IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Thomas Hawke Bennett, of Launceston, in the
County of Cornwall, and Spencer Le Nève Neave, of 10, New Inn, Strand, in
the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Thomas Hawke
Bennett & Spencer Le Nève Neave at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 11th August 1880.
CHARLES THOMAS HAWKE BENNETT, of Launceston, in the County of Cornwall,
and SPENCER LE NEVE NEAVE, of 10, New Inn, Strand, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading fire arms such
as are described in the Specifications of Patents granted to Charles Edmund Green
and John Green, No. 49, in the year 1871, and to Charles Edmund Green and
Robert Green, No. 471, in the year 1877.
Our breech loading rifle or fire arm with our present improvements may be
described as follows:-At the breech end of the barrel there is a trough like shoe
in which the plug or stopper for closing the breech is able to slide. The plug or
stopper can thus be drawn back along the trough a sufficient distance to admit of
the cartridge (which may be similar to that used in the Martini-Henry ri. ) being
placed in the trough in front of it. The trough like shoe is provided with a cover
by which, when the cover is in its place, the trough is closed at the top and also in
rear. The breech plug or stopper is fixed to the fore end of the cover.
The cover
also carries a locking bolt which lies within the trough like shoe; the fore end of
the bolt enters a recess in the back of the breech plug or stopper, and its hinder
end passes out through a circular hole in the end of the cover, and receives a handle
beyond. The breech is opened by turning the bolt one quarter round by means of
the handle at its end, and then drawing it (together with the cover and breech
plug) to the rear. During this operation a hook like spring extractor on the top
of the breech plug or stopper draws back the cartridge case which remained in the
barrel from the last time of firing and causes it to be thrown out. To aid in
starting the cartridge case from its seat the bolt has a projection upon it which
Prins Cd1

page_text: when the bolt is turned in the act of unlocking operates against an incline formed
upon the rear end of the shoe. The locking is effected by means of a projecting
lump on the side of the turning bolt which is received into a corresponding recess
formed in the interior of the shoe on one side. When the bolt is turned in
unlocking, the lump upon it is brought to the upper side into the opening in the
top of the shoe, so that the bolt is then free to slide back. To prevent it sliding
out and so becoming completely separated from the stock a cross bar is fitted in
dovetail grooves near the rear end of the shoe, and with this bar the locking lump
comes into contact when the bolt has been drawn back sufficiently far. But when
for cleaning the arm it is wished to remove the bolt with the breech plug and
cover, this is easily done by drawing out the cross bar. The cross bar is retained
in its place only by a small tooth entering a hole in its under side; the tooth is
thrown up by a spring lodged in a recess in the side of the trough, and by pressure
with the finger upon a stud the tooth can be depressed and withdrawn from the
hole in the cross bar.
The striker by which the cartridge is fired lies in a passage bored in the bolt
and through the breech plug or stopper, and the cartridge is exploded by the blow
of a hammer upon the rear end of the striker. The hammer, which is operated by
a lock of suitable construction, is mounted upon an horizontal axis beneath the
shoe. The hammer head in rising to strike its blow passes up through a slot in the
bottom of the shoe and through an opening in what is, at this time, the under side
of the locking bolt, and so it reaches the end of the striker. This opening in the
bolt is inclined, so that when the bolt is turned, as in unlocking, the hammer is
forced back to its cocked position. The striker turns with the bolt, and in
unlocking, an incline near its fore end comes against a projection within the breech
plug or stopper, which moves back the striker within the bolt until its nose no
longer projects from the face of the breech plug or stopper.
Upon the same axis with the hammer there is a finger lying close against the
side of the stock, and which serves to indicate whether the piece is cocked, or
whether the hammer is against the striker, as it is after firing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Thomas Hawke Bennett & Spencer Le Nève Neave in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th February 1881.
CHARLES THOMAS Hawke BENNETT, of Launceston, in the County of Cornwall,
and SPENCER LE NEVE NEAVE, of 10, New Inn, Strand, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading fire arms such
as are described in the Specifications of Patents granted to Charles Edmund Green
and John Green, No. 49, in the year 1871, and to Charles Edmund Green and
Robert Green, No. 471, in the year 1877.
