IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Marc Antoine François Mennons, of the Firm of
Mennons and Telescheff, Home and Foreign Patent Agents, of 8,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, and 27, Rue
Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communi-
cation from Henry Moore, residing at No. 14, Rue Auber, Paris, in the
Empire of France.
Sealed the 6th August 1867, and dated the 9th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Marc Antoine François
Mennons, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th March 1867.
I, MARC ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the Firm of Mennons and
Telescheff, Home and Foreign Patent Agents, of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, and 27, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the
Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS" (a com-
munication) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of breech-loading
fire-arms, as shown by the accompanying Drawings, in which, Fig. 1 is a

page_text: side view of the breech part of the gun, with a portion of the breech
receiver C broken away to expose the operating mechanism to view,
and shows the same in position as it appears with the cartridge inserted, the
breech block closed and locked, and the hammer down; Fig. 2 is a side view
corresponding to Fig, 1, but showing the positions assumed by the operating
mechanism when the breech block is unlocked and opened, the hammer
thrown back to half-cock, and the exploded shell withdrawn from the bore of
the barrel; Fig. 3 is a right-hand side view or elevation of the breech and
stock of the gun; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the line A, B,
Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a face view or elevation of one-half of the breech block,
showing in connection therewith the positions of the vibrating firing pin, the
trigger guard lever for unlocking the recoil tumbler, the independent recoil
tumbler, and the hammer when down; Fig. 6 is a rear view of the breech
block and lever; Fig. 7 is a transverse longitudinal section through the recoil
tumbler and shaft on which it vibrates.
C, Fig. 1, is the breech receiver into which the barrel d is screwed or
otherwise inserted in a suitable manner; e is the breech block made in two
equal parts (see Fig. 5) and vibrating on the shaft f in a mortice or opening
passing vertically through the breech receiver; g is the recoil tumbler which
vibrates in a longitudinal direction on the shaft or axis h; a portion of the
periphery of the breech block is cut away to receive the upper end of the
recoil tumbler, and into this it falls or drops, being pressed forward by the
action of the spring i (of which there may be two, one on each side of the
hammer,) acting against the projection ; of the tumbler when the breech
block closes, thus securely locking the breech block against the recoil at the
moment of firing. K is the hammer vibrating on the shaft h, independent of
the tumbler 9, the central part of said tumbler at its lower end being slotted
or cut away, so as to allow the hammer to vibrate on the same shaft (see
Fig. 7). The upper end of the tumbler is also slotted a short distance in
like manner to allow the face or point of the hammer to pass through or
forward to reach the firing pin in the act of discharging. 1 (Fig. 5) is the
firing pin which vibrates on the shaft f, and is enclosed within the hollow
breech block e. The face of the hammer in the act of firing comes in contact
with the rear face of the firing pin, causing it to vibrate on its axis and
project its forward end through the breech block and indent the flange of the
cartridge. The rear end of the firing pin forms a stop in connection with
the breech block to check the forward motion of the hammer when the
forward end has passed through the face of the breech block a distance
sufficient to fire the cartridge (see m, Fig. 5). n is a lever forming the

page_text: trigger guard, pivoted at o to the breech block e, and provided with a shoulder
p; its upper end vibrates longitudinally in the centre of the breech block, of
which it forms about one-third of its thickness; its rear face is in the form of
a segment of a circle coinciding with the rear curved face of the breech block.
q is the extractor, working in a longitudinal slot cut in a central position in
the surface of the breech receiver slightly below the under surface of the
barrel d; its rear end is turned upwards to engage with the flange of the
cartridge, and is formed at an angle coinciding with the inclined face of the
breech block when open, so as to allow its movement to be such that it will
eject the exploded shell entirely out of the bore of the barrel. The forward end
is in the form of a rack with teeth to mesh into the toothed quadrant r, which
vibrates on an axis s. The extractor is held up in position at its forward end
by the quadrant r, and at its rear end by a pint passing laterally through the
breech receiver. Quadrant r is provided with a hub cut away or slotted so as
to form a hook with which the forward end of a latch u hinged at its rear
end to the breech block engages. Latch is held down in contact with the
hub of the quadrant by a light spring placed above it, said spring being held
in position by the pin t.
