improvements in breech loading fire-arms
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug, 1887,
Complete Left, 2nd May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
I, JOHN DICKSON of the Firm of John Dickson & Son 63 Princes Street Edinburgh,
in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Gunmaker do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in breech loading fire-arms; is a
further development of the Invention described in the provisional specification of the
said John Dickson accompanying his application for a patent No. 9399 A.D. 1887
and dated the 2nd day of July of the said year.
The especial object of the present improvements is to so arrange the action and
the ejecting mechanism that the necessity for using long pistons or strikers carried
partly in the strap of the action for being struck by the hammers against the ignition
of the cartridges is dispensed with and short pistons or strikers carried in the body of
the action rendered capable of being used instead. For this purpose the action is
brought further forward, that is to say, nearer to the body of the gun in order that
the axis of the hammers may be so situated that the heads of the hammers may
suitably strike the short pistons or strikers.
By virtue of the foregoing arrangement the side levers, contained within the bridles
as described in the former Provisional Specification of the said John Dickson and for
retaining and releasing the horizontal bars acted upon by the springs which operate
the ejectors are substituted by other levers or retaining catches or the mechanical
equivalents of these which are or may be held in the body part of the action.
In place of making the horizontal bars in one piece they may be made in two pieces
connected by a hinge or by an equivalent joint. In this case the holes in the nipples
through which the bars pass are slightly oval, conical or inclined so as to allow the
hinged hooked piece of the bar to be moved on its joint for the purpose of engaging
with or being disengaged from the retaining catch or catches.

page_text: It is to be understood that the essential feature of this Invention is the adapting of
the ejectors or their equivalents described in the aforesaid Provisional Specification
of the said John Dickson to breech-loading fire-arms in which short pistons carried
in the body of the fire-arms are used as distinguished from the long pistons carried in
or immediately under the strap and that the arrangement of the hooks or retaining
catches for retaining and releasing the horizontal bars and springs which operate the
extractor may be variously modified.
In place of using the ejectors in combination with an Extractor, the Extractor may
be dispensed with in which case the Ejectors do the whole work of removing the
spent cartridge cases from the barrels.
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
12, Rothesay Place, Edinburgh,
Petitioner's Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Breech Loading Fire Arms.
I, JOHN DICKSON of the firm of John Dickson & Son, 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh,
in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Guninaker 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 Invention, which relates to improvements in breech-loading fire arms, is a
further development of the Invention described in the Provisional and Complete
Specifications of me the said John Dickson accompanying my application for a Patent
No. 9399 A.D. 1887 and dated the 2nd day of July of the same year.
The especial object of the present improvements is to so arrange the action and the
ejecting mechanism that the necessity for using long pistons or strikers carried partly
in the strap of the action for being struck by the hammers against the ignition of the
cartridges is dispensed with, and short pistons or strikers carried in the body of
the action are by means of these improvements rendered capable of being used
instead. For this purpose the action is brought further forward, that is to say, nearer
to the body of the gun in order that the axis of the hammers may be so situated that
the heads of the hammers may suitably strike the short pistons or strikers.
By virtue of the foregoing arrangement the side levers contained within the bridles
as described in the former Provisional and Complete Specifications of me the said John
Dickson and for retaining and releasing the horizontal bars acted upon by the springs
which operate the ejectors are substituted by other levers or retaining catches or the
mechanical equivalents of these which are or may be held in the body part of
the action.
In place of making the horizontal bars in one piece, they may be made in two
pieces connected by a hinge or by an equivalent joint. In this case the holes in the
nipples through which the bars pass are made slightly oval or inclined so as to allow
the hinged hooked piece of the bars to be moved on its joint for the purpose of
engaging with or being disengaged from the retaining catch or catches.
It is to be understood that the essential feature of my Invention is the adapting of
the ejectors or their equivalents described in the aforesaid Provisional and Complete
Specifications of me the said John Dickson to breech-loading fire arms in which short
pistons carried in the body of the fire arms are used as distinguished from the long
pistons carried in or immediately under the strap and that the arrangement of the
hooks or retaining catches or their equivalent for retaining and releasing the horizontal
bars and springs which operate the ejector, may be variously modified.
In place of using the ejectors in combination with an extractor, the extractor may
be dispensed with in which case the ejectors do the whole work of removing the
spent cartridge cases from the barrels.

