IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Charles Hodges, of No. 8, Florence Street,
Upper Street, Islington, in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 18th April 1871, and dated the 31st January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Charles Hodges
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st January 1871.
I, EDWIN CHARLES HODGES, of No. 8, Florence Street, Upper Street,
Islington, in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, 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 the improvements are applicable to that class of breech-
loading fire-arms known as drop guns, in which the breech ends of the
barrels are exposed to receive cartridges by the barrels being turned
down on a horizontal axis at right angles to their length so as to raise
their breech ends above the breech plate or body which closes them
when in a position for firing. In order to lock the barrels when they
are brought into a position for being discharged, I employ a sliding

page_text: bolt pressed forward by the action of a spring and working through a
slot in the lower part of the body; the nose of the bolt catches over a
projection at the rear end of the lump which is at the rear end of the
barrels and on their under side, as has before been proposed; and in
addition I form the sliding bolt with two pins one on either side and
projecting in front of it. These pins are parallel with the bolt and work
in holes bored to receive them in the lower part of the body at the two
sides of the slot into which the lump enters when the barrels are closed.
Through the lump a key is passed so as to project out a distance on each
side of it; these projections from the two sides of the lump are, when
the barrels are closed, received into slots branching out from the two
sides of the slot in the body into which the lump enters, and when the
bolt springs forward after the closing of the barrels, the nose of the bolt
catches over the projection at the rear end of the lump, whilst at the
same time the pins at the two sides of the bolt pass over the projections
on the two sides of the lump. In addition also to forming the sliding
bolt to work in a slot in the lower part of the body I form the sliding
bolt with a projection on its upper side which is received in a corre-
sponding slot formed through the centre of the breech plate or portion
of the body which is in rear of the barrels. The rear end of the lump on
the under side of the barrels I also form somewhat deeper than usual
and in such manner that when the barrels are turned downwards the
projection on the top of the bolt always bears against the end of the
lump, by this means when the barrels are turned on their pin joint to
close their breech they may be turned with an even motion and need
not be closed with a slight jerk as heretofore usual. This arrangement
may be adopted whether the bolt be formed with pins at its two sides
as previously described or whether a sliding bolt be employed without
such pins. To move the sliding bolt to and fro I prefer to employ a
small lever placed just in front of the trigger guard, the upper end
of the lever being received in a slot in the bolt whilst its lower end is
curved to correspond with the curve of the front of the trigger guard a
hole is formed through the front of the guard through which the thumb
may be passed to push forward the lower end of the lever. To keep the
bolt constantly pressed forward the lever is acted on by a spring lying
along the top of the trigger plate, this spring is slotted longitudinally for,
the triggers to pass through, or any other ordinary known arrangement
may be adopted for drawing back the sliding bolt.
'

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edwin Charles Hodges, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
CHARLES HODGES, of No. 8, Florence Street, Upper Street, Islington
in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, 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 suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, Her
special license that I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin Charles
Hodges, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Edwin Charles Hodges, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-
arms, and the improvements are applicable to that class of breech-loading
fire-arms known as drop guns, in which the breech ends of the barrels
are exposed to receive cartridges by the barrels being turned down on a
horizontal axis at right angles to their length, so as to raise their breech

page_text: ends above the breech plate or body which closes them when in a position
for firing.
In order to lock the barrels when they are brought into a position for
being discharged I employ a sliding bolt pressed forward by the action
of a spring and working through a slot in the lower part of the body.
The nose of the bolt catches over a projection at the rear end of the
lump, which is at the breech end of the barrels and on their under side,
as has before been proposed, and in addition I form the sliding bolt with
two pins, one on either side and projecting in front of it; these pins are
parallel with the bolt and work in holes bored to receive them in the
lower part of the body at the two sides of the slot into which the lump
enters when the barrels are closed. Through the lump a key is passed
so as to project out a distance on each side of it. These projections from
the two sides of the lump are when the barrels are closed received into
slots branching out from the two sides of the slot in the body into which
the lump enters, and when the bolt springs forward after the closing of
the barrels the nose of the bolt catches over the projection at the rear
end of the lump, whilst at the same time the pins at the two sides of
the bolt pass over the projections on the two sides of the lump. In
addition also to forming the sliding bolt to work in a slot in the lower
part of the body I form the sliding bolt with a projection on its upper
side which is received in a corresponding slot formed through the centre
of the breech plate or portion of the body which is in rear of the barrels.
The rear end of the lump on the under side of the barrels I also form
somewhat deeper than usual, and in such manner that when the barrels
are turned downwards the projection on the top of the bolt always bears
against the end of the lump. By this means when the barrels are turned
on their pin joint to close the breech they may be turned with an even
motion, and need not be closed with a slight jerk, as heretofore usual.
This arrangement may be adopted whether the bolt be formed with pins
at its two sides, as previously described, or whether a sliding bolt be
employed without such pins. To move the sliding bolt to and fro I
prefer to employ a small lever placed just in front of the trigger guard,
the upper end of the lever being received in a slot in the bolt, whilst its
lower end is curved to correspond with the curve of the front of the
trigger guard. A hole is formed through the front of the guard through
which the thumb may be passed to push forward the lower end of the
lever. To keep the bolt constantly pressed forward the lever is acted on

page_text: by a spring lying along the top of the trigger plate. This spring is
slotted longitudinally for the triggers to pass through, or any other
ordinary known arrangement may be adopted for drawing back the sliding
holt
constructed according to my Invention. The stock is not shewn.
Figure 2 is a side view partly in section of the same with the breech
open for loading; Figure 3 is a transverse section taken at the line 1, 1,
Figure 1.
a, a, is the body or piece which carries the barrels and closes them at
their breech ends. It is shewn separately in plan at Figure 4 and
in front view at Figure 5. b, b, are the barrels; a breech end view of
them is also shewn at Figure 6. The body and barrels are connected in
the usual way by the strong hook-like projection 61 on the barrels
engaging with the pin a' on the body; ³ is the bolt lump on the barrels;
it has the key 6s fixed in it so as to project on either side, and at the
back of the lump is the incline b*. c is the bolt; it works in a slot a²
formed for it in the body, and the lump 62 enters another slot or recess a³.
The bolt is shewn separately in plan at Figure 7, in side view at
Figure 8, and in back view at Figure 9. Through a hole in the centre
of the bolt the head of a trigger-like lever & passes; it is connected by a
pin joint to lugs on the trigger plate d', and is pressed upon by a spring e
fixed to the same plate. This spring tends to throw the bolt c forward
and causes it when the breech is closed to project over the shoulder of
the bolt lump b² ², c³, are the pins with which I provide the bolt in
order that it may more securely lock the bolt lump. These pins project
over the ends of the key b³ and are flattened at their ends where the key
rests upon them. is an incline on the top of the bolt on which during
the whole action of closing the breech the incline b* on the barrels acts,
and so with a gradual and steady motion moves back the catch until
when the breech is closed the inclines pass clear of each other and the
catch springs forward. f is the trigger guard; it is made broad in front

page_text: .
and has a hole through it for the insertion of the thumb in order to press
forward the trigger-like lever d to open the breech. 9 is the extractor;
it is of ordinary construction, and as the breech is opened it is moved
forward by the action on its stem g' of the lever h, which rides up a
second lever i abutting on the fore part of the body a.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim the combination with the locking bolt of the side pins c³ acting to
secure the barrels, substantially in the manner described.
I also claim the combination with the locking bolt of the incline cs
acting with an incline on the barrels to gradually move back the bolt
during the operation of closing the breech, substantially as described.
I also claim the construction of the locking parts of breech-loading
fire-arms substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.