IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Webley and Thomas William Webley,
both of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun and Pistol
Manufacturers, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 4th November 1870, and dated the 21st May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Webley and
Thomas William Webley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 21st May 1870.
We, PHILIP WEBLEY and THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY, both of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun and Pistol Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference to those kinds of breech-loading fire-arms
in which the barrels have a lateral motion on the body, the said barrels
turning in a plane parallel to the face of the break-off to expose their
open breech ends for the introduction of the cartridges into the said
barrels or for the extraction of the empty cases of the cartridges
therefrom.

page_text: Our said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described
in constructing and arranging the parts of the said fire-arms, the said
improvements having for their object to facilitate the extraction of the
empty cases of the cartridges from the barrels.
We will describe our improvements as applied to a double-barrel gun,
but our said improvements may also be applied to single-barrel guns
and to single and double barrel pistols. We connect the barrels to the
body of the gun by means of a quick threaded screw, the said screw
projecting from the face of the break-off, and taking into a hollow screw
made in a lump or block on the under side of the breech ends of the
barrels. The barrels are capable of a quarter rotation upon the said
quick threaded screw, that is, when the barrels are in position for
firing their open breech ends bear against the face of the break-off, and
when the barrels have a quarter rotation given them the said barrels
are situated on the right-hand side of the break-off and their open ends
exposed. When in this position the empty cases of the cartridges may
be removed and 'fresh cartridges placed in the barrels. The extractor
consists of a plate having curved notches or cutaway parts as usual, the
stem of the said extractor working in a hole between the barrels. The
bottom of the extractor plate has a nearly semicircular figure and
bears against an annular shoulder on a plain part of the quick threaded
screw, the said shoulder being situated immediately in front of the
break-off, a sufficient space being left between the said shoulder and the
face of the break-off for the extractor plate to work closely in. When
the barrels are turned aside for the purpose of opening their breech ends
the said barrels advance on the quick threaded screw, the breech ends of
the barrels moving a corresponding distance from the face of the break-
off. As the barrels retire from the break-off the extractor is left behind,
being incapable of moving longitudinally with the barrels by its plate
bearing against the annular shoulder on the quick threaded screw.
empty cases of the cartridges held by the extractor are thereby started
or extracted from the barrels by the barrels moving from the extractor
instead of the extractor moving from the barrels, as is usual. The started
cases of the cartridges may be wholly withdrawn from the barrels by the
insertion of the finger nail between the rims of the cases and the
extractor. After the introduction of fresh cartridges into the barrels the
sáid barrels are moved through a quarter rotation and their open ends
brought against the break-off, the extractor entering the opening in and
The

page_text: lying flush with the face of the barrels. The barrels are fastened
against the face of the break-off by a lever underneath the barrels
engaging in a cross slot in the quick threaded screw, and the motion
of the barrels through a quarter revolution is limited by the same
lever engaging in a second cross slot in the quick threaded screw.
In place of the extractor described and annular shoulder an extracting
plate, the edge of which has a circular figure, may be fixed in front of
the break-off and concentric with the screw on which the barrels turn.
The said extracting plate is situated below that part of the break-off
against which the ends of the barrels bear, a portion of the said plate
projecting from that side of the body at which the barrels are situated
when their open ends are exposed. When the cartridges are introduced
into the barrels their rims bear against the extracting plate near its
periphery, and on moving the barrels to close or open their breech ends
the said cartridges slide upon the said plate. When the barrels are
turned aside to open their breech ends the barrels move from the
break-off and the empty cases of the cartridges are started or extracted
by the fixed plate described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Webley and Thomas William Webley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, PHILIP
WEBLEY and THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY, both of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gun and Pistol Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Philip Webley and Thomas William Webley,
Her special licence that we, the said Philip Webley and Thomas
William Webley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Philip Webley and Thomas William Webley, our
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,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Philip Webley and Thomas William Webley, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should par-
ticularly 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 Philip Webley, on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas William Webley, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention has reference to those kinds of breech-loading fire-
arms in which the barrels have a lateral motion on the body, the said
barrels turning in a plane parallel to the face of the break-off to expose
their open breech ends for the introduction of the cartridges into the
said barrels or for the extraction of the empty cases of the cartridges
therefrom.
Our said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described
in constructing and arranging the parts of the said fire-arms, the said
improvements having for their object to facilitate the extraction of the
empty cases of the cartridges from the barrels. We will describe our
improvements as applied to a double-barrel gun or pistol, but our said
improvements may also be applied to single-barrel guns and pistols.
We connect the barrels to the body of the gun or pistol by means of
a quick threaded screw, the said screw projecting from the face of the
break-off and taking into a hollow screw made in a lump or block on the
under side of the breech ends of the barrels. The barrels are capable of
a quarter rotation upon the said quick threaded screw, that is, when the
barrels are in the position for firing their open breech ends bear against
the face of the break-off and when the barrels have a quarter rotation
given to them the said barrels are situated on the right hand side of
the break-off and their open ends are exposed. When in this position
the empty cases of the cartridges may be removed, and fresh cartridges
placed in the barrels. The extractor consists of a plate having curved

