Extracting and Ejecting Mechanism for Drop-down Guns.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Extracting and Ejecting Mechanism for Drop-down Guns.
I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of 61, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to drop-down guns, and consists of mechanism for
extracting the unfired cartridge or cartridges to the full distance and for ejecting
the empty cartridge-case or cartridge-cases.
According to the way in which I prefer to carry out my invention, I employ, in
respect of each barrel, a cam pivoted in the fore-end and a spring for actuating the
cam after the same has been turned on its pivot to the requisite extent. The
forward end of each cocking lever lies in the patli of the corresponding cam when
the lock is cocked, but is raised out of that path when the lock is down. Each
half of the extractor is extended backwards and terminates in a hook.
While the gun is being opened, neither cartridge having been fired, the split
extractor is started by an ordinary extractor-post and the cams come into contact
with the forward ends of the cocking levers and turn far enough to bring the
springs into action, whereupon the springs cause the cams to follow up the split
extractor and force it out gradually to the full distance. If both cartridges have
been fired, the forward ends of the cocking levers are in the raised position and
consequently the cams do not bear against the levers but remain inoperative until
the hooks on the split extractor engage with them toward the termination of the
opening movement and turn them to bring the springs into play; the springs
thereupon driving the cams quickly forward against the partially-withdrawn
extractor, thus ejecting the empty cartridge-cases. Each cam acts independently,
so, if only one cartridge has been fired, only the empty cartridge-case is ejected;
the unfired cartridge being withdrawn to the full distance.
Instead of the cams coming into contact, prior to the extraction of the unfired
cartridges, with the forward ends of the cocking levers, they may bear against the
ends of special levers or slides, according to the particular construction of the gun
to which my invention is applied.
Dated the 16th day of May 1894
CUM LEIDDI BUITIVATION
Extracting and Ejecting Mechanism for Drop-down Guns.
I, James William Smallman, of Nuneaton, in the County of Warwick,
and 61, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to drop-down guns, and consists of mechanism for
extracting the unfired cartridge or cartridges to the full distance and for ejecting
the empty cartridge-case or cartridge-cases.

page_text: According to the way in which I prefer to carry out my invention, I employ, in
respect of each barrel, a cam pivoted in the fore-end and a spring for actuating
the cam after the same has been turned on its pivot to the requisite extent. The
forward end of each cocking lever lies in the path of the corresponding cam when
the lock is cocked, but is raised out of that path when the lock is down. Each
half of the extractor is extended backwards and terminates in a hook.
While the gun is being opened, neither cartridge having been fired, the split
extractor is started by an ordinary extractor-post and the cams come into contact
with the forward ends of the cocking levers and turn far enough to bring the
springs into action, whereupon the springs cause the cams to follow up the split
extractor and force it out gradually to the full distance. If both cartridges have
been fired, the forward ends of the cocking levers are in the raised position and
consequently the cams do not bear against the levers but remain inoperative until
the hooks on the split extractor engage with them towards the termination of the
opening movement and turn them to bring the springs into play; the springs
thereupon driving the cams quickly forward against the partially withdrawn
extractor, thus ejecting the empty cartridge-cases. Each cam acts independently,
so, if only one cartridge has been fired, only the empty cartridge-case is ejected;
the unfired cartridge being withdrawn to the full distance.
Instead of the cams coming into contact, prior to the extraction of the unfired
cartridges, with the forward ends of the cocking levers, they may bear against the
ends of special levers or slides, according to the particular construction of the gua
to which my invention is applied.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating
mechanism pertaining to the right-hand barrel of a gun embodying the present
invention,
Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrams representing how the right-hand cam is released for
ejection by a book on the right-hand half of the extractor-leg; these diagrams also
showing how the cam is, during the closing of the gun, taken back into its cocked
position by the upper portion of the extractor-post.
Fig. 4 is a view corresponding with Fig. 1, but illustrating mechanism in which
the releasing book on the half of the extractor-leg is dispensed with.
In Fig. 5, the unfired gun is partly open, the ejection of an unfired cartridge has
been prevented owing to the cocking lever having turned the cam, and the
extractor-post has pushed against the half of the extractor in order to start the
cartridge on its slow backward movement.
In Fig. 6, the unfired gun is nearly open and the cam pressing against the upper
portion of the extractor-post and also against the half of the extractor has
continued the slow backward movement of the cartridge.
In Fig. 7, the half of the extractor has been pushed backward to the full
distance by the cam so that the unfired cartridge can be readily removed by hand.
Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. 4, but the cocking lever has been turned by the tumbler
and can when the gun is opened recock the tumbler, but is out of communication
with the cam and remains so during the whole of the opening movement.
In Fig. 9, the fired gun has been nearly opened, the tumbler recocked and the
half of the extractor pushed out by the extractor-post far enough to loosen the
empty cartridge-case; the stop on the lower portion of the extractor-post being
about to cause the release of the cam and thereby effect the ejection of the
loosened cartridge-case.
In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the cartridge, and, in Fig. 9, the empty cartridge-case, is
omitted.
Fig. 10 is a front view of the fore-end iron showing the right-hand and left-hand
cams and the slots in which the ends of the cocking levers work.
Fig. 11 is a corresponding rear view; the fore-end iron being in section on the
line ..