The operation is as follows:-A downward pressure being applied to the
rear end of the lever n it vibrates on the axis at o until the shoulder p comes
in contact with the under side of the breech block, when its vibration is
arrested and the rear and curved surface of its upper end coincides with and
forms a part of the curved rear surface of the breech block. The rear and
curved surface of the upper end of lever n during its movement being in
contact with the front surface of the recoil tumbler g forces the said tumbler
to vibrate on its axis h, and unlocks the breech block, while the rear central
face of the tumbler 9 coming in contact with the front face of the hammer
causes the hammer to vibrate and forces it backward far enough to engage
with the sear at the position of half-cock. The tumbler g being now dis-
engaged from the breech block the lever n acts as a rigid attachment to the
latter, and the continued downward pressure causes the said breech block to
vibrate on the shaft with a backward and downward notion until the
shoulder formed on its lower surface comes in contact with a corresponding
shoulder formed on the under side of the breech receiver C; at this point
the backward and downward motion of the breech block has brought its
extreme upper corner to a position coinciding with the upper surface of the
breech receiver at the back of the breech block, when further motion is
arrested by the shoulders referred to, and the breech block is fully open. The
rear end of the latch u being hinged to the forward and lower part of the

page_text: breech block, and its front end being engaged with or hooked into the hub of
the vibrating quadrant r, a longitudinal motion is imparted to the extractor q
when the breech block is opened, and the exploded shell is discharged from the
bore of the barrel simultaneously with the opening of the breech block; as the
longitudinal motion of the latch u operated the breech block is less than
that required to be made by the extractor to fully eject the shell the necessary
motion is imparted to the extractor by the intermediate and multiplying action
of the quadrant r.
When the breech block is opened to its full extent the
positions assumed by the operating mechanism are, as shown in Fig. 2, with
the exploded shell ejected entirely out of the bore of the barrel. On reference
to the operating mechanism of the extractor q, Fig. 2, it will be seen that at
the moment the breech block is fully opened and the extractor has completed
its longitudinal motion a cam formed on the hub of the quadrant r detaches
the latch from the quadrant and leaves the said quadrant free to return
together with the extractor q to its original position as shown in Fig. 1; this
it does by being acted upon by a small spring wound round its axis and
operating against a pin or projection on its left-hand vertical face, as shown in
the section, Fig. 4, thus leaving the opening clear for the insertion of the
cartridge. The cartridge is next inserted (or partially inserted), and the
block closed by an upward movement of the lever n; this motion carries the
latch u again forward to engage with the quadrant r, forces home the cartridge
by the closing motion of the breech block, while the recoil tumbler again
vibrates in a forward direction under the action of the spring or springs i, and
securely locks the breech in position to resist the recoil of the explosion. The
hammer being independent of the tumbler g is left at the position of balf-
cock. The lever n in its closed position is held up in contact with the under
side of the stock by the tumbler 9 pressing against its upper end, said tumbler
being held down by the action of the springs i. Referring to Figs. 1 et 2
it will be seen that the spring or springs i which act upon the tumbler g are
held in position by their lower end encircling the pin or shaft on which the
trigger and sear vibrate, and the force or pressure they are required to exert
on the tumbler is simply that which will somewhat overbalance the long end
of the lever n and hold it up in contact with the stock; in operation they
are double acting, and their construction would admit of a very considerable
vibration or motion of their ends without endangering their elasticity, whereas
it will be seen that the amount of their actual vibration is very small, thus
obviating all danger of breakage or loss of elasticity. The tumbler 9 may
vibrate on a strong shaft, as shown, or solid projections or abutments may be
formed on the inner surfaces of the breech receiver, and the lower end of the

page_text: tumbler work in connection with them as a rolling bearing; a small shaft
would then suffice for the tumbler and hammer to vibrate upon. The solid
central portion of the tumbler in front of the hammer may be changed in form
to a friction roller, to be acted upon by the upper end of lever n. The
axis of the respective shafts f and h being in a line at right angles to the
