Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
Improvements in Breech-loading Small Arms.
We, THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY and HENRY WEBLEY of the Firm of
P. Webley and Son, of Weaman Street, in the City of Birmingham, Manufacturers
of Small Arms, 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:-
a hand
This invention has relation to that type of breech-loading small arms known as
falling block rifles, in which the breech end of the barrel is closed by a rising and
falling block working within the breech body or frame and operated by
lever located upon and jointed to the underside of the said breech body; and our
said invention has for one of its objects, the locating of the lock mechanism, less
the trigger, within the interior of the block so that the whole of the cocking and
striking mechanism is self-contained, for another object, a double safety device,
acting in commoa upon both the sear and the trigger, and for a further object, a
simple and efficient means of connecting the hand lever with the block, and for a
still further object, the making of the top strap, trigger strap and breech body or
frame compact and in one solid piece.
The arm is provided with a rising and falling breech block having located within
it, a tumbler, tumbler spring, sear, sear spring, striking pin, and a combined link
and cocking lever whose function is to both cock the hammer by pressing, against
the back of its toe, and to connect the block to the hand lever, whose fore end is
jointedly connected to the breech body, whilst a short arm extending inwards from
the joint into the fore end operates the extractor, which is jointed upon the same
pin as the hand lever, whose rear part comes snugly up to the trigger guard and is
there locked by spring catch provided with a releasing thumb lever.
Fitted upon the top strap is the push piece of a sliding safety device, having an
undertail piece or rod with its end jointedly connected to the lower part of a
swinging excentric or plate having a projecting arm or toe, which, when in a
position of "safe," comes against the back of the sear, and above the joint upon
which it turns, but when out of "safe," it normally lies within the path of an
overhanging part of the block, which, when lowered for discharging the spent case
and re-charging, strikes the said arm and causes the same to retire, push back the
pusher piece and take the secondary part of the safety, consisting of a vertically
sliding bar or plate, to before an extension of the trigger blade, said extension
having upon its underside, a teat or horn adapted to press upon the back side of the
tail end of a sear. and so take the same out of bent with the tumbler, which, now
being free, is thrown forwards by its spring and strikes the striker. pin.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal vertical
section, a rising and falling block rifle or small arm constructed, arranged and
provided with improvements according to our invention, the said view showing the
breech-block raised, the arm cocked and the double safety device applied or in its
acting position.
Figure 2 represents a like sectional view as Figure 1, but showing the parts in
the positions which they assume after the arm has been fired.
Figure 3 represents another like sectional view of the rifle, but with the. block
pulled down and the hammer cocked and held back by the sear, whilst both the
safeties are in their acting positions.

page_text: Figure 4 represents a sectional view of the gun with the block, hand lever and
extractors removed.
Figure 5 represents, in section, the falling block, the hand lever and the
extractors separately, and
Figure 6 is an end elevation of the said block, hand lever and extractors.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of the sliding block separately and Figure 8 is a top
side plan of the same.
Figure 9 is an elevation of the breech body, top and trigger straps (which are
all solid or in one piece) separately, and Figure 10 is a section thereof.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a is the barrel, a' the shoe, and is the breech body or frame, with a top strap b¹,
and a trigger strap, with guard 6³, all made integral, solid or in one piece, and
with a rising and falling block c, sliding in the gaps, comprehended between the
side walls 64, of the breech body, the breech end of the barrel and the fore end of
the stock d. This falling block, which is partly hollow, has located within its
interior, a tumbler e, mounted upon a pin e¹, and having a toe e², at its fore part
extending beyond the pin or centre on which it turns, said tumbler being actuated
or thrown by a spring f, whose stand side f', is supported by a pin 12, whilst the
active limb f, bears upon the tumbler shoulder e, rearwards of the joint. The
tumbler is held in its cocked position by a sear g, turning upon a pin or centre gl
and having a pull-off at g2, engaging with a bent e, in the said tumbler, whilst its
tail end 3, is put into its active position by a spring g*.
