IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Jones, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 21st June 1861, and dated the 18th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
April 1861.
I, HENRY JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manu-
5 facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:--
5
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after explained in such
breech-loading fire-arms as are opened at the breech by the barrel turning upon
a joint on its under side, the open end of the said barrel being thereby raised
from the face of the break-off. The charge being introduced, the open end of
the barrel is again brought against the face of the break-off.
My Invention consists of improvements in the tumbler or griper, by which
the barrel is locked or held firmly in its place during discharge, and in the parts
connected with the said tumbler or griper.
My improvements are especially suited for use in connection with fire-arms

page_text: having bar-action locks, but they may also be used with back-action locks. On
the lower end of an axis passing through the body and the trigger plate the
arm or lever is situated, by which the locking of the gun is effected. On the
upper end of the said axis the tumbler or griper is situated, the said tumbler
being made in one piece with the axis, and put in its place from the inside of
the body instead of from the outside, as is necessary in the ordinary construc-
tion. The upper end of the axis may be supported with a centre plate screwed
to the body, or it may be left unsupported. By putting the tumbler or griper
in its place from the inside of the body as described, much less of the body
has to be cut away, and the said body is consequently stronger. On the lower
end of the axis, and above the arm or lever by which it is moved, is a lifter
fixed by a screw washer; the said lifter consists of a small projecting arm,
which, when the lever is made to unlock the barrel, strikes against the back
part of the lump of the barrel, and raises it so far from its seat that it can be
readily moved by the hand; or, instead of a fixed projecting arm on the axis, a
jointed spring lever may be employed. The lifter is fixed on an angular part
of the axis and secured by a screw washer, which not only fixes the said lifter,
but also keeps the tumbler or griper to its bearing, and regulates the bite of
the said griper. The upper face of the tumbler or griper is flush or nearly
flush with the face of the body. On shutting down the barrel the said lifter sets
the lever in motion in the direction proper to fix the barrel.
My Invention is applicable to both single and double-barrelled fire-arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Jones, Her spécial licence that I, the said Henry Jones,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Jones, my exccutors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Henry Jones, 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:-
My Invention. consists of the improvements herein-after particularly ex-
plained, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in such breech-loading
fire-arms as are opened at the breech by the barrels turning on a joint on their
under side, the open ends of the barrels being thereby raised from the face of
the break-off. The charge being introduced into the barrels at their open ends,
the said open ends are again brought against the face of the break-off and the
said ends closed.
I will describe and illustrate my Invention with reference to a double-
barrelled fire-arm, but my Invention is equally applicable to single-barrelled
fire-arms. My Invention consists of improvements in the tumbler or griper
by which the barrels are locked or held firmly in their place during discharge,
and in parts connected with the said tumbler or griper.
My improvements are especially suited for use in connection with fire-arms
having locks of the kind.called bar-action locks, but they may also be used in
connection with fire-arms having locks of the kind called back-action locks.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents a plan of the under side
of a portion of a fire-arm having the arrangement which I employ for fire-arms.
having bar-action locks, the tunibler or griper and parts connected with it:
being constructed according to my Invention; and Figure 2' is a side elevation"
5 of the same. Parts of the fire-arm, Figures 1 and 2, are represented in other
Figures of the Drawing, as herein-after explained.
Through the body a, of which.Figure 3 is a plan of the under side, and
Figure 4 a plan of the upper side, an axis b, shewn separately in Figure 5,.

