IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Field Swinburn, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Field Swinburn at tho,
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th June 1877.
JOHN FIELD SWINBURN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
My Invention has reference to breech-loading small-arms, in which the opening
and closing of the breech is effected by the falling and rising of a block working in
a mortice in the body or shoe of the gun or small-arm; and my said Invention
consists of the improvements herein-after.described in the said breech-loading guns
or small-arms, by which improvements the lowering and raising of the falling block,
the withdrawal of the striker, the extraction of the cartridge case, and the cocking.
of the gun are effected by the depression and raising of a hand lever on the side of
the body or shoe of the gun or small-arm, which hand lever may be operated by the
hand by which the gun or small-arm is held. The axis of the said side lever is
coincident with but works independently of the axis on which the hammer is
situated, as herein-after explained.
I construct the forked arm by which the falling block is raised and lowered and
the hammer cocked essentially in the manner described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me on the 13th day of January, 1872, No. 110; and I
connect the said forked arm with the axis of the side lever by means of the square
or angular end of the said lever taking into a correspondingly shaped hole in the
near arm of the fork. The axis of the said side lever is hollow, the hollow being
of a size proper to receive the axis of the haminer, which is passed through the said
axis of the side lever, and has its bearing at one end in the axis of the side lever,
and at the other end in a hole in the distant side of the body or shoe of the gun.
That part of the internal or hammer axis which is situated between the arms of
the fork is square or angular, and upon the said square or angular part the hammer.

page_text: is fitted. The external end of the hammer axis is provided with a small lever lying
upon the side actuating. lever, the said small hammer lever serving to half-cock
and cock the hammer independently of the actuating lever, and also indicating the
position of the hammer. The side actuating lever and the hammer lever are both
within the grasp of the hand holding the gun. The actuating lever can be depressed
by the ball of the thumb and the hammer lever by the end of the thumb, the said
actuating lever being easily raised by the fore or second finger.
By my Invention the greatest readiness is afforded in manipulating the gun for
re-charging and re-cocking by the band by which the gun is held, and without
relaxing the grip of the hand проп the gun.
SPECIFICATION, in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by,
the said John Field Swinburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
November 1877.
"
JOHN FIELD SWINBURN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-.
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
My Invention has reference to breech-loading small-arms, in which the opening
and closing of the breech is effected by the falling and rising of a block working in
a mortice in the body or shoe of the gun or small-arm; and my said Invention
consists of the improvements herein-after described in the said breech-loading guns-
or small-arms, by which improvements the lowering and raising of the falling block,
the withdrawal of the striker, the extraction of the cartridge case, and the cocking
of the gun are effected by the depression and raising of a hand lever on the side of
the body or shoe of the gun or small-arm, which hand lever may be operated by the
hand by which the gun or small-arm is held. The axis of the said side lever is
coincident with but works independently of the axis on which the hammer is.
situated; as herein-after explained.
I construct the forked arm by which the falling block is raised and lowered and
the hammer cocked essentially in the manner described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me on the 13th day of January, 1872, No: 110; and I
connect the said forked arm with the axis of the side lever by means of the square
or angular end of the said axis of the lever taking into a correspondingly shaped
hole in the near arm of the fork. The axis of the said side lever is hollow, the
hollow being of a size proper to receive the axis of the hammer, which is passed
through the said axis of the side lever, and has its bearing at one end in the axis of
the side lever and at the other end in a hole in the distant side of the body or shoe
of the gun.
That part of the internal or hammer axis which is situated between the arms of
the fork is square or angular, and upon the said square or angular part the hammer
is fitted. The external end of the hammer axis is provided with a small lever lying
upon the side actuating lever, the said small hammer lever serving to half-cock
and cock.the hammer independently of the actuating lever, and also indicating the
position of the hammer. The side actuating lever and the hammer lever are both
within the grasp of the hand holding the gun.
Instead of using a tubular axis for the actuating side lever a solid axis may be
used'; in this case the independent cocking axis is omitted.

