Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Sporting Guns and other Fire-arms.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Sporting Guns and other
Fire-arms.
I, JAMES COULTIRED THOMPSON, of Chilton House, Rosherville, in the County
of Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention is particularly applicable to sporting guns and has for its object
to dispense with the ordinary trigger or triggers so as to avoid the various objec-
tions that obtain in connection with the said triggers and their guard.
According to my said invention I provide the gun, at a part within easy reach
of the user's thumb, with a pair of depressible buttons or keys which when they
are depressed actuate suitable lever mechanism whereby the sears are tripped to
fire the gun. These firing buttons or keys are arranged in such a position that
they can be covered and protected by the sliding safety piece with which
sporting guns are usually provided.
The slide at the same time can be arranged to lock the mechanism and so pre-
vent the possibility of premature discharge. The firing buttons can also be
arranged to work under rubber leather or other flexible water-proof covering
so as to effectually prevent moisture or dirt from entering the gun locks.
In conjunction with these firing buttons or keys I employ means for avoiding
their simultaneous depression; such means may take the form of a web or raised
portion between the two buttons, thereby necessitating the placing of the thumb
at one or other side thereof according as the right or left barrel is to be dis-
charged. The act of sliding the aforesaid safety piece into a position to render
the gun capable of being fired exposes the firing buttons ready to be depressed by
the thumb.
Instead of using a pair of firing buttons as above explained, I may use a single
button for actuating either of the sear tripping devices. For instance I may
mount the firing button on a lever adapted to move in a horizontal plane about
a suitable pivot, the portion of such lever that carries the button being made
resilient or flexible. This lever is provided with lateral springs arms which are
adapted to be acted upon by the firing pins or springs as they advance in firing.
When both firing pins are cocked "the said lever occupies a position with its
end above the right hand sear tripping device, so that on depressing the firing
button the right hand barrel will be discharged first. The depression of the
button for the discharge of either barrel will effectually lock the firing mechanism
of the barrel not intended at that time to be fired. As the firing pin advances
in firing it acts upon the lateral spring arm nearest to it and by the pressure
exerted thereon shifts the lever about its pivot and brings it into a position to
operate the sear tripping device of the other barrel when the firing button is
next depressed. The said lever may however be arranged to he set into either of its
positions by providing it with a tail whose end is capable of being shifted by the
user of the gun.

page_text: It is obvious that my invention is applicable to all kinds of small-arms whether
they be for sporting purposes or warfare; and when the fire-arm has but one
barrel, obviously only one firing button of a simple kind need be employed.
D
Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Sporting Guns and other
Fire-arms.
I, JAMES COULTIRED THOMPSON, of Chilton House, Rosherville, in the County
of Kent, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention is particularly applicable to sporting guns, especially double
barrelled guns, and has for its object to dispense with the ordinary triggers so as
to avoid the various objections that obtain in connection with the said triggers
and their guard,
According to my said invention I provide the gun, preferably at a part within
easy reach of the user's thumb, with a depressible button or key which when
depressed actuates suitable lever mechanism whereby either of the sears can be
tupped to discharge one or other of the barrels of a double barrelled gun. The
firing button or key is arranged in such a position that it can be covered and
. protected by the sliding safety piece with which sporting guns are usually
provided.
The slide at the same time can be arranged to lock the firing mechanism and so
prevent the possibility of premature discharge. The firing button can also be
arranged to work under a rubber, leather or other flexible water-proof covering
so as to effectually prevent moisture or dirt from entering the gun locks.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
-
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of the lock portion of a drop-down
double-barrelled gun provided with my improved firing mechanism.
Figure 2 is a part plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a local horizontal section taken on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatical plan views shewing certain parts only
of my mechanism for the purpose of indicating the manner in which the dis-
charge of the barrel causes the position of such parts to be changed to enable
the other barrel to be discharged when the button is again depressed. The said
figures shew the respective positions of the said parts when both of the firing
hammers are cocked (Figure 4) when the right hand hammer has been released
(Figure 5) and when the left hand hammer has also been released (Figure 6).
A A are the barrels; B the firing hammers; C the sears; 1) the firing pins;
E the main springs, and F the levers by which the hammers are cocked when
the barrels are turned down to eject the empty cartridge cases, all of these parts
being of the ordinary and well known construction,

