IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lionel Gye of 60 Saint James Street in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Maker for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH
LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lionel Gye at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1882.
"
LIONEL GYE of 60 Saint James Street in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS,"
This invention has for its object improvements in breech loading fowling pieces
and other fire arms.
In a provisional specification lodged by me on the 20th day of October last
No. 4585 I described a double barrel fowling piece the breech of which was made
to open by turning the breech block on a vertical hinge joint at one side of the
barrels. I also described mounting the principal parts of the lock, the hamuners
the main springs and the sears upon a tang that was made to project back from the
rear of the breech block,
My improvements have mainly for their object to improve such breech loading
fire arms but part of my improvements are also applicable to breech loading fire
arms of other construction. I form the breech block with a plate extending
horizontally and backwards from it at the bottom and I cut away the stock above.
this plate the plate is shaped so as to conform to the contour of the part of the
stock above which it lies, and it has secured to it a cover which serves not only to
fill the gap in the stock but also to cover over the parts of the locks. At the rear
end of the horizontal plate is a lump carrying a spring bolt with a projecting
thumb piece by which the bolt may be pressed inwards to unlock it or other form
of locking bolt may be used. The hammers of the locks in place of working
vertically as in other fire arms are made to work horizontally or nearly so one
hammer being made to pivot on a vertical pin at one side of the rear face of the
breech block whilst the other hammer is made to pivot on another vertical pin on
D
31

page_text: the opposite side of the rear face of the breech block. Each hammer is also made
to strike the firing pin which is furthest from the pivot on which such hammer
turns.
The hammers are set in different planes one somewhat above the other so that
they may swing clear of one another The firing pins against which the hammers
strike are "central fire" firing pins and are made one to incline slightly upwards
and the other slightly downwards so that the rear end of one may be struck by the
upper hammer and the rear end of the other by the lower hammer.
By making the hammers to swing horizontally they may have a long swing
given to them and consequently the main springs used to drive them may be made
comparatively weak-the arrangement also allows of ordinary flat springs being
used as the main springs. Preferably flat springs are used secured at their rear
ends to the lump at the rear end of the plate which extends back from the bottom
of the breech block. Each hammer is made with a tooth on its under side for the
sear nose to catch behind and hold the hammer back at full cock. On the tail end
of each sear lever is a pin which passes down through a hole or slot in the plate.
When the breech is closed these pins come above the triggers. When one of the
triggers is pulled the sear above it is thereby turned and the hammer set free. The
forward end of each sear lever is pressed upwards by a spring below it. The tail
ends of the two sear levers are made to cross over one another if it is desired that
the trigger on the right hand side of the gun shall fire the right hand barrel and
the left hand trigger the left hand barrel.
In order to prevent the gun from being fired accidentally I mount in the back
face of the breech block two small vertical slides each held downwards by a
separate spring. On each is a projection which stands out backwards from the
back face of the breech block and comes in the way of one or other of the hammers
to prevent it from striking against the firing pin-both small vertical slides can
however be lifted and held up by an incline on a longitudinal sliding bolt so that
the projections on them are then lifted out of the way of the hammers. The
longitudinal sliding bolt may be arranged to lie below a rib which passes back-
wards from the centre of the top of the breech to the top of the lump on the rear
end of the horizontal plate. If it be desired that the safety slides shall be auto-
matically brought into action each time that the breech is opened the end of the
longitudinal sliding bolt may be acted upon by the locking bolt so as to be pressed
forwards each time the breech is opened.
Safety slides arranged as above described may be applied to other breech loading
fire arms whether the hammers are arranged to swing horizontally or vertically.
To turn back both hammers to full cock each time the breech is opened, two
slides may be used capable of sliding to and fro in horizontal grooves in the back
face of the breech block one end of each slide is made to lie close to the hinge
joint on which the breech block turns and the other end of the slide is made to
come against a projection on one or other of the hammers.
When the breech has been partly opened the outer ends of the slides come
against fixed stops and as the breech is turned further back they are made to slide
endwise in the slots and thereby set back both hammers until they are caught by
the sears.
The locks of other breech loading double barrelled fowling pieces and other
breech loading fire arms may be made with the hammers swinging horizontally as
above described instead of vertically as heretofore.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Lionel Gye in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th September
1882.
"
LIONEL GYE of 60 Saint James Street in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FOWLING PIECES AND OTHER FIRE ARMS
This invention has for its object improvements in breech loading fowling pieces
and other fire arms.
In a Provisional specification lodged by me on the 20th day of October last
No. 4585 I described a double barrel fowling piece the breech of which was made
to open by turning the breech block on a vertical hinge joint at one side of the
barrels. I also described mounting the principal parts of the lock the hammers,
the main springs and the sears upon a tang that was made to project back from
the rear of the breech block.
