Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 17th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 17th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND, of 98 New Bond Street, and THOMAS
WOODWARD, of 69 Ashburnham Road, both in the County of Middlesex, Gun
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to effect improvements in the lock and cocking
mechanism of breech-loading small arins.
The main spring is of the rebound type, both of its limbs being made to operate
upon the tumbler or combined tumbler and hammer. In opening the breech the
cocking is effected by the pressure of the rebound limb of the main spring upon
the heel of the tumbler and in closing the breech the rebound limb of the main
spring is lifted away from the heel of the tumbler; this further compresses the
main spring and leaves the tumbler free to move under the influence of the other
limb of the spring when the tumbler is released by pressing the trigger.
The compression of the main spring is effected by a lever which we call the
compression lever and this receives motion from the hand lever at the time of
closing the breech.
The compression lever also serves as a catch to retain the hand lever when the
breech is closed.
The breech block may be either of the vertically sliding or hinged falling type
and may be actuated by means of a hand lever placed either upon the side, or
underneath the action, the said lever, acting upon the breech block, either by means
of a connecting link or by an arm or arms working in inclined slots in the said
breech block.
The extractor is a single or double lever formed so that its upper end catches
upon the rim of the cartridge case and it is started by the hand lever, acting upon
it near its centre, a spring or springs may be provided to give a sudden jerk to the
extractor and so effect the complete ejection of the cartridge case.
The lock mechanism and hand lever are preferably mounted upon the trigger
plate.
The action of the gun is as follows:-
Upon opening the gun by means of the hand lever, the breech block is drawn
downwards, at the same time a stud or projection upon the hand lever, is moved
out of a notch in the compression lever, thereby allowing the main spring to force
At the same time
back the hammer to full cock where it is retained by the sear.
the main spring carries with it the before mentioned compression lever. At the
last moment, the extractor is acted upon by the hand lever and the cartridge case
thereby extracted.
Upon closing the gun the stud upon the hand lever raises the compression lever
and so compresses the main spring. When fully closed the stud upon the hand
lever falls into the before mentioned notch in the compression lever, thereby
preventing the gun flying open. The gun is fired in the usual manner by pulling
the trigger. The main spring it will be seen is made to serve as a lever spring and
may also be made to act as an ejector spring, by arranging the compression lever,
so as to act upon the extractor at the proper time.
Dated this 15th day of September 1894.
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS
WOODWARD.

page_text: We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND, of 98 New Bond Street, and THOMAS
WOODWARD, of 69 Ashburnham Road, both in the County of Middlesex,
Gun Makers, 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 breech loading small arms in which the breech is
opened and closed by a breech block actuated by a hand lever.
The object of the invention is to improve the lock and cocking mechanism of
arms of this class.
We so arrange that in closing the breech, the movement of the hand lever
causes the main spring to be compressed whereby the arm is cocked and made
ready for firing. Also we so arrange that in opening the breech the movement of
the hand lever releases the main spring and permits it to expand so that its lower
limb may press upon the heel of the hammer and raise it to the cocked position,
where it is caught and retained by the sear.
In the drawings annexed we show lock mechanism in accordance with our
invention.
In Figure 1 the parts are represented in the positions they occupy after
firing.
Figure 2 shows the positions of the parts when the breech is open; and
Figure 3 shows the breech closed again and the parts in the positions they
occupy when the arm is made ready for firing.
Figure 4 shows a link which for greater clearness is omitted from the other
figures.
a is the lever handle which opens and closes the gun, it draws down a breech
block b so as to make room for the entrance of the cartridge into the bore of the
gun and it raises the breech block to close the breech behind the cartridge. As
represented in the drawings the breech block slides up and down in a recess in the
frame or body but it might be hinged to the frame at its rear end as in many
well known guns.
c is the firing pin which conveys the blow of the hammer to
the primer in the base of the cartridge. The firing pin c is able to longitudinally
slide a short distance in a passage formed for it through the breech block. d is a
link which connects the hand lever with the breech block, it passes through the
firing pin and is loosely jointed to the breech block at d'. When the hand lever
is moved forward, it turns about its joint pin at a' and the link d descends a short
distance without moving the breech block; as it does so the incline d² on the back
of the link draws the firing pin back a short distance so that its point may be clear
of the base of the cartridge and not protrude from the face of the breech block.
e is a nose upon the hand lever which in opening the breech just before the hand
lever comes to rest acts upon the tail of the extractor f and causes it to turn
around the joint pin f'; the extractor then acts to withdraw the cartridge_case
in the usual way. The nose e operates on the extractor as if it formed part of the
hand lever but to avoid needlessly weakening the metal frame a joint is
introduced at a¹. The lock and cocking mechanism is arranged in the following
manner :-
g is the main spring, it is of the rebound type and both its limbs operate on the
bammer, or combined tumbler and hammer h. A stud upon the main spring at g
is received into a lump upon the trigger plate and forms a joint about which the
spring can turn. The claws at the extremity of the upper limb of the main
spring engage with the link i and the lower end of this link is jointed to the

page_text: hammer at h. The centre about which the hammer can turn is marked h². The
trigger and sear are marked k and they are provided with a spring k³ ³ is
the bent in the tumbler or hammer into which the sear nose drops to retain the
hammer in the cocked position. I is a lever jointed to the frame at 1, we term it
the compression lever, it operates when the breech is closed to compress the main
spring by elevating its lower limb but when the breech is open it allows the end of
the lower limb of the main spring to descend and to come to press upon the heel of
the hammer. The compression lever receives its movement from a stud a' on the
hand lever, its upper end being connected with this stud by a link m; or the
stud may be upon the link, in which case it is received into a hole in
the band lever.
The action of the parts is clearly shown by the Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 1 is the first position, that immediately after firing. In Figure 2 the
breech has been opened and the extractor has operated.
In opening the breech it will be seen that the hand lever has thrown back the
compression lever out of the position in which it supported the lower limb of
the main spring and the main spring in expanding has passed from the position
seen in Figure 1 to that seen in Figure 2 so by the action of the main spring the
hammer has been brought to the cocked position; the sear also has dropped into
the bent to retain the hammer. On closing the breech again after inserting a new
cartridge the compression lever is raised as is seen in Figure 3 and by it the
main spring is compressed ready for firing.
On pulling the trigger the hammer is released and returns to the position seen
in Figure 1.
It will be seen that in the position shown by Figures 1 and 3 the main spring
acting through the parts and m tends to retain the hand lever in its position
beneath the trigger guard; whilst in the position shown by Figure 2 the main
spring operates to force the hand lever forward as far as it will go; thus the main
spring acts also as a lever spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Mechanism substantially as described so operating that the hand lever when
closing the breech, at the same time that it raises the breech block, causes the
lower limb of the main spring to be lifted and the spring to be compressed ready
for firing; and when opening the breech the hand lever at the same time that it
draws down the breech block releases the lower limb of the main spring and allows
this limb of the main spring to raise the hammer to the position in which it is
caught by the sear.
2. Mechanism substantially as described so operating that the main spring
serves to control the hand lever, as well as to raise the hammer to the cocked
position and to cause the hammer to strike when released by the sear.
3. Lock and cocking mechanism substantially as herein described and illustrated
by the annexed drawings.
Dated this 17th dev of June 1895.
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS WOODWARD.