Improved Trigger Action for Two or More Barrelled Fire Arms.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec.. 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Trigger Action for Two or More Barrelled Fire Arms.
We AVON AUGUSTUS COOK of Jefferies Farm, Billingshurst in the County
of Sussex, Engineer, and WILLIAM MOORE AND GREY LIMITED of 43 Old
Bond Street in the County of London, Gunmakers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a certain improved trigger action for double or
multiple barrelled guns, rifles, pistols and such like fire arms and has for its objects
to prevent the possibility of discharging more than one barrel at once, and to
afford greater steadiness and hence accuracy in firing double shots. The action is
simple and free from liability to get out of order.
According to our invention we employ but one trigger to operate separately the
lock actions of two or more barrelled fire arms.
The trigger is of suitable shape and may be made in one piece with, or connected
to, or otherwise adapted to operate in any convenient manner a moveable plate,
"blade," or equivalent having one or more steps, pins, cams or like mountings
formed or fixed in required positions.
This plate or blade or its mountings is or are suitably disposed adjacent to or
underlying the rear end of the usual sears and it is arranged to act in such manner
that when the trigger is pulled one of the mountings aforesaid will act first, on one
sear to liberate its tumbler, and then if the pull be continued another will act on
the next sear in a similar manner, and so on.
By the above described arrangement the sears and locks will always be operated
in the same order, and since it is desirable to provide for discharging either or any
barrel at will, when required we mount upon the said trigger plate or blade one or
more moveable plates or parts equivalent in action to the above described fixed
mountings but adapted to be manually moved and placed in the required positions
by means of cam or equivalent action operated by a lever or levers projecting to
the outside of the lock plate in convenient position.
The trigger and other parts are maintained in mechanically accurate positions by
suitable springs and stops; and if desired a device may be applied to indicate the
limit of the length of pull required on the trigger for each lock and also if desired
the position of the parts.
In fitting our invention to old fire arms the usual trigger blades may be retained
and can be easily adapted to the requirements.
Dated this 4th day of December 1891
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
•
Improved Trigger Action for Two or More Barrelled Fire Arms.
We, AVON AUGUSTUS COOк, of Jefferies Farm, Billingshurst, in the County
of Sussex, Engineer, and WILLIAM MOORE AND GREY, LIMITED, of 43 Old
Bond Street, in the County of London, Gunmakers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to a certain improved trigger action for double or multiple
barrelled guns, rifles, pistols and such like firearms, and has for its objects to

page_text: prevent the possibility of discharging more than one barrel at once, and to afford
greater steadiness and hence accuracy in firing double shots. The action is simple
and free from liability to get out of order.
According to our invention we employ but one trigger to operate separately the
lock actions of two or more barrelled fire-arms.
The trigger is of suitable shape, and may be made in one piece with, or con-
nected to, or otherwise adapted to operate in any convenient manner a moveable
plate, "blade," or equivalent, having one or more steps, pins, cams or like
mountings.
This plate or blade or its mountings is or are suitably disposed adjacent to or
underlying the rear end of the usual scears, and it is arranged to act in such manner
that, when the trigger is pulled, one of the mountings aforesaid will act first on one
scear to liberate its tumbler, and then if the pull be continued, another will' act on
the next scear in a similar manner, and so on.
We will now more fully describe this in reference to the accompanying drawing,
which illustrates our invention as applied to an ordinary double-barrelled gun.
Fig. 1 is a left side clevation, Fig. 2 a back end view, and Fig. 3 is a plan, part
of the stock of the gun being shown in section in Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are
elevations and Fig. 6 a back end view of an arrangement for operating either lock
at will and hereinafter fully explained.
R is the right and L the left scear, which are arranged and connected with the
tumblers, strikers, etc., in the usual manner. T is the trigger, which is illustrated as
made in one piece with a moveable plate or "blade" P passing through a slot in the
base plate D. The rear end of plate P is formed with a step as shown affording
different levels r, l, the surfaces of which respectively underlie the scears R, L, or
lateral pins at proper levels may obviously be substituted for the step. The plate Pis
centred at pon a standard p', and so as to be capable of radial motion thereabout, and
it is or may be held up to the scear R by a light spring s, its rear end is of the curved
form shown and above the trigger in suitable position is a bent or notch t. C is a small
slide mounted upon the trigger plate or base D and normally pressed forward into
engagement with the rear of P by a spring c. The plate P and trigger T are
forced back to normal positions after operation by the usual scear springs. The
first pull on trigger T causes an upward movement of P when engages the right
scear R and raises it sufficiently to liberate its tumbler and simultaneously the
slide C is shot forward by its spring c into notch t, which thus holds the parts.
now the next scear is to be operated, a continuation of the pull on the trigger T
forces slide C out of notch t and causes the surface of the step / or equivalent to
engage and raise the scear L sufficiently to liberate its tumbler. Both locks being
now operated, the opening of the breech or the lever or other usual action serves to
recock both tumblers and return the scears, and also to replace the plate P in
normal position.
If
By the above described arrangement the scears and locks will always be
operated in the same order, and since it is desirable to provide for discharging either
or any barrel at will, when required we mount upon the said trigger plate or blade P
one or more moveable plates or parts equivalent in action to the above described
fixed mountings, but adapted to be manually moved and placed in the required
positions by means of cam, tumbler or equivalent action operated by a lever or levers
projecting to the outside of the lock in convenient position. A simple arrangement
applicable to a double-barrelled piece is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which are
elevations respectively of the mechanism before and after operation, and Fig. 6
which is a back end view of Fig. 4.
The parts above described are indicated by the same letters of reference; assuming
the mechanism to be constructed, as already described, for operating the right
lock first, then to the right side of plate P is centred at m a moveable "step lever "M,
the upper surface of which in norinal position, shown in Fig. 4, is equivalent to
the upper level of the plate P above described. The lever M has a suitably
curved breast m', and it is held up to normal position by a tumbler N pressed

