Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 10th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Dec., 1887
We WILLIAM MONTON and EDWIN BRETTELL trading as Monton Bentley and
Company of Tower Works Tower Road Aston near Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Gun Action Makers and WILLIAM BENTLEY of No. 122 Phillips Street
Aston aforesaid Gun Action Filer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to
be as follows :-
Our invention has reference to certain parts of an invention for which Letters
Patent were granted to George Gibbs and Thomas Pitt on the 24th day of January
1873 No. 284.
In the specification of the said patent there is described among other things a top
lever drop down gun in which the locking bolt in its back movement to unfasten the
barrels also operates upon and cocks the hammers situated at the back or rear of the
said bolt. In order to withdraw the bolt and cock the hammers the top lever in
the patented gun has to travel through an angle of from 65 to 70 degrees.
Our improvements consist in arranging the spindle of the top lever and the parts
of the body and bolt in which the said spindle works as well as the hammers in the
manner hereinafter described whereby the angle through which the top lever is moved to
withdraw the bolt and cock the hammers is reduced and the withdrawal of the bolt
and the cocking of the hammers are much facilitated.
According to our invention we arrange the top lever at the middle of the body or
strap of the gun and the arm or cam on the lower end of the spindle of the said top
lever by which arm or cam the locking and cocking bolt is actuated is made shorter
than usual. The said arm or cam on the spindle takes into a notch or recess at one
edge of the locking and cocking bolt. In the said locking and cocking bolt is an
elliptical opening. This opening is not made in the middle of the bolt but is situated
on one side of the middle line of the bolt. In the body of the gun immediately above
the bolt is a similar shaped opening coinciding with that in the bolt. In the excentric
openings described in the bolt and body the lower part of the spindle of the top lever
works during the motion of the top lever to withdraw the bolt and cock the
hammers. The level of the top face of the bolt is made slightly higher than in the
D
077

page_text: ordinary bolt. The hammers are provided with side projections against which
the rear end of the bolt when withdrawn bears to cock the hammers and the
centres or axes on which the hammers turn are situated at a lower level on the lock
plates than in the patented arrangement before referred to.
In a drop down gun in which the parts are arranged in the manner described the
top lever when turned aside moves through an angle of about 45 or 50 degrees only
the said reduced motion of the top lever effecting the withdrawal of the bolt for the
unfastening of the barrels and for cocking the hammers with greater ease than when
the top lever travels through the larger angle herein before described.
Our improvements may be applied to single and double barrel drop down small
arms.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Drop Down Small Arms.
We WILLIAM MONTON and EDWIN BRETTELL trading as Monton Bentley and Company
of Tower Works Tower Road Aston near Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun
Action Makers and WILLIAM BENTLEY of No. 122 Phillips Street Aston aforesaid Gun
Action Filer, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
Our Invention has reference to certain parts of an invention for which Letters
Patent were granted to George Gibbs and Thomas Pitt on the 24th day of January
1873 No. 284.
In the Specification of the said Patent there is described among other things a top
lever drop down gun in which the locking bolt in its back movement to unfasten the
barrels also operates upon and cocks the hammers situated at the back or rear of the
said bolt. In order to withdraw the bolt and cock the hammers the top lever in
patented gun has to travel through an angle of from 65 to 70 degrees.
Our improvements consist in arranging the spindle of the top lever and the parts of
the body and bolt in which the said spindle works as well as the hammers in the
manner herein after described whereby the angle through which the top lever is moved
to withdraw the bolt and cock the hanımers is reduced and the withdrawal of the bolt
and the cocking of the hammers are much facilitated.
According to our invention we arrange the top lever at the middle of the body or

