Improvements in Extractor Mechanism for Drop Down Small Arms.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 9th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Extractor Mechanism for Drop Down Small Arms.
I JOHN Ross of 26 Stewarts Road, Battersea Park Road, London, Gun
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to that class of extractor mechanism for drop down
small arms in which the cases of exploded cartridges only are automatically ejected
from the barrels by the opening of the gun for the purpose of reloading.
The usual mechanism employed for the above purpose consists for each barrel of
an extractor rod fitted with a suitable bead for thrusting out the cartridge case.
On opening the gun the first part of the movement causes a limb to thrust the
extractor rod forward and so push the cartridge case out a short distance and on
the further opening of the gun a vertical or longitudinal ejector hammer is
released which strikes the extractor rod a smart blow so ejecting the empty
cartridge case. According to my present invention I increase the width of the
fore-part of the gun and upon it fix two vertical pivots, in place of vertical ejector
hammers I use horizontal hammers each of which turns upon one of the above
mentioned pivots. A spring either single or double bladed or spiral presses upon
each of these horizontal hammers and the spring may be put into compression
either by the act of opening or closing the gun. A sear or stop block working in a
horizontal plane is provided also controlled by a spring and this sear prevents the
ejector hammer from moving; but at a pre-arranged moment during the opening of
the gun the sear is drawn back and the ejector hammer is released and strikes the
end of the extractor rod. In place of the horizontal sear I may use a rotary
sear so formed as to allow the ejector hammer to pass it when in a certain position
but in all other positions to retain the ejector hammer in its cocked position.
For the purpose of moving the horizontal sear or for turning the rotary sear I use
a sliding plate in the body of the gun action, the forward end of this plate acts
upon the sear during the opening of the gun and for this purpose is bevelled off
when a horizontal sear is used and is made with a square end when a rotary sear is
employed. The sliding plate itself is caused to travel forward or backward by two
pins which are placed upon the cocking lever and act upon a wedge shaped tail
piece on the sliding plate itself so that the position of the sliding plate whether at
the forward or backward end of its travel depends upon whether the gun has been
fired or not.
I may also use an ejector hammer working in a horizontal plane without a sear
but held back by the ejector main spring.
Dated this Twentieth day of September 1890.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Extractor Mechanism for Drop Down Small Arms.
I, JOHN Ross of 26 Stewarts Road, Battersea Park Road, London, Gun
Maker, 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 :-
My improvements relate to that class of ejector mechanism for drop down

page_text: small arms in which the cases of exploded cartridges only are automatically ejected
from the barrels by the opening of the gun for the purpose of reloading.
The usual mechanism employed for the above purpose consists for cach
barrel of an ejector rod fitted with a suitable head for thrusting out the cartridge
case.
On opening the gun the first part of the movement causes a limb to thrust the
ejector rod forward and so push the cartridge case out a short distance and on the
further opening of the gun a vertical ejector hammer is released which strikes
the ejector rod a smart blow so ejecting the empty cartridge case. According to my
present invention I increase the width of the fore-part of the gun and upon it fix
two vertical pivots; in place of vertical ejector hammers I use horizontal haminers
each of which turns upon one of the above mentioned pivots. A double bladed
spring presses upon each of these horizontal hammers and this spring is put into
compression by the action of the ejector rod during the closing of the gun. In
order to hold back this horizontal ejector hammer until the exact moment for
release I use a scar pivoted so as to swing in a vertical plane. Another part of my
invention consists in the employment of a rotary sear so formed as to allow the
ejector hammer to pass it when in a certain position but in all other positions to
retain the ejector hammer in its cocked position.
For the purpose of moving the pivoted sear or the rotary sear I use a sliding
plate in the body of the gun action the forward end of this plate acts upon the sear
during the opening of the gun and for this purpose is made with a square end.
The sliding plate itself is caused to travel forward or backward by two pins
which are placed upon the cocking lever, and act upon the tail piece of the sliding
plate itself so that the position of the sliding plate whether at the forward or
backward end of its travel depends upon whether the gun has been fired or not.
I wish to disclaim all reference to a sear working in a horizontal plane and to the
special form of sliding plate used with this sear to which I alluded in my Provisional
Specification.
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the manner in
which my invention is to be carried out.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the gun.
Figure 2 a plan of the underside.
