IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Middleditch Scott, of the Firm of
W. and C. Scott and Son, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Middleditch
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 25th May 1875.
1, WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT, of the Firm of W. and C. Scott
and Son, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “ Im.
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS," to be as follows:-
-
My Invention consists of the construction and combination of parts,
herein after described, for fastening down and releasing the barrels of
breech-loading small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns, that is to
say, guns the barrels of which turn vertically upon a joint on the body,
the breech ends of the barrels being raised from the face of the

page_text: break-off for loading, and shut down against the said break-on for
discharging.
I prefer to use the improvements constituting my present Invention
in combination with the fastening down mechanism described and
claimed in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the
25th day of October 1865, No. 2752; but my present improvements
may be used alone for fastening down the barrels of the said guns.
In fastening down the barrels of the said guns according to my
present Invention, I use at the face of the breech ends of the barrels a
prolongation of the rib between the barrels, and in the said prolonged
rib I make a rectangular recess or seat, the bottom of the said recess or
seat being by preference inclined. The said prolongation of the rib,
when the barrels are shut down, takes into a corresponding shaped
vertical opening made in the middle of the face of the break-off. On
the tang of the break-off is a lever moving horizontally, the axis or
spindle of the said lever passing down at the back of the break-off and
working the ordinary sliding bolt which takes into the lump on the
under side of the barrels. The short arm of the lever described works
in a horizontal recess or chamber. in the break-off, and when the lever
is in its normal position the front end of the said short arm projects into
the vertical opening in the face of the break-off, into which the pro-
longed rib takes when the barrels are shut down. The extreme front
end of the short arm of the lever is of a size and shape proper to take.
into the recess in the prolonged rib. The lower part of the prolonged
rib is rounded.
On shutting down the barrels after charging, the prolonged rib, on
the barrels enters the vertical oponing in the break-off, and its rounded
lower part bearing against the front end of the short arm of the lever
projecting into the said opening in the break-off. presses aside the said
short arm of the lever, the latter moving horizontally.
When the barrels have been fully shut down so as to bring the recess
in the prolonged rib opposite the short arm of the lever, the extreme
end of the said arm snaps into the recess in the prolonged rib and seats
itself upon the seat of the said recess, and fastens down the barrels at
the top, the same motion which causes the short arm of the horizontal
lever on the tang to engage with the prolonged rib. also causing the axis
or spindle of the said lever to act upon and shoot the sliding bolt into
'

page_text: the lump on the under side of the barrels, the barrels are thereby
simultaneouly fastened down at top and bottom.
The snapping action of the horizontal lever and the sliding bolt is
effected by a spring bearing against the axis of the said lever.
•
To release the barrels for charging the thumb plate end of the hori-
zontal lever on the tang is turned aside. By this motion the short arm
of the said lever in the break-off is withdrawn from the recess in the
prolonged rib into the horizontal chamber in the break-off and the rib
is released, the sliding bolt at the same time being withdrawn from the
lump on the under side of the barrels. The said barrels are thereby
unfastened, and their breech ends may be raised from the face of the
break-off for charging.
"
In order to give to the lever the power of. drawing the breech ends of
the barrels to and holding them firmly against the break-off its short
end may be forked, the upper arm of the fork having the shape and
action herein-before described, the lower arm of the fork being turned
up at its end. The prolonged portion of the rib is in this modification
made hook-like on its under side, and when the lever is turned into the
position proper for fastening down the barrels, the turned-up portion of
the short arm of the lever engages behind the hook-like piece on the
under side of the prolonged portion of the rib, and thereby draws the
breech ends of the barrels to and holds them tightly against the break-
off. Or the hooked part of the projecting portion of the rib may turn
upwards, in which case the short arm of the lever need not be forked,
the single short arm of the lever being turned downwards at its end so
as to make it engage with the projecting part of the rib. The action is
essentially the same as that of the modification last described.
The arrangements of the horizontal lever described and prolonged
rib may be used alone for fastening and unfastening the barrels.

page_text: Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in tho 5
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suo-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Middleditch Scott,
Her special license that I, the said William Middleditch Scott, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Middleditch Scott, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 1
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Middle-
ditch Scott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Middleditch Scott, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the construction and combination of parts.
herein-after described, for fastening down and releasing the barrels of
breech-loading small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns, that is to
say, guns the barrels of which turn vertically upon a joint on the body,
the breech ends of the barrels being raised from the face of the
break-off for loading, and shut down against the said break-off for
discharging.
I prefer to use the improvements constituting my present Invention
in combination with the fastening down mechanism described and
claimed in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the

