Improvements in or Additions to Sporting and Military Guns or Small Arms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Sporting and Military Guns or
Small Arms.
1 ENOS JAMES of Staniforth Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Gun Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements in or additions to the heel plates of
the stocks of sporting and military guns or small arms hereinafter described, the
object of the said improvements or additions being to largely take up or absorb
and practically to neutralize the force of the recoil of the gun.
My invention consists further in the adaptation to the stocks of sporting and
military guns or small arms of a pneumatic heel for the same purpose as herein-
after described.
According to the first part of my invention, instead of fixing the heel plate
directly to the heel or end face of the stock as usual I connect the heel plate
to a carrying frame which is fitted into a recess in and fixed to the stock as
hereinafter described. The said carrying frame consists of two parallel rods of
about two inches in length, and situated at right angles to the heel plate, and
of a back fixing bar capable of a limited sliding motion upon the inner ends of the
said rods. The back fixing bar described is secured to the inner ends of the
parallel rods by screw nuts and the heel plate is fixed to the outer ends of the said
parallel rods by screws passed from the front of the heel plate taking into
screwed holes in the said rods. Around the parallel rods of the carrying frame
are strong coiled springs one end of each spring taking a bearing against the inner
face of the back fixing bar and the other end of each spring taking a bearing
against a fixed collar on the outer end of the rod and immediately under the heel
plate. By the action of the said coiled springs, the heel plate is pressed home
and maintained in its normal position; but the said springs, when compressed,
permit of the sliding of the back fixing bar on the inner ends of the parallel rods.
The carrying frame is fitted in a recess in the heel part of the gun stock and the
back bar is screwed to the bottom of the said recess, the heel plate proper
occupying the usual position at the heel of the stock.
When the gun is discharged the recoil causes the back bar of the heel plate
carrying frame, fixed to the stock, to advance slightly by a sliding motion, on the
ends of the parallel rods and thereby compress the coiled springs between the
sliding back bar and the collars immediately under the heel plate. The recoil
is thereby neutralized or in great part taken up or absorbed by the said coiled
springs.
Instead of using coiled springs, other kinds of springs may be used; but [
prefer to use coiled springs as herein before described.
The pneumatic heel constituting another of my improvements and which has
the same object as and may be used in place of the improved heel plate hereinbefore
described is constructed as follows;-
To the ordinary heel plate I attach a flat air chamber having in outline the same
general figure as the end of the heel of the stock. The said air chamber consists
of a bladder of thin vulcanized india rubber or other elastic material protected by
a casing or sheath of canvas or other fabric. The protected air chamber is

page_text: secured to a base of strong india rubber and the latter is cemented or otherwise
fixed to the face of the ebonite or other heel plate. The pneumatic heel thus
made is inflated at a passage opening at the side of the heel plate. This passage
is continued to the middle of the stock and then passes upwards through the middle
of the heel plate to the air chamber, the last named part of the passage terminating
in a back or non-return valve of the ordinary kind.
On the discharge of the gun, the pneumatic heel of the stock is flattened or
compressed by the recoil and the said recoil is thereby largely taken up or
neutralized.
Dated this 4th day of Max 1891
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
2
Improvements in or Additions to Sporting and Military Guns or
Small Arms.
I, ENOS JAMES, of Staniforth Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 consists of the improvements in or additions to the heel plates
of the stocks of sporting and military guns or small arms hereinafter described,
the object of the said improvements or additions being to largely take up or absorb.
and practically to neutralize the force of the recoil of the gun.
My invention consists further in the adaptation to the stock of sporting and
military guns or small arms of a pneumatic heel for the same purpose as hereinafter
described.
According to the first part of my invention, instead of fixing the heel plate
directly to the heel or end face of the stock as usual I connect the heel plate to a
carrying frame which is fitted into recesses in and fixed to the stock as hereinafter
described. The said carrying frame consists of two parallel rods of about two
inches in length, and situated at right angles to the heel plate, and of a back
fixing bar and arms capable of a limited sliding motion upon the ends of the said
rod. The arms of the back fixing bar described are secured to the inner ends of
the parallel rods by screw nuts and the heel plate is fixed to the outer ends of the
said parallel rods by screws passed from the front of the heel plate taking into
screwed holes in the said rods. Around the parallel rods of the carrying frame
are strong coiled springs one end of each spring taking a bearing against the arms
of the inner face of the back fixing bar and the other end of each spring taking
a bearing against a collar on the outer end of the rod and immediately under the
heel plate. By the action of the said coiled springs the heel plate is pressed
outwards and maintained in its normal position at the end face of the stock, but
the said springs, when compressed, permit of the sliding of the back fixing bar and
its arms on the ends of the parallel rods. The carrying frame is fitted in recesses
in the heel part of the gun stock and the back bar is screwed to the end face of
the stock, the heel plate proper occupying the usual position at the heel of the
stock.
