IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Kuhn Prioleau, of No. 39, Lombard
Street, in the City of London, Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication
from abroad by Friedrich Von Martini, of Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Kuhn Prioleau
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 31st October 1871.
I, CHARLES KUHN PRIOLEAU, of No. 39, Lombard Street, in the City
of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for “IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-
arms, and relates chiefly to arms of that class in which the rear end
of the barrel or breech chamber is closed by a falling block, as in the
well-known "Martini" action, forming the subject of Letters Patent,
No. 2305, dated the 22nd day of July 1868, and No. 1144, dated the
28th day of April 1871, but parts of the Invention may be applied to
breech-loading fire-arms of other kinds.

page_text: It consists, firstly, in constructing the action with a tumbler rest,
working upon a separate axis pin, placed between the axis pin of the
tumbler lever and the axis pin of the trigger, so that a part of the
tumbler lever rests directly upon the tumbler rest, and a principal pro-
portion of the pressure, communicated by the mainspring to the tumbler
lever, is conveyed to and borne by the axis pin of the tumbler rest.
The shorter arm of the trigger takes into a suitable bent formed in the
tumbler rest. The part of the tumbler rest against which the tumbler
lever bears when the arm is cocked is, curved, so that when the tumbler
rest is released by the withdrawal of the trigger from the bent the
pressure of the tumbler lever against the curved surface of its rest causes
the latter to turn on its axis, until it allows the tumbler lever to pass,
after which and during the act of recocking the arm, the action of the
trigger spring causes the trigger to move the tumbler rest back under the
tumbler lever, until the short arm of the trigger enters the bent as before.
Secondly. In constructing the action with an extractor lever or levers,
actuated by a sliding bar or pivotted lever, slits being formed in the
extractor lever or levers or in the sliding bar, so that when the upper
ends of the extractor levers are pressed against the cartridge case the
slits are closed, thereby presenting rigid or unyielding surfaces to the rim
of the cartridge case, until the latter becomes loosened in the barrel
or breech chamber, whereupon the slits open and the upper ends of the
extractor levers spring or move rapidly forward, and eject the cartridge
case. The sliding bar works within a dovetail shaped groove or recess
in the trigger plate or lower part of the lock frame or body, and is
actuated by means of a face on the hand lever, so that the sliding bar
is pressed forward against the shorter arm or arms of the extractor
lever or levers, thereby causing them to eject the cartridge case as
described. When the pivotted lever is employed for actuating the slit
extractor lever or levers the latter is or are placed upon the same axis
pin as the pivotted lever, and the cartridge case is ejected by the action
of the breech block, which comes in contact with the pivotted lever,
through which the requisite movement is communicated to the extractor
lever or levers.
Thirdly. In constructing the action so as to lock the mechanism in
the firing position automatically, by means of a locking or safety bolt,
arranged to slide in the trigger plate or lower part of the lock frame or
body, and actuated by a suitable face on the hand lever, which, during

page_text: SPECIFICATION în pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Kuhn Priolcau in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
KUHN PRIOLEAU, of No. 39, Lombard Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Kuhn Prioleau, Her
special licence that I, the said Charles Kuhn Prioleau, my éxecutors,
administrators, and assigns; or such others as I, the said Charles Kuhn
Prioleau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS;" (a communication to nio
from abroad by Friedrich Von Martini, of Frauenfeld, Switzerland,) upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Kuhn Prioleau,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Pátent.

page_text: -
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Kuhn Prioleau, do hereby
declaro the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and the Drawings therein referred to.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the lock frame, hand lever, and
other parts of a breech-loading fire-arm constructed with a tumbler rest
working upon a separate axis pin between the axis pin of the tumbler
lever and the axis pin of the trigger, and with a locking or safety bolt
arranged so as to lock the mechanism in the firing position automatically.
Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section, showing the mechanism
in that position which obtains when the piece has been discharged.
Fig. 3 is a section taken in the line A, B, of Fig. 4, showing the locking
bolt in corresponding position. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken in
the line C, D, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken in the
line E, F, of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal vertical section
showing the parts in position for firing.
!
a is the lock frame or body; b, the barrel; c, the breech block; d, the
exploding pin; e, the mainspring; f, the tubular screw or stop nut; g, the
tumbler lever (or tumbler), and its fulcrum pin. The short arm g¹ of
the tumbler lever rests directly upon a tumbler rest i, which works upon
a separate axis pin & placed between the axis pin h of the tumbler lever
and the axis pin / of the trigger, so that a principal proportion of
the pressure communicated from the mainspring e to the tumbler lever g
is conveyed to and borne by the axis pin k, thus reducing the pressure
on the trigger. The shorter arm m³ of the trigger m is formed with a
bent as shown to receive the nose i¹ of the tumbler rest when the arm is
cocked. When the tumbler rest is released by pulling the trigger the
pressure of the tumbler lever against the tumbler rest i causes the
latter to turn on its axis until it allows the tumbler lever to pass as shown
in Fig. 2.. During the act of recocking the arm the hand lever n comes in
contact with the small sliding pin o, thereby pushing the same against
the lower arm of the tumbler rest, and moving its upper arm back
under the short arm g' of the tumbler lever g, whereupon the bent in the
shorter arm of. the trigger is moved by the trigger spring m³ into the
proper position for receiving the nose of the tumbler rest, as shown in
Fig. 6. The firing mechanism is locked in the firing position auto-
matically by means of the locking or safety.bolt p, which is arranged to
slide along the trigger plate 7, and is actuated by a suitable face n' on

