Improvements in Gun Locks.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 15th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
Improvements in Gun Locks.
I, ERNST SCHLEGELMILCH, trading as the Nimrod Gewehr-fabrik Thieme &
Schlegelmilch, of Suhl, Thuringia, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to safety devices to enable the hammer to be kept at
full cock and also to a compact arrangement of the whole lock mechanism upon the
trigger plate.
This invention consists in the arrangement of a double pawl catch securing the
hammer when at full cock in such a way, that if from any cause the first pawl
catch accidentally releases the hammer the second still operates and prevents
firing, thus a hair trigger action may be used with perfect safety. Again this
new lock may be used in conjunction with any of the well known safety devices
at present employed the tension on the hammer sear or spring being obtained in
any well known manner such as the use of a closing lever or the tilting of the gun
barrel. Another advantage of the new lock is the simplicity and the compactness
of its construction upon the trigger plate, the component parts being so embedded
in, that the outer shell or gun casing is not weakened as is the case where the
mechanism occupies much space; and all the parts are simple in construction and
easily replaced.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the new gun lock in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lock mechanism with the hammer uncocked.
Figure 2 is a similar side elevation to Figure 1 but with the hammer at full
cock.
Figure 3 is a plan of a trigger plate only and arranged for a double gun
lock.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are details to the same scale as in the preceding figures
of the lock mechanism and they are respectively the second pawl catch, the first
pawl catch, the trigger and the gun hammer.
n
a but
Referring to the drawings the first and second pawl catches lettered respectively b
and m are pivoted upon the axis pin upon which the trigger n is also fixed. The
tail end of the lever S cocks the hammer e when required and this lever receives
its motion from the tilting of the barrel in the manner commonly known and
practiced. The trigger plate a is arranged in Figure 3 for a double gun lock but
on Figures 1 and 2 only for a single lock so that in the plan Figure 3 the devices
are duplicate, the slots rr being arranged for the passing through of the triggers
while the sides of the slots at rll do not go completely through the plate
only far enough to receive the inner ends of the first pawl catches b, and again the
hammers e fit in the wider parts of the slots hh, whilst the second pawl catches m
rest in the narrower parts of these slots. The hammer e has formed round its
pivot a projection or thickened portion 9 which serves to give it a better guidance
on its pivot and in the eye p of the trigger plate, and it is also formed with a pawl
tooth as a stop for the first pawl catch b and another pawl tooth t as a stop for the
second pawl catch m. The main spring o. acts upon the hammer e either directly

page_text: or through a chain piece as shown on Figures 1 and 2; the spring there shown
i
having two limbs o and o², the outer end of the bottom limb o¹ resting upon an
extension of the trigger e. The first pawl catch b is fixed upon the same axis ba
as the trigger n and though it is capable of being swivelled forward upon that axis
the extension at its foot engages with the trigger surface and prevents backward
movement, a spring b² fastened at its top end to the catch and resting with its
free end on an extension of the trigger plate a, keeps the pawl catch and the
trigger surface in spring contact.
The operation of the hereinbefore mechanism is as follows-The hammer e is
forced by the tilting of the barrel moving the lever S from the uncocked position
as shown in Figure 1 into the cocked position as shown in Figure 2, and this
results in the tooth k on the hammer gripping in the depression 6 of the first pawl
catch and the point of the second pawl catch m gripping in behind the pawl
tooth t some space for action being left as shown in the drawing between the
second pawl catch m and its tooth t. The main spring o by this last motion is
deflected by the chain piece i and the lock is ready cocked for firing. The trigger n
is now pulled and the end is forced up and turns the pawl catch b with its
depression b¹ forward and down and out of the path of the tooth k on the hammer
at the same time the trigger extension catches the piece m¹ of the second pawl
catch m and depresses its toothed end from out of the catch thus allowing the
main spring o. to come into action and force the hammer down and fire the gun.
If the first pawl catch 6 is accidentally released from the catch k when the gun
is cocked from any cause other than pressure of the trigger, the hammer e would
only travel forward the distance of the clearance space between the point of the
second pawl catch m and the tooth t, and as long as the trigger was not pulled
this second pawl catch would thus prevent the fall of the hammer.
This improved gun lock can be applied on one or several barrelled guns with
interior as well as exterior cocks; the essential devices of the double pawl catches
being modified according to circumstances, as it is not requisite that the trigger
and catch pawls should turn round the same axis; while again the first catch
pawl b may be made in one piece with the trigger n.
Dated this 15th day of June 1897
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents
I, ERNST SCHLEGELMILCH, trading as the Nimrod Gewehr-fabrik Thieme &
Schlegelmilch, of Suhl, Thuringia, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, 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 safety devices to enable the hammer to be kept at full
cock and also to a compact arrangement of the whole lock mechanism upon the
trigger plate.
The invention consists in the arrangement of a double pawl catch securing the
hammer when at full cock in such a way, that if from any cause the first pawl
catch accidentally releases the hammer the second still operates and prevents
firing and thus a hair trigger action may be used with perfect safety. Again the