page_text: By my Invention the greatest readiness is afforded in manipulating the gun for
re-charging and re-cocking by the hand.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents, in longitudinal section and Figure 2 in side elevation the
breech end of a hinged falling block gun containing one of the arrangements of my
Invention, the breech being represented closed, and the hammer cocked ready for
the discharge of the gun; Figure 3-represents a transverse vertical section of the
same taken on the line A, B, Figure 1.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
c is the breech shoe or body, and d is the hinged falling block working in a
mortice in the said shoe or body; e is the striking pin in the block d;fis the
hand actuating lever at the side of the breech shoe for operating the breech block
raising and lowering mechanism and the cocking mechanism; -g is the hammer of
the gun fixed on an independent axis; h is the forked arm on the axis f of the
actunting side lever f, by which forked arm the block dis raised and lowered, the
striker e withdrawn, and the hammer g cocked when the said hand lever fis moved
in the required directions to lower and raise the block for opening and closing the
breech. The axis f* of the side lever ✓ is hollow or tubular, and the extreme end
of the said tubular axis f is square or angular (see the separate view, Figure 3),
and takes into a correspondingly shaped hole in that arm of the fork / nearest the
said hand lever f. The forked arm h is thus rigidly connected to and partakes of the
motion of the side actuating lever f; i is the axis of the hammer g, which axis i is
passed through the hollow axis f² of the side actuating lever f in the manner best
seen in Figure 3: The said axis i of the hammer g has its bearing at one end in
the hollow axis f" of the actuating side lever f, and at the other end in a hole in
the distant side of the body or shoe c (see Figure 3).
That part of the internal or hammer axis which is situated between the arms
of the fork is square or angular and is marked 23, and upon the said square or
angular part of the axis i the hammer ġ is fitted; is a lever at the outer end of
the hammer axis i, and lying upon the side band or actuating lever f. By means
of the said small hammer lever the hammer g may be raised to half-cock or full-
cock independently of the actuating side lever f, the said independent hammer
lever also indicating the position of the hammer; k is the sear of the trigger l,
which sear engages with the full or half-cock bent at g² in the tumbler of the
hammer g. The shoulder or cross piece m between the branches of the forked arm h
by acting on the tumbler of the hammer g cocks the said hammer when the side
actuating leverf is moved in the direction proper to open the breech.
By
"The action of the gun is as follows:-The parts being in the respective positions
represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the gun is ready for discharge. By pressing the
trigger the hammer g is liberated, and by striking on the rear end of the striker e
discharges the gun. To re-charge the gun the side actuating lever fis moved by
the hand towards the butt of the gun, as indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2.
By this movement of the side actuating lever f its forked arm h is moved in the
same direction, and by operating upon the tail end d² of the block a lowers the
said block in the shoe and opens the breech, the cross pin h² at the head of tlie
forked arm h having previously withdrawn the striker e into the said block.
the same motion of the forked arm hits shoulder or cross piece m acts upon the
tumbler of the hammer g, and raises the said hammer to full-cock or into the
position represented in Figure 1, the sear ke falling into the full-cock bent in the
tumbler and holding the hammer in its cocked position, the hammer lever ³ now
occupying the position indicated in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2. By restoring
the side actuating lever f to the position represented in Figures 1 and 2 the breech
block d is raised and supported in its raised position by the operation of the forked
arm h, leaving the hammer 7 in its cocked position. The breech is thereby closed
and the gun is ready for discharge. When it is wished fully to lower the hammer g.
or to bring it to its half-cock position, the independent hammer lever ³ is used,

page_text: By pressing on the hammer lever is the sear k may, by pressure on the trigger, be
liberated from the full-cock bent in the hammer, and the said hammer may be placed
at half-cock or completely lowered, the hammer lever in the latter case lying against
the side actuating lever f, as represented in continuous lines in Figure 2. Before
discharging the gun the hammer lever is pressed by the thumb into the position
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, whereby the hammer is again raised to full-
cock and the gun may be discharged; or the hammer may be raised and left at
half-cock by means of the said hammer lever i³.
It will thus be understood that the hammer g may be cocked either by the side
actuating lever fin the act of re-charging the gun, or the hammer may be lowered
to a position of safety and re-cocked before the discharge of the gun by the inde-
pendent hammer lever .
