AN IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Purdey, of Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 6th November 1866, and dated the 25th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Purdey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1866.
I, JAMES PURDEY, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of an improvement in breech-loading fire-arms is
applicable to that description of arm in which central-firo cartridges are
employed, and has for its object to indicate by the protruding of a pin or
stud, or its equivalent, from the barrel or breech, whether the arm is loaded or
not. To this end a small indicating crank lever is mounted in a recess cut in
some convenient part of the rear or breech end of the gun, and so arranged
that one end of the crauk lever is made to bear against the flange or rear end
of the cartridge, while the other end of the lever is free to work in a hole
made in the breech. When a cartridge has been inserted in the barrel and
brought into position the flange or other part of the cartridge will push back
the crank lever and cause the opposite end to project above the breech, and

page_text: thus indicate that the gun is charged, but if there be no cartridge in the
barrel the lever will not be acted on and consequently its upper end will
remain down and out of sight.
This is the arrangement which it is proposed to employ for "break-down"
guns, but for those arms is which the barrel is made to slide forward to open
the breech, and also in those in which the breech is closed by means of a
moveable piece which turns on a joint or pin, a simple straight pin will
answer the purpose of an indicator. This indicating pin will be arranged with
one end bearing against the cartridge, and the other projecting out at the
breech as in the former instance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Purdey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PURDEY, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Purdey, Her special licence that I, the said James Purdey, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Purdey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Purdey, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 James Purdey, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to that description of breech-loading fire-arms in
which the barrels are capable of being moved to and from the breech, and
which are intended to receive central-fire cartridges, the object of the
Invention being to indicate by the protruding of a pin or stud or its
equivalent from the barrel or the breech-piece whether the arm is loaded
or not.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn my improvement as applied
to the breech of a "break-down" gun, but it will be obvious to any gun-
maker that it may be readily applied to the barrels of the same class of gun
if thought desirable, as it is the pressure of the flange of the cartridge
upon the tail of the indicator on which I rely for showing that the gun is
charged.
Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of so much of a break-down gun as
will explain the application thereto of my Invention, one of the barrels being
shown as charged, and the indicator consequently elevated or in action; Fig. 2
is a similar view shewing the position the indicator assumes when the barrel
is not charged; and Figures 3 shew the indicator detached from the gun in
side, plan, and end views.
a is a small crank lever let into a recess cut in a convenient part of the breech
piece A of the gun, and so mounted that it will be free to rock on its fulcrum
pin which is carried by brackets projecting from the under side of a sliding
plate or cover b. The longer limb of this crank lever carries a pin which
projects through a hole in the cover b. This cover is formed with chamfered
edges to fit rebated grooves made in the sides of the recess which the cover
is intended to close in. The shorter limb of the crank lever is made to bear
against the flange or rear end of the cartridge when inserted in the barrel
B. When a cartridge has been inserted in the barrel, and the barrel is brought
into position or caused to abut against the breech piece, the flange of the
cartridge will push back the tail of the cranked lever, as shewn at Fig. 1, and
cause the opposite end to project the pin which it carries through the cover b,
and thus indicate that the barrel is charged, but if there be no cartridge in
the barrel the lever will not be thus acted on, and consequently its indicating
pin will remain down and out of sight, as represented at Fig. 2. To ensure
the descent of the indicating pin so soon as the crank lever is relieved of the
pressure of the cartridge a spring c rivetted to the cover b is caused to
press upon the crank lever and return it to the position shewn at Figures 2
and 3.

page_text: This arrangement is equally applicable to those breech-loaders in which
the barrels are made to slide forward on the stock in order to expose
their breech ends for the insertion of the cartridge. It will be understood
that for double-barrel guns, which is the form generally adopted for the
class of gun above referred to, an indicator will be required for each barrel.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improvement
in Breech-loading Fire-arms," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim the application to breech-loaders of the auto-
matic indicator for indicating both the presence of the cartridge in and its
absence from the gun.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Purdey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES PURDEY. (L.S.)