Improvements in Breech Loading
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1906
Loft 5th Nov 1896 Accepted. 5th Dec., 1896
Date OT
Complete Specification Loft, 5th Nov, 1896 -Accepted. 5th Dec., 1896
Improvements in Breech Loading
LIMS
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND, of 28 Maida Vale and THOMAS WOODWARD
of 69 Ashburnham Road, both in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to the trigger mechanism of double barrel breech
loading small arms with drop down barrels in which the barrels can be fired one at
a time by one trigger only.
Various ways of effecting this object have before been suggested-in all of these
some part of the firing mechanism has to shift its position after the first barrel has
been fired to bring the parts into position for firing the second barrel.
According to our present invention we retard the bringing of the parts of the
firing mechanism into position for firing the second barrel after the first barrel has
been fired by means of a pneumatic or like retarding buffer. This may be effected
in many ways but preferably we form the trigger or firing mechanism with a
sliding piece which has to be moved end-wise after the firing of the first barrel to
bring it into position for firing the second barrel as described in the Specification
of a former Patent granted to us No. 23751 in the year 1894 and we retard this
endway movement of the slide by a pneumatic or like buffer. Preferably also we so
arrange the firing mechanism that the slide has to move backwards after firing the first
barrel instead of forwards as in the arrangement shewn in the drawings annexed to
that specification. We apply a spring to press the slide backwards and when the
gun is opened and the hammers set back to full cock we cause a pin on the tumbler
of the lick used for firing the first, barrel to act against a lever and press the slide
forwards. So long as the hammer of this lock remains at full cock the pin keeps
the slide from moving backwards but when the hammer is liberated and the first
barrel fired the slide is liberated and moved back by the spring which acts upon it.
This movement we render a slow ene by connecting the rear end of the slide to a
piston working in a pneumatic or like cylinder fixed on the rear part of the trigger
plate.
Instead of using a cylinder and piston past which air or other fluid can escape
slowly other forms of pneumatic or like buffer might he used or the movement of
the parts might be retarded by spring friction.
In addition to employing retarding mechanism to delay the bringing of the parts
of the firing mechanism into position for firing the second barrel after the first
barrel has been fired the mechanism may also be so arranged that an intermediate
pull has to be given on the trigger before the second barrel can be fired by a
subsequent pull.
To prevent the jarring off of the second barrel at the time when the first barrel
is fired we use in conjunction with the before described single trigger mechanism a
safety device which may take the form of a hooked lever or a slide which when
firing the first barrel is moved by the motion of the trigger into such a position as
to luck the sear for the second barrel and is moved away from this position as the
Blide goes back after the first barrel has been fired.
1906
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS
WOODWARD. -

page_text: Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND of 28 Maida Vale and THOMAS WOODWARD
of 69 Ashburnham Road both in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The improvements relate to the trigger mechanism of double barrel breech
loading small arms with drop down barrels in which the barrels can be fired one at
a time by one trigger only.
Various ways of effecting this object have before been suggested-in all of these
some part of the firing mechanism has to shift its position after the first barrel has
been fired to bring the parts into position for firing the second barrel.
According to our present invention we retard the bringing of the parts of the
firing mechanism into position for firing the second barrel after the first barrel has
been fired by means of a pneumatic or like retarding buffer. This may be effected
in many ways but preferably we form the trigger or firing mechanism with a
sliding piece which has to be moved end-wise after the firing of the first barrel to
bring it into position for firing the second barrel as described in the Specification
of a former Patent granted to us No. 23751 in the year 1894 and we retard this
endway movement of a slide by a pneumatic or like buffer. Preferably also we so
arrange the firing mechanism that the slide has to move backwards after firing the
first barrel instead of forwards as in the arrangement shewn in the drawings
annexed to that specification. We apply a spring to press the slide backwards and
when the gun is opened and the hammers set back to full cock we cause a pin on
the tumbler of the lock used for firing the first barrel to act against a lever and
press the slide forwards. So long as the hammer of this lock remains at full cock
the pin keeps the slide from moving backwards but when the hammer is liberated
and the first barrel fired the slide is liberated and moved back by the spring which
acts upon it. This movement we render a slow one by connecting the rear end of
the slide to a piston working in a pneumatic or like cylinder fixed on the rear part
of the trigger plate.