"
By making the shoulder or cross piece m of the forked arm h less prominent the
depression or motion of the actuating lever f to re-chargo the gun will bring the
hammer g only to half-cock. In this case the hammer must be brought to full-cock
by the cocking lever before the gun can be discharged.
The exploded cartridge case is extracted from the barrel on the movement of the
lever to lower the breech block & by the action of the shoulder h³ on the under
side of the forked arm h on the sliding extractor bar n, the fore end of which bar
acts upon the short arm of the extracting lever p, which theroby starts the cartridge
case from the barrel. As the block d completes its descent it strikes the incline n
on the sliding barn, and thereby communicates a rapid motion to the said bar which
causes the extracting lever p to complete the extraction of the empty case and eject
it from the barrel.
In order to prevent the accidental discharge of the gun, I use a safety bolt q for
preventing the raising of the trigger 1. The safety bolt q is represented separately
in plan of upper and lower sides, and side clevation in Figure 4. The upper part of
the safety bolt has a dovetail form in cross section, and the said bolt is situated and
works in a cross dovetail slot or seat made in the trigger plate immediately above
the finger plate of the trigger. In the middle of the bolt is a cross slot g², into
which the trigger, when pressed, may pass, and at one side of the slot q is an
incline q. When the cross alot g' of the bolt q is immediately opposite the trigger,
the latter, on being pressed, enters the said slot, and the bolt thus offers no obstruc-
tion to the motion of the trigger for discharging the gun. When, however, the bolt
is pressed inwards or towards the body of the gun by pressure on the end of the
bolt, the incline q³ on the said bolt is brought opposite the trigger, and the lifting of
the trigger for discharging the gun is prevented. By withdrawing the bolt to the
position first, described the trigger may be raised and the gun discharged. A
spring acting on one or other side of the V back g' of the bolt holds the said bolt
either in its withdrawn or acting position.
Instead of making the axis of the side actuating leverf hollow, and providing
the hammer with an independent axis and cocking lever, as in the arrangement
.described, the independent hammer axis and cocking lever may be dispensed with
and the axis of the side actuating lever be made solid. This modification of my
Invention is represented in side elevation in Figure 6, and the side actuating lever
is represented separately in section in Figure 7, and side elevation in Figure 8. In
this modification the side actuating lever is marked f, and its solid axis is marked
f. The square or angular part of the solid axis f³ upon which the forked arm his
fixed is marked fo. The hammer g in this arrangement works freely upon or around
the cylindrical part f7 of the solid axis of the side actuating lever, and the said
hammer g can thus work independently of the side actuating lever.
In moving the side actuating lever f, Figures 6, 7, and 8, in the direction indicated
by the arrow, Figure 6, for opening the breech, the breech block d is lowered, the
striking pin 6 is withdrawn, and the hammer gis cocked in the manner described
with reference to the gun, having an independent hammer axis and cocking lever,
but on restoring the side actuating lever f to its normal position for closing the
breech the cylindrical part f' of the solid axis of the said side actuating lever works

page_text: within the cocked hammer, and the said hammer is thereby left in its cocked position
ready for discharge.
The improvements herein-before described and illustrated may be applied to
hinged falling block guns or small-arms and to vertically sliding block guns or
small-arms.
Sprin
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of improvements in breech-loading small-arins, in which the breech is closed by a
hinged falling block or vertically sliding block,-
First. The adaptation to or combination with breech block raising and lowering
mechanism and cocking mechanism of the kind described and illustrated of a side
lever for actuating the said breech block and cocking mechanisms, the axis of the
said side actuating lever being hollow and having within it an independent axis on
which the hammer is fixed, the said hammer axis having upon its outer end a lever
for working it independently of the side actuating lever for the purpose and
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The adaptation to or combination with breech block raising and lowering
mechanism and cocking mechanism of the kind described and illustrated of a side
lever for actuating the said breech block and cocking mechanisms, the said axis of
the side actuating lever being solid and working independently of the hammer,
which turns on a cylindrical part of the said solid axis, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Field Swinburn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.