Improvements in Small-arms.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Small-arms.
I, CHARLES STEWART LOTT, of 37 Matheson Road, West Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in breech loading fire-arms and more
especially to repeating small-arms.
My said invention relates to small arms having mechanism similar to that
described in the Specification of my prior Patent No. 12746 dated July 27, 1891.
One part of my present invention consists in modifying such mechanism to adapt it
more particularly for a sporting gun.
According to this part of my invention I provide for operating the breech bolt,
opening and closing the breech, and for cocking the hammer and extracting the
spent cartridges, as follows: that is to say, I provide a sliding block adapted to
move to and fro on or in guides provided on the barrel in such a position that the
said sliding block can be conveniently grasped by the hand that supports the barrel.
I connect the said sliding block to the breech-bolt by a suitable link so that when
the sliding block is moved to and fro, the breech-bolt will be moved at the same
time. For, operating the locking piece which slides in the frame or body of the
weapon in a direction at right angles to the bore of the gun and which serves to
lock the breech-bolt I provide a lever which is connected to the locking piece and
which is actuated by the aforementioned link. A convenient mode of connecting
the said lever and link so that the latter will actuate the former is by means of a
cam like projection formed on the lever or link, and engaging with a corresponding
groove or recess formed in the link or lever. When the link is moved to slide back
the breech bolt, the said cam arrangement operates to depress the lever and so
remove the locking piece from behind the breech bolt, thus unlocking the latter.
To prevent any jamming or interlocking of the levers and sliding blocks, I provide
a slot either in the link or breech bolt and arrange the pin, which connects the
link and breech bolt, to work in such slot thereby allowing of a little play or lost
motion. By this means the locking piece is completely withdrawn from behind the
breech-bolt before the latter is moved by the link, and consequently no jamming
occurs.
The hammer trigger, main spring and extractor are constructed and arranged
in a similar manner to that described in the Specification of the aforementioned.
Patent.
An important feature of my present invention relates to a safety device for
locking the hammer and preventing an accidental discharge of the weapon before
the locking piece has risen behind the breech-bolt. For this purpose I provide a
spring-actuated pawl which is mounted on and slides up and down with the locking
piece. The extent of movement of the said pawl is controlled by suitable stops. In
combination with this pawl I provide a sear notch in the hammer with which notch
the said pawl is adapted to engage. The pawl is so arranged in relation to the
hammer that when the hammer is being cocked, and just before the completion of
the cocking movement, a portion of the hammer forces back and passes the said
pawl and the latter is then pressed into engagement with the notch provided in the
hammer to receive it. The hammer is thus locked by this pawl, and preferably
the arrangement is such that the hammer is thereby held further back than it
would be by the sear of the trigger, consequently so long as the breech is open the
trigger is not in engagement with the hammer but, the latter is held back
entirely by the aforesaid pawl. The said pawl remains in engagement with the

page_text: hammer until on closing the breech the locking piece slides up behind the
breech bolt into the locking position. When this occurs the pawl is withdrawn
from the hammer and the latter is held then only by the trigger sear and can
be released on pulling the said trigger. When the pawl is raised by the
upward movement of the locking-piece, it is just moved sufficiently to allow the
hammer to clear it when released by the trigger.
It is obvious that I can apply this improved locking device to the pistol
described in the Specification of my afore-mentioned Patent as well as to a
sporting gun.
A sporting gun constructed according to my present invention is adapted to
receive a magazine such as that described in the Specification of the aforementioned
Patent and containing three four or more cartridges. It is obvious that with such
a gun very rapid firing can be obtained, quite as rapid as with a double barrelled
gun where the finger has to be moved from one trigger to another, and the gun
having only one barrel is much more convenient than a double barrelled gun.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicaut.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Small-arms.
CHARLES STEWart Lott, of 37 Matheson Road, West Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Accountant, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in breech-loading fire-arms and more
especially to repeating small-arms.
said invention relates to small arms having mechanism similar to that
described in the Specification of my prior Patent No. 12746, dated July 27, 1891.
One part of my present invention consists in medifying such mechanism to adapt it
more particularly for a sporting gun.