When the gun is discharged the recoil causes the back bar and arms of the heel
plate carrying frame, fixed to the stock, to advance slightly by a sliding motion
on the ends of the parallel rods and thereby compress the coiled springs between
the sliding back bar and the collars immediately under the heel plate. The
recoil is thereby neutralized or in great part taken up or absorbed by the said

page_text: coiled springs. Instead of using coiled springs, other kinds of springs may be
used, but I prefer to use coiled springs as herein before described.
The pneumatic heel constituting another of my improvements and which has the
same object as and may be used in place of the improved heel plate hereinbefore
described is constructed as follows ;-
To the heel plate I attach a flat air chamber having in outline the same general
figure as the end of the heel of the stock.
The said air chamber consists of a bladder of thin vulcanized india rubber or
other elastic material protected by a casing or sheath of india rubber or canvas
or other fabric. The protected air chamber is secured to a base of strong india
rubber and the latter is cemented or otherwise fixed to the face of the ebonite or
other heel plate. Or the india rubber base may be omitted and the air chamber
secured directly to the cbonite heel plate. The pneumatic heel thus made is
inflated at a passage opening at the side of the heel plate. This passage is
continued nearly to the middle of the stock and then passes through the heel plate
to the air chamber, the last named part of the passage terminating in a back or
non-return valve of the ordinary kind.
On the discharge of the gun the pneumatic heel of the stock is flattened or
compressed by the recoil and the said recoil is thereby largely taken up or
neutralized.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, the butt end of a sporting gun to which
a heel plate constructed according to the first described part of my invention is
applied;
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section and Figure 3 an end elevation of the
heel plate and a portion of the butt end of the gun drawn to a larger scale;
Figure 4 represents in side elevation and Figure 5 in end elevation the heel
plate carrying frame drawn to the same scale as Figures 2 and 3 detached from
the stock;
Figure 6 represents a cross section taken through one of the collars of the
parallel rods of the frame.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the stock of the gun in which are fitted the parts for carrying the heel
plate and for absorbing or taking up the force of the recoil. The said parts
consist of the back fixing cross bar c and the side arms e², eat right angles to the
said bar, the inner ends of the said arms c², c² being formed into eyes c³, c³; d, d are
the parallel rods, the inner ends of which are secured to the frame c, c², c³ by the
serew nuts e, e, and the heel plate is secured to the outer ends of the said rods d, d
by the screws 12, 62 passed from the front of the heel plate band taking into
screwed holes in the said rods (see Figure 2). The outer ends of the rods d, d are
enlarged and constitute collars d², d², which pass through holes at c* in the ends of
the back plate c.
Around the parallel rods d, d of the carrying frame are strong
coiled (or other) springs f,f one end of each spring taking a bearing against the
eye end of the arm of the carrying frame and the other end of each spring
taking a bearing against the collar d' on the outer end of the rod d and near the
heel plate as best seen in Figure 2. The tightening or compressing of the
springs ff between their abutments c³ and d² is effected by rotating the rods d, d
so as to screw them into the stationary nuts e, e. By this means the collar ends of
the rods are brought nearer to the eye ends c³ of the fixed frame and the coiled
springs are thus compressed or the required tension put upon them.
The carrying frame is fitted into recesses y, g at opposite parts of the stock and
the cross bar c is screwed at to the end face or heel of the stock after which the
heel plate bis screwed to the rods d, d.
When the carrying frame has been thus fitted in and fixed to the stock, the parts
of the said frame aud the heel plate occupy the respective positions represented in

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 and the heel plate by the action of the coiled springs f, ƒ is
maintained at the normal position represented in front of the heel of the stock, but
the said springs when compressed permit of the outward sliding of the carrying
frame on the ends of the parallel rods d, d as hereinafter described.
When the gun is discharged the recoil causes the stock of the gun to advance
more or less towards the stationary heel plate 6 held against the shoulder of the
person firing the gun. By this advance of the stock more or less towards the
dotted position
Figure 2, the eye ends c³, of the carrying frame are made to
slide outwards upon the inner ends of the parallel rods d, d and the back plate c,
by its holes c, is made to slide outwards upon the collars 2, 2 of the said parallel
rods d, d. The coiled springs f,f around the said rods are thereby compressed
between the collars d², d of the said rods and the advancing eye ends or
abutments c³, c³ of the sliding frame and the recoil of the gun thus neutralized or
in great part taken up or absorbed by the said springs as will be understood by an
examination of Figure 2.