vertical face of the breech block, and the angle formed by lines drawn from
the axis off and h to meet in the apex of the tumbler being greater than a
right angle the tumbler g does not act merely as a right-angled prop to resist
the opening motion of the breech block, but having in its forward vibration
passed the culminating point at which it would form a right-angled prop, the
recoil produced by the explosion and acting on the breech block has a tendency
to carry the tumbler still further forward with a toggle action in connection
with the breech block and locks the two parts more firmly together, while at
the same time it throws a direct longitudinal and tensile strain on the breech
receiver C. Independent of the tumbler g and shaft f the breech block is still
further held in position and prevented from being blown out by the forward
projection of the hub passing underneath the breech receiver C immediately
below the barrel, while the upper part of its periphery is in contact with the
solid part of the receiver at the point v; thus it will be seen the breech block
cannot be opened or displaced otherwise than by the proper action of the
lever n, and accidents arising from defective cartridges or the leakage of gases:
tending to open or displace the mechanism are effectually guarded against..
The relative arrangement of the breech block, the firing pin, the tumbler,.
and the hammer effectually prevents a premature explosion of the cartridge-
by the action of the hammer, said arrangement requiring the breech block to.
be closed and firmly locked before the hammer can reach the firing pin and
cause it to operate on the fulminate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed:
by the said Marc Antoine François Mennons in the Great Seal Patent.
Office on the 26th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARC:
ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the Firm of Mennons and Telescheff, Home
and Foreign Patent Agents, of 8, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, and 27, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of France, sendi
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the
said Marc Antoine François Mennons, Her special licence that I, the said
Marc Antoine François Mennons, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennans, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication from Henry Moore, a person
resident at No. 14, Rue Auber, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Marc Antoine François
Mennons, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 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 Marc Antoine Francois Mennons, 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, reference, being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of breech-loading
fire-arms, as shewn by the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side
view of the breech part of the gun with a portion of the breech receiver C
broken away to expose the operating mechanism to view, and shows the same
in position as it appears with the cartridge inserted, the breech block closed
and locked, and the hammer down; Fig. 2 is a side view corresponding to
Fig. 1, but showing the positions assumed by the operating mechanism when
the breech block is unlocked and opened, the hammer thrown back to half-
cock, and the exploded shell withdrawn from the bore of the barrel; Fig. 3 is
a right-hand side view or elevation of the breech and stock of the gun ;,
Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the line A, B, Fig. 1; Fig. 5
is a face view or elevation of one half of the breech block, showing in connec-
tion therewith the positions of the vibrating firing pin, the trigger guard lever

page_text: for unlocking the recoil tumbler, the independent recoil tumbler, and the
hammer when down; Fig. 6 is a rear view of the breech block and lever;
Fig. 7 is a transverse longitudinal section through the recoil tumbler and
shaft on which it vibrates.
C, Fig. 1, is the breech receiver into which the barrel d is screwed or
otherwise inserted in a suitable manner; is the breech block made in two
equal parts (see Fig. 5), and vibrating on the shaft f in a mortice or opening
passing vertically through the breech receiver; g is the recoil tumbler which
vibrates in a longitudinal direction on the shaft or axis h, a portion of the
periphery of the breech block is cut away to receive the upper end of the
recoil tumbler, and into this it falls or drops, being pressed forward by the
action of the spring i (of which there may be two, one on each side of the
hammer,) acting against the projection j of the tumbler when the breech
block closes, thus securely locking the breech block against the recoil at the
moment of firing. k is the hammer vibrating on the shaft h independent of
the tumbler g, the central part of said tumbler at its lower end being slotted or
cut away so as to allow the hammer to vibrate on the same shaft (see Fig. 7).