page_text: In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried ` into
effect, I have hereunto appended three explanatory sheets of drawings in the several
Figures of which corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of reference.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of a portion of a drop-down double-barrelled gun or
fire arm with the stock removed in order to shew the construction of the action and
made in accordance with my improvements.
Figure 2, is a plan of the same.
Figure 3, is another side elevation of the same portion of a drop-down double
barrelled gun or fire-arm as that shewn at Figures 1 and 2 but in this case shewn in
the open position, that is to say, the position for loading it.
Figure 4, is a plan corresponding to Figure 3.
Figure 5, is a vertical section through that portion of the underpart of the fire arm
which contains the rod and spring for operating the ejector as hereinafter described.
Figure 6, is an end elevation of the body shewing a modification for retaining the
rods for operating the ejectors as hereinafter described, and Figure 7, is a side
elevation of the same part of the gun and shewing the same modification in dotted
lines.
On referring to the Figures of the accompanying drawings and comparing them
with corresponding Figures in the drawings attached to the aforesaid Complete Specifi-
cation No. 9399 A.D. 1887, it will be seen that the axis a, upon which the hammers
or strikers S, operate is very much nearer the body of the gun than is the case with
the said axis in the drawings of the aforesaid Complete Specification and as a
consequence of this the pistons y, shewn in dotted lines Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, are
very much shorter than the pistons shewn in the drawings of the aforesaid specification.
By means of the shortening of the pistons y, the carrying of the back portions thereof
partly in the strap of the action is avoided.
When the gun is opened for the purpose of cocking the hammers S, this is effected
by means of the bar W, by the action of the cam X, pushing it against the bent
arm Y¹, acting against the hammers or tumblers S, at a short distance above the axis
thereof all as set forth in the aforesaid Complete Specification. The bars E, for
operating the ejectors in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, are surrounded with spiral springs H,
which are compressed between the head at the inner end of the bars E, and the
nipples F, screwed into the lower part of the body of the gun as shewn. The bars E;
according to the present improvements in place of being straight bars as under the
aforesaid Specification, are curved bars as shewn at Figures 1 and 3 but more
particularly in the section Figure 5. The bars E, are springs and the tendency of
the rear part or tail thereof is to be forced downwards until the hook z, formed on
the underside of the tail engages with the lower edge of the nipple F. From this
arrangement it will be seen that as the tendency of the rearward end or tail of each
bar E, is to press against the lower part of the hole in the nipple F, that as the bar
is pushed backwards by the lever J, in the act of closing the gun that so soon as the
catch 2,
in the said rearward end or tail passes over the edge of the hole in the
nipple F, the elasticity of the rod E, forces the rearward end or tail downwards and
causes the catch z, to engage with the edge of the hole in the nipple, from which it
cannot be disengaged excepting by lifting the said rearward end or tail sufficiently
high to free the catch z, from the edge of the hole. By means of this arrangement
some of the parts of the action described in the aforesaid specification of the said John
Dickson are dispensed with and the construction thereof is simplified. Means for
disengaging the catches z, from the nipples F, are provided and consist in forming,
the lower part of each hammer or striker S, with the projection t, which projection as
each hammer or striker S, is being thrown back into the cock position in the act of
opening the gun, bears against the underside of the rearward tail-piece of each bar E,
thereby raising the tail-pieces of the bars E, until the catch z, is freed from the edge
of the hole in the nipple when the compressed spiral spring H, becomes free to react
and forces back the bars E, against the levers J, so that they operate upon the
ejectors C, in the manner described in the aforesaid Specification.
Under a modification shewn at Figures 6 and 7, the bars E, in place of being made

page_text: as springs whose tendency is to press the tails or rear-parts downwards, the said
bars E, are made straight and not as springs. In this modification vertical springs R,
are fixed in the after part of the body by means of screws S, as shewn at Figures 6
and 7, and the tails of these springs are pressed downwards upon the tails E, and
cause the hook formed on each of them to engage with the lower edge of the hole
formed in each nipple F, whereby the bars E, are retained in the position necessary
for enabling them when released to be operated by the spiral springs H, upon the
ejectors.
In place of forming or constructing the bars E, in one piece according to either of
the modifications shewn upon the annexed drawings a portion or the whole of the bar
may be attached hingewise to the inner or enlarged head or end thereof and formed
In this case
at the rearward end or tail with a catch for engaging with the nipple F.
as the hinge allows the rearward end or tail to move downwards by the action of its
own weight the hook or catch therein engages with the edge of the nipple when the
bars E, are forced backwards without the aid of springs and the weight of the hinge
portion causes the hooks to remain, engaged with the nipples until they are released
therefrom by the projections T, pressing them upwards in the act of opening the gun
and cocking the haminers or strikers S.
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 guns or fire arms provided with ejectors operated as set forth, the
general arrangement whereby the axis a, upon which the hammers or strikers S,
operate is brought sufficiently near to the body of the gun that short pistons y, carried
entirely in the body of the action, may be used as hereinbefore described and shewn
upon the annexed sheets of drawings.
2. The bars E, for operating the ejectors formed as springs whose tendency is to
press the rearward end or tail downwards so that the hook or catch in the said tail
becomes engaged with and retained by the edge of the lower part of the hole in
the nipple F, as hereinbefore described and shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the
annexed drawings.
3. The springs R, carried in the body part of the gun for pressing upon the rear-
ward ends or tails of the bars E, as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
shewn at Figures and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The construction of the bars E, in the hinged manner hereinbefore described.
5. The projections t, formed on the lower part of the hammers or strikers S, for the
purpose of releasing the bars E, from the nipples F, as hereinbefore described and
shewn at Figures 1 and 3, of the annexed drawings.
Tin 1st day of Nov 1888
ST. JOHN V. DAY,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Applicant's Agent.