My improvements have mainly for their object to improve such breech loading
fire arms but part of my improvements are also applicable to breech loading fire
arms of other construction. I form the breech block with a plate extending
horizontally and backwards from it at the bottom and I cut away the stock above
this plate. The plate is shaped so as to conform to the contour of the part of the
stock above which it lies, and it has secured to it a cover which serves not only to
fill the gap in the stock but also to cover over the parts of the locks. At the rear
end of the horizontal plate is a lump carrying a spring bolt with a projecting
thumb piece by which the bolt may be pressed inwards to unlock it or other form
of locking bolt may be used. The hammers of the locks in place of working
vertically as in other fire arms are made to work horizontally or nearly so-one
hammer being made to pivot on a vertical pin at one side of the rear face of the
breech block whilst the other hammer is made to pivot on another vertical pin on
the opposite side of the rear face of the breech block. Each hammer is also made
to strike the firing pin which is furthest from the pivot on which such hammer
turns.
The hammers are set in different planes one somewhat above the other so that
they may swing clear of one another. The firing pins against which the hammers
strike are <8
central fire" firing pins and are made one to incline slightly upwards
and the other slightly downwards so that the rear end of one may be struck by
the upper hammer and the rear end of the other by the lower hammer.
By making the hammers to swing horizontally they may have a long swing
given to them and consequently the main springs used to drive them may be made
comparatively weak-the arrangement also allows of ordinary flat springs being
used as the main springs. Preferably flat springs are used secured at their rear
ends to the lump at the rear end of the plate which extends back from the bottom
of the breech block. Each hammer is made with a tooth on its under side for the
sear nose to catch behind and hold the hammer back at full cock. The tail end of
each sear lever or a pin upon it passes down through a hole or slot in the plate.
When the breech is closed these ends of the sear levers come above the triggers.
When one of the triggers is pulled the sear above it is thereby turned and the
hammer set free. The forward end of each sear lever is pressed upwards by a
spring below it. The tail ends of the two sear levers are made to cross over one
another if it is desired that the trigger on the right hand side of the gun shall fire
the right hand barrel and the left hand trigger the left hand barrel.
In order to prevent the gun from being fired accidentally I mount in the back
face of the breech block two small vertical slides each held downwards by a

page_text: separate spring. On each is a projection which stands out backwards from the
back face of the breech block and comes in the way of one or other of the
hammers to prevent it from striking against the firing pin-both small vertical
slides can however be lifted and held up by an incline on a longitudinal sliding bolt
so that the projections on them are then lifted out of the way of the hammers.
The longitudinal sliding bolt may be arranged to lie below a rib which passes
backwards from the centre of the top of the breech to the top of the lump on the
rear end of the horizontal plate. If it be desired that the safety slides shall be
automatically brought into action each time that the breech is opened the end of
the longitudinal sliding bolt may be acted upon by the locking bolt so as to be
pressed forwards each time the breech is opened.
Safety slides arranged as above described may be applied to other breech loading
fire arms whether the hammers are arranged to swing horizontally or vertically.
To turn back both hammers to full cock each time the breech is opened, two
slides may be used capable of sliding to and fro in horizontal grooves in the back
face of the breech block one end of each slide is made to project from the side of
the moveable breech piece near to the vertical line around which the breech piece
turns and the other end of the slide is made to come against a projection on one
or other of the hammers.
When the breech has been partly opened the outer ends of the slides come
against fixed stops and as the breech is turned further back they are made to slide
endwise in the slots and thereby set back both hammers until they are caught by
the sears.
The locks of other breech loading double barrelled fowling pieces and other
breech loading fire arms may be made with the hammers swinging horizontally as
above described instead of vertically as heretofore.
Figure 1 is a plan view of a double barrel breech loading fowling piece con-
structed as above described. In this figure the cover of the moveable breech piece
is removed. Figure 2 is a side view of the same partly in section the sear for the
lower hammer is shewn in this figure but not the sear for the upper hammer. In
both Figures 1 and 2 the right hand lock is shewn at full cock and the left hand
lock with the hammer let down.
Figure 3 is a side view of the opposite side of the gun to that shewn at Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view of the rear face of the moveable breech block to shew the
positions of the hammers.-Figure shews a plan view of the upper or right
hand hammer and Figure 6 a plan view of the lower or left hand hammer.-
Figures 7 and 8 shew longitudinal vertical sections of the moveable breech piece
and Figure 9 a plan view of the same to shew the safety bolts and the longitudinal
sliding bolt for putting them in or out of action. In the drawings I have not
shewn any extractor for withdrawing discharged cartridges from the barrels as
any ordinary arrangement of extractor may be employed for the purpose.