page_text: notches or cutaway parts; as usual, the stem of the said extractor working
in a hole between the barrels. The bottom of the extractor plate has
a nearly semicircular figure and bears against an annular shoulder on
a plain part of the quick threaded screw, the said shoulder being situated
immediately in front of the break-off, a sufficient space being left
between the said shoulder and the face of the break-off for the extractor
plate to work closely in. When the barrels are turned aside for the
purpose of opening their breech ends, the said barrels advance on the
quick threaded screw, the breech ends of the barrels moving a corre-
sponding distance from the face of the break-off. As the barrels retire
from the break-off the extractor is left behind being incapable of moving
longitudinally with the barrels by its plate bearing against the annular
shoulder on the quick threaded screw. The empty cases of the cartridges
held by the extractor are thereby started or extracted from the barrels
by the barrels moving from the extractor instead of the extractor
moving from the barrels as usual. The started cases of the cartridges
may be wholly withdrawn from the barrels by the insertion of the
finger nail between the rims of the cases and the extractor. After the
introduction of fresh cartridges into the barrels the said barrels are
moved through a quarter rotation and their open ends brought against
the break-off, the extractor entering the opening in and lying flush
with the face of the barrels. The barrels are fastened against the face
of the break-off by a lever underneath the barrels engaging in a cross
slot in the quick threaded screw, and the motion of the barrels through
a quarter revolution is limited by the same lever engaging in a second
cross slot in the quick threaded screw. In place of the extractor
described and annular shoulder, an extracting plate, the edge of which
has a circular figure, may be fixed in front of the break-off and con-
centric with the screw on which the barrels turn. The said extracting
plate is situated below that part of the break-off against which the ends
of the barrels bear, a portion of the said plate projecting from that side
of the body at which the barrels are situated when their open ends are
exposed. When the cartridges are introduced into the barrels their
rims bear against the extracting plate near its periphery, and on moving
the barrels to close or open their breech ends the said cartridges slide
upon the said plate. When the barrels are turned aside to open their
breech ends the barrels move from the break-off and the empty
cases of the cartridges are started or extracted by the fixed plate
described.

page_text: Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 14, represent partly in side elevation and partly in
longitudinal section a double-barrel pistol containing our improvements,
and Figure 2 is a cross section of the pistol taken through the extractor.
The section of Figure 1 is taken through the rib between the barrels,
and the section of Figure 14, is taken through one of the barrels ;
Figure 3 represents in side elevation; Figure 4 in plan, and Figure 5
in cross section on the line a; Figure 4 the said pistol after the barrels
have been turned aside to extract the empty cases of the cartridges;
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent parts of the pistol. The same letters
of reference indicate the same parts in each of the Figures of the
Drawings; b, b, are the barrels connected to the body of the pistol by
the quick threaded screw c, the said screw projecting from the face of
the break-off d (see Figures 1 and 6), and taking into a hollow screw e
made in a lump or block f, on the under side of the breech ends of the
barrels. The barrels 6 are capable of a quarter rotation upon the
quick threaded screw c. When the barrels are in the position repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 1*, their breech ends bear against the face of
the break-off d and the pistol is ready for discharge. When the barrels
are turned aside into the position represented in Figures 3, 4, and 5,
their open ends are situated on the right-hand side of the break-off, and
the empty cases of the cartridges can be removed from and fresh
cartridges introduced into the barrels b; g is the extractor (shewn
separately in Figure 8.) The stem of the said extractor works in a
hole between the barrels and the nearly semicircular bottom of the
extractor plate works against an annular shoulder h made on the plain
part of the screw c (see Figures 1 and 6). By means of the shoulder h,
the extractor g while capable of a partial rotation on the quick threaded
screw is incapable of a longitudinal motion thereon. The extractor
plate is situated in an opening in the face of the barrels b, and when
the said barrels are in position for discharge the said plate lies flush
with the said face of the barrels. The position of the extractor plate
when the barrels are turned against the face of the break-off is determined
by the stop p, against which the said plate bears. Underneath the
block is a lever i (shown separately in Figure 9) for fastening the
barrels to the break-off and for limiting the rotation of the barrels on