Figure 5 is a plan of the underside of the forepart.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the forepart.
Figure 7 an end view of the forepart.
The remaining figures are views of details.
Similar figures refer to similar or equivalent parts throughout the different
views.
In Figures 1 and 2 a narrow forepart 1 is used while Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent
a broad forepart used with an alternative arrangement of ejector hammers, sears
and springs, 2 is the ejector rod, 3 is the fixed limb on the knuckle of the gun action
which presses the ejector rod forward during the first portion of the opening of the
gun and also carries it back during the closing of the gun, 4 is the ejector hammer
which is pivoted on the pin 5, 6 is the ejector hammer spring which is provided
with a V groove shown at 7 in Figure 4. 8 is the rotary scar also shown in
Figure 3. The part 9 fits into a hole drilled in the forepart, 11 is the cocking limb
provided with two pins 12, 12, 14 is the ejector limb, 15 the firing hammer. The
action of the gun is as follows. Figure 1 represents the gun closed and ready for
firing, the ejector rod 2 is back and the ejector hammer 4 held back by the sear 8.
When the gun is fired the limb 11 is swung on the pin 16 and the limb 14 thrown
forward by the movement of the firing hammer under the combined action of the
pin 16 which is fixed to the gun action and works in the slot 13 and of the two
pins 12 carried by the limb 11 and acting upon the limb 14. The gun has now
been fired and may be supposed to be opened. The first part of the action of
opening caused the back part of the limb 3 to move the ejector rod 2 slightly out
so as to cause it to free the empty cartridge case from the barrel, the projection 17

page_text: upon the limb 14 is now so far out from the knuckle that it strikes the part 10 of
the sear Figure 3 and causes it to turn so that the flat 18 comes next to the ejector
hammer 4 which is then released and strikes the end of the ejector rod 2 a smart
blow throwing the cartridge case out of the barrel. The slant 19 of the cocking
limb 11 now strikes a slant upon the forepart and this presses it back and causes it to
cock the hammer 15; the hook 20 upon the limb 14 fits over a projection on the
hammer in such a way that the limb 14 is also drawn and held back
The gun is
now fully open and the operation of closing may be supposed to begin; the limb 3
now forces back the ejector rod 2 pressing back the hammer 4 and compressing the
spring 6. At a certain point the hammer 4 clears the sear 8 which is then caused to
rotate by the spring 26 Figure 2 until it occupies its normal position Figure 1 and
the gun is ready to be fired again. The spring 6 is made with a V shaped notch 7
into which the hammer 4 enters and by this means the two springs 6, are kept
apart.
Referring now to Figures 5 to 13 the forepart 1 is made wider than in Figure 1
and instead of a rotary sear, a swinging sear Figure 9 is used which is pivoted on the
pin 21. In this case the cocking limb Figure 8 carries two pins 12 and has a hole 22
by which it pivots on a pin fixed into the gun action, the limb 14 Figure 11 has a
slot, the action of the limbs Figure 8 and Figure 11 being the same as that of the
similar limbs 11 and 14 of Figure 1. Referring to Figure 9 the projection 24 acts in
the same way as the part 8 of Figure 3. The end 25 of the ejector hammer Figure 12
strikes the ejector rod 2 Figure 1 when the sear Figure 9 is released by the
projection 17 striking it during the opening of the gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In drop down small arms the use of a rotary sear for holding back the
ejector hammer and shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In drop down small arms the combination of the cocking lever 11 Figure 1
with the ejecting lever 14 Figure 1 and the hammer 15 Figure 1, also shown in
Figures 8 and 11.
3. In drop down small arms the use of a spring Figure 4 for the ejector hammer
made with a V shaped notch 7 into which the ejector hammer enters.
4. In drop down small arms the combination of the rotary sear 8 with the
cocking lever and ejecting levers 11 and 14 Figure 1.
5. In drop down small arms the use of an ejector hammer working in a horizontal
plane shown at 4 Figures 5 and 6 and in Figure 12.
6. In drop down small arms the use of the swinging sear Figure 9 in combination
with the ejector hammer Figure 12.
7. In drop down small arms the combination of the ejector hammer Figure 12.
and the sear Figure 9 and the cocking and ejecting levers Figures 8 and 11.
Dated this 7th day of March 1891.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S. W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.