The upper end of the tumbler is also slotted a short distance in like manner
to allow the face or point of the hammer to pass through or forward to reach
the firing pin in the act of discharging. (Fig. 5) is the firing pin which:
vibrates on the shaft f, and is enclosed within the hollow breech block e. The
face of the hammer in the act of firing comes in contact with the rear face of
the firing pin, causing. it to vibrate on its axis and project its forward end
through the breech block and indent the flange of the cartridge. The rear
end of the firing pin forms a stop in connection with the breech block to check
the forward motion of the hammer when the forward end has passed through
the face of the breech block a distance sufficient to fire the cartridge (see m.
Fig. 5). n is a lever forming the trigger guard pivotted at o to the breech
block e and provided with a shoulder p; its upper end vibrates longitudinally
in the centre of the breech block, of which it forms about one-third of its.
thickness; its rear face is in the form of a segment of a circle coinciding with
the rear curved face of the breech block. 9 is the extractor working in a
longitudinal slot cut in a central position in the surface of the breech receiver
slightly below the under surface of the barrel d; its rear end is turned
upward to engage with the flange of the cartridge, and is formed at an angle
coinciding with the inclined face of the breech block when open, so as to
allow its movement to be such that it will eject the exploded shell entirely
out of the bore of the barrel. The forward end is in the form of a rack with

page_text: teeth to mesh into the toothed quadrant r which vibrates on an axis S. The
extractor is held up in position at its forward end by the quadrant r, and at
its rear end by a pint passing laterally through the breech receiver. Quadrant r
is provided with a hub cut away or slotted, so as to form a hook with which
the forward, end of a latch u hinged at its rear end to the breech block
engages. Latch u is held down in contact with the hub of the quadrant by a
light spring placed, above it, said spring being beld in position by the pin t.
The operation is as follows:-A downward pressure being applied to the
rear end of the lever n it vibrates on its axis at o until the shoulder p comes
in contact with the under side of the breech block, when its vibration is
arrested and the rear and curved surface of its upper end coincides with and
forms a part of the curved rear surface of the breech block. The rear and curved
surface of the upper end of lever n during its movement being in contact with
the front surface of the recoil tumbler g forces the said tumbler to vibrate on
its axis hand unlocks the breech block while the rear central face of the
tumbler g coming in contact with the front face of the hammer causes the
latter to vibrate and forces it backward far enough to engage with the sear at
the position of half-cock; the tumbler g being now disengaged from the
breech block the lever n acts as a rigid attachment to the breech block,
and the continued downward pressure causes the said breech block to
vibrate on the shaft f with a backward and downward motion until the
shoulder formed on its lower surface comes in contact with a corresponding
shoulder formed on the under side of the breech receiver c; at this point the
backward and downward motion of the breech block has brought its extreme
upper corner to a position coinciding with the upper surface of the breech
receiver at the back of the breech block, when further motion is arrested by
the shoulders referred to, and the breech block is fully open. The rear end
of the latch u being hinged to the forward and lower part of the breech block
and its front end being engaged with or hooked into the hub of the vibrating
quadrant r, a longitudinal motion is imparted to the extractor 9 when the
breech block is opened, and the exploded shell is discharged from the bore of
the barrel simultaneously with the opening of the breech block. As the
longitudinal motion of the latch u operated by the breech block is less than
that required to be made by the extractor to fully eject the shell the necessary
motion is imparted to the extractor by the intermediate and multiplying
action of the quadrant r. When the breech block is opened to its full extent
the positions assumed by the operating mechanism are as shewn in Fig. 2
with the exploded shell ejected entirely out of the bore of the barrel. On

page_text: .