page_text: new lock may be used in conjunction with any of the well known safety devices at
present employed, the tension on the hammer sear or spring being obtained in any
well known manner such as the use of a closing lever or the tilting of the gun
barrel. Another advantage of the new lock is the simplicity and the compactness
of its construction upon the trigger plate, the component parts being so embedded
in, that the outer shell or gun casing is not weakened as is the case where the
mechanism occupies much space; and further all the parts are simple in con-
struction and easily replaced.
Referring to the drawings filed with the Provisional Application which fully
illustrate the method of carrying the invention into effect as follows,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lock mechanism with the hammer uncocked.
Figure 2 is a similar side elevation to Figure 1. but with the hammer at full
cock.
Figure 3 is a plan of a trigger plate only and arranged for a double gun lock.
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are details to the same scale as in the preceding figures of
the lock mechanism and they are respectively the second pawl catch, the first pawl
catch, the trigger and the gun hammer.
Referring to the drawings the first and second pawl catches lettered respectively b
and m are pivotted upon the axis pin 73 upon which the trigger n is also fixed. The
tail end of the lever S cocks the hammer e when required and this lever receives its
motion from the tilting of the barrel in the manner commonly known and practiced.
The trigger plate a is arranged in Figure 3 for a double gun lock but on Figures 1
and 2 only for a single lock so that in the plan Figure 3 the devices are duplicate,
the slots being arranged for the passing through of the triggers n while the
sides of the slots at 1 do not go completely through the plate a but only far
enough to receive the inner ends of the first pawl catches b and again the hammers e
fit in the wider parts of the slots hh whilst the second pawl catches m rest in the
narrower parts of these slots. The hammer e has formed round its pivot a pro-
jection or thickened portion g which serves to give it a better guidance on its
pivot and in the eye of the trigger plate and it is also formed with a pawl
tooth k as a stop for the first pawl catch band another pawl tooth t as a stop for
the second pawl catch m. The main spring o acts upon the hammere either
directly or through a chain piece i as shown on Figures 1 and 2; the spring there
shown having two limbs o and 02, the outer end of the bottom limb o' resting
upon an extension of the trigger n. The first pawl catch 6 is fixed upon the same
axis b³ as the trigger n and though it is capable of being swivelled forward upon
that axis the extension at its foot engages with the trigger surface and prevents
backward movement. A spring fastened at its top end to the catch and rest-
ing with its free end on an extension of the trigger plate a keeps the pawl catch b
and the trigger surface in spring contact.
The operation of the hereinbefore described mechanism is as follows-The
hammer e is forced by the tilting of the barrel moving the lever S from the
uncocked position as shown in Figure 1 into the cocked position as shown in
Figure 2, and this results in the tooth on the hammer gripping in the depres-
sion b' of the first pawl catch b and the point of the second pawl catch m gripping
in behind the pawl tooth t the same space for action being left as shown in the
drawing between the second pawl catch m and its tooth t. The main spring o
by this last motion is deflected by the chain piece i and the lock is ready cocked
for firing. The trigger n is now pulled and the end 6* is forced up and turns the
pawl catch b with its depression 6' forward and down and out of the path of the
tooth k on the hammer at the same time the trigger extension catches the piece m¹
of the second pawl catch m and depresses its toothed end from out of the catch t
thus allowing the main spring o to come into action and force the hammer down
and fire the gun. If the first pawl catch is accidentally released from the
catch k when the gun is cocked from any cause other than pressure of the trigger
the hammer e would only travel forward the distance of the clearance space between

page_text: the point of the second pawl catch m and the tooth t and as long as the trigger
was not pulled this second pawl catch would thus prevent the fall of the hammer.
This improved gun lock can be applied on one or several barrelled guns with
interior as well as exterior cocks; the essential devices of the double pawl catches
being modified according to circumstances, as it is not requisite that the trigger
and catch pawls should turn round the same axis; while again the first catch pawl b
may be made in one piece with the trigger n.
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, The improved gun lock arranged with a double pawl catch safety device
mounted upon the trigger plate all substantially as and for the purposes-herein-
before described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
2,The improved gun lock claimed in the preceding claim in combination with
the lever S and the barrel for cocking or setting the gun substantially as herein-
before described.
3, In the gun lock claimed in Claim 1 of the specification arranging the pawl
catches band m upon the same axis as the trigger substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4, The improvements in safety catches and constructional details of gun locks
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of March 1898.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.