According to my present invention I provide for operating the breech bolt,
opening and closing the breech, and for cocking the hammer and extracting the
spent cartridges, as follows, that is to say, 'I provide a sliding block adapted to move
to and fro on or in guides provided on the barrel in such a position that the said
sliding block can be conveniently grasped by the hand that supports the barrel. I
connect the said sliding block to the breech-bolt by a suitable link, so that when the
sliding block is moved to and fro the breech-bolt will be moved at the same time.
For operating the locking-piece, which slides in the frame or body of the weapon
in a direction at right angles to the bore of the gun and which serves to lock the
breech-bolt, I provide a lever which is connected to the locking piece and which is
actuated by the aforementioned link.
The hammer, trigger, main spring, and extractor are preferably constructed and
arranged in a similar manner to that described in the Specification of the afore-
mentioned prior Patent, except for a certain addition to the hammer, hereinafter
specified.
An important feature of my present invention relates to safety devices for
locking the hammer and preventing an accidental discharge of the weapon before
the locking piece has risen behind the breech-bolt.
In order that my said invention. may be clearly understood I will now, proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure-1 is a side elevation of a sporting gun constructed according to this
invention,
Figure 2 is a side elevation somewhat similar to Figure 1, but with part of the

page_text: umism exposed
cocked,
preeen DOI in its rearmost position, and the hammer
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the breech closed, the hammer
remaining cocked,
Figure 4 is a central longitudinal section of Figure 2, certain of the parts being
left in elevation,
Figure 4 is a view, to a larger scale, of a portion of the weapon illustrated in
Figure 4,
Figure 4 is an end elevation of the hammer, provided in order to show an
appurtenance thereof hereinafter referred to.
With reference first to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, A is the stock or butt, B is the
barrel, B' is the breech shoe or frame.
C is a tubular guide, the end C₁ of which is received in a socket formed in the
breech frame, and the opposite end of which is held in the lug B2 on the barrel and
secured in place by the screw plug B³ and lock nut B*.
D is a block which slides upon the guide C and is prevented from rotating there-
upon by means of a tongue piece D' projecting from the block into a slot in the
guide. The said block D is connected by the link E to the breech bolt F. The
said link is formed in one piece with a screw E' by means of which it is secured to
the block D.
The said breech bolt is hollow and moves longitudinally in a tubular guide G
formed in the rear end of the breech frame. The said guide is slotted at G¹ to
permit the entry of a pin for a purpose hereinafter explained. Within the breech
bolt is the firing pin H which is free to move end wise therein when impelled forward
by the hammer but at other times is retained in its rearmost position in the bolt by
the spring H' which surrounds the firing pin and bears against the collar H' formed
thereon.
The head of the firing pin extends through the plug F and the rear end of the
brecch bolt is slotted or notched at F2 to permit the head of the hammer to obtain
access to the head of the firing pin.
Upon the side of the breech bolt is a slot F³ which in the present example is
made in the extractor F which is secured upon the side of the bolt. The barrel
end is recessed to take the rim of the cartridge and is notched in the usual manner
to allow the cartridge to be forced home in the chamber, while the extractor, is in
engagement with the rim.
The breech bolt is grooved to pass over a stud I placed in the side of the breech
shoe. The groove is situated at the opposite side of the bolt to that upon which the.
extractor is placed, and the said stud is for the purpose of assisting in the ejection
of the spent cartridges in the manner hereinafter described.
The said link E is provided at its end E, with a pin E and with a notch having
an inclined cam surface E. The said pin engages with the slot F³ formed in the
extractor and parallel with the direction of movement of the block D. A lever J
pivoted at J to the breech frame is provided with a projection J2 adapted to be
acted upon by the cam surface E and is provided with a pin J³ to enable it to
engage with the locking piece K.
The said locking piece, which is an important feature of my invention slides
vertically in guides in the breech frame, and is provided with a recess K' into
which the hammer enters as shown in Figure 4. In the outer face of one side wall
of the locking piece is a slot which receives the said pin J³ on the lever J.
