IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Simeon Edge, the elder, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed tho 30th June 1865, and dated the 16th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Simeon Edge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1865.
I, JAMES SIMEON EDGE, the elder, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My said Invention has reference to breech-loading fire-arms of the kind
commonly known as drop-down guns, that is, to guns in which the barrels are
capable of motion in a vertical plane upon a horizontal axis situated at the
fore part of the body, the open breech ends of the barrels being held against
the face of the break-off during discharge, and liberated and raised from
the break-off for charging.
My Invention consists of the mechanical arrangements, herein-after
described, for fastening down the barrels of the said fire-arm during discharge,

page_text: and for releasing them for charging, and also for preventing the barrels on
discharge from moving from the break-off in a longitudinal direction.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun.
In order to prevent the longitudinal motion of the barrels from the
break-off on discharge, I make on the outer side of each of the barrels, and
rear the breech ends thereof, two projections; these projections are of a taper
or wedge shape, and are situated at different levels on the barrel, one of
the said projections being situated at the extreme end of the barrel and at
or about the middle of the side of the barrel, and the other at a short distance
from the first and at a lower level. The space or opening between the two
projections has somewhat of a wedge or taper figure, the inner sides of the
said projections being struck from the centre on which the barrels turn.
The sides of the body of the gun are prolonged upwards near to and adjoining
the break-off so as to constitute cheeks, the said side pieces or cheeks rising to
a height nearly equal to that of the said break-off. In each of the side pieces
or checks an opening is made of a figure nearly corresponding with that of the
upper projection on the side of the barrel; this opening in the side piece or
cheek divides it into two forked arms, the sides of the arm most distant from
the break-off being struck from the centre on which the barrels turn. When
the barrels are turned upon their joint and shut down against the face of the
break-off, the projections on the sides of the barrels engage with the forked
side pieces or cheeks on the body, and thus prevent all longitudinal motion
of the barrels from the break-off on the discharge of the gun. The pro-
jections on the barrels are so shaped that they accurately fit into and bear
against the side pieces or checks on the body of the break-off, and when
engaged lie flush with the surface of the said side pieces or checks. I
fasten down and release the barrels by means of two hooked arms or levers
situated near the break-off at either side of the gun, the hooked ends of
the said arms or levers being made to bear upon the top projections,
herein-before described, on the outer sides of the barrels. The said hooked
arms or levers are fixed upon the ends of a horizontal axis passing through
the break-off, the said axis being situated parallel to the face of the said
break-off. A spring is situated under the body of the gun, the free end of
which spring works in a slot in the middle of the said axis. By the pressure
of the spring the hooked arms or levers, when they are at liberty to move, are
made to bear upon the upper projections on the sides of the barrels or against
the side cheeks described. One of the hooked arms or levers is prolonged
downwards so as to form a lever or handle, by depressing which lever or

page_text: handle the hooked arms can be raised from the projections with which they
engage, and release the barrels. The lever or handle described is situated
nearly in the same plane as the hooked arm or lever at its upper end, and
the said lever or handle projects but little from the side of the stock. When
the barrels are shut down after loading, the top projections on the sides of
the barrels act against the curved nose or front of the hooked part of the
arms or levers, and raise or lift the said arms from over the openings in the
side pieces or cheeks, and permit the said projections to enter the openings
and prevent longitudinal motion of the barrels. After the engagement of the
projections with the side pieces or cheeks, the hooked arms or levers descend by
the action of the spring and bear firmly upon the tops of the said projections,
and hold or fasten down the breech ends of the barrels securely against the
face of the break-off.
My Invention may be applied either to single or to double barrelled
smooth-bored or rifled breech-loading fire-arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Simeon Edge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
11th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SIMEON EDGE, the elder, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Simeon Edge, Her special licence that I, the said James
Simeon Edge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said James Simeon Edge, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Simeon Edge, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hauds
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause

page_text: 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 James Simeon Edge, 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 said Invention has reference to breech-loading fire-arms of the kind
commonly known as drop-down guns, that is, to guns in which the barrels are
capable of motion in a vertical plane upon a horizontal axis situated at the fore
part of the body, the open breech ends of the barrels being held against the
face of the break-off during discharge, and liberated and raised from the break-
off for charging.
My Invention consists of the mechanical arrangements herein-after described
for fastening down the barrels of the said fire-arms during discharge, and for
releasing them for charging, and also for preventing the barrels on discharge
from moving from the break-off in a longitudinal direction.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun.
In order to prevent the longitudinal motion of the barrels from the break-
off on discharge, I make on the outer side of each of the barrels, and near
the breech ends thereof, two projections. These projections are of a taper or
wedge shape, and are situated at different levels on the barrel, one of the said
projections being situated at the extreme end of the barrel, and at or about the
middle of the side of the barrel, and the other at a short distance from the first
and at a lower level. The space or opening between the two projections has
somewhat of a wedge or taper figure, the inner sides of the said projections
being struck from the centre on which the barrels turn. The sides of the
body of the gun are prolonged upwards, near to and adjoining the break-off,
so as to constitute cheeks, the said side pieces or cheeks rising to a height nearly
equal to that of the said break-off. In each of the side pieces or cheeks an
opening is made of a figure nearly corresponding with that of the upper pro-
jection on the side of the barrel. This opening in the side piece or cheek
divides it into a forked arm, the sides of the arm most distant from the break-
off being struck from the centre on which the barrels turn. When the barrels
are turned upon their joint and shut down against the face of the break-off,
the projections on the sides of the barrels engage with the forked side pieces or
cheeks on the body, and thus prevent all longitudinal motion of the barrels
from the break-off on the discharge of the gun. The projections on the
barrels are so shaped that they accurately fit into and bear against the side

page_text: pieces or cheeks on the body of the break-off, and when engaged lie flush with
the surface of the said side-pieces or cheeks. I fasten down and release the
barrels by means of two hooked arms or levers, situated near the break-off at
either side of the gun, the hooked ends of the said arms or levers being made
to bear upon the top projections, herein-before described, on the outer sides of
the barrels. The said hooked arms or levers are fixed upon the ends of a
horizontal axis passing through the break-off, the said axis being situated
parallel to the face of the said break-off. A spring is situated under the body
of the gun, the free end of which spring works in a slot in the middle of the
said axis. By the pressure of the spring the hooked arms or levers, when
they are at liberty to move, are made to bear upon the upper projections on the
sides of the barrels or against the side cheeks described. One of the hooked
arms or levers is prolonged downwards so as to form a lever or handle, by
depressing which lever or handle the hooked arms can be raised from the pro-
jections with which they engage and release the barrels. The lever or handle
described is situated nearly in the same plane as the hooked arm or lever at
its upper end, and the said lever or handle projects but little from the side of
the stock. When the barrels are shut down after loading, the top projections
on the sides of the barrels act against the curved nose or front of the hooked
part of the arms or levers and raise or lift the said arms from over the open-
ings in the side pieces or cheeks, and permit the said projections to enter the
openings, and prevent longitudinal motion of the barrels. After the engage-
ment of the projections with the side pieces or cheeks, the hooked arms or
levers descend by the action of the spring, and bear firmly upon the tops of
the said projections, and hold or fasten down the breech ends of the barrel
securely against the face of the break-off.
My Invention may be applied either to single or to double barrelled smooth-
bored or rifled breech-loading fire-arms.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in which the same
is to be performed...
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a portion of a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun to which my improvements are applied, the barrels being fastened
down; Figure 2 is a plan of the same, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical
section of a portion of the same; Figure 4 represents a side elevation of the
gun, the parts being in the positions which they respectively assume when
the barrels bave been raised from the break-off for charging; Figures 5 and 6
represent portions of my Invention as herein-after explained. The same
letters indicate the same parts in each. Figure of the Drawing.

