Improvements in or connected with Quick-firing Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Quick-firing Guns.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by Ernst Ternström, of 2, Rue de Maine, Asnières, (Seine) in the Republic
of France, Engineer) to be as follows:-
My invention relates to quick firing guns of the kind in which the breech is
divided into two parts, ridelicet, a pivoting block and a descending wedge, the
latter being provided with wedge shaped shoulders which cock the firing-pin-such
guns for instance as those described and illustrated in the Specification of
T. Nordenfelt's Patent No. 2496 of 1882, the object of my said invention being
to provide a safety arrangement which will prevent the breech of such a gun from
being opened at all in case of a missfire or too quickly in case of a hangfire, without
previously releasing the safety arrangement.
I accomplish this object by providing on the surface of the trigger lever a stop
or shoulder which, as soon as the firing pin has advanced and struck the percussion
cap, rises behind the back or the catch of the firing-pin and prevents the firing-pin
from being drawn back, the wedge shaped shoulders being arrested by the inclined
surfaces on the firing pin, which thus acts as a stop to prevent the descent of the
wedge and the opening of the breech.
When there is no missfire, or when the cartridge is fired after a hangfire, the
vibration or the recoil of the gun causes the stop or shoulder on the trigger
lever to descend so as to allow the firing pin to be driven back by the pressure
exerted upon the percussion cap from the interior of the cartridge case, and the
firing pin is then free to be drawn back by the wedge like shoulders of the
descending wedge.
In cases when the cartridge is not fired the breech mechanism cannot be opened
until I release the firing pin from the stud or shoulder on the surface of the trigger
lever by pulling the trigger at the same time as I open the mechanism.
Dated the 7th day of April 1891
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Quick-firing Guns.
1, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by Ernst Ternström, of 2, Rue de Maine, Asnières, Seine, in the Republic
of France, Engineer) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to quick-firing guns of the kind in which the breech
is divided into two parts, videlicet, a pivotting block and a descending wedge,
the latter being provided with wedge-shaped shoulders which cock the firing-
pin, such guns for instance as those described and illustrated in the Specifi-
cation of T. Nordenfelt's Patent No. 2496 of 1882; the object of my said invention
being to provide a safety arrangement which will prevent the breech of such a gun

page_text: from being opened at all in case of a miss-fire, or too quickly in case of a hang-fire,
without previously releasing the safety arrangement.
In the accompanying drawing-
Figures and 2 are sectional views of so much of the breech-mechanism of a
quick-firing gun as is necessary to illustrate the application of my invention,
Figure shewing the position of the parts in case of miss-fire or hang-fire, and
Figure 2 the position of the parts after the gun is discharged.
In carrying out the invention I provide on the surface of the trigger-lever
a stop or shoulder, which, as soon as the firing-pin e has advanced and struck the
percussion-cap, rises behind the back or the catch of the said firing-pin and, in case
of miss-fire, prevents the same from being drawn back by the wedges d of the
wedge-block e coming into contact with the wedge-shaped shoulders upon the
firing-pin c, so that the said shoulders thus serve as a stop to prevent the wedge-
block from being lowered to open the breech; this position of the parts is shewn
in Figure 1. The breech-mechanism can then only be opened by pulling the
trigger-lever a to release the firing-pin e from the stop or shoulder 6 at the same
time as the breech-mechanism is opened.
When there is no miss-fire or when the cartridge is fired after a hang-fire, the
inertia of the lever a, during the sudden recoil or vibration of the gun, causes the
stop or shoulder b to be drawn out of the path of the firing-pin, so that the latter
is free to be driven back by the pressure exerted upon the percussion-cap from the
interior of the cartridge-case; the firing-pin is then free, as shewn in Figure 2, to
be drawn back by the wedge d during the lowering of the wedge-block. The
pressure in the cartridge-case acts upon the percussion-cap to force back the firing-
pin either by bending back the indent made by the point of the said firing-pin, or
by forcing the whole cap back into a recess y cut in the face of the breech-block,
as shewn in the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a quick-firing gun of the kind hereinbefore described, the combination
with the firing-pin_of_a_trigger-lever having a stop or shoulder adapted, in
case of miss-fire or hang-fire, to engage behind the said firing-pin for preventing
the opening of the breech before the gun has been discharged, substantially as
described.
2. In a quick-firing gun the utilization of the movement imparted to the firing-
pin by the pressure within the cartridge being discharged acting upon the per-
cussion-cap thereof, for preventing a stop or shoulder upon the trigger-lever
from engaging behind the said firing-pin, substantially as, and for the purpose,
described.
3. The combination with the trigger-lever of a quick-firing gun of a stop or
shoulder, adapted to engage behind the firing-pin in case of a miss-fire or hang-
fire to prevent it from being drawn back, and a recess in the face of the breech-
block which allows the percussion-cap to be driven back by the force of the
explosion and thereby move the firing-pin so that the said stop or shoulder cannot
re-engage therewith after the discharge, substantially as, and for the purposes,
described.
4. The improvements in quick-firing guns hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the ith dow of IL
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.