IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASE EXTRACTORS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Reeves, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARTRIDGE CASE EXTRACTORS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 1st March 1867, and dated the 4th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Reeves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
September 1866.
I, CHARLES REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASE EXTRACTORS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to bo
as follows:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts herein.
after described of cartridge case extractors for breech-loading fire-arms.
My improvements are applicable to breech-loading fire-arms in which the
breech is opened and closed by a block or closer hinged to the side of the
barrel, as well as to fire-arms in which a sliding plug or plunger is employed
to open and close the breech.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a breech-loading gun having a
hinged block or closer. At the mouth or entrance to the breech end of the
barrel a recess is made in which recess the extractor slides, the said extractor
consisting of a square or cylindrical rod having a cross piece or hook on its

page_text: end. This cross piece or hook lies flush with the end of the barrel, and has
the necessary depression in it, into which the flange of the cartridge case
enters when placed in the breech of the barrel. The sliding motion of the
extractor to expel or start the exploded cartridge case from the barrel is
effected by means of a cranked or bent lever situated on the side of the gun.
The said lever moves in a vertical plano upon an axis situated nearly under
the extractor, the long arm of the said lever being nearly horizontal, and the
short arm nearly vertical. The end of the said short arm of the lever is con-
nected by a pin and slot with the front end of the rod of the extractor; the
long arm of the lever is made into a handle. After the gun has been discharged
and the hinged block lifted from the breech end, the handle or long arm of
the lever is depressed, its short arm is thereby moved towards the butt end
of the gun carrying with it the cartridge extractor, and the exploded cartridge
case is started or extracted from the barrel. On the removal of the hand
from the handle of the lever the book or acting part of the extractor is
returned to its position in the mouth of the barrel by the pressure of a spring.
The lever described for working the extractor may be placed on the right or
left hand side of the gun, or on the under side of the gun; or the extractor
itself may work on the under side of the gun.
By arranging the parts of cartridge case extractors according to my Invention
they possess great power and readily remove the exploded cases, however tight
they may be wedged in the barrel by the explosion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Reeves in the Great Patent Seal Office on the
2nd March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Reeves, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASE EXTRACTORS FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Reeves, my
executors 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 per-
formed, 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 Charles Reeves, 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 arrangement or combination of parts.
berein-after described of cartridge case extractors for breech-loading fire-
arms.
My improvements are applicable to breech-loading fire-arms in which the
breech is opened and closed by a block or closer hinged to the side of the barrel,
as well as to fire-arms in which a sliding plug or plunger is employed to open
and close the breech.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a breech-loading gun having
a hinged block or closer. At the mouth or entrance to the breech end
of the barrel a recess is made, in which recess the extractor slides, the
said extractor consisting of a square or cylindrical rod having a cross piece
or book on its end. This cross piece or book lies flush with the end of the
barrel, and has the necessary depression in it, into which the flango of the
cartridge case enters when placed in the breech of the barrel.
The sliding
motion of the extractor to expel or start the exploded cartridge case from the
barrel is effected by means of a cranked or bent lever situated on the side of
the gun. The said lever moves in a vertical plane upon an axis situated
nearly under the extractor, the long arm of tho said lever being nearly
horizontal, and the short arm nearly vertical. The end of the said short arm
of the lever is connected by a pin and slot with the front end of the rod of
the extractor; the long arm of the lever is made into a handle. After the
gun has been discharged, and the hinged block lifted from the breech end, the
handle or long arm of the lever is depressed, its short arm is theroby moved
towards the butt end of the gun, carrying with it the cartridge extractor, and

page_text: started or extracted from the barrel.
On the
the exploded cartridge case is
removal of the hand from the handle of the lever the hook or acting part of
the extractor is returned to its position in the mouth of the barrel by the
pressure of a spring; or the handle of the lever may be raised by hand. The
lever described for working the extractor may be placed on the right or left
hand side of the gun, or on the under side of the gun; or the extractor
itself may work on the under side of the gun.
By arranging the parts of cartridge case extractors according to my Invention
they possess great power, and readily remove the exploded cases, however
tight they may be wedged in the barrel by the explosion.
IIaving explained the naturo of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figuro 1 represents a side elevation of a breech-loading gun with a hinged
closing block to which a cartridge case extractor constructed according to my
Invention is applied; Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the breech-block
opened and exhibiting the action of the extractor; Figure 3 is a cross section
of the gun through the line a, Figure 1, and Figure 4 represents the extractor
separately.
a is the barrel, and 6 the hinged block for opening and closing the breech.
In the mouth of the breech end of the barrel a, is a recess c for receiving the
hook or cross piece d of the extractor, the said hook or cross piece having a
depression d³ for the rim or flange of the cartridge to engage in. The hook
or extractor d is carried on the end of the rod d³, the said rod working in the
cylindrical chamber or tube e on the side of the barrel a.
When the gun is
ready for firing, as illustrated in Figure 1, the hook or extractor d lies
flush with the end of the barrel. The sliding of the extractor d, d³, to
expel or start the case of the exploded cartridge from the barrel a is effected
by the cranked or bent lever f, f, turning on the pin or centre f³ at the side
of the gun, the said lever moving in a vertical plane. The short arm f³ of
the lever ff, is connected by the slot and pin at 9 with the front end of the
extractor rod d³, and the long arm f of the lever is made into a handle, by
which the lever is worked. After the gun has been discharged, and the
hinged block b lifted from the breech end, in the manner represented in
Figure 2, the bandle f is depressed into the position represented in Figure 2
and indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. By the depressing of the handle f
the short arm f2 of the lever is moved towards the butt end of the gun, as
indicated in Figure 1, carrying with it the extractor d, d, the hook d of the
extractor pushing before it the case of the exploded cartrige h, as represented

page_text: in Figure 2; by the use of the lever f,ƒ³, the case of the exploded cartridge
can be started or withdrawn from the barrel, however tightly wedged in the
said barrel by the explosion. After the removal by hand of the exploded
cartridge case from the breech chamber, by raising the handle f into the
position represented in Figure 1, the hook d of the extractor d, d³, is returned
to its recess c at the mouth of the barrel, when a fresh cartridge may be
introduced; or the raising of the handle f of the lever and the consequent
sliding of the extractor to its place in the barrel, may be effected by a spring.
The extractor d, d³, and lever f, fs, may be placed on either side of the gun.
Or instead of placing the extractor to work on the side of the gun, it may be
made to work on the under side of the gun; in this case the long arm of the
lever is situated outside the gun, and is connected with the short arm by an
axis passing through the stock, or the lever may be situated underneath the
stock. In applying my improved cartridge case extractor to guns in
which the breech is opened and closed by a sliding plug or plunger the
parts are arranged essentially in the manner described and illustrated in the
Drawing.
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-before described and illustrated 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 in cartridge case
extractors for breech-loading fire-arms herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, actuating sliding cartridge case
extractors by means of a cranked or bent lever constructed and worked
substantially in the manner described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Reeves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
GBORGE SHAW.
CHARLES REEVES. (L.s.)