Our breech loading rifle or fire arm with our present improvements may be
described as follows:-At the breech end of the barrel there is a trough like shoe
in which the plug or stopper for closing the breech is able to slide. The plug or
stopper can thus be drawn back along the trough a sufficient distance to admit of
the cartridge (which may be similar to that used in the Martini Henri rifle) being
placed in the trough in front of it. The trough like shoe is provided with a cover
by which, when the cover is in its place, the trough is closed at the top and also in
rear. The breech plug or stopper is fixed to the fore end of the cover.
The cover
also carries a locking bolt which lies within the trough like shoe; the fore end of
the bolt enters a recess in the back of the breech plug or stopper, and its hinder
end passes out through a circular hole in the end of the cover, and receives a handle
beyond. The breech is opened by turning the bolt one quarter round by means of
the bandle at its end, and then drawing it (together with the cover and breech
plug) to the rear. During this operation a hook like spring extractor on the top of
the breech plug or stopper draws back the cartridge case which remained in the
barrel from the last time of firing and causes it to be thrown out. To aid in
starting the cartridge case from its seat the bolt has a projection upon it which,
when the bolt is turned in the act of unlocking, operates against an incline formed
upon the rear end of the shoe. The locking is effected by means of a projecting
lump on the side of the turning bolt which is received into a corresponding recess
formed in the interior of the shoe on one side. When the bolt is turned in
unlocking, the lump upon it is brought to the upper side into the opening in the
top of the shoe, so that the bolt is then free to slide back. To prevent it sliding
out and so becoming completely separated from the stock a cross bar is fitted in
dovetail grooves near the rear end of the shoe, and with this bar the locking lump
comes into contact when the bolt has been drawn back sufficiently far. But when
for cleaning the arm it is wished to remove the bolt with the breech plug and
cover, this is easily done by drawing out the cross bar. The cross bar is retained
in its place only by a small tooth pressed forward by a spring entering a hole
in it.
The striker by which the cartridge is fired lies in a passage bored in the bolt and
through the breech plug or stopper, and the cartridge is exploded by the blow of a
hammer upon the rear end of the striker. The hammer which is operated by a
lock of suitable construction is mounted upon an horizontal axis beneath the shoe.
The hammer head in rising to strike its blow passes up through a slot in the
bottom of the shoe and through an opening in what is, at this time, the underside
of the locking bolt, and so it reaches the end of the striker. This opening in the
bolt is inclined, so that when the bolt is turned, as in unlocking, the hammer
is forced back to its cocked position. The striker turns with the bolt, and
unlocking an incline near its fore end comes against a projection within the breech
plug or stopper which moves back the striker within the bolt until its nose no
longer projects from the face of the breech plug or stopper.

page_text: whether the hammer is against the striker, as it is after firing.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew various views of parts of a breech loading
rifle in which our improvements are embodied.
Figure 1 is a side view of the breech end of the barrel, and of the shoe or trough
attached thereto. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the shoe or trough; in this
view also the breech plug, the cover, and the locking bolt are shewn in elevation.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the breech plug, the cover, and the locking bolt,
in position for drawing back after firing; Figure 4 is a plan view of the trough
shoe which is at the breech end of the barrel.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the breech plug and locking bolt, showing the
striker in position for firing.
Figure 6 is a cross section through the line a, b, Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a back end view of the trough shoe.
Figure 8 is a transverse section of the locking bolt.
Figure 9 is a side view showing the incline on the end of the shoe to aid in
starting back the empty cartridge case when the breech plug is drawn back.
Figure 10 is a side view of the same parts with the locking bolt turned into
position ready to be drawn back.
A is the trough like shoe at the breech end of the barrel; B is the plug or
stopper for closing the breech, and which can be slid backwards or forwards
along the trough A. The plug or stopper can thus be drawn back along the
trough a sufficient distance to admit of the cartridge (which may be similar to that
used in the Martini Henri rifle) being placed in the trough in front of it. C is the
cover to the trough A, when the cover is in its place the trough is closed at the
top, and also in rear. The plug or stopper B is fixed to the front end of this cover.
