AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Collins, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, and William Pountney, of Birmingham
aforesaid, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Collins and
William Pountney at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with.
their Petition, on the 8th August 1864.
We, WILLIAM COLLINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun
Manufacturer, and WILLIAM POUNTNEY, of Birmingham aforesaid, Gun
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention has reference, to such breech-loading fire-arms as are
commonly called drop-down or snap guns, that is, guns in which the barrels
turn in a vertical plane upon a joint situated at the fore end of the body, the
open breech ends of the barrels being held firmly against the face of the
break during discharge, and raised from the said break-off for charging.

page_text: Our Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts
herein-after explained for, locking down the barrels of the said fire-arms for
discharge and for unlocking them for charging. We lock or fasten down the
barrels by means of a cylindrical bolt situated transversely in the body of the
break-off. The said bolt is worked and pressed inwards by means of a hori-
zontal lever situated on the side of the gun or in a recess or depression in the
side of the gun. The said lever has motion in a horizontal plane, the end
of one arm of the said lever being jointed to the outer end of the bolt, and
the other arm being formed into a finger plate. The locking bolt is pressed
inwards by means of a spring acting on the outer or free end of the lever.
When the bolt is pressed inwards its free end either passes through the body
-into-the-opening in the said body, which receives the lump on the barrels
when the barrels are shut down, or engages with a recess in the said lump.
By pressing upon the finger plate of the lever the bolt can be moved out-
wards. The recess or opening in the lump is of a nearly cylindrical figure,
and of a size proper to receive the cylindrical locking bolt, the said recess
being situated in that end of the said lump. nearest the face of the break-off.
The free or inner end of the said locking bolt is bevilled or inclined on its
upper side, and that side of the lump on the barrels which acts upon the said
end of the bolt is also inclined. When the barrels are shut down after loading
-the bevilled side of the lump acts against the bevilled end of the bolt, and
forces the said bolt out of the opening in the body into which the lump shuts
down. When the barrels have been shut down to their fullest extent, the
opening or recess in the lump is brought immediately opposite the end of the
bolt, and the said bolt by the action of the lever springs or snaps into the lump
and fastens down the barrels firmly against the face of the break-off. By
pressing upon the finger plate of the lever the end of the bolt can be with-
drawn from the recess in the lump-so as to unlock the barrels, and the said
barrels are then at liberty to be raised for charging. In acting upon the lever
..to unfasten the barrels the band need not be removed from the position in
which it supports the gun in firing. The lever by which the locking bolt is
worked may be situated on the right or left hand side of the gun. We prefer
to place the lever so that the greater part of it is flush or nearly flush with
the side of the gun, the finger plate of the lever projecting only a short
distance from the gun. Guns provided with our Invention may be fired by
the use of pin cartridges or by the use of percussion caps.
Our Invention may be applied to single and double barrelled fire-arms.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Collins and William Pountney in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
COLLINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer,
and WILLIAM POUNTNEY, of Birmingham aforesaid, Gun Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Collins and William Pountney, Her special licence that we, the
said William Collins and William Pountney, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Collins and William
Pountney, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter.
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Collins and William Pountney,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and. seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Pountney, on. behalf of
myself and the said William Collins, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:
Our Invention has reference to such breech-loading fire-arms as are
commonly called drop-down or snap guns, that is, guns in which the barrels
turn in a vertical plane upon a joint situated at the fore end of the body, the
open breech ends of the barrels being held firmly against the face of the
break-off during discharge, and raised from the said break-off for charging.
Our Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts

page_text: herein-after explained for locking down the barrels of the said fire-arms for
discharge, and for unlocking them for charging. We lock or fasten down the
barrels by means of a cylindrical or taper bolt situated transversely in the
body of the break-off. The said bolt is worked and pressed inwards by means
of a horizontal lever situated on the side of the gun, or in a recess or depres-
sion in the side of the gun. The said lever has motion in a horizontal.plane,
the end of: one. arm of the said lever being jointed to the outer end. of the bolt,
and the end of the other arm being formed into a finger plate. The locking
bolt is pressed inwards by means of a spring acting on the outer or free end
of the lever. When the: bolt is pressed inwards its free end either passes
through the body.into the opening in the said body, which receives the lump
on.the barrels: when the barrels are shut down or engages with a. recess in the
said lump. By pressing upon the finger plate of the lever the bolt can be
moved outwards. The recess or opening in the Jump is of a nearly cylindrical
figure,.and.of a size proper to receive the cylindrical or taper locking bolt, the
said recess being situated in that end of the said lump nearest the face of the
break-off. The free. or. inner end of the said locking bolt is bevilled or
inclined on its upper side, and that side of the lump on the barrels which
acts: upon the: said. end: of the bolt is also inclined. When the barrels are shut
down after loading. the bevilled side of the lump acts against the bevilled end
of the bolt, and forces the said bolt out of the opening in the body into which
the lump.shuts down.. When the barrels have been shut down to their fullest
extent the opening or recess in the lump is brought immediately opposite the
end of the bolt, and the said bolt by the action of the lever springs or snaps
into. the lump and fastens down the barrels firmly against the face of the
break-off. By pressing upon the finger plate of the lever the end of the bolt
can be: withdrawn from the recess in the lump so as to unlock the barrels, and
the said barrels are then. at liberty to be raised for charging. In acting upon
the lever to unfasten the barrels the hand need not be removed from the
position in, which it supports the gun in firing. The lever by which the
locking bolt is worked may be situated on the right or left hand side of the gun.
We prefer to place the lever so that the greater part of it is flush or nearly
flush: with the side of the gun, the finger plate of the lever projecting only a
short distance from the gun. Guns provided with our Invention may be fired
by the use of pin cartridges or by the use of percussion caps.
Our Invention may be applied to single and double barrelled fire-arms..
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing 'the manner in which the same
is to be performed..
.
1

page_text: Figure 1 represents in side elevation a double-barrelled breech-loading gun,
the mechanism for fastening down and releasing the barrels of the said 'gun
being constructed according to our Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the body
and break-off of the said gun; Figure 3 is a side elevation, and Figure 4
an end elevation of the barrels separately; Figure 5 represents separately in
side elevation the fastening bolt and the lever by which it is worked.. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each Figure of. the
Drawing.
a are the barrels of the gun turning in the usual manner on a joint on the
fore part of the body of the gun; b is the break-off,. and c the body of the
gun. In the said body c a taper or nearly cylindrical bolt d works the said
bolt, being situated transversely in the body c. The said bolt d is worked and
pressed inwards by means of a horizontal levere turning on a centre f in the
body c. The bolt d and levere work in a recess f² in the side of the gun;
the said recess being of a size proper to permit of the necessary motions of
the said bolt and lever. The bolt d and lever e are shown separately. in
Figure 5. The end of the long arm of the lever e is jointed at g to the
outer end of the locking bolt d, and the end of the other arm of the
lever is made into a finger plate 63, which projects a short distance from
the side of the gun when the bolting mechanism is in its normal position,
the other part of the lever and the end of the bolt d being within the
recess f, in which they work in the side of the gun, as illustrated in Figures
1 and 2. The locking bolt d is pressed inwards by the action of the spring h
bearing on the short arm of the lever e, see Figure 2. When the bolt dis
pressed inwards by the action of the lever e it either passes through the body c
into the opening i, which receives the lump k on the under side of the breech
ends of the barrels, as represented in Figure 2, or engages in the recess / in
the said lump k when the barrels are shut down, as herein-after explained.
The recess in the lump k is of a taper or nearly cylindrical figure, and is
made in that face of the said lump which is presented to the break-off b.
The free or inner end of the bolt d is bevilled or inclined on its upper side
at d³, and the side of the lump k is also bevilled, as shown at . When the
breech ends of the barrels a are shut down after loading against the face of
the break-off b, the bevilled part of the lump k acts upon the bevilled
end d of the bolt d. (the said bolt being in the position represented in
Figure 2), and forces the said bolt out of the opening i in the body c, and
permits the lump & to shut down in the said opening i. The barrels a having
been depressed to their fullest extent the recess in the lump ke is brought
opposite the end of the bolt d, and the said bolt by the action of the lever e

page_text: springs or snaps into the said- lump k and fastens down the barrels securely
against the face of the break-off 6. The gun is then ready to be fired. In order.
to unbolt the barrels a for reloading- the finger is pressed upon the plate e³ of
the lever e. The bolt d is thereby withdrawn from the recess in the lump k,
and the barrels are at liberty to be raised, for charging. In acting. on the
lever to unbolt the barrels the hand need not be removed from the position
in which
supports the gun. in firing. After the barrels have been raised
from the break-off 6 the pressure of the hand is removed from the lever 6,
when, the bolt d is forced forward by the action of the said lever e into the
position represented in Figure 2, ready to be pushed back and snap into the
lump k, when the barrels are again shut down.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein. described and illustrated in
the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the general arrangement or
combination of parts herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, for locking down and unlocking the barrels of breech-
loading fire-arms commonly called drop-down or snap guns, that is to say,
guns in which the breech ends of the barrels are opened and closed by the
barrels turning in a vertical plan upon a joint on the fore end of the body.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pountney, have hereunto set
. my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM POUNTNEY. (L.s.)