Instead of using a cylinder and piston past which air or other fluid can escape
slowly other forms of pneumatic or like buffer might be used or the movement of
the parts might be retarded by spring friction.
To prevent the jarring off of the second barrel at the time when the first barrel
is tired we use in conjunction with the before described single trigger mechanism a
safety device which may take the form of a hooked lever or a slide which when
firing the first barrel is in such a position as to lock the sear for the second barrel
and is moved away from this position as the slide goes back after the first barrel
has been fired.
The annexed drawings shew trigger mechanism in accordance with our
invention.
Figure 1 is a plan Figure 2 is an elevation and Figure 3 is also an elevation but
with the parts in another position. Figure 4 is an elevation of the trigger which
Berves to fire both the barrels.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the slide. Figure 6 is a plan of the same.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the safety device.
a is the trigger plate and a' is an upright upon it. The upright is slotted to
receive the trigger b which is connected with the upright by a pivot pin b. bis a
trigger spring. c is a slide which also passes through the upright it has an
elongated hole in it for the pin b' to pass. The trigger blade is notched out in
rear to receive a lump on the slide. The whole arrangement is such that the slide

page_text: can move end-wise on the trigger blade and partakes of the movement of the
trigger around the pin b. The rear part of the slide is jointed to a plunger d
which fits nearly but not quite, air tight in a cylinder e. The cylinder at its rear
end is pin jointed to a projection on the trigger plate and there is a spring, which
may be contained in the cylinder tending to draw the plunger and the slide-
rearward. There is a notch in the slide at c and this receives a pin connected
with the tumbler of the right hand lock so that when the lock is cocked as usual in
opening the gun the slide is pulled forward by the tumbler and is then held in the
position shewn by Figure 2. At this time the surface on the slide is beneath
the tail of the sear of the right hand lock and if after closing the gun the trigger
be pulled the surface will rise against and lift this sear tail and the right hand
barrel will be fired. There is another surface c' on the slide which when the slide.
is forward is in front of the tail of the sear of the left hand lock hence by the first
pull of the trigger after closing the gun the left hand lock is not affected. After
the firing of the first barrel the slide passes to the position shown by Figure 3 and
then on the trigger being again pulled the surface crises beneath the tail of the
sear of the left hand lock and lifting it causes the left hand barrel to be fired..
The slide moves slowly from the position shown by Figure 2 to that shewn by
Figure 3, it is retarded by the difficulty which the air experiences in passing out
of the cylinder e. The object of retarding the movement of the slide is to ensure
that the left hand barrel shall not be fired by an involuntary pull of the trigger
which is liable to result from the recoil on the firing of the first barrel.
Figure 7 illustrates a safety device which we may employ to obviate a risk.
which arises when the locks are adjusted to a light pull off, namely that independently
of the trigger, the jar which occurs on firing the right hand barrel should liberate
the tumbler of the left hand lock; at f the extremity of the tail of the left hand sear
is seen and at g a hook pivotted to the trigger plate. When in its forward position
the hook g engages the sear tail so that it cannot rise to release the tumbler..
hh are two pins on the slide c so placed that the slide moves the hook liberating
the left hand sear after the right hand barrel has been fired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said iuven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A mechanism substantially as described in which one trigger serves to release
both the right and the left hand hammers and in which a slide or equivalent part
liberated on the discharge of one barrel passes slowly into a position to admit of
the second barrel being fired under the control of a pneumatic buffer or like
retarding appliance.
2. A safety mechanism substantially as described in reference to Figure 7.
Dated this 4th day of November 1806
H. W. HOLLAND.
THOMAS WOODWARD..