For the purpose of readily adjusting the tension or strength of the coiled springs
so as to adapt them to take up or absorb more or less, the force of the recoil,
I make the abutment collars on the rods d, d adjustable on the said rods in the
manner represented in longitudinal section in Figure 7 and in the detached
carrying plate represented in side elevation in Figure 7 and end elevation in
Figure 8 Figure 9 represents a cross section of one of the collars and Figure 10
a cross section of one of the eye ends of the carrying frame and the rod on
which it works. In this modification, I make the outer ends of the rods d, d
screwed externally and I fit upon them the internally screwed collars k, k so
that by advancing the screwed collars k, k more or less upon the screwed ends
of the rods d, d the distance between the said collars and the eye abutments c³, c³
of the carrying frame can be adjusted with great nicety and the pressure or
tension of the springs regulated. The exterior of the adjustable collars k, k
have parallel notches and the said collars are turned by means of a curved
headed spanner made to embrace the collar, a hook on the end of the curved
head of the spanner engaging with the cross notches. The rotation of the
rods d, d during the adjustment of the collars thereon is prevented by means of
a key or stud on the eye part 3 of the carrying frame engaging with a keyway in
the rod d (see Figure 10).
Figure 11 represents in side elevation and Figure 12 in longitudinal section the
heel end of a gun stock to which a pneumatic heel constructed according to my
invention is applied. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both
figures; a is the wooden stock of the sporting or other gun and is the heel plate
of ebonite or other non-metallic material screwed to the face of the stock. The
outer face of the ebonite heel plate is recessed to receive the bottom of the thin
india rubber air chamber or bladder m and the protecting sheath or casing n of
india rubber alone or strengthened by canvas or other Hexible material. The rim
or flange 12 of the recessed heel plate is inclined inwards so as to give an internal
undercut to the said recessed heel plate 1. By means of the undercut rim the
enlarged edge of the sheath or casing n is firmly retained in its place when the air
chamber is inflated. The bottom of the air chamber m is flat and has in outline
the same general figure as the heel end of the stock and the flat bottom of the air
chamber is cemented or otherwise secured to the flat face of the ebonite heel plate l.
The pneumatic protected heel m, n is inflated at the pipe or passage p opening at
the side of the stock. To the pipe or passage p a cross pipe or passage
connected, the latter pipe passing through the heel plate and opening into the air
chamber m.
The pipe or passage p is provided with the ordinary india rubber
tubular valve r and crossing a portion of the end of the pipe or passage is a back
or non-return valve s consisting of a strip of india rubber stretched over the
opening in the pipe and fixed by its ends to the said pipe. The screwed end of the
pipe or passage p is covered by the screw cap t. By unscrewing the cap t and
screwing in its place the ordinary air compressing pump or inflator and working
is

page_text: the said pump, the valve is raised from its seat so as to open communication
between the pipe and the other pipe q, and the non-return valve s is also
opened or raised from the end of the pipe and air enters the chamber m
through the said pipe and is inflated to the required degree. On removing the
pump, the valves and are closed by the air pressure within the pneumatic
heel and the latter is ready for use. By the pressure of the sides of the inflated
heel against the rim of the sheath or casing n the latter is retained within the
undercut or inclined rim 12 of the heel plate as represented in the drawing.
On deflating the air chamber m the cover n may be removed. Although I prefer
to use a sheath or casing to the air chamber for protecting the latter, yet the
said air chamber may be used without a sheath or casing.
When the gun is discharged, the pneumatic heel of the stock is flattened or
compressed by the force of the recoil against the shoulder of the person and
the said recoil is thereby largely taken up or neutralized.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention ;-
First. The combination with or addition to the heels of the stocks of sporting
and military guns or small arms of the parts hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1 to 10, both inclusive, of the accompanying drawings for
largely taking up or absorbing and practically neutralizing the force of the
recoil of the gun or small arm, that is to say, connecting the heel plate by
means of parallel rods to a carrying frame, fitted in and fixed to the stock,
coiled or other springs around the said rods taking a bearing at one end against
the fixed frame and at the other end against collars on the parallel rods of the
heel plate, the discharge of the gun causing the heel plate carrying frame in
the stock to slide upon the parallel rods and compress the said coiled or other
springs, which thus take up in great part or practically neutralize the force of the
recoil of the gun or small arm substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction and arrangement of the parts of pneumatic heels for
the stocks of sporting and military guns or small arms hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings, for largely taking
up or neutralizing the force of the recoil of the gun or small arm.
Dated the Twenty-second day of January 1895.