page_text: the hand lever.. When the hand lever n is depressed so as to open the
breech and cock the piece it pushes the projecting part p' of the locking
bolt p under the projection or lug m³ formed on the trigger m thereby
locking the trigger. The bolt p is formed with a spring tail piece p³
which catches in indentations formed in the plate q as shewn for
retaining the bolt in its respective positions. When the trigger is locked
it can only be released by withdrawing the bolt p by means of the
thumb piece p³, which works in a slot or recess formed in the plate q
and is attached to the bolt pas shewn. When it is desired to dispense
with the automatic locking of the firing mechanism the bolt p may be
moved forward by means of its thumb piece until the projection on the
under side of the spring tail piece p³ takes into the indentation q' in the
trigger plate 9, whereby the bolt will be retained beyond the influence
of the hand lever n.
Fig. 7 (Sheet 2) is a central longitudinal vertical section of another
breech action. Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken in the line G, H, of
Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section of the locking bolt
and other parts taken in the line I, K, of Fig. 10, and Fig. 10 is a
horizontal section taken in the line L, M, of Fig. 7.
The construction of this action mainly resembles that of the action
already described, and will be readily understood from the Drawings
which represent the mechanism locked in the firing position. The
tumbler rest i is in this case recessed to receive the free end of a
spring 8, which when the tumbler lever (or tumbler) is in its cocked
position tends to force the tumbler rest & into the bent formed in the
short arm g' of the tumbler lever.
Fig. 11 is a longitudinal vertical section of the breech part of an arm
constructed with an extractor lever actuated by a sliding bar, which
works within a dovetail shaped groove or recess in the trigger plate,
and is actuated by means of a face on the hand lever. Fig. 12 is a plan
of the trigger plate with the tumbler rest, trigger, trigger spring, sliding
bar, and locking bolt, which latter is made according to a well-known
plan forming no part of this Invention. Fig. 13 is a transverse section
taken in the line N, O, of Fig. 11. Fig. 14 is a transverse section of the
trigger plate, trigger, sliding bar, and locking bolt, taken in the line
P, Q, of Fig. 11. Fig 15 is a transverse section of the trigger plate,
tumbler rest, and sliding bar, taken in the line R, S, of Fig. 11.
1

page_text: so as to form a
It is actuated by a
the trigger plate 1
When the lever 1 is
In this action the extractor lever is slit at
powerful spring and works upon the fulcrum pin t.
bar which slides in a dovetail shaped recess in
and is actuated by a face n² on the hand lever n.
fully depressed it pushes the bar against the shorter arm of the
extractor lever, and as the cartridge case to be removed from the barrel
offers considerable resistance to the movement of the extractor lever,
the first effect is to close the slit ¹ until the cartridge case becomes
loosened in the barrel by the pressure against it of the upper ends of
the extractor which then spring forward and expel the cartridge case
with considerable force.
Figs. 16 represent a modification in which the extractor lever r is
made in one rigid piece, and the bar is curved at and formed with
a slit at r, which slit is closed by the resistance the cartridge case offers
to the movement of the extractor lever until by the pressure of its
upper ends against the cartridge case the latter is loosened, whereupon
the slit opens and the upper ends of the extractor lever r spring
suddenly forward and rapidly expel the cartridge case as before.
Figs. 17 show another arrangement of cartridge case extractor in
which the extractor levers are actuated by means of a pivotted lever.
In this arrangement the extractor levers are independent of each other
and are slit at r₁, thereby forming powerful springs. They are placed
upon the same axis pin (t) as the pivotted lever, and the cartridge case
is ejected by the action of the breech block, which on being depressed
to open the breech end of the barrel in the usual way comes in contact
with the longer arm of the pivotted lever, and forces the parts 7 of
its shorter arm against the faces ³ of the extractor levers r, so that the
springs are compressed by the resistance the cartridge case offers to
the movement of the upper ends of the extractor levers until by their
pressure it becomes loosened, whereupon the slits 7 reopen and the upper
ends of the extractor levers spring suddenly forward, thereby rapidly
expelling the cartridge case.
The arrangements herein-before described in breech-loading fire-arms
relate to the class of arms in which the rear end of the barrel or breech
chamber is closed by a falling block, as in the well known " Martini"
action forming the subject of Letters Patent, No. 2305, dated the 22nd
day of July 1868, and No. 1144, dated the 28th day of April 1871.

page_text: Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not
claim as of the said Invention, or the exclusive use of the several parts
of the arrangements herein-before described or referred to, except when
the same are employed in and for the purposes of the said Invention,
which I hereby declare to be as follow:-
First. Constructing breech-loading fire-arms with a tumbler rest
working upon a separate axis pin between the axis pin of the tumbler
lever and the axis pin of the trigger, a part of the tumbler lever
resting directly upon the tumbler rest as above described.
Secondly. Constructing breech-loading fire-arms with a slit extractor
lever actuated by the hand lever through the medium of a sliding bar as
herein-before described.
Thirdly. Constructing breech-loading fire-arms with a slit sliding bar
acting as a spring, and operating in combination with the hand lever and
extractor lever for ejecting the cartridge case as herein-before described.
Fourthly. Constructing breech-loading fire-arms with slit extractor
levers actuated by the falling breech block through the medium of a
pivotted lever upon the same axis pin as the slit extractor levers as
herein-before described.
Lastly. Constructing breech-loading fire-arms so as to lock the firing
mechanism in the firing position automatically by means of a face on the
hand lever operating upon the locking or safety bolt as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Kuhn Priolcau, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
L
30 Witness,
W. LLOYD WISE,
Patent Agent,
London.
C. K. PRIOLEAU. (L.S.)