page_text: strap of the gun and the arm or cam on the lower end of the spindle of the said top
lever by which arm or cam the locking and cocking bolt is actuated is made shorter
than usual. The said arm or cam on the spindle takes into a notch or recess at one
edge of the locking and cocking bolt. In the said locking and cocking bolt is an
elliptical opening. This opening is not made in the middle of the bolt but is situated
on one side of the middle line of the bolt. In the body of the gun immediately above
the bolt is a similar shaped opening coinciding with that in the bolt. In the eccentric
openings described in the bolt and body the lower part of the spindle of the top lever
works during the motion of the top lever to withdraw the bolt and cock the lammers.
The level of the top face of the bolt is made slightly higher that in the ordinary
bolt. The hammers aro provided with side projections against which the rear end of
the bolt when withdrawn bears to cock the hammers and the, contres or axes on which
the hammers turn are situated at a lower level on the lock plates than in the patented
arrangement before referred to.
In a drop down gun in which the parts are arranged in the manner described the
top lever when turned aside moves through an angle of about 45 or 50 degrees only
the said reduced motion of the top lever effecting the withdrawal of the bolt for the
unfastening of the barrels and for cocking the hammers with greater ease than when
the top lever travels through the larger angle herein before described..
Our improvements may be applied to single and double barrel drop down
small arms.
And in order that this our said invention may be more clearly understood we have
prepared the accompanying two sheets of drawings by the aid of which we will now
proceed more particularly to describe it. Similar letters of reference denote similar
parts in each and every figure wherein they occur.
Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation of a top lever, drop down breech loading double
barrel gun lock constructed according to our invention, with the breech closed.
Fig. 2 is a similar elevation but with the breech open.
Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) is a plan of the above.
Fig. 4 is an inverted plan, that is a plan of the underside of the breech body.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the breech body.
Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the locking and cocking bolt.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. S is a plan of the same.
Fig. 9 is an elevation of the spindle for the top lever.
Fig. 10 is an elevation of the same taken at an angle of 90° from fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a plan of the same.
In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a a are the breech ends of the barrels of a breech loading gun
constructed according to our invention, and in these and other figures is the breech
body c the top lever, d the locking and cocking bolt ee the hammers the strap,
99 the triggers the trigger guard the cartridge extractor j the spindle of top
lever.
j
We arrange the top lever c so that the centre c¹ on which it works is in the centre
line of the breech body b and strapf of the gun as shewn in Fig. 3. The top lever c
is secured by a square or other well known means to the top j¹ of the spindle j
(Figs. 9, 10 and 11). Near the bottom of the spindle; there is a short projecting
cam this we make shorter than usual, it takes into a notch or recess d¹ in the edge
of the locking and cocking bolt d. In the said locking and cocking bolt d and
near its front end we make an elliptical opening d². This opening is not on the
longitudinal centre line of the bolt, but at one side of it. In the body of the gun
we make a similar shaped opening 6' coinciding with that in the bolt. In the eccentric
opening d² and 6' in the locking and cocking bolt and the body respectively the
lower part of the spindle j works during the motion of the top lever e to witlulraw the
bolt and cock the hammers e e. The locking and cocking bolt d works to and fro in
the slot in the body and the top face of the bolt d³ which works against it is made
slightly higher than in the ordinary bolt, that is in the bolt of this description of gun
as heretofore made, this is an advantage as it gives increased strength to the grips on

page_text: the barrels. The hammers ee are provided with side projections e'e' against which
the rear end of the bolt when withdrawn bears to cock the hammers (this arrangement
we do not claim as part of our present invention) and the centres or axes e² e² on
which the hammers turn are at a lower level on the lock plate than in the patented
arrangement No. 284 year 1873 already referred to.
At the lower part of the spindle (figs. 9, 10 and 11) and below the projecting cam
previously described is another projection ""suitably formed to act as a stop, which
by coming in contact with the breach body "b" limits the motion of the spindle "j"
and top lever "c" to that which is required to give the proper amount of motion to the
locking and cocking bolt "d."
In a drop down gun in which the parts are arranged in the manner hereinbefore
described and as shown on the drawings, the top lever "c" when turned aside moves
only through an angle of about 45 or 50 degrees, as shewn in fig. 3 where "c" is one
position of the top lever, and "c2" as shown in dotted lines is the other position. This
reduced motion of the top lever ", C "effects the withdrawal of the bolt "d" for the
unfastening of the barrels " a a and for cocking the hammers "ee" with greater ease
than when the top lever "c" travels through the greater angle as in the patented
arrangement hereinbefore mentioned.
25
Although we have illustrated our improvements as applied to a double barrel gun
yet it may be applied equally well to single barrel drop down small arms.
For the sake of clearness we have not shown in our drawings the whole of the lock
but so much as we have judged requisite to the clear description and setting forth of
our invention.
We do not confine ourselves to the exact configuration and arrangement of parts
herein described and illustrated, but we may modify these if we desire while not
departing from our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is,―
First. The construction of a locking and cocking bolt for a top lever drop down gun,
with a notch or recess on one edge and an elliptical opening through which the spindle
passes the centre of this elliptical opening being at one side of the longitudinal centre
line of the bolt.
Second. The construction of the breech body with an elliptical recess corresponding
to the one in the bolt.
Third. The construction of a vertical spindle with a short projecting cam for the
purpose of actuating the bolt and a stop to limit its motion.
Fourth. The combination of the aforesaid parts in the lock of a drop down gun
whereby the actuation of the locking and cocking bolt is effected with a much less
angular movement than has been hitherto.
Dated 10th of November 1887.
THOMAS KENDRICK,
Agent for Applicants.