page_text: G is the firing button which is provided with a stem 9 passing through an
aperture in the frame a and terminating in a tee-piece g! which lies immediately
above the outer end of a lever H.
This lever is mounted on an upright pivot pin h and the hole in such lever
through which the said pin passes, is elongated to permit of the lever's moving in
a vertical as well as in a horizontal direction. I I are arms which are pivoted at
i i to some fixed part of the mechanism and are normally acted upon by a
spring which tends to keep their ends pressed toward each other, whereby
such ends lie contiguous to the inner end of the lever H. The opposite ends
of the said arms I are formed with inclines which lie adjacent to the hammers B,
so that as the latter are cocked they act upon said inclined ends and compel them
to approach each other against the resistance of the spring ¹, thus causing the
opposite ends of the arms to recede from each other and occupy the position
represented in Figure 4. The end of the lever H has a curved nose formed
thereon, immediately above which is arranged a triangular piece ha that serves to
direct this end of the lever toward the left or the right hand sear C when the
end of the said lever is depressed by the button G. In order to enable the
said lever to be set so as to permit of the left or the right hand barrel to be fired
first, in accordance with the requirements of the user of the gun, I provide near
the end h³ of the lever, a pin (see Figure 1) which lies in the path of a wedge
piece h5 carried by the sliding piece he which forms part of the safety piece h7.
Adjacent to the inner end 8 of this sliding piece is a pivoted finger h which is
acted upon by the loose sliding pin and caused to assume the dotted position
shewn in Figure 1, when the barrels are restored to their firing position after
having been turned down to eject the empty cartridge cases and re-cock the gun.
The said finger then shifts the sliding piece rearwardly and not only causes the
safety piece to cover the button G, but also brings the wedge piece into
lateral contact with the pin h, thereby shifting the lever H horizontally about
its pivot towards the right or the left, according to the previous adjustment of the
wedge piece with its nose directed towards the right or the left of the said pin h.
This adjustment is effected by a screw 10 that carries the, said wedge piece, so
that by turning said screw slightly in a right or a left hand direction a correspond-
ing alteration in the position of the wedge-piece is effected. is a flange on
said wedge-piece which acts as a stop to prevent the wedge piece from being
shifted too far in either direction in the act of adjusting it. The head of the said
screw h¹0 is furnished with a pointer 2 which follows the movements of the
wedge-piece and so indicates which of the barrels will be fired when the button G
is depressed. Beneath the end 3 of the lever H is a spring h¹³ which serves to
return said lever and the button G to their normal position after each depression
of the button. This spring has a triangular piece 14 at its free end to come
beneath a corresponding triangular piece on the underside of the lever H, obtained
by prolonging the pin * through the lever and forming its end triangular. This
construction assists the said lever to remain in either of the lateral positions to
which it may be shifted. Moreover the aforesaid triangular pieces, acting in
conjunction with the triangular piece 2 at the opposite end h¹ of the lever, pre-
vent the said lever from occupying a truly central position and thereby avoid
any liability of its end h¹ failing to act upon one or other of the sears when the
button is depressed.
When both of the hammers are cocked, as shown in Figure 4, the aforesaid
pivoted arms I I lie with their ends fully separated, but on depressing the
button G, the nose h¹ of the lever H is raised and caused to press against and
trip one of the sears C, which, in the position in which the lever is represented
in Figure 4, is the right-hand sear. The right-hand hammer is thus released and
flies forward, under the action of its main spring, thereby discharging the right
hand barrel and assuming the position represented in Figure 5. As the hammer
assumes this position it releases the end of the right hand arm I and permits
said end to move outwardly into the position represented in Figure 5 under the

page_text: action of the spring . In such movement, the opposite end of this right-
hand arm moves inward and strikes the nose of the lever H laterally, thereby
shifting said lever from its right hand position into the left hand position
represented in Figure 5, that is to say with its nose below the left hand sear.
Therefore when the button G is next depressed again, the lever is caused to
operate the left-hand sear whereby its hammer is released and the left-hand
barrel discharged. The end of the left-hand arm I, being liberated by the
hammer, then moves inwardly under the action of the aforesaid spring ¹ and by
striking the nose of the lever H in an analogous manner to that already explained
with reference to the action of the other or right-hand arm I, causes said lever
to again assume its central or approximately central position, as represented in
Figure 6. Then, when the barrels are again turned down to re-load and re-cock
the gun, the sliding piece h6 will be shifted rearwardly as the
barrels are turned up into their firing position and will cause the wedge
piece (if the latter be in the position represented in Figure 3) to slide against
the left hand side of the pin thereby shifting the lever H into its former
position, viz. with its nose beneath the right hand sear as shown in Figure 4.
Then on again depressing the button G the barrels will be discharged from right
to left as already explained. If the position of the wedge piece be changed by
partially turning the screw to bring said wedge piece with its nose directed
toward the left instead of toward the right of the pin 4, the lever H will, each
time that the gun is re-cocked and the barrels brought into the firing position,
be caused to assume a position to act upon the left hand sear first when the button G
is depressed.
The sliding piece he is provided with a pair of arms h¹6, which, when the said
sliding piece is shifted rearwardly (either by the turning up of the barrels or by
the rearward movement of the safety piece by the user) enter recesses 92 formed
in the sides of the stem g of the button G and thereby lock the latter so that it
cannot be depressed until the safety piece be fully shifted forward to uncover the
button.
By providing double barrelled guns with my improved firing mechanism, many
advantages are obtained which do not exist with guns provided with two triggers,
for instance "pulling off" is avoided by reason of the hammers' being actuated
by direct pressure of the thumb on the button instead of by a pull of the finger
on the triggers. Moreover it is impossible for both barrels to be fired simul-
taneously. The stock likewise can be moulded to fit the grip of the user's hand
because the hand is not required to be shifted as is the case with a two-trigger
gun. Furthermore the mechanism necessary for effecting my improvements can
be combined with ordinary double barrelled guns by comparatively slight altera-
tions in their construction.
I wish it to be understood that although I have illustrated the hereinbefore
described means for enabling the sears to be acted upon, in the manner explained,
when the button G is depressed, I do not confine myself thereto, as other means
of effecting the actuation of the sears by depressing the button will readily occur
to persons acquainted with the construction of gun-locks.
I also wish it to be understood that I am aware it has before been proposed to
substitute for the ordinary triggers of a double barrelled gun a pair of depressible
buttons, one button being used for each barrel, and to such I make no claim, the
essential feature of my invention being the use of a single button for discharging
either of the barrels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A double-barrelled gun provided with a single depressible button which is
so combined with the firing mechanism that it serves to discharge either of the

page_text: 2. The combination with a single depressible firing button of a lever that will
move in both a vertical and a horizontal plane and of means for shifting it to the
left or right of its central position substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination with the aforesaid lever of a pair of spring arms whose
position relatively to said lever is regulated by the firing hammers substantially
as described and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination with the safety slide of an adjustable device for varying the
position of the aforesaid lever with respect to the scars substantially as described
and for the purpose specified.
5. A gun lock provided with firing mechanism constructed and adapted to
operate substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings
for the purposes specified.
D
1000
γιας των 1000.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.