page_text: upwards by a spring n' and centred on plate P at n. The position of the lever M
is regulated manually by a pin E, arranged to engage and operate the tumbler N
and extended to any convenient part of the outside of the lock; it is illustrated
by preference as passing through the body of the trigger T and terminating in a
suitable head; a light spring may also be applied to press it normally downwards,
i.e., away from the tumbler N. With this arrangement it is preferred to have two
notches or bents t, as illustrated, to lock the parts at the required times. When it
is desired to operate the left lock first, the pin E is pressed upwards and then
engages and oscillates the tumbler N to the position illustrated in Fig. 5. The step
lever M is then free to fall to the position shown, that is, with its surface r below
the level of the other surface l, aided, if desired, by a light spring m² acting upon
it; or instead of a direct upward motion of E, it may take the form of a cam
centred on the trigger or other part adapted to be manually rotated and thereby
perform the same function. By the arrangement illustrated the operator has only
to press his finger upwards while drawing the trigger, and by forcing up E, he
places the parts in the position of Fig. 5, and so the left lock will be operated
before the right and hence he discharges the left barrel first, while a further pull
on the same trigger will, as described, fire the right barrel next if required. For
arms having more than two barrels, two or more levers such as M may be arranged
in a similar manner to that above described, as will be readily understood.
We have above only set forth one method by which the operating position of
the surfaces r and I may be varied at will when required, but we are aware that the
same object may readily be attained by a great variety of simple mechanical
arrangements, which would be equivalent to that above decsribed, the main object
of such mechanism being simply to enable the shooter to manually raise or depress
the surfaces and operating the right and left locks respectively in the most
effective, rapid and convenient manner.
The trigger T and other parts are maintained in mechanically accurate positions
by suitable springs and stops; and if desired, a device may be applied to indicate
the limit of the length of pull required on the trigger for each lock, and also, if
desired the position of the parts. Such devices may be of known constructions and
applied in any convenient manner.
In fitting our invention to old firearms, the usual trigger blades may be retained
and can be easily adapted to the requirements.
Amongst the advantages incidental to our invention are :-
1. No moving of finger from trigger and hence increased rapidity of firing.
2. Practically constant length from trigger to heelplate.
3. Impossibility of discharging both barrels at once.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. The hereinbefore described improved trigger action for two or more barrelled
fire arms, whereby one continued pull on one trigger will serve to operate separately
and in succession the lock actions thereof, substantially as set forth.
2nd. The hereinbefore described improved trigger action for two or more barrelled
firearms, consisting in the moveable plate P, operated by one trigger T, and having
two or more surfaces or mountings, such as r, l, arranged at different levels and
underlying the scear levers R, L, and a device for automatically locking the
plate after the first and each subsequent operation thereof, such as the spring
slide C and the notch t, whereby the scears will be operated, if desired, one after
the other, by one trigger and one continued pull thereon, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3rd. In combination with a trigger and plate constructed as and for the purpose
set forth and claimed, the arrangement of a moveable lever or levers such as M, the
position of which is adapted to be manually regulated from outside the lock
whereby any surface r, l, may be brought under any scear so that that scear will be

page_text: operated first on pulling the trigger, and the other or others successively as
described, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of August 1800
operated first on pulling the trigger, and the other or others successively as
described, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of August 1902.
For the Applicants,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.