Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND, of 28 Maida Vale, and THOMAS WOODWARD, of
69 Ashburnham Road, both in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, 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 double-barrelled guns with a single trigger.
In many of such guns the trigger acts on and raises a longitudinally moving slide
having lugs on either side so placed that when the slide is in one position the right
hand lug is beneath the right hand sear so that the right hand barrel is discharged
when the trigger is pulled whilst when the slide is in its other position the left hand
lug is beneath the left hand sear and the left hand barrel is discharged when the
trigger is pulled. Various devices have been proposed to prevent the premature
discharge of the second barrel by the involuntary pull of the trigger caused by the
recoil from first discharge but there have been objections to all of these.
According to this invention we give to the slide an unusually long travel so that
the involuntary pull takes place before it has reached the position for firing the
second barrel.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are side elevations (partly in section) of the central portion of
the mechanism the two locks (one on either side of it) being removed but the
positions of the sears of these locks being indicated.
a is the slide (shown separately in plan and end elevation at Figures 4 and 5).
The bridge piece a' rests on the top of the plate b¹ forming part of the trigger b.
The nose 2 of the trigger projects up through the slot a² and its pivot 63 works in the
slot a³. e is a lever pivotted at c' whose nose engages with the notch a in the
slide. is a spring acting on the lever c and tending to cause it to draw the slide a
forwards. a a are lugs on the sides of the slide a. d is the safety bolt carrying a
projection d' which when the bolt is in the position shown in Figure 1 comes above
the nose 2 of the trigger and prevents the latter from being pulled. d² is a lug on
the bolt d which when the bolt is drawn back (as in Figure 1) comes against the
lever c and carries it and the slide a to their rearmost positions. e and are the sear
and the blocking sear respectively of the right hand lock (the remainder of which is
not shown), the corresponding sears of the left hand lock (when in place) lie in the
same transverse lines as these.
The action is as follows:-
Opening the breech to reload carries the safety bolt d rearwards and cocks both
hammers in the usual way. The rearward movement of the bolt, as above explained
draws back the slide a and the cocking depresses the sear which therefore descends
in front of a small lug or projection a on the slide a the parts being brought into
the position shown in Figure 1. The safety bolt is then pushed forward but the
slide a is prevented from moving with it as the lug a' comes against the sear f. If
the trigger be pulled the right hand barrel is now fired and the parts are brought
to the positions shown in Figure 2. When the trigger is released the sear fremains
in its raised position and the lug a' can therefore escape from it and the slide a is
free to move forward so that the parts take the positions shown in Figure 3 the
lug a being beneath the sears of the left hand barrel which is therefore fired when
the trigger is again pulled.

page_text: Owing to the considerable distance through which the slide has to move the second
or involuntary pull of the trigger caused by the recoil of the right hand barrel takes
place before it is possible for the slide a to have reached the position shown in
Figure 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The means substantially as described whereby the involuntary pull of the trigger
is prevented from firing the second barrel.
2. The combination of the slide a and lever c substantially as described.
3. The combination of the slide a lever c and bolt d substantially as described.
4. The combination of the slide a and sear f substantially as described.
5. Mechanism substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
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*1001 CIPD 100 T TO
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS WOODWARD.
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS WOODWARD.