Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM FORD, of 23 Loveday Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick'
Gunmaker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The objects of this invention are, first to provide improvements in the means for
cocking the tumblers of breech-loading firearms by the act of opening the barrels of
the said firearms from the breech by a "drop down" motion; and secondly, to
combine with the said self-cocking action an ejector action when required.
I effect the self-cocking action in the following manner.
As the barrels drop down in opening the firearm, a sliding limb is thrust backwards
to cock the tumbler of each barrel there being a pair of the sliding limbs in a
double barrelled firearm. The rear end of the sliding limb has an inclined surface.
This inclined surface moves under the toe of the tumbler, and cocks the tumbler when
required. The tumbler is preferably provided with a small roller to lessen the friction
on the inclined surface of the sliding limb.
On the sliding limb is a projection. On closing the barrels the lump returns the
sliding limb to its normal position, to clear the way for the free fall of the tumbler at
the time of discharge, by this projection.
The sliding piece is actuated for the cocking motion by a cam or lump attached to,
or moved by, the fore end iron, or the joint of the barrels.
The ejector action is obtained in the following ways.
The cocking cam is made of such a form as to partly cock the tumbler and then
suddenly release it, as the firearm is being opened.
The force of the mainspring thus brings the ejector mechanism into action, and
ejects the case.
The further opening of the barrels then fully cocks the tumbler.

page_text: Or, the firearm is provided with an ejector lock or spring to each barrel, and the
sliding piece releases the said injector lock or spring when the tumbler is down and
affords the resistance caused in cocking; but, if the tumbler be at cock, such resistance
is wanting, and the sliding limb does not release the ejector mechanism.
These improvements are applicable to single and double barrelled firearms, either of 5
the hammerless kind, or with locks.
I, WILLIAM FORD, of 23, Loveday Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Gunmaker 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide improvements in the means for cocking
the tumblers of breech-loading firearms by the act of opening the barrels of the
said firearms from the breech by a "dropdown" motion.
I effect the self-cocking action in the following manner.
As the barrels drop down in opening the firearm, a sliding limb is thrust back-
wards to cock the tumbler of each barrel; there being a pair of the sliding limbs in
a double barrelled firearm. The rear end of the sliding limb has an inclined surface.
This inclined surface moves under the toe of the tumbler, and cocks the tumbler when
required. The tumbler is preferably provided with a small roller to lessen the friction
on the inclined surface of the sliding limb.
On the sliding limb is a stud or projection to engage with, a cam cut in the lump.
The cam cut in the lump presses the sliding limb back to its normal position when the
barrels are closed.
The sliding piece is actuated for the cocking motion by a cam or lump attached to,
or moved by, the fore end iron or the joint of the barrels.
The construction of a firearm embodying my improvements is shewn by the
accompanying drawings.
.
Fig. 1 shews a side view of a gun closed and with the tumbler down. Fig. 11
shews the gun with the barrels open and the tumbler cocked.
The sliding limb a serves to cock the tumbler b. Motion is given to the sliding
limb a by the cam c formed in the fore end iron, and the incline a¹ on the sliding

page_text: limb a cocks the tumbler b. The cam groove d' cut in the lump d operates upon the
stud a to draw the sliding limb a clear of the fall of the tumbler.
For lessening the friction of the cocking motion a small roller b¹ may be fitted to
the tumbler as shown.
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 sliding limb a moved by the opening and closing of the barrels so as to cock
the tumbler b, as described and illustrated.
2. Drawing the sliding limb a clear of the fall of the tumbler, by means of the
stud a and cam d¹ in the lump d.