IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COCKING MECHANISM OF DROP-DOWN SMALL ARMS
Year: 1885

page_text: Small Arms.
We JOHN DEELEY the younger of the Poplars Ward End Aston in the County
of Warwick Gun Manufacturer and FREDERICK JAMES PENN of Frederick Villa
Linwood Road Handsworth in the County of Stafford Gun Action Maker do hereby
declare the nature of the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
COCKING MECHANISM OF DROP-DOWN SMALL ARMS "
to be as follows:-
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of the cocking mechanism of drop down small arms whereby
the cocking of the gun or small arm is automatically effected on raising the breech
ends of the barrels for charging.
We connect the upper branch of the main spring to the extreme end of the
tumbler of the hammer by means of a swivel or connecting link. The lower
branch of the main spring is at its extreme end turned down at right angles the
turned down end engaging in a notch or recess in the front of the tumbler at a point
between the centre on which the hammer turns and the swivel joint. Near the end
of the lower branch of the main sping is a slot through which the swivel passes
and in which it works. In the body of the gun and nearly parallel with the main
spring is a nearly horizontal arm or lever the free end of which is turned towards
the joint on which the barrels turn. The free end of the said lever carries a
vertical projection which protrudes through and works in a slot in the body and
near the joint on which the barrels turn so that when the barrels are shut down
they press upon the projection and depress the free end of the lever. On the
underside of this lever and at about one third of its length from its fulcrum is a
projection which bears upon the upper branch of the main spring near the joint of
the swivel.
On the shutting down of the barrels the said lever is depressed its projection
depresses the upper or swivel branch of the main spring thereby putting the said
main spring into a state of tension so that when the hammer is released by
pressure upon the trigger it is urged forward by the main spring and the gun is
discharged. On lifting the breech ends of the barrels for charging the gun the
lever is permitted to rise and the upper branch of the main spring being no longer
pressed down by it the said upper branch rises; the tumbler part of the hammer
s thereby raised by the swivel and the head of the hammer thrown back such a

page_text: distance that the sear snapping into its bent holds it at full cock. When the
barrels are shut down the main spring is again brought into a state of tension for
the discharge of the hammer when released.
The lever and its projecting end may be dispensed with and the swivel itself
extended upwards so as to work through a slot in the body and be acted upon by
the barrels in the same way as the projection on the lever is acted upon.
Or the compression of the main spring may be effected by dispensing with the
lever and substituting in place of the said lever a sliding rod the fore end of the
said rod having on its underside an incline bearing on the top of the swivel.
The other end of the sliding rod extends to the fore end of the gun by which the
requisite advancing sliding motion is given to it on the shutting down of the
barrels to cause its incline to depress the swivel and put the main spring into a
state of tension..