page_text: the quick threaded screw c. The acting end of the lever i is pressed
against the periphery of the plain part of the screw f by the spring i
under the tail of the lever. On the said plain part of the screw care
two cross slots k, l. When the barrels are turned a quarter round to
open their breech ends the lever i passes into the slot k and prevents
the further rotation of the barrels, the open side of the said slot k
permitting the lever to escape from the said slot when the barrels are
turned in the opposite direction to close their breech ends. When the
barrels have been turned against the face of the break-off the lever i
drops into the other cross slot and fixes the said barrels. In order to
open the barrels it is necessary first to depress the tail end of the lever i
to lift the said lever out of the cross slot 1. To reload the pistol after
it has been discharged the tail end of the lever i is pressed so as to
release the barrels. The barrels are then turned aside to open their
brecchi ends, the said barrels advancing on the quick threaded screw c.
The breech ends of the barrels are thereby made to retire from the face
of the break-off d, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5. As the barrels
retire from the break-off the extractor g is left behind, being incapable
of moving with the barrels by its plate bearing against the annular
shoulder h of the quick threaded screws c. The empty cases of the
cartridges held by the extractor are thus started or extracted from the
barrels and may be wholly removed by the application of the finger
nail. After the introduction of fresh cartridges into the barrels 6 the
said barrels are moved through a quarter rotation and their open ends
brought against the face of the break-off d, the extractor plate g entering
the opening in and lying flush with the face of the barrels, the barrels
being fixed by the engaging of the lever i with the cross slot .
.
Figure 10 represents in cross section, and Figure 11 partly in side
elevation, and partly in longitudinal section, a pistol containing the
modification of our Invention, in which a fixed extractor plate is
used. m is the fixed extractor plate secured to the plain part of the
quick threaded screw c, the said plate being situated in a recess in the
face of the barrels b. The acting edge of the extractor plate m is made
circular and concentric with the quick threaded screw c, the said edge
being situated below that part of the break-off d, against which the ends
of the barrels bear a portion of the said plate projecting from the right-
hand side of the body. A depression or groove is made. in the extractor
plate m, into which depression the rims of the cartridges take when

page_text: the said cartridges are placed in the open ends of the barrels. On
moving the barrels to close or open their breech ends the cartridges slide
upon the extractor plate mi. When the barrels are turned aside to open
their breech ends the barrels advance from the break-off, as described
with respect to the first-described arrangement, and the empty cases
are started or extracted from the barrels by the fixed extractor
plate m.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention;
but we claim as our Invention of improvements in those kinds of breech-
loading fire-arms in which the barrel or barrels have a lateral motion on
the body, or a motion through a quarter rotation for opening and closing.
their breech ends.
The arrangements or combinations of parts herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for extracting the empty cases
of the cartridges from the barrel or barrels of the said fire-arms, that is
to say, making the said barrel or barrels work upon a quick threaded
screw projecting from the body of the fire-arm, and combining with the
said quick threaded screw an extractor plate capable only of a partial
rotation on the screw, or a fixed extractor plate, whereby the advance of
the said barrel or barrels on the screw to open the said barrel or barrels
causes the moveable or fixed extractor plate to start or extract the empty
cases of the cartridges from the said barrel or barrels, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Webley, have hereunto
'set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
PHILIP WEBLEY. (L.S.)