cylindrical stud or small lump 8, and in the prolonged
rib q is a hole or opening t of a corresponding shape. The stud or lump 8 and the
hole or opening t in the prolonged rib q are curved, the curves being struck from
the axis or joint on which the barrels turn. When the barrels are nearly
shut down, the curved hole in the prolonged rib q engages with or hooks itself
upon the curved stud or lumps on the break-off, and on the complete shutting
down of the barrels the inclined sides of the hole or opening t acting against the
inclined sides of the stud or lump 8 draw the faces of the barrels to and hold
them tightly against the break-off b, as will be understood by an examination of
Figure 2.
.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my In-
vention,
First. The improvements in fastening down the barrels of drop-down guns,
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
the arrangement of the cross bolt working in the break-off of the gun and taking
upon a lump at the face of the barrels, in combination with the mechanism
described and illustrated for working the said bolt either from the tang of the
break-off or from the side or under side of the gun.
Secondly. The arrangement or combination of parts, herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, for drawing the faces of the barrels of
drop-down guns to and holding them firmly against the face of the break-off, that
is to say, by means of a carved hole or opening in the prolonged rib between the
barrels engaging with or taking upon a curved stud or projection on the top of the
break-off.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Powell, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand night laindua
Witness.
HENRY SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM POWELL. (L.S.)