I provide a safety device which is arranged as follows:-Upon one of the inner
walls of the locking piece is a recess K' in which a pawl Lis pivoted so as to be
able to oscillate therein. In the said recess and behind the pawl is a spring M by
which a constant pressure upon the pawl is maintained; to keep it at one of the
extremes of its travel, which, in the direction in which it is forced by the spring, is
limited by the side of the recess, so that the pawl can be depressed by the hammer.
as hereinafter described, but cannot be moved further forward than the position in.
which it is shown in the drawings.

page_text: The hammer N turns between the cheek plates of the breech frame upon the
pin N. The said hammer is provided with a sear notch N2 with which notch the
pawl L is adapted to engage, and with another notch N³ adapted to engage with
the trigger scar.
I preferably provide an additional safety device arranged as follows:-Upon the
side of the hammer N I place a pin N and in the locking piece.I form a recess K³
into which the pin N extends. The rear side K of the recess is vertical, and the
side K is inclined as shown. The mode of operation of the said safety devices will
be hereinafter fully explained.
O is the trigger arranged in the usual manner with a sear O'. P is the hammer
spring secured in the breech frame with one of its ends bearing upon the hammer
and the other upon the trigger. Qis a spring which maintains an upward pressure
upon the locking piece K."
R is a cover plate for the mechanism within, the breech frame. It is secured to
the breech frame by the screw R' about which it may be turned into the position
in which it is shown in Figures 2 and 3 to expose the said mechanism. S is a spring
secured to the cover plate, and adapted to engage with a recess formed in the
projection T upon the breech frame, when the free end of the plate R is put into
the position in which it is shown in Figure 1 in order to cover the said mechanism.
The said spring may be readily depressed by hand to disengage it from the said
recess when it is desired that the cover plate should be moved to remove the bolt to
enable the barrel to be cleaned from the breech.
U is the magazine of the ordinary "Lee" type. The said magazine is inserted
between guides provided in the body of the weapon for its reception and is so placed
that the cartridges will be fed successively therefrom into the barrel in the well
known manner. To prevent accidental displacement of the magazine the end thereof
is provided with a notch U with one edge of which, when the magazine is pushed
into place, a spring V attached to the body of the weapon engages, as shown in
Figure 4. To permit of the withdrawal of the magazine when desired, the spring
is provided with a head V which projects to the exterior of the weapon and by
means of which the spring may be retracted so that the magazine may be easily
withdrawn.
The operation of the sporting gun will now be described with particular reference
to the action of the aforesaid safety devices.
Let it be assumed that the gun has been fired, that the parts of the mechanism
are in the positions indicated in Figure 1 and that the stock A of the weapon is
grasped by the right hand and the block D by the left hand. If now the block D
be moved towards the rear the link E will move with it and the cam surface E+
thereof will act upon the projection J2 and depress the lever J, causing the pin J
to force the locking piece K downward from behind the breech bolt. During the
first portion of the rearward movement of the block D the pin E³ will slide towards
the rear end of the slot F3 and the breecli bolt F will not be affected and conse-
quently no jamming of the breech bolt with the locking piece can occur, but a
continuance of the said movement will bring the pin into contact with the rear end
of the slot, and, the locking piece being down, the breech bolt will be moved to the
rear. In the rearward movement of the breech bolt the forward edge of the slot F
acts upon the head of the hammer, bringing it below the breech bolt, against the
underside of which it presses as the bolt slides over it. By the cocking of the
hammer as described a portion thereof presses back the pawl L in the locking
piece and the sear notch N2 in the hammer is brought below the end of the said
pawl, which is moved out in readiness to engage and ultimately into engagement
with the said notch by the action of the spring M. The hammer when cocked as
described is held further back than it would be by the trigger, consequently as long
as the breech is open the trigger is not in engagement with the hammer and cannot
affect it, but the latter is held back as long as the locking-piece. is down, by the
aforesaid pawl, and by the upper end of the recess K which bears upon the pin N
If the hammer should be released before the locking piece is up behind the breech

page_text: bolt by any mischance, such for instance as the breakage of the spring M and the
consequent disengagement of the pawl L and the hammer, the said hammer cannot
move sufficiently far to strike the firing-pin, because until the locking piece is up
behind the breech bolt the pin N will limit the movement of the hammer by
coming into contact with the inclined edge K' of the recess in the said locking
piece. If the breech bolt is clear of the locking piece, and the latter has not risen,
the pin N when it comes into contact with the inclined edge K will under the
action of the main spring upon the hammer cause the pin N to act on the said
inclined edge in such a manner as to push the locking-piece up into proper position
behind the breech-bolt. When however the locking piece is in proper position
behind the breech-bolt the walls of the said recess will offer no obstruction to
the movement of the pin with the hammer, and consequently the movement of the
latter will be unobstructed. I may obviously dispense with the recess N³ and
pin N and rely on the pawl L alone to prevent premature discharge.