page_text: a, a, are the barrels of the gun turning in a vertical plane upon a joint on
the fore part of the body b. On the outer side of each of the said barrels a,
and near the breech ends thereof, are two projections c, d, the said projections
having the form represented. The space or opening between the said pro-
jections c, d, has somewhat of a wedge or taper figure (see Figure 4), the
inner or opposed sides of the said projections being struck from the centre on
which the barrels a turn. On the sides of the body b, and adjoining the break-
off e, are side cheeks marked f.f, portions of the said cheeks rising to a height
nearly equal to that of the said break-off. In each of the side cheeks a wedge-
shaped or taper opening 9 is made, the said openings 9 being fitted to receive
the upper projections c on the sides of the barrels a. The openings 9 divide
the side cheeks into forked arms, the forks being marked respectively f, f*.
The sides of the part are struck from the centre on which the barrels a
turn, and that edge of the said part få nearest the break-off is inclined (see
Figure 4). The arm or part f is somewhat wedge-shaped and of a size
proper to fill up the opening or space between the two projections c, d, on
the sides of the barrels. On shutting down the barrels a against the face of
the break-off e, the upper projections c engage with the openings g in the side
cheeks f,f, and the lower projections & bear against the outer forks f* of the
said side cheeks f, f. By the engagement of the 'projections c, d, with the
side cheeks f, f, all longitudinal motion of the barrels a from the break-off e
on the discharge of the gun is prevented, and by the slightly wedging action
of the said parts the breech ends of the barrels a are pressed very closely into
contact with the face of the break-off e.
The barrels a are fastened down and released by the following mechanism:-
On either side of the gun and near the break-off e is a hooked arm or lever
i, k, the hooked ends i, k, of the said arms or levers being made to bear
or press with some force upon the top projections c on the barrels, the upper
part of the said projections c being shaped to receive the said hooked ends.
The arms or levers i, k, are fixed upon the ends of a horizontal axis passing
through the break-off (see Figure 3), the said axis 7 being situated parallel
to the face of the said break-off. The hooked arm i is fixed rigidly on one
end of the said axis 1, and the other arm k is fixed thereto by a screw nut as
represented. The arm i and axis are shewn separately in Figure 5, and the
arm or lever k is shown separately in Figure 6. The hooked ends of the
arms or levers i, k, are pressed down by means of a spring acting on the
horizontal axis carrying the said arms. This spring is marked m in Figure 3,
and is situated under the body of the gun, the free end of the said spring
working in an angular slot n in the middle of the axis 7. The action of the

page_text: said spring will be readily understood by an examination of the Drawing.
The arm or lever k is prolonged downwards so as to form a thumb plate or
handle, by which said handle the hooked arms or levers i, k, are worked.
The said handle is situated nearly in the same plane as the hooked arm or
lever at its upper end, and projects but little from the side of the stock.
After the discharge of the gun the several parts assume the positions repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 2. To raise the barrels a from the break-off e for
reloading the hammers o are first raised to half-cock, and the thumb plate or
handle afterwards depressed by the thumb. The depression of the handle ³
raises or presses back the hooked ends 1, 2, of the arms i, k, from the top
projections c, c, on the barrels when the said barrels turn upon their joint,
and lift their breech ends from the face of the break-off e as illustrated in
Figure 4. On removing the thumb from the handle ³ after the barrels have
been raised the hooked arms i, k, are pressed into the positions represented in
Figure 4 by the action of the spring m upon the axis l. When the barrels a are
shut down after loading, the top projections c on the said barrels act against the
curved nose or front of the hooked ends 1, 2, of the arms i, k, and raise or press
back the said hooked ends from over the openings g in the side cheeks f,ƒ³,
and permit the said projections c to enter the said openings, and thus prevent
all longitudinal motion of the barrels, and draw the said barrels to the face of
the break-off. The projections c and d having taken their respective posi-
tions, the hooked arms i, k, descend by the action of the spring m, and bear
firmly upon the tops of the projections c, and hold or fasten down the breech
ends of the barrels securely against the face of the break-off as illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2. When I apply my improvements to single-barrelled guns,
the projections c, d, are situated on either side the single barrel instead of on
the outer sides of the double barrel.
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 described and illustrated in the
Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in breech-
loading fire-arms of the kind called drop-down guns,―
Firstly, the arrangement or combination of the parts described and illus-
trated in the accompanying Drawings for fastening down the barrels of the
said fire-arms for discharge and releasing them for reloading, that is to say,
by means of a hooked arm or lever on either side, the stock being made to
bear upon a projection on either side the barrel or double barrel.
Secondly, the arrangement or combination of the parts described and illus.

page_text: trated in the accompanying Drawings for preventing longitudinal motion of
the barrel or barrels from the break-off on discharge, that is to say, by means
of projections on either side the barrel or double barrel engaging with forked
side pieces on the body and near the break-off, the engagement of the said
projections with the said forked side pieces being effected by a slight wedging
action, so as to force the breech ends of the barrels into close contact with
the face of the break-off.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Simeon Edge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JAMES SIMEON EDGE. (L.S.)