page_text: 25th day of October 1865, No. 2752, but my present improvements may
be used alone for fastening down the barrels of the said guns.
In fastening down the barrels of the said guns according to my
present Invention I use at the face of the breech ends of the barrels a
prolongation of the rib between the barrels, and in the said prolonged
rib I make a rectangular recess or seat, the bottom of the said recess or
seat being by preference inclined. The said prolongation of the rib
when the barrels are shut down takes into a corresponding shaped
vertical opening made in the middle of the face of the break-off. On
the tang of the break-off is a lever moving horizontally, the axis or
spindle of the said lever passing down at the back of the break-off and
working the ordinary sliding bolt which takes into the lump on the
under side of the barrels. The short arm of the lever described works
in a horizontal recess or chamber in the break-off, and when the lever is
in its normal position the front end of the short arm projects into the
vertical opening in the face of the break-off, into which the prolonged
rib takes when the barrels are shut down. The extreme front end of
the short arm of the lever is of a size and shape proper to take into the
recess in the prolonged rib. The lower part of the prolonged rib is
rounded.
In order to give the lever the power of drawing the breech ends of
the barrels to and holding them firmly against the break-off its short
arm is hooked or turned downwards, and the end of the prolonged rib is
hooked or turned upwards for the hooked end of the lever to engage
with. Or the short end of the lever may be forked, the lower arm of
the fork being turned up at its end. The prolonged portion of the rib
is in this modification made hook-like on its under side, and when the
lever is turned into the position proper for fastening down the barrels
the turned-up portion of the short arm of the lever engages behind the
hook-like piece on the under side of the prolonged portion of the rib,
and thereby draws the breech ends of the barrels to and holds them
tightly against the break-off.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same may be performed.

page_text: releasing mechanism constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2
is a cross section of the same taken on the line A, A, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of the breech end [of the barrels, a portion
being drawn to a large scale; and Figure 4 is an end elevation of the
same.
Figuro 5 represents the fastening lever in side elevation and plan of
under side detached.
a is the prolonged rib between and at the face of the barrels b; c is
the seat in the prolonged rib for the fastening lever to take upon for
holding down the barrels ; and] d is the hook at the front of the said 1
seat for the hooked or turned-up end of the fastening lever to engage
with for drawing the breech ends of the barrels to and holding them
against the face of the break-off e. The front or nose of the prolonged
rib a is rounded, and the said rib, when the barrels are shut down,
takes into the vertical opening f in the break-off. h, h², is the hori- 1
zontal lever working partly on the tang of the break-off and
partly in the said break-off, by which lever the barrels are fastened
down and held against the break-off. The said lever has a side or hori-
zontal motion on the vertical axis or spindle i, the lower part of the
said spindle working the horizontal sliding bolt k which takes into the 2
lump on the under side of the barrels. The extreme end of the short
arm of the lever is hooked or turned down at h. The inner vertical
face of the hook of the lever is inclined or curved, and the inner
vertical face of the hook d of the prolonged rib a is also inclined or
curved. The short acting arm h of the lever works in a horizontal recess 2
or chamber m in the break-off (see the cross section, Figure 2).
The snapping action of the lever and bolt is effected by the spring p
bearing against the axis or spindle i.
In Figures 1 and 2 the barrels are represented fastened down, and the
face of their breech ends drawn to and held against the face of the 3
break-off.
To release the barrels for charging, the thumb plate end h² of the
horizontal lever h, ³, is turned aside. The short arm of the lever is
by this motion withdrawn from the hooked end & and the seat c of the
prolonged rib a into the horizontal recess m in the break-off, the hori- 3
11

page_text: "
On shutting down the barrels 6 after charging them, the prolonged
rib a enters the vertical opening f in the break-off e, and its rounded.
lower part bearing against the front end of the short arm presses aside
the said arm and the barrels descend and seat themselves on the body.,
On the barrels arriving at their closed position the recess or seat in the
-prolonged rib a is brought opposite the acting end of the lever, which
by the action of the spring p snaps into the said recess and seats itself
upon the seat of the said recess and fastens down the barrels. In the
act of fastening down the barrels the inclined face of the hook h³ of the
lever engages with or behind the inclined face of the hook d of the
prolonged rib a and draws the breech ends of the barrels to and holds
them firmly against the break-off.
The parts for fastening down and drawing the barrels to the break-off
may have the construction represented in Figure 6; that is to say, the
end of the short arm h of the lever is forked, the upper branch hª of
the fork seating itself upon the seat q in the prolonged rib a, and the.
lower branch which has a hooked or turned up end hooking itself
upon the hooked or turned down part of the prolonged rib a. In this
arrangement the parts for fastening down the barrels and those for
drawing the barrels to the break-off aro separated instead of being in
combination as first described. Or the short arm of the lever and the
prolonged rib may be constructed in the manner represented in Figure 7,
that is, the short arm of the lever may have a hook at top and bottom
and the prolonged rib a be provided with corresponding hooks for the hooks
of the lever to engage with in the act of fastening down the barrels;
as will be understood by an examination of the Drawing. In both theso
modifications the inner vertical faces of the hook or hooks of the lever
and rib are rounded or inclined for producing the drawing-up action of
the barrels against the face of the barrels on the fastening down of the
said barrels.
•
The acting short arm of the horizontal lever may either be made in
one piece with the thumb plate end, as before described, or the acting
arm may be made separately and attached to the spindle by which the
lever is worked, as illustrated in Figure 6.
"
The arrangements of the horizontal lever described and prolonged rib
may be used alone for fastening and unfastening the barrels.

page_text: 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 Invention of improvements in breech-
loading small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns, the construction
and combination of parts herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing for fastening down the barrels of the said drop-
down guns to the body and drawing the breech ends of the said barrels
to and holding them firmly against the break-off, that is to say, making
at the end of the short arm of the horizontal lever on the tang of the
break-off a single or double hook, and making a seat and a correspond-
ing hook or hooks on the prolonged rib between the barrels, the short
arm of the lever when the barrels are shut down seating itself upon the
seat and the hook or hooks engaging with the hook or hooks of the
prolonged rib, substantially as and for the purposes described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Middleditch Scott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT. (L.S.)