The parts upon the completion of the rearward movement of the breech bolt will
be in positious indicated in Figure 2.
Into the lower portion of the space left between the front end of the said breech
bolt F, and the rear end of the barrel B, the uppermost cartridge in the magazine
rises, when the breech bolt has moved sufficiently far to the rear to permit its
doing so, the cartridge being still retained by the magazine. The said cartridge
then occupies such a position in the said space that a portion of its base is in the
path of the breech bolt F. The block D is now returned to the forward end of
the guide C, drawing the breech bolt forward by means of the link E and pin E³
so that it pushes the uppermost cartridge from the magazine, the said cartridge
simultaneously rising so that its rim comes behind the extractor F' carried by the
breech bolt, the cartridge being finally forced home into the chamber and the
breech closed. The locking piece K bears against the underside of the breech
bolt and therefore cannot rise behind it until the breech bolt
breech completely closed.
right home and the
When the breech block in closing the breech brings
the slot or notch Fabove the head of the cocked hammer the hammer does not at
once rise thereinto, being prevented from moving as long as the locking piece is
down, by the pawl L and pin N as hereinbefore described.
piece rises the pawl L rises with it and releases the hammer which is then held
When the locking
only by the trigger-scar O' and can be released by pulling the said trigger. When
the pawl is raised and moves up with the locking piece it is prevented by the side
of the recess K from moving in the said recess and its end occupies a position in
which the hammer will just pass clear of it when released by the trigger. By the
se of this arrangement of locking piece the cocked hammer is held while the
breech is open, quite independently of the trigger, so that discharge of the weapon
s prevented until the breech is safely closed.
It is obvious that I can apply the aforesaid improved locking devices to the
istol described in the Specification of my aforesaid prior Patent as well as to a
porting gun. Magazine guns constructed as herein before described possess great
dvantages with regard to safety in rapid firing.
I do not limit myself to the particular details of construction hereinabove
escribed as these can be modified without departing from the nature of my
vention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
on and in what manner the same is to be performed, I'declare that what !
aim is :-
1. The combination, with a reciprocating breech-bolt, of a locking piece, and
ak and lever mechanism connected with the said bolt and locking piece and.
berating to first withdraw the locking piece and then shoot back the breech bolt,
bstantially as hereinbefore described, for the purpose specified.
2. The combination, with a hammer having a sear notch, and a trigger notch, of
transversely-sliding locking-piece having a pawl which has a limited movement

page_text: in the locking piece and is provided with a pawl spring, substantially as herein-
before described for the purposes specified..
3. The combination, with a hammer having a sear notch, and a trigger notch, of
a pin thereon and a transversely sliding locking-piece having a pawl and pawl-
spring and recess the latter suitably shaped to receive the said pin, substantially as
.herein before described, for the purposes specified.
4. The combination, with a sliding breech-bolt slotted as at F³, of the locking
piece K carrying the pawl L, the hammer with the notch N and trigger-sear
notch N³, the block D, link E, pin E³ thereon, recess with incline E, therein,
lever J, and cam J2 on the said lever J, constructed and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, for the
purposes specified.
5. A small-arm, with or without a magazine, constructed substantially as herein-
before described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and operating as
.specified.
Doted this o0th 1 NL
L1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.