IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nelson King, of Hartford, Connecticut, United
States of America, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 4th January 1876, and dated the 23rd August 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Nelson King at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 23rd August 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NELSON
KING, of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn. Declaration that I am the
true and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, `that I, the said Nelson King, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by, the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, where,-
Figure 1 is a top view of the breech parts of an arm embodying my
improvements in the position which the parts have when the hammer
has just struck down upon the firing bolt.
Figure 2 is a side view of the same parts in the same position of
adjustment with the side of the breech-piece represented as cut away,
so as to expose to view the side of the slide and firing bolt.
Figure 3 is a side view, the same as Figure 2, except that the slide
is shown as partly drawn down, in the position which the parts have
when they have just thrown the hammer back to the "safety notch,"
or, in more untechnical parlance, to "half cock."
Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the slide, the guard which
operates the slide, and the firing bolt.
Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the firing bolt.
Figure 6 shows a modification. It is a side view, with the side of the
breech piece broken away.
The Invention is shewn as combined with the cartridge extracter.
The improvement is shewn in the Drawings and herein-after described
as applied to a breech-loading "Sharp's rifle," and adapted to firing
metallic cartridges; and the object and purpose of the Invention is
the throwing of the hammer back to the " safety notch" by the act of
opening the breech,
The letter a denotes the barrel of the arm fastened into the front end
of the solid breech-piece b, which is attached at the rear to the stock c.
The letter d denotes the hammer, actuated by a spring inside the lock
plate e in the common manner. The letter denotes the slide hung
in a vertical mortise in the breech-piece b, so as to have a vertical move-
ment to cover and uncover the rear end of the barrel, these opening
and closing movements being given by the guard 9 hung on the pin g¹
and connected to the slide by the pitman h. The letter i denotes the
firing bolt having limited play in the obliquej slot o in the side of

page_text: slide f; on the side of this firing bolt is the lateral arm i¹, from which
the firing pin extends obliquely forward and downward, so as to strike
upon that part of the metallic cartridge which contains the fulminate
when the hammer comes down upon the firing bolt, and thus fires the
charge.
"
On the front end of the firing bolt is the teat ³, which when the
slide fis "up" or at the top of its play, can fit into the cam notch n, and
so permit the firing bolt under the impact of the hammer to move so
far forward that the firing pin will strike the rear end of the cartridge
in the barrel, but the moment that the slide f moves downward toward
the position of " open the teatrides backward on the incline which
forms the lower side of the cam notch n till it mounts the way s; and
thus, as shown in Figure 3, forces the firing bolt rearward till it raises
the hammer sufficiently to allow it to catch on the "safety notch,"
where it remains suspended till the operator releases it; and it results
from this arrangement that the fulminate in a fresh cartridge can not
be accidentally pressed upon and prematurely exploded by the downward
pressure of the hammer when the slide is brought "up" to close the
breech. And if while the slide is down and "open"
"the operator
accidentally lets fall the hammer the rear end of the firing bolt will strike
and raise the hammer to the "safety notch" when the slide is closed,
removing all danger of accidental pressure upon the fulminate in the
cartridge.
Although I have heretofore designated the bolt i as the firing bolt
for the reason that the firing pin is or may be attached to it it is evident
that so far as the action of the bolt i upon the hammer is concerned
such firing pin need not be attached to it; and when in the following
claim the "bolt i" is mentioned I mean to be understood that the firing
pin described may or may not be attached to it.
In Figure 6 I show a modification or adaptation, which I will explain.
In Figure 1 the letter o¹ denotes the position of the cartridge extracter
in the former construction of "Sharp's rifle." In Figure 6 the letter o
denotes the extracter brought to the opposite side of the slide pivoted
on the same pin g' and shortened, so that the upper end does not
extend so high as in the old construction; it is thrown backward to
extract the old cartridge shell by the shoulder f¹ striking on the top of
the lug and back into position, shown in Figure 6, by the shoulder f?

page_text: striking on the bottom of lug o³, or the oblique plane fs striking upon
the lower plane of the cam point o³. The pressing backward of the
firing bolt to raise the hammer to the "safety notch" is done by. the
cam point o³ acting on the end of the firing bolt as the slide is moved
up or down.
striking on the bottom of lug o³, or the oblique plane fs striking upon
the lower plane of the cam point o³. The pressing backward of the
firing bolt to raise the hammer to the "safety notch' is done by. the
cam point o³ acting on the end of the firing bolt as the slide is moved
up or down.
And I claim as my Invention,
The slide f, bolt i, and hammer d, combined in such a manner with
the breech piece or extracter that, the opening of the breech throws the
hammer back, all substantially as described.
Also the combination of the breech piece b, hammer d, slide f,
guard g, pitman h, and bolt i, all operating substantially as shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nelson King, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witnesses,
WILLIAM EDGAR SIMONDS,
FRANK GOURLEY FULLER.
NELSON KING. (L.S.)