IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE ARMS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Jepson Atkinson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th March 1881.
.
JOHN JEPSON ATKINSON, of the Middle Temple, London, Barrister at Law..
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE ARMS."
This Invention has for its object the production of a strong, simple, safe, con-
venient, and reliable breech loader, capable of withstanding hard usage without
much liability to get out of order, and to possess great freedom from requiring
frequent cleaning, whilst from its great simplicity of arrangement and fewness of
parts this operation when required may be more readily performed, and it becomes
also cheaper to manufacture and less liable to derangement than in those cases
where more parts and greater complication are employed, at the same time that the
barrel is firmly attached to the stock and framework in parts which are used in
forming the weapon, thus avoiding the objections which are found to exist in
practical use with those arms in which the barrel or barrels are made moveable for
loading, and so forming a weapon applicable to sporting or military purposes.
"
In carrying out my Invention I employ a barrel or barrels, either smooth bore
or rifled, which is or are firmly attached to a metal part or "action" firmly attached
to the stock, and on this metal part or "action" I form or attach a projection or
part. In the case of a double barrel or military arm, there may be two on or
against which the moveable breech block which opens to give access to the barrel
or barrels for loading, and is provided with a recess or recesses for its reception,
closes and locks, and on the under side of this metal part or "action" below where
the projection or part is formed or attached I form a flange or flanges, rib or ribs,
" action at the
projection or projections, so as to strengthen the metal part or
point where the force of the explosion is resisted. On or to this metal part or
"action" I attach the moveable breech block by a suitable hinge or joint at its
back or tail end, so as to admit of its being opened and closed by an upward and
downward movement, and I form a hollow in the said breech block in which the
striker for exploding the cartridge works with its spiral spring, when such is
employed, although I may arrange it so as to be actuated by any other suitable
form and arrangement of spring, and on the back or tail end on its under side or
on the rear of the striker I form a shoulder or groove for operating the extractor,
which removes the exploded cartridge by the act of raising the moveable breech
block, and by the same motion draws back the striker, compressing the spring and

page_text: leaving the striker ready for work on closing down the breech block and pulling
the trigger. The groove or shoulder at the back or tail end of the breech block or
rear end of the striker, when raising the same, comes into contact with the end of
the slider working the extractor, pushes it forward or pulls it back, and causes it
to pull out the exploded cartridge. The striker is mounted on a different centre
or joint to that of the breech block, whereby on raising the former the spring is
compressed and the striker brought into the proper state for causing the discharge.
The breech block is so arranged that on partially closing it the safety locking pin
shoots into a notch on the locking projection, retaining the breech block in such a
position that the striker is kept out of line with the cap or exploding arrangement
in the cartridge, so that if it moved it could not come in contact therewith, whilst
by a little pressure on the breech block it closes to the firing position, and brings
the striker in line with the cap, the safety pin shooting into another notch or
opening, and safely locking the breech block during the act of firing; on pressing
in or otherwise moving the safety pin, it sets the breech block free and allows it to
be raised for reloading.
By my arrangement of locking projection or projections and moveable breech
block I am enabled to get the locking part or projection nearer to the ends of the
barrels, and so avoid the space and length of leverage which exists in some arrange-
ments, whereby the damaging strain caused by the explosion is removed, and
greater tightness and durability secured.
I may also make a chamber or chambers in the rising breech block, and drop the
cartridge into this chamber or chambers, having made a gas check at the foreend
of the cartridge which lies against the face of the barrel, so that the joint becomes
tight at the moment of the explosion.