IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1871

page_text: 66
LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS." A communication from abroad by Eli Whitney, of the
City and County of New Haven, State of Connecticut, United States
of America.
Sealed the 8th August 1871, and dated the 10th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th February 1871.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS." A communication to me from abroad by Eli
Whitney, of the City and County of New Haven, State of Connecticut,
United States of America (to be as follows): -
-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of that
class of breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech block is turned

page_text: at half-cock, as in Figs. 1 and 5, and the cam drawn back the latch n
will catch upon the notch or projection i of the cam, and thus retain the
cam in that position until the breech block is turned down, in doing
which the breech block strikes the forward end of the latch which pro-
jects beyond the cam, as in Fig. 5, and in striking the latch turns it
down and frees the cam from the latch and allows the cam to fly forward
against the upper surface of the breech block, as seen in Fig. 6, then
when the breech block is turned up against the barrel the cam falls from
the surface of the block beneath it, as in Fig. 4, to support it as before
described, then the hammer may be cocked or released as may be required.
The cams d, d, are arranged each side of the hammer but united together
by a yoke & across the top, as in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 6, in solid block, and
are prevented from going too far back by slots t in their side into which
a pin or stud x on the frame sets, thus limiting the movement of the
cams. By this arrangement of the yoke as both the cam and hammer are
hung upon the same pivot I am by means of the yoke bearing upon
the nose of the hammer enabled to raise the hammer to half-cock if
such an operation at any time be desirable.
the
I have represented the latch as fixed in the hammer but it will be
evident to those skilled in the art that it may with equal effect be fixed
upon the cam itself and catch upon the hammer or be fixed upon
frame independent of the hammer, as seen in Fig. 7, in which 2 repre-
sents the spring provided with a projection 3 on the spring to catch into
the cam, and with an inclined projection 4 against which the breech
block strikes and depresses the spring to throw the projection 3 from the
cam, but I prefer that the connection be between the hammer and cams,
as by limiting the movement of the cams by the slots t, I am enabled to
hold the hammer at half-cock and prevent accidental discharge.
I have described the cams as a pair, one upon each side of the hammer
O while I prefer this construction a single cam arranged upon one side
only may answer the purpose. I therefore do not wish to be under-
stood as confining myself to two cams or the divided cam.
On the hub of the breech block I arrange a flat spring h, as seen in
Fig. 4, one end of the spring being fixed to the hub, the other end left
5 free to catch under the rim of the cartridge when the breech block is
closed, as seen in Fig. 4, and so that turning with the breech block
it will retract the shell from the barrel when the breech block is drawn
back.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Thomas
Hughes, 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, he Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
** IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me from
abroad by Eli Whitney, of the City and County of New Haven, State of
Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of that
class of "breech-loading fire-arms," in which the breech block is turned
down to the rear to open the barrel for insertion of the charge, and it
consists in a mechanism combined with the hammer and breech block,

page_text: position.
This Invention also consists in the arrangement of a spring or tongue
upon the hub of the breech block, operating as a latch to catch below
the flange of the cartridge, so that when the breech block is turned down
from the barrel the said tongue will force the cartridge shell out from
the barrel.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 represents a side view,
the hammer set at half cock; Fig. 2, a top view of the same; Fig. 3,
a side view with the breech open; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, detached views;
Fig. 7, a side view, a portion of the frame broken away to shew the
latch; Fig. 8 a modification of the latch; Figs. 9, 10 and 11, a device
for securing the pivots.
A is the frame, constructed to be fitted into a wooden stock in the
usual manner; C is the barrel or part of the frame to which the barrel
is attached; B is the breech block pivoted in the frame at a, as seen
enlarged in Fig. 4, the centre of the pivot lying below and in line with
the rear end of the barrel. The breech block is provided with a finger
piece b, by which it may be turned away from the barrel, as from the
position in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 3. To hold the brecch block up
against the barrel I arrange a divided cam or pair of cams d, see Figs. 2
and 4, the said cams hung upon the same pivot c which carries the
hammer D. The surface of the said cams is of such form and shape
as seen in Fig. 4 that when the breech block is up against the barrel
the said cams will pass under the rear of the breech block, as seen in
Fig. 4, supporting the breech block in that position, from which it cannot
be removed until the cams are turned away, as seen in Fig. 5, which
is done by means of a finger e formed upon the said cams. A spring f
in the frame acts upon the cam to throw it forward under the block
when the block is raised, but when the cam is drawn back as in Fig. 5
the breech block may be turned down as in Fig. 6 which will hold the
cam back until the block is raised to permit the cam to fly forward as
before described. It is necessary to hold the cam back in order to turn
down the breech block. To do this I arrange a latch n in the hammer
which extends forward, and on the cam I form a notch i, see Figs. 5
and 6, so that when the hammer is set at half-cock as in Figs. 1 and 5
and the cam drawn back, the latch n will catch upon the notch or
projection of the cam, and thus retain the cam in that position until