A is the breech block capable of turning on a vertical joint to one side of the
barrels. In the gun shewn the hinge joint does not project from the side of
the barrels but is formed of a semicircular guide bar fixed to the bottom of the
moveable breech and received in a corresponding semicircular groove in the body
of the stock as described in a Provisional specification lodged by me on the tenth
day of June 1882 No 2746 The joint might however if preferred be formed in
the way shewn in the specification of my former Patent. B is a plate extending
backwards horizontally from the bottom of the breech block. At the back of the
plate is a lump in which is contained a spring locking bolt C. D is a thumb piece
by which the locking bolt can be pressed forward and released. E, E, are the
hammers mounted horizontally and one above the other. One turns on a vertical
joint near one side of the rear face of the breech block-the other on a vertical
joint near the other side. F. F. are firing pins of any ordinary construction. They
are slightly inclined as above described so that their forward ends may come in a
line with the centre of the barrels whilst their rear ends are at a level at which
the hammers can strike them. The left hand firing pin is struck by the right

page_text: hand hammer and the right hand firing pin by the left hand hammer. In the case
of a single barrel gun the firing pin would not have to be inclined upwards or
downwards but would be inclined towards one side of the moveable breech piece
so that a longer hammer may be used.-G are the sears, H the triggers-I the
main springs K the rods for turning the hammers to full cock each time the
breech is opened. The upper one acts against a notch E in the upper hammer-
the lower one against a pin projecting downwards from the bottom hammer. The
outer ends of both rods project slightly from the side of the moveable breech piece
as shewn and when the breech is opened and turned to one side the ends of the
rods come against a stop L-both rods are thereby pressed inwards and caused to
turn back the hammers. The stop L is shewn to be capable of turning on a pin
at L' its lower end rests against a spring catch M which prevents the stop from
being turned when the ends of the rods press against its upper end. If however
this catch is pressed inwards the stop L can be turned downwards out of the way
of the rods the moveable breech piece can then be turned further round to such an
extent that the guide piece on its under side gets out from the groove in the body
of the stock and the moveable breech piece can so be taken out but so long as the
stop remains in position the breech piece can only turn back sufficiently to set
back the hammers to full cock-N N are the two safety bolts and O the longitudinal
sliding bolt for setting them in or out of action-P is a thumb piece by which the
longitudinal bolt O can be slid backwards or forwards.
The forward end of the bolt passes through a slot formed through the sides of
the two safety bolts which are towards one another.-At the extremity of the bolt
is an incline O¹. When the bolt is drawn backwards the incline lifts the safety
bolts and when they are in this position they do not impede the hammers from
striking the firing pins and the gun can be fired. When the bolt is pushed
forwards the incline no longer holds up the safety bolts and they drop or they may
be pressed down by springs so as to bring them into positions for projections N¹
upon them to come into the path of the hammers and prevent them from striking
the firing pins as shown at Figure 9.
In the gun shewn in the drawings the safety bolts are set at safety each time
that the breech is opened. This is done by the thumb piece D coming against and
pressing forwards the thumb piece P when the locking bolt C is opened and the
gun cannot be fired until the thumb piece P has been drawn back-it is not
however essential that the safety bolts should be set at safety each time that the
breech is opened. Safety bolts operated by a longitudinally sliding bolt in the
above manner are not only applicable for being used with locks having horizontal
hammers but also with locks having vertical hammers. If the hammers work
vertically it would only be necessary to form each safety bolt with an arm
extending sidewise from it to come into the path of the hammers when at safety
or the safety bolts might be arranged to work horizontally instead of vertically.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and the manner of performing
the same I would have it understood that I claim,
First The construction of the locks of fire arms with the hammers working
horizontally in place of vertically substantially as described.
Second-The combination of two hammers working horizontally at different
levels each acting upon a firing pin inclined either upwards or downwards to
bring its forward end in a line with the centre of the barrels of a double barrelled
fire arm substantially as described.
Third. The construction of double barrelled and other breech loading fire arms
with a breech block turning on a vertical hinge joint to one side of the barrels and
having a plate extending backwards from it at the bottom carrying a lock or locks
substantially as described.
Fourth. The construction of the locks of double barrelled fire arms substantially
as herein before described and shewn in the Drawings annexed.

page_text: •
Fifth. The combination of a safety bolt or bolts mounted at the back face of
the breech block and a longitudinally sliding bolt with incline upon it for
controlling the position of these safety bolts substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Lionel Gye have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Fifteenth day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.