page_text: passes. The said axis also passes through the trigger plate of the gun,
which said trigger plate is not represented in the Drawing. On the lower end
of the said axis'b the arm or lever c is fixed, by which the locking and unlocking
of the gun is effected. On the upper end of the axis 6 the tumbler or griper d
is situated, the said tumbler or griper being made in one piece with the axis b,
and put in its place from the inside of the body a, instead of from the outside,
as is necessary in the ordinary construction. The tumbler or griper d is repre-
sented in its place in the body, Figure 4, and also in the transverse section,.
Figure 6, which section is taken through the dotted line in Figure 4. By.
an examination of Figures 4, 5, and 6, the form of the axis b and tumbler or
griper d, and their position in the body of the gun, will be readily understood."
The upper end of the axis b may be supported with a centre plate screwed to
the body, as herein-after explained and represented in the Drawing, or the
end of the axis may be left unsupported. By putting the tumbler or griper in
its place from the inside of the body, as described, much less of the body las
to be cut away, and the said body is consequently stronger. On the lower
end of the axis b is a lifter marked e, e, shewn separately in Figure 7, which
said lifter is fixed in its place by a screw washer f, shewn separately in
Figure 8. The said lifter e, e, fits on a square part of the axis b, and consists
essentially of a small projecting inclined arm e², which, when the arm or lever c
is made to unlock the barrels i, strikes against the incline g on the back part of.
the lumph of the barrels i. The form and position of the incline g on the lump
h is best seen in Figures 9 and 10, Figure 9 being a plan
and Figure 10 a side elevation of the end of the barrels i.
the part of the lifter e, &, against the incline g, when
unlocked, the breech ends of the said barrels i are raised so far from their
seat that they can be readily moved by the hand. The screw washer f not:
only fixes the lifter e, e, in its place, but also keeps the tumbler or griper d
to its bearing, and regulates the bite of the said griper. The upper face of the
tumbler or griper d is flush or nearly flush with the face of the body a, as
seen in Figure 6. When the arm or lever c is in the position represented
in Figure 2, and the lifter e, e, is in the position represented in Figures 1
and 2, the barrels i are locked on the body a, their open ends being closed
by the break-off k. When the arm or lever c is turned so as to bring
the part of the lifter e, e, against the incline g on the back part of the
lump h, the barrels i are unlocked from the body a, and the said barrels lifted,
as herein-before explained, from their seat. After the barrels i have been
charged, and while shutting them down upon the body a, the incline 9 on the
of the under side,
By the striking of
the barrels i are

page_text: lump h strikes against the part of the lifter e, e, which part e² is, when
the barrels are unlocked, immediately under the incline g, and the action
of the said incline upon the part e sets the lifter e, c², and lever c in motion
in the direction proper to fix the barrels. By applying the hand to the
lever c, so as to continue the motion which has been communicated to it
by shutting down the barrels, until it is brought into the position represented
in Figure 2, the locking of the barrels i to the body a is completed. The
action of the tumbler or griper d resembles that of guns of the ordinary con-
struction. The motion of the arm or lever c is limited by a stop e³ on the
under side of the lifter e, e, coming against the end of the slot in the body a.
The parts of the fire-arm which I have not described are of the ordinary
construction, and I therefore do not consider a description of the said parts'
necessary. I have omitted in the several Figures of the Drawing various
parts of the fire-arm, the said parts being of the ordinary kind, in order that
those parts of the fire-arm constituting my Invention may be the better
exhibited.
Figures 11 and 12 represent the modification of my Invention which I
prefer to employ in guns having back-action locks, Figure 11 being a plan
of the upper side of the body, and Figure 12 a transverse section taken
through the dotted line in Figure 11.
The axis of the tumbler or griper m is prolonged above the said griper, the
said prolonged part of the axis being marked n, and a centre plate o is fixed
by screws in the body p, the surfaces of the top of the axis n, the centre plate o,
and body p being in the same plane. By the use of the centre plate o,
additional support is given to the axis of the griper m.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention the improvements herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in such breech-loading fire-arms as
are opened at the breech by the barrels turning upon a joint on their under
side, the open ends of the said barrels being thereby raised from the face of
the break-off, that is to say,-
Firstly, making the tumbler or griper by which the barrels of the said fire-
arms are locked and unlocked in one piece with its axis, the said tumbler or
griper and axis being inserted in their place in the body of the fire-arm from
the inside of the said body.

page_text: Secondly, a lifter on the axis of the tumbler or griper and the parts con-
nected with the said lifter, whereby the barrels of the fire-arms when unlocked
are raised from the body of the said fire-arms, and the locking arm or lever
set in motion when the barrels are shut down.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Jones, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY JONES. (L.S.)