h is the hand lever turning upon a pin or fulcrum /, at the end 6', of the trigger
strap, and having an extractor-actuating arm 2, and connected to the rising aud
falling breech block c, by a link or limb i, hung or jointed to the said block at one
end by a pivot pin i', and at the other end to the hand lever h, through the pin i²,
and having the function of acting both as a link for connecting the block to the
hand lever and as an arm for cocking the tumbler, this latter operation being
effected by the extension 3, having a rollered end it, bearing upon the back of the
toe e², of the tumbler e.
j is the double limbed extractor, turning upon the pin ', and having the forked
upper ends, adapted to embrace the two opposite sides of the rim or head of the
cartridge, whilst located within the front of the falling block and coming in an
axial line of the barrel when the block is up, is a striking pin k, urged forwards
when struck by the tumbler, and pushed back by its nose end wiping past the edge
of the barrel chamber when the block is lowered. m is the fore end and n' is the
push piece of the safety n, which has a limb n², forward jointed at n³, to a swinging
cam or excentric plate o, pivot jointed at o', and having an arm or toe o², extending
through a hole p³, of the second and trigger part of the safety p, and coming
normally (as seen in Figures 1 and 2) within the path of the overhanging
shoulder c, of the breech block c. The said trigger safety p, consists of a sliding
rising and falling plate or bar p¹ working on a guide pin p³, and adapted to be
taken in front and within the path of the nose q², of the arm q', of the trigger 9,
which turns upon the pin or pivot q, and has a horn or teat q, upon the underside
fore part of the said arm 9', pressing upon the tail end of the sear.
The hand lever h, is locked to the trigger guard b³, by the catch h*, pivoted
within a recess in the end of said lever and being actuated by the spring, and
made to engage with a hole 66, in the said guard and to be released therefrom by
the depression of the thumb-piece hº.

page_text: trigger extension as in Figure 2. By now pulling the trigger, the sear is released,
the tumbler released and is urged forward by its spring, strikes the pin and fires
the cartridge.
The hand lever is now released from the trigger guard by depressing the
releasing thumb piece h, when the hand lever is pulled down and draws with it the
falling block, and during its descent the rollered end of the connecting link i,
presses against the back of the toe of the tumbler, which is turned back (com-
pressing meantime its spring) until its bent comes into engagement with that of the
sear, when the said tumbler is held in its cocked position.
The sliding block, in descending, strikes the projecting arm of the cam plate,
depresses the same until it abuts upon the back of the sear, where it stops, and at
the same time lowers the trigger safety slide until the same comes in front of the
end of the trigger extension.
The further downward movement of the hand lever after the block has fallen to
its full extent, causes its short arm or extension 2, to impinge upon the extractor,
which is forced forward and extracts the spent cartridge shell.
A fresh cartridge
is then introduced, and the lever, and with it the block, is raised, when the parts
come again into the positions represented in Figure 1, ready again for re-firing.
By arranging the hand lever with respect to the block as described, considerable
overdraft for extracting purposes is provided, whilst the tumbler has plenty of
scope for operation.
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
First. In breech-loading small arms of the falling block type, locating the striking
and cocking mechanism within the interior of the falling block, substantially as set
forth.
Secondly. In breech-loading small arms of the falling block type, operating the
falling block by a combined link and 'lever, which both connects the said block to
the hand lever and cocks the tumbler.
Thirdly. In breech-loading small arms of the falling block type, providing the
same with a double safety device adapted to put in "safe" both the sear and
trigger, to be set in unison by the descent of the falling block, and to be taken out
of "safe" by a slide or push piece, substantially as set forth.
Fourthly. In breech-loading small arms of the falling-block type, making the
breech body or frame, the top strap and trigger strap (with trigger guard if
necessary) integral.
Fifthly. In breech-loading small arms of the falling block type, the combined
means of operating the falling block, cocking and firing the arm, extracting, and
putting the arm at "safe" substantially as described and set forth.
Sixthly. The general construction, arrangement and combination of the parts
of breech loading small arms of the falling block type, substantially as and for the
purpose described and set forth.
Datash
..
THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY,
HENRY WEBLEY,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.