page_text: the breech block is turned down, in doing which the breech block strikes
the forward end of the latch which projects beyond the cam as in Fig. 5,
and in striking the latch turns it down and frees the cam from the latch
and allows the cam to fly forward against the upper surface of the breech
block, as seen in Fig. 6, then when the breech block is turned up against
the barrel the cam falls from the surface of the block beneath it as in
Fig. 4, to support it as before described, then the hammer may be cocked
or released as may be required. The cams d, d, are arranged cach side
of the hammer, but united together by a yoke & across the top as in
Fig. 3, and in Fig. 6 in solid black, and are prevented from going too
far back by slots t in their side, into which a pin or stud a on the frame
sets, thus limiting the movement of the cams. By this arrangement
of the yoke, as both the cam and hammer are hung upon the same
pivot, I am by means of the yoke bearing upon the nose of the hammer
enabled to raise the hammer to half-cock, if such an operation at any
time be desirable.
I have represented the latch as fixed in the hammer, but it will be
evident to those skilled in the art that it may with equal effect be fixed
upon the cam itself and catch upon the hammer, or be fixed upon the
frame independent of the hammer, as seen in Fig. 7, in which 2 repre-
sents the spring provided with a projection 3 on the spring to catch into
the cam, and with an inclined projection 4, against which the breech
block strikes and depresses the spring to throw the projection 3 from the
cam; or, as seen in Fig. 8, I arrange a latch 5 upon a pivot 6, which
when the cam is thrown back, as denoted by broken lines, Fig. 8, will
catch in a notch 7 on the cam, and there hold the cam until the breech
piece is thrown down so as to strike upon and depress the latch, as
denoted by broken lines in Fig. 8, which frees the cam and allows it to
be thrown forward against the breech piece, so that when the breech
piece is turned up to place the cam will be thrown below it, as seen in
Fig. 8, but I prefer that the connection be between the hammer and
cams, as by limiting the movement of the cams by the slots t I am
enabled to hold the hammer at half-cock and prevent accidental
discharge.
I have described the cams as a pair, one upon each side of the
hammer; while I prefer this construction a single cam arranged upon
one side only may answer the purpose. I therefore do not wish to be
understood as confining myself to two cams or the divided cam.

page_text: On the hub of the breech block I arrange a flat spring h, as seen in
Fig. 4, one end of the spring being fixed to the hub, the other end left
free to catch under the rim of the cartridge when the breech block is
closed, as seen in Fig. 4, and so that turning with the breech block it
will retract the shell from the barrel when the breech block is drawn
back.
As seen in Figs. 9 and 10, to secure the pivots D', C¹, and prevent
their accidental removal, I arrange a plate P on the side of the frame
from which the pivots are inserted a sufficient length to extend on to the
said pivots, and secured to the frame by a screw R, and at one or both
ends a projection &¹ is formed, as in Fig. 11, to set into a corresponding
depression in the pivots, as in Fig. 10. To remove the said pivots it
is only necessary to loosen the screw R and turn the plate P to one side,
as denoted by broken lines in Fig. 9 to uncover the pivots.

page_text: and hold the cam when thrown back and tripped by the breech picce to
release the cam, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in
the year of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
onc.