IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lionel Gye of 60 Saint James Street in the County of
Middlesex Gun Maker for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH
LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lionel Gye at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1882.
LIONEL GYE of 60 Saint James Street in the County of Middlesex Gun Maker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS
"
This Invention relates to breech loading fowling pieces and other fire arms in
which the breech is opened by the breech piece being turned away to one side of
the barrels as described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me No. 4585 in
the year 1881.
In the double barrelled fowling piece shown in the drawings annexed to that
Specification the breech piece turned on a vertical hinge joint which formed a
projection standing out from the side of the barrels In place of forming the hinge
joint in this manner and to obviate the necessity for this projection from the side
of the barrels I make the breech piece with a curved bar in the form of a half
ring fixed below it and this half ring I receive in a corresponding groove in the
body of the stock. One half of the half ring or thereabouts is made to lie below
the breech piece the other half to lie below the rear ends of the barrels when the
breech is closed-the curved bar and groove are preferably made dovetail in cross
section or in other ways the bar is prevented from lifting out of the groove.
this way the breech piece may be turned to one side just as in the construction
described in the Specification above mentioned whilst the disadvantage of having
a projection standing out from the side of the barrels is avoided.
In
The greater part of the locks may be carried by the moving breech as shown in
the drawings annexed to that Specification and the setting of the hammers to full
cock may be effected as therein described by rods bearing at their inner ends
against the hammers and coming out to one side of the breech piece at a short
distance from the centre around which the breech piece turns. When the breech

page_text: is opened the outer ends of the rods are made to come against a stop. This stop I
also employ to prevent the breech piece being turned too far when opened. The
locks need not necessarily be of the construction shown in the Specification above
mentioned they might more especially for military fire arms be locks with strikers
working to and fro in a straight line and acted on by coiled springs.
I also make the stop above mentioned moveable and retain it only by a spring
catch so that it can readily be turned down out of the way.
When the stop is turned down out of the way the breech may be turned until
the curved bar on the underside of the breech piece comes entirely out from the
circular guide groove in the body and the breech piece can so be separated
altogether from the body.
The part of the curved bar which projects forwards from the breech piece may
have a small pin standing up from its upper side-this pin as the breech opens may
be made to come against an extractor and force it backwards.
A slot may be formed through the extractor in such a position that the pin
above mentioned shall come opposite to the slot when the extractor has been
moved back sufficiently far. The extractor will then be no longer pressed back by
the pin and may if desired be returned by means of a spring to its position against
the rear end of the barrels. The pin or projection on the curved bar may be
connected to the bar by a spring so that it may yield and give way when the
breech piece is closed and so again be brought into the position to again act on the
extractor on the opening of the breech.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Lionel Gye in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th December
1882.
LIONEL GYE of 60 Saint James Street in the County of Middlesex Gun Maker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS
"
This Invention relates to breech loading fowling pieces and other fire arms in
which the breech is opened by the breech piece being turned away to one side of
the barrels as described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me No. 4585.
in the year 1881.
In the double barrelled fowling piece shewn in the Drawings annexed to that
Specification the breech piece turned on a vertical hinge joint which formed a
projection standing out from the side of the barrels. In place of forming the hinge
joint in this manner and to obviate the necessity for this projection from the side
of the varrels, I make the breech piece with a curved bar in the form of a half
ring fixed below it and this half ring 1 receive in a corresponding groove in the
body of the stock. Ono half of the half ring or thereabouts is made to lie below
the breech piece the other half to lie below the rear ends of the barrels when the
breech is closed-the curved bar and groove are preferably made dovetail in cross
section or in other ways the bar is prevented from lifting out of the groove. In
this way the breech piece may be turned to one side just as in the construction
described in the Specification above mentioned whilst the disadvantage of having
a projection standing out from the side of the barrels is avoided.
The greater part of the locks may be carried by the moving breech as shewn in
the Drawings annexed to that Specification and the setting of the bammers to full
cock may be effected as therein described by rods bearing at their inner ends
against the hammers and coming out to one side of the breech piece at a short
distance from the centre around which the breech piece turns. When the breech
is opened the outer ends of the rods are made to come against a stop. This stop
I also employ to prevent the breech piece being turned too far when opened The
locks need not necessarily be of the construction shewn in the Specification above
mentioned they might more specially for military fire arms be locks with strikers
working to and fro in a straight line and acted on by coiled springs.
