Improvements in the Breech-mechanism of Quick Firing Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE BOFORS-GULLSPANG COMPANY, LIMITED,
of Bofors, in the County of Wermland, Kingdom of Sweden.]
Improvements in the Breech-mechanism of Quick Firing Guns.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to certain improvements in the breech-mechanism of quick-
firing guns and consists in arranging the hammer in such a manner, that it is cocked
automatically after every shot and that all danger of hanging-fire is obviated. The
invention is especially intended for guns with a hammer-lock mechanism, which by
a simple manipulation can be removed from the gun. Such a hammer-lock
mechanism consists, as known, of a hammer-lock box containing the lock-mechanism,
a wedge-shaped block, into which the box is pushed, and a frame surrounding the
block. The lock mechanism itself usually consists of a trigger, a double-armed
haminer, which is cocked by a full-cock clasp or hook, acted upon by the trigger,
and a cocking-piece acting upon the lower part of the hammer and capable of being
turned; and this cocking-piece is provided with a collar, which for a part of its
circumference is planed off, in order to allow of the turning of the hammer.
The invention consists in arranging the hammer in such a manner that the trigger
with the parts belonging thereto becomes superfluous.
In the accompanying drawing
Figures 1 and 2 show sectious of a hammer lock-mechanism arranged in this
manner, before and at the time of firing.
1 represents the wedge-shaped block, 2 the frame surrounding the same, 3 the
hammer-lock box. The double-armed hammer 4 has in this case on the front-side
about opposite its centre or pivot a projecting part a, in front of which a kuce-
shaped tail-spring is placed, over which the projecting part moves during the
movement of the hammer. The hammer is morcover provided at its outer end,
which projects beyond the hammer-lock box, with a tail é and has on its back facing
the cocking-piece 7 a cam c, which is on the one side rounded off to a circular form.
The cocking-piece, which is in one piece with its shaft, has on its circumference a
corresponding recess d, and its shaft can be turned as usual by an arm attached to
one end of the said shaft.
e
When the hammer, at the firing of the gun, strikes against the percussion-cap,
the latter imparts to the hammer such a forcible recoil motion, that the projecting
part a moves over the knee of the tail-spring b, which then presses the hammer still
further back into the position shown in Figure 1. As long as the hammer is not
fully cocked, that is to say, as long as it has not been pushed back as far as possible,
the cocking-piece cannot be turned round, being stopped by the cam c, which then
rests in the recess d. As soon as the hammer has taken the position indicated in
Figure 1, the cam is freed from the said recess, and the cocking piece can now be
turned without hindrance. In the case of missing fire, whereby the danger of hangnig
fire would arise, the mechanism cannot be opened in consequence of the arrangement
just described, before the hammer is again fully cocked, which must then be done
by hand by moving the tail e forward, because the hammer is in this case not thrown
back by the shot.
The firing arrangement consists of a case or tube f connected with a cord which
passes through the outer arm of the hanımer, resting loosely in it with a spherical
head, which allows of the up and down movement of the tube. When firing, the
cord is drawn, whereby the tube is drawn back until its hind-edge rests against the
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page_text: inside of the hammerlock-box after which the hammer continues its movement until
its point strikes against the percussion cap. If the tension on the cord is continued
even after the shot has been fired, the tube does not prevent the hammer from
moving so far backward, that the projecting part a can pass over the knee of the
spring. As soon as the cord is released, the hammer continues its backward
movement (under the influence of the same spring) until it is fully cocked.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In the breech mechanisms of rapid firing guns the combination of a
double armed hammer (4) which at its lower part is connected with a cord or the
like and provided on its front side with a projecting part (a) a knee-shaped tail-
spring (b) arranged in front of and engaging with this projecting part with the
object of moving the hammer, by the action of the spring upon the said projecting
part back to its rearmost position, after the said part by the recoil action upon the
hammer, has passed the projecting part of the spring.
↓
Second. In rapid firing guns the combination of a double armed hammer provided
at its rear part with a cam (c) having a partly circular circumference and a cocking
piece (7) lying behind the cam and provided with a corresponding recess (d) into
which the cam catches, when the hainmer is not fully cocked with the object of
rendering it impossible to fire the gun before the haminer has been fully cocked..
Third. In the breech mechanism of rapid firing guns the combination of a double
armed hammer (4) with a projecting part (a) and a tube or casc (f) together with
the firing cord passing loosely through the hammer and resting in the front part of
the same thus permitting the hammer to be turned back to such an extent that its
projecting part (a) passes over the knee of a spring (b) arranged in front thereof so
that it can thus be partly cocked even if the firing-cord is during this time kept
tight.
Baked 4 096
day of September 1901.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.