page_text: H
THE COCKIng mechanism of Drop Down
Small Arms.
We JOHN DEELEY the younger of the Poplars, Ward End, Aston in the County
of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer and FREDERICK JAMES PENN of Frederick Villa,
Linwood Road, Handsworth in the County of Stafford, Gun Action Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COCKING
MECHANISM OF DROP DOWN SMALL ARMS" and in what. manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described, the parts of the cocking mechanism of drop-down small arms, whereby
the cocking of the gun or small arm is automatically effected on raising the breech
ends of the barrels for charging.
We connect the upper branch of the main spring to the extreme end of the
tumbler of the hammer by means of a swivel or connecting link. The lower branch
of the main spring is at its extreme end turned down at right angles, the turned
down end engaging in a notch or recess in the front of the tumbler at a point
between the centre on which the hammer turns and the swivel joint. Near the
end of the lower branch of the main spring is a slot through which the swivel
passes and in which it works. In the body of the gun and nearly parallel with
the main spring is a nearly horizontal arin or lever the free end of which is
turned towards the joint on which the barrels turn. The free end of the said lever
carries a vertical projection which protrudes through and works in a slot in the
body and near the joint on which the barrels turn so that when the barrels are
shut down they press upon the projection and depress the free end of the lever. On
the underside of this lever and at about one third of its length from its fulcrum, is
a projection which bears upon the upper branch of the main spring near the joint
of the swivel.
On the shutting down of the barrels the said lever is depressed, its pro-
jection depresses the upper or swivel branch of the main spring thereby putting
the said main spring into a state of tension so that when the hammer is released
by pressure upon the trigger it is urged forward by the main spring and the gun
is discharged. On lifting the breech ends of the barrels for charging the gun, the
lever is permitted to rise and the upper branch of the main spring being no longer
pressed down by it the said upper branch rises; the tumbler part of the hammer
is thereby raised by the swivel and the head of the hammer thrown back such a
distar ce that the sear snapping into its bent holds it at full cock. When the
barrels are shut down the main spring is again brought into a state of tension for
the discharge of the hammer when released.
The lever and its projecting end may be dispensed with and the swivel itself
extended upwards so as to work through a slot in the body and be acted upon by
the barrels in the same way as the projection on the lever is acted upon.
Or the compression of the main spring may be effected by dispensing with the
lever and substituting in place of the said lever a sliding rod the fore end. of the
said rod having on its underside an incline or roller bearing on the top of
the swivel. The other end of the sliding rod extends to the fore end of the gun by
which the requisite advancing sliding motion is given to it on the shutting down
of the barrels to cause its incline or roller to depress the swivel and put the main
spring into a state of tension.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings represent partly in side elevation
and partly in longitudinal section, the section being taken through one of the locks,
the breech end of a double barrel drop down gun containing one of the arrange-
ments of cocking mechanism constituting our invention. In Figure 1 the barrels
are represented shut down and the hammer cocked, the upper branch of the main
spring being in a compressed state ready for the discharge of the gun and in
Figure 2 the barrels are represented raised from the break off, the hammer cocked
and the upper branch of the main spring in a relaxed or uncompressed state:
Figure 3 represents in 'side elevation and plan one of the hammers of the gun
together with its main spring and swivel or connecting link; Figure 4 represents
the main spring and connecting link detached from the hammer and Figure 5
represents the horizontal arm or lever by the action of which the hammer.is
cocked and the main spring compressed. As the cocking mechanism of each barrel
of the double gun is alike in construction and action we will only.describe that in
counection with one barrel: a is the hammer; b the ordinary sear and,c the safety
sear, the said safety sear constituting no part of our invention; d, d² is the main
spring the upper branch d of which is connected to the extreme end of the tumbler
of the hammer a by the swivel or slotted connecting link e, a pin passed through
the said tumbler taking into a slot in the said connecting link as represented.
The lower branch d' of the main spring is slotted for the passage through it of the
linke (see Figure 3) The said lower branch d² of the main spring is connected to
the tumbler of the hammer by its turned down extreme end engaging in a notch or
depression between the centre on which the hammer turns and the swivel joint;
fis the nearly horizontal arm or lever by which the cocking of the hammer and the
compression of the main spring are effected. The hooked rear end of the said arm
or lever fis engaged in a notch or depression g in the body of the gun and upon
the said hooked end the arm or lever turns as a centre; f is a projection at the
free end of the arm or lever f, which projection f2 protrudes through and works in
a sloth in the body of the gun and near the joint on which the barrels turn.
the underside of the arm or lever f is a projection which bears on the upper
branch d of the main spring near the swivel or link e as represented.
On
The action of the cocking mechanism is as follows:-When the gun is ready for
discharge, the horizontaların or lever f, f' and link are in the lowered positions
represented in Figure 1, the main spring being in a compressed state. On pulling
the trigger the hammer a is liberated and falls by the action of the main spring;
the pin on the tumbler of the hammer passing to the bottom of the slot in the
swivel or connecting link e. On lifting the breech ends of the barrels for
recharging the gun, the lever f being no longer held down by the barrels is forced
upwards by the rising of the upper branch d of the main spring d, d². As the
upper branch d of the main spring rises it carries with it the link e which acting
upon the tumbler end of the hammer a raises the said tumbler end and the head of
the hammer is thrown back such a distance that the sear b snapping into its bent
holds the hammer at full cock, the several parts now occupying the respective
positions represented in Figure 2. On shutting down the barrels the lever ff' is
depressed by the action of the barrels upon its head f' and as the said lever
descends the projection on its underside depresses the upper branch d of the main
spring, thereby putting the said main spring into a state of tension as represented
in Figure 1 and the gun is ready to be discharged in the manner hereinbefore
described.
Figures 6 and 7 represent the arrangement of our invention in which the arm o
lever of the first described arrangement is omitted and the swivel or link is pro
longed upwards for the barrels to act upon. In Figure 6 the barrels are representer
shut down the hammer cocked and the upper branch of the main spring compressed
ready for the discharge of the gun and in Figure 7 the barrels are represented
raised, the hammer cocked and the upper branch of the main spring in a relaxed
or uncompressed state.

page_text: The prolonged part of the link or swivel e is marked e², the said prolonged part"
passing through and working in a slot i in the body of the gun. The said
prolonged part e of the link or swivel e is acted upon by the barrels in the same
way as the projection f of the lever f in the arrangement first described is acted
upon by the barrels. That is to say, on lifting the barrels for reloading the gun
the rising of the upper branch d of the main spring d, de lifts the link or swivel e, e
and causes it to cock the hammer a and on shutting down the barrels they depress
the link e, e and cause the upper branch d of the main spring to be compressed
ready for the discharge of the gun.
Figures 8 and 9 represent the arrangement of our invention in which the com-
pression of the main spring is effected and the upper branch of the main spring
permitted to rise by the action of a sliding rod, Figure 8 representing the parts of
the gun ready for discharge and Figure 9 representing the same after the barrels
have been raised and the main spring brought into a relaxed state; k is the sliding
rod having at its ends anti friction rollers. The end of the rod k most distant from
the joint on which the barrels turn, bears when in its advanced position over the
top of the swivel or link e and the other end of the said rod k extends to and takes
a bearing upon an incline on the "fore end" m of the gun. On lifting the
barrels for reloading the gun the upper branch d of the main spring d d rises and
the rear end of the sliding rod k travels up the incline on the fore end and the
hammer is cocked in the manner herein before described and represented in Figure 9.
When the barrels are shut down, an advancing motion is given to the rod k by the
incline and the front end of the said rod is thereby made to travel along the
upper branch & of the main spring onto the top of the link e, depressing the said
upper branch and link and putting the main spring into a state of tension ready
for the discharge of the gun as represented in Figure 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as our Invention of "Improvements in the cocking mechanism of drop down
small arms
"
First. The combination of the sliding slotted swivel or connecting link e, by
which the upper branch of the main spring is connected to the extreme end of the
tumbler of the hammer, with the horizontal arm or lever f. f2 for effecting the
cocking of the hammer on the lifting of the breech ends of the barrels for recharging
the gun and for putting the main spring into a state of tension on shutting down
the breech ends of the barrels, the said parts e and ƒ ƒ being arranged or combined
with the other parts of the lock mechanism and acting substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2. 3. 4 and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The modification herein before described and represented in Figures 6
and 7 of the accompanying Drawings in which the lever ff is omitted and the
link e is prolonged upwards and is acted upon directly by the closing barrels.
Thirdly. The combination with the swivel or connecting link e, of the sliding
rod acted upon by the incline on the fore end of the gun for effecting the
cocking of the hammer and the compression of the main spring substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying
Drawings.