I also make the stop above mentioned moveable and retain it only by a spring
catch so that it can readily be turned down out of the way.
When the stop is turned down out of the way the breech may be turned until
the curved bar on the underside of the breech piece comes entirely out from the
circular guide groove in the body and the breech piece can so be separated
altogether from the body.
The part of the curved bar which projects forwards from the breech piece may
have a small pin standing up from its upper side-this pin as the breech opens
may be made to come against an extractor and force it backwards.
A slot may be formed through the extractor in such a position that the pin
above mentioned shall come opposite to the slot when the extractor has been
moved back sufficiently far. The extractor will then be no longer pressed back by
the pin and may if desired be returned by means of a spring to its position against
the rear end of the barrels. The pin or projection on the curved bar may be
connected to the bar by a spring so that it may yield and give way when the
breech piece is closed and so again be brought into the position to again act on the
extractor on the opening of the breech.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn various views of a double
barrel breech loading fowling piece constructed as above described.
Figure 1 is a plan view with the side cover pieces of the moveable breech
removed Figure 2 is a side view of the same partly in section. Figure 3 is a side
view of the opposite side of the gun. Figure 4 is a plan view of the moveable
breech. Figure 5 is an end view of the barrels and extractor. Figures 6 and 7 are

page_text: diagram views showing the way in which the extractor is moved backwards away
from the ends of the barrels when the breech is opened. The other figures shew
parts of the lock-in all the figures the locks are shewn to be constructed in the
way described in my former Specification before mentioned but they might be
constructed in other ways.
In the several Figures A is the moveable breech containing the locks-B is the
semi-circular curved bar on its under side which is received into a corresponding
semi circular groove in the body piece C to which the wooden stock is secured,
the curved bar and groove are shewn to be made dovetail in cross section. The
hammers D of the locks are as described in my former Specification set back to full
cock each time that the breech is opened by small pusher bars E-the outer ends
of these pusher bars project slightly from the side of the moveable breech-the
inner end of the upper bar comes against a notch in the upper hammer and the
inner end of the lower one against a small pin projecting downwards from the
underside of the lower hammer-When the breech piece is turned to one side to
open the breech the outer ends of the bars E come against a stop G and are
thereby pressed inwards and caused to set back the hammers until they are caught
by the sears the side of the breech piece itself then comes against the stop and
can turn no further. The pusher bars are kept from dropping out of place by a
small pin passed through a slot formed in each of them. The stop G is as shewn
capable of turning around a pin H-when in use it is prevented from turning
down by a catch I which is pressed outwards by a spring (not shown) so that it
stands out a short distance from the side of the stock and comes behind the lower
part of its rear side-If however the catch I is pressed inwards the stop G can be
turned downwards out of the way of the breech piece A. A complete half turn
can then be given to the breech piece and its semi-circular bar B can so be
withdrawn from the semicircular groove in the body and the breech piece be
detached entirely from the gun whenever desired K. is a small pin standing up
from the upper face of the curved bar B-when the breech piece is being turned
to one side the pin comes against the bottom part of the extractor L as shewn at
Figure 6 and pushes it backwards so as partly to withdraw the cartridge from
the barrels. When the extractor L has sufficiently withdrawn the cartridges the
pin K is by the further movement of the breech piece as will be seen by the
diagram view Figure 7 brought opposite to a small slot M formed through the
bottom of the extractor, the extractor is then free from the pin and a coiled
spring N which surrounds the stem of the extractor forces the extractor to return
to its original position-The pin K is not fixed to the curved bar B but is
connected to it by a spring and rises up through a slot in its upper surface-tho
back of the pin is likewise rounded off so that when as the breech
being closed
the back of the pin strikes against the front of the extractor the pin may yield
and being pressed downwards be carried below the bottom of the extractor.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I claim:
:-
First. Jointing the moveable breech A to the body by means of a semi-circular
curved bar on its under side substantially as described.
Second. The moveable stop G at the side of the gun for the purposes described.
Third. The means substantially as described for giving a backward movement to
the extractor when the breech is opened.
In witness whereof I the said Lional Gye have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Eighth day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand
hundred and eighty turn