DOWN GUNS #t AN IMPROVEMENT IN DROP--
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Hannay of Porchester Terrace in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of
DOWN GUNS
#t
AN IMPROVEMENT IN DROP-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Hannay at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th December 1882.
JAMES HENRY HANNAY of Porchester Terrace in the County of Middlesex
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN DROP-DOWN GUNS
"
In drop-down guns as they are usually constructed, there is a bolt or catch
which holds the barrels up, and when it is desired to drop the barrels this bolt or
catch has to be withdrawn. The object of my invention is to arrange this catch
in such a way that no separate manual operation is required for its withdrawal, and
that at the same time safety is ensured by preventing its withdrawal when the gun
is on cock. For this purpose I employ a spring bolt with a sloped end entering a
sloped recess in the breech joint, the spring being such as to permit the bolt to
unlatch itself when moderate force is applied to push down the barrels. The bolt
is so placed that when the gun is cocked, part of the firing mechanism butts against
it preventing its withdrawal, but when the gun is not on cock, the bolt is free to
move back, and then the act of pushing down the barrels disengages the catch
without requiring any separate action for that purpose. When the gun is double-
barrelled I prefer to make the cocking of the right hand barrel lock the catch..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Henry Hannay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1883.
JAMES HENRY HANNAY of Porchester Terrace in the County of Middlesex
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN DROP-DOWN GUNS
ور
In drop down guns as they are usually constructed, there is a bolt or catch which
holds the barrels up, and when it is desired to drop the barrels this bolt or catch has
to be withdrawn. The object of my invention is to arrange this catch in such a
way that no separate manual operation is required for its withdrawal, and that at
the same time safety is ensured by preventing its withdrawal when the gun is on
cock. For this purpose, I employ a spring bolt with a sloped end entering a
sloped recess in the breech joint, the spring being such as to permit the bolt to
unlatch itself when moderate force is applied to push down the barrels. The bolt
is so placed that when the gun is cocked, part of the firing mechanism butts
against it preventing its withdrawal, but when the gun is not on cock, the bolt is
free to move back, and then the act of pushing down the barrels disengages the
catch without requiring any separate action for that purpose. When the gun is
double barrelled I prefer to make the cocking of the right hand barrel lock
the catch.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a part longitudinal section of the lock
of a double barrelled drop-down gun of the kind known as hammerless as there
are no external hammers, with mechanism according to my invention applied thereto.
A is the hammer for the right hand barrel B, to which hammer I fix a stud C
sloped off on its under and forward side. D is a spring bolt having a rounded end
which enters the notch in the breech joint E, the mouth of this notch being also a
little rounded so that if the bolt D is free to slide back in opposition to its spring,
the barrels can be pushed down by the exertion of a little force; if, however, the
bolt D be held stationary, the barrels cannot be pushed down. On the bolt D is
mounted a lever F which in one position catches against the stud C, but which
when in the dotted position F1 is clear of the stud. The tail f of this lever is
situated immediately over the catch G which in one position leaves the triggers
free to be pulled, but in the dotted position G¹ locks the triggers. The spring d of
the bolt D presses a washer against a shoulder of the lever F. The operation is as
follows. In the condition of the parts shewn in the full lines in Fig. 1, the triggers
are free but the hammer A is on cock and its stud C engaging the end of the
lever F prevents the bolt D from sliding back and consequently the barrels cannot
be depressed. But when, on firing the right hand barrel, the stud C escapes the
end of the lever F the bolt D is left free and the barrels can be depressed. Again
when the hammer A is cocked, but the catch G is in its dotted position G' locking
the trigger then the lever F is moved by G¹ to the dotted position F' and its end
being thus disengaged from the stud C, the bolt D is free and the barrels can be
depressed.
Fig. 2 shews a modified arrangement of the mechanisin applied to an existing
lock, and Fig. 3 is a part plan thereof. In this case the bolt D is of the usual
form, arranged to be moved back by a lever acting on the upper slide H, but having
as in Fig. 1 its end rounded off where it enters the notch of E. On a bracket K
fixed within the lock I mount a compound bell crank lever L which can be moved
in a vertical plane by a jointed rod connecting it to the trigger locking lever M,
and can be turned partly round in a horizontal plane by a jointed rod connecting
it to the hammer A. When the locking lever M is moved forward unlocking the

page_text: triggers, the hammer A being at the same time cocked, the bell crank lever is in
such a position that it obstructs the upright arm d of the bolt D, so that the
barrels cannot be depressed. But when the bell crank lever L is moved in the
vertical plane by drawing back M so as to lock the triggers, or when, while M is
still forward leaving the triggers free, the hammer A moves forward, it turns L
aside in the horizontal plane, and in either case the bolt D being free to move back,
the barrels can be depressed.
In case, after firing the right hand barrel, the bolt D being then free, the barrels
should droop a little, their movement will cause the bolt D fig. 2 to slide back a
little and a pin P attached to the slide H will then push hack the lever M so as to
lock the triggers and prevent the other barrel from being fired while the barrels are
not close home to the breech block. In a similar manner an extension P from the
slide D Fig. 1 will act on the lever M locking the triggers if the barrels should
droop.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim in respect of drop-down guns:-
Controlling the movement of the barrel bolt by a connection to the hammer and
to the trigger lock in such a manner, that when the hammer is cocked back and the
triggers are unlocked the bolt cannot be pushed back so as to free the barrels, but
when the hammer is forward or when the triggers are locked, the bolt is free, and
the barrels can be depressed, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said James Henry Hannay have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twenty eighth day of June in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
JAMES HENRY HANNAY (L.S.)