page_text: in rig 12, the slots and recesses at the back of the fore-end iron can be clearly
scen.
.
Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the right-hand cam. Fig. 14 is a corresponding
side elevation. Fig. 15 is a cross section on the line y.
Fig. 16 is a side elevation of one of the cocking levers. Fig. 17 is a corre--
sponding plan.
Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating in side elevation a slide which answers instead.
of the cocking lever for preventing the ejection of an unfired cartridge.
Fig. 19 shows the position of the parts after the firing of the gun.
Fig. 20 represents how the advancing slide releases the cam so as to bring about
the ejection of an empty cartridge-case.
Fig. 21 is a front elevation of the particular cam illustrated in Figs. 18 to 20.
A is a right-hand cam pivoted to the fore-end iron B by a pin C. D is a
spring for actuating the cam A. E is the right-hand half of an extractor-leg. F is
an extractor-post fitted in a recess in the action-body and held by a screw which
also secures the joint-pin G. H H is a cocking lever pivoted on a screw. J ; its
end H working in a slot B* in the fore-end. K is a spring which has a tendency
to keep the end H of the cocking lever in the path of an arm a on the cam A:
Lis the tumbler of the lock.
The cam A is turned and its spring D brought into play every time the gun is
opened. The cam A does not, however, always act in the same manner. Some-
times it acts slowly and sometimes quickly. When the gun has not been fired, it
acts slowly and though it extracts it does not eject the cartridge; but, when the
gun has been fired, it acts quickly and flips out the empty cartridge-case. The
particular action of the cam depends upon whether the cam is tripped at the com-
mencement or at the termination of the opening movement. When the cam is.
tripped at the commencement of the opening movement, it is because the arm a,.
which moves on the arc of a circle struck from the centre of the joint-pin G, comes.
into contact with the projecting end H of the cocking lever, which is filed on the
arc of a circle struck from the centre of the screw J. After the cam A has been
thus turned and its spring D brought into play, the movement of the cam is con-
trolled by the upper portion of the extractor-post F, and the cartridge is not
ejected. When the cam is tripped at the termination of the opening movement,.
it is because the end H of the cocking lever, being out of the path of the arm a,
is inoperative as regards the cam and remains so, the hook e coming in due course
into contact with the upper portion of the cam, as indicated in Fig. 2. The cam
when turned by the hook and released, not having its movement controlled by the
extractor-post, jerks the half E of the extractor sharply backward, as indicated
in Fig. 3, and throws out the empty cartridge-case.
The hook e on the half of the extractor-leg is a subsidiary feature of my inven-
tion. Instead of this hook, I may use a stop ƒ (Fig. 9) extending from the lower-
portion of the extractor-post F and adapted to engage with a point m (Figs. 7,
9, 10, 13, 14 and 15) on the cam A.
The left-hand cam A' is shown in Figs. 10 and 11; its arm a¹ and point m
corresponding with the arm a and point m of the right-hand cam A. The left-
hand cam as well as the right-hand cam is pivoted on the pin C. B¹ (Figs. 10
to 12) is the slot in the fore-end iron for the end of the cocking lever pertaining
to the left-hand barrel. The cam A works in the slot b and recess b*; the cam A¹
working in the slot 6 and recess b¹.
In Figs. 18 to 20, I have illustrated a slide N which occupies one position when
the tumbler L is cocked and another position when that tumbler is down. The
pin drives the slide N into and keeps it in its advanced position (Fig. 18), in
which position its forward end projects far enough to engage with the point m*
and trip the cam A* at the commencement of the opening movement. When the
tumbler L falls, the spring n causes the slide N to recede until its movement is
arrested by a pin n' (Fig. 19). In this position, its forward end is out of the path

page_text: of the point m*, but, while the gun being opened, the pin I causes the slide N to
advance; said slide, at the termination of the opening movement, tripping the
cam Ax, as indicated in Fig. 20.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. Extracting and ejecting mechanism for drop-down guus substantially as
described; the same comprising a cam in the fore-end which is tripped every time
the gun is opened, either at the commencement or at the termination of the opening
movement, according to whether extraction or ejection be required.
2. In a drop-down gun, employing a lever or slide for releasing a cam in the
fore-end so as to bring about the gradual extraction of an unfired cartridge to the
full distance, substantially as described.
3. In a drop-down gun, employing a lever or slide for preventing a cam in the
fore-end acting so as to effect ejection, substantially as described.
4. In a drop-down gun, employing in connection with the lock a device which
acts upon the extracting and ejecting mechanism when the gun has not been fired
but does not act upon it when the gun has been fired, substantially as described.
5. In a drop-down gun, employing an extractor-leg for tripping a cam in the
fore-end in order to effect the ejection of an empty cartridge-case, substantially as
described.
Dated the 16th day of February 1895.
JAMES W. SMALLMAN.