IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Atkinson, of Wharf Road, City Road, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS." -A communication from abroad by.
Carl Anthony Klintberg, residing at Stockholm, in the Kingdom.
of Sweden.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Atkinson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th April 1870.
I, HENRY ATKINSON, of Wharf Road, City Road, in the County of
5 Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS," to be as follows:-
The improvements which constitute this Invention relate to breech-
loading needle guns, and consist of a breech opening and closing
lever, cock, and extractor, the actions of which are combined so that the

page_text: forward stroke of the cock, resulting from the "pull" of the trigger
raises the lever and closes the breech when firing the piece, and the
backward stroke or "pull " of the cock also further depresses the said
lever till it clears the breech altogether, and at the same time actuates
the extractor which draws out the exploded cartridge and leaves the
piece ready for a fresh charge. The cock and lever are so combined
that the lever cannot be depressed until the cock is drawn back a
certain distance, nor the piece be fired until the lever is raised and
closes the breech.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Atkinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ATKINSON, of Wharf Road, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the ycar
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Atkinson, Her special licence that
I, the said Henry Atkinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Atkinson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, 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 NEEDLE
GUNS," a communication to me from abroad by Carl Anthony Klintberg,
a Foreigner, residing at Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Atkinson, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Atkinson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
"
"
The improvements which constitute this Invention relate to breech-
loading needle guns, and consist of a breech opening and closing lever or
block, cock, and cartridge extractor, the actions of which are so
combined that the forward stroke of the cock resulting from the "pull'
of the trigger raises the said lever and closes the breech when firing the
piece, and the backward stroke or "pull" of the cock to "full cock
partially depresses the said lever, while a slight further pull of the cock
also further depresses the said lever until it clears the opening of the
barrel in the breech altogether, and at the same time actuates the
extractor which draws out the exploded cartridge and leaves the piece
ready for a fresh charge. The cock and lever, both of which turn upon
fixed pivots, are so connected with each other that the motion of one of
them necessarily depends upon that of the other, so that when the cock
is in its lowest position, that is to say, when it strikes the needle, the
lever is raised so that it covers and closes the back opening of the barrel,
and when the said cock is in its highest position, that is to say, when at
a little above full cock, the lever is lowered and the breech end of the
barrel is open to receive the charge. For this purpose the lever is
formed with a vertical slot in which the cock or striker works, and with
two lateral slots in which a pin fixed to the cock works, and which
causes the lever to move with the motion of the cock. The cock when
striking the needle locks the lever in the required position. The cock
cannot however strike the needle before the lever has been raised to
close the breech end of the barrel. The gun cannot be discharged before
the cartridge has been properly laid in, nor can it be discharged by any
incautious proceeding. When discharged the copper cartridge case is
thrown out by the act of re-cocking the gun, so that no special motion is
required for extracting the exploded case. The breech opening of the
gun is so closed or covered by the lever that no dust or fragments of the
cartridge can lodge in it to prevent the proper movement and action of
the parts. The entire cock is so fitted that it can be lowered out of the
stock upon a pivot for being cleaned when required.
The accompanying Drawing is intended to illustrate the details of

page_text: "
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a gun constructed according to my said In-
vention shewing the parts (in dotted section) in their relative positions
at the point or moment of discharge; Fig. 2 is a similar view shewing
the same parts (also in dotted section) in their relative positions at "full
cock;
Fig. 3 is a plan or vertical view of the lever and cock as
shewn at Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section at the line p, g, Fig. 1,
and Fig. 5 is also a transverse section at the line m, o, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 shews
the entire lock as lowered out of the stock. The same parts of the picce
where they appear in view in the respective Figures are lettered with
similar letters.
A is the cock, which turns on the pivot a, and is fitted with a pin e;
B is the lever turning on the pivot b, and formed with side grooves m, m,
in which the pin e moves with the motion of the cock. These grooves
extend backwards and upwards in order that the lever may be allowed
to move downwards so as to leave the mouth of the barrel entirely open.
By this combination of the cock with the lever their motions will con-
tinually depend on each other, whereby the gun will possess the above-
mentioned qualities; C is the extractor furnished with a hook at d, and
a lever arm D which is moved by the lever when the gun is sufficiently
cocked, or when the cock is sufficiently drawn up, and thus the discharged
copper cartridge is thrown out when. the gun has been discharged;
E, E, are two pillars on each side of the lever which unite it with the
lower bow F, to which the other parts of the lock are fixed, as shewn at
Fig. 6. The bow F turns on the same pivot n as the extractor. By
this arrangement the whole mechanism of the lock can be turned down
on the point n, and thus be taken out and cleaned by loosening the
bolt b, Fig. 5, and the screw k, Fig. 1. G is the needle; H is the steel
spring that produces the stroke; J is a spring which continually presses
the lever upwards and which holds it so high that the cartridge when
laid in cannot fall out. By a little pressure upon the lever when the
cartridge is laid in the gun can easily be charged. M and L are two
smaller springs which work upon the trigger and the extractor. When
the gun is cocked, the pin e moves in the grooves m, m, and at the
same time presses down the lever B into the position represented by
Fig. 2 when the cock is up the lever covers a part of the mouth of
the barrel, whereby the cartridge is prevented from falling out. In this

page_text: position the gun is ready to be fired and also to be charged. If the
cock is further drawn up the lever sinks until the mouth of the barrel
becomes entirely open, whereby the lever begins to press upon the lever
arm D and the discharged cartridge is thrown out. When the cock is
again brought into its highest position the gun is again ready to be
discharged, which is done as has already been explained by further
pressing down the lever when the cartridge can be laid in.
What is claimed in this case is the cock and lever formed, combined,
and operated as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Atkinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.