D is the locking bolt, the front end of this bolt enters a recess in the back end of
the plug or stopper B, as shown at Figure 5, and its hinder end passes through a
circular hole in the back end of the cover C, and has on its end a handle E. The
breech is opened by turning the bolt D one quarter round by means of the handle at
its end and then drawing it, together with the cover and breech plug B, to the rear.
During the drawing back of the bolt the hook like spring extractor F on the top
of the breech plug draws back the cartridge case which remained in the barrel from
the last time of firing and causes it to be thrown out. G is the pin or projection
standing out from the bolt D near its rear end, as seen best at Figure 10. H is the
incline formed upon the rear end of the shoe A. When the bolt is turned to
unlock it the pin G acts against this incline and the bolt is drawn back a short
distance at the same time that it is unlocked; this short backward movement of
the locking bolt starts back the empty cartridge case and sets it free, so that it
may move back freely when the bolt is slid back. I is the projecting lump upon
the locking bolt, see Figure 8, which (when the breech plug closes the breech) is
received in a recess J in the side of the shoe A, and so prevents the breech plug
from being driven backwards when the rifle is fired. When the bolt is turned to
unlock it the lump I is brought to the upper side of the bolt and then comes into
the opening in the top of the shoe, so that the bolt is then free to slide back.
K is the cross bar fitted in dovetail grooves across the top of the shoe, near its
rear end, to prevent the bolt sliding out and so becoming completely separated
from the stock. When the bolt is drawn back the locking lump I upon it comes
against this bar when the bolt has been drawn back the required distance. When
it is wished to remove the locking bolt D to allow of the rifle being cleaned the
bar K can be slid aside out of the way of the lump I. The bar K is retained from

page_text: being entirely withdrawn from the groove in which it slides by the spring catch L
which, as shewn at Figure 4, serves not only to prevent the entire withdrawal of
the bar, but also to hold the bar at either end of its movement, so that a moderate
pressure upon the thumb piece K¹ on the end of the bar is required either to
withdraw the bar or to push it back into place. If for any reason it is required to
entirely withdraw the bar K the spring bolt L can be removed by unscrewing the
small screw plug L'.
M is the striker by which the cartridge is to be fired; it lies in a passage bored
in the bolt D and breech plug B. The lock, which is of any ordinary construction,
is carried by the wooden stock, and its hammer strikes against the rear end of the
striker, as shewn at Figure 2. The hammer head in rising to strike its blow
passes up through a slot in the bottom of the shoe A and through an opening in
what is, at this time, the underside of the locking bolt D, and so it reaches the end
of the striker. This opening in the bolt is inclined, so that when the bolt is turned
to unlock it the hammer is forced back to full cock.
When the bolt D is turned the striker is made to turn with it by reason of a
pin N carried by the bolt passing through a longitudinal slot formed in the striker,
as shown at Figure 5. Another pin O carried by the breech plug B comes against
an incline formed on the striker near its front end, as shown in the same Figure, so
that when the bolt is turned to unlock it the striker is drawn back, so that its
extremity no longer projects from the face of the breech plug.
P is a finger on the same axis as the hammer, this finger lies against the side of
the stock and serves to indicate whether the piece is at full cock or whether the
hammer is against the striker, as it is after firing.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we would have it understood that we claim as our improvements in
breech loading fire arms,-
First. Forming the shoe cover C so that it not only covers the top but also the
rear end of the trough in the shoe.
Second. Forming the locking bolt D to pass through the rear end of the
cover C, and attaching a handle to its rear end where it projects beyond the
cover.
Third. Providing the locking bolt D with a pin G standing out from it to bear
against an incline on the rear end of the shoe, so as slightly to draw back the bolt
at the same time that it is turned to unlock it, and thereby start back the empty
cartridge case.
Fourth. The moveable bar K across the top of the shoe to serve as a stop to the
locking bolt D to prevent its being entirely withdrawn.
Fifth. The spring catch L for retaining the moveable bar K in place.
Sixth. The application of an indicating finger P to a fire arm of the construction
described, to indicate whether the lock is at "full cock", or whether the hammer is
against the striker.
Seventh. The construction of a fire arm as herein before described and shown in
the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Spencer Le Neve Neave, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
SPENCER LE NEVE NEAVE. (L.S.)