reference to the operating mechanism of the extractor q, Fig. 2, it will be
seen that at the moment the breech block is fully opened and the extractor
has completed its longitudinal motion a cam formed on the hub of the quad-
rant detaches the latch u from the quadrant and leaves the said quadrant
free to return together with the extractor 9 to its original position, as shown
in Fig. 1; this it does by being acted upon by a small spring wound round
its axis and operating against a pin or projection on its left-hand vertical face,
as shown in the section, Fig. 4, thus leaving the opening clear for the insertion
of the cartridge. The cartridge is next inserted (or partially inserted), and
the block closed by an upward movement of the lever n; this motion carries
the latch again forward to engage with the quadrant r, forces home the
cartridge by the closing motion of the breech block, while the recoil tumbler
again vibrates in a forward direction under the action of the spring or springs i
and securely locks the breech in position to resist the recoil of the explosion ;
the hammer k being independent of the tumbler g is left at the position of
half-cock. The lever n in its closed position is held up in contact with the
under side of the stock by the tumbler g pressing against its upper end, said
tumbler being held down by the action of the springs i. Refering to
Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the spring or springs i which act upon the
tumbler g are held in position by their lower end encircling the pin or shaft
on which the trigger and sear vibrate, and the force or pressure they are
required to exert on the tumbler is simply that which will somewhat over-
balance the long end of the lever n and hold it up in contact with the stock ;
in operation they are double acting, and their construction would admit of a
very considerable vibration or motion of their ends without endangering their
elasticity, whereas it will be seen that the amount of their actual vibration is
very small, thus obviating all danger of breakage or loss of elasticity. The
tumbler g may vibrate on a strong shaft, as shown, or solid projections or
abutments may be formed on the inner surfaces of the breech receiver, and
the lower end of the tumbler work in connection with them as a rolling
bearing; a small shaft would then suffice for the tumbler and hammer to
vibrate upon. The solid central portion of the tumbler in front of the hammer
may be changed in form to a friction roller to be acted upon by the upper end
of lever n. The axis of the respective sbafts f and h being in a line at
right angles to the vertical face of the breech block, and the angle formed
by lines drawn from the axis of f and h to meet in the apex of the
tumbler being greater than a right angle, the tumbler ġ does not
act merely as a right angled prop to resist the opening motion of the breech

page_text: block, but having in its forward vibration passed the culminating point at
which it would form a right angled prop the recoil produced by the explosion
and acting on the breech block has a tendency to carry the tumblers still
further forward with a toggle action in connection with the breech block, and
locks the two parts more firmly together, while at the same time it throws a
direct longitudinal and tensile strain on the breech receiver C. Independent
of the tumbler g and shaft f, the breech block is still further held in position
and prevented from being blown out by the forward projection of the hub
passing underneath the breech receiver C immediately below the barrel, while
the upper part of its periphery is in contact with the solid part of the receiver
at the point v; thus it will be seen the breech block cannot be opened or
displaced otherwise than by the proper action of the lever n, and accidents
arising from defective cartridges or the leakages of gases tending to open or
displace the mechanism are effectually guarded against. The relative arrange-
ment of the breech block, the firing pin, the tumbler and the hammer,
effectually prevents a premature explosion of the cartridge by the action of the
hammer, said arrangement requiring the breech block to be closed and firmly
locked before the hammer can reach the firing pin and cause it to operate on
the fulminate. The distinguishing features of the arrangement here shown
are as follows:-
1st, the entire mechanism is arranged and constructed on the principle of
rotation, thus combining simplicity, compactness, and a smooth and
harmonious action, the parts all vibrating in unison together.
2nd, a breech block so arranged that while vibrating on an axis it has a
longitudinal motion in the line of the axis of the barrel, thus requiring the
cartridge in the act of loading to be only partially inserted in the bore of the
barrel, the longitudinal and closing motion of the breech block operated upon
by a powerful lever forcing it home.
3rd, a self-acting locking mechanism so arranged that while the breech
block is firmly held in position to resist the recoil caused by the explosion, the
recoil itself has a tendency to lock the parts more firmly together and throw
the strain in a longitudinal direction to be resisted by the tensile strength of
the breech receiver.
4th, safety against accidents caused by the backward explosion and leakage
of gazes from defective cartridge shells, the breech block being so held in
position that it is impossible to blow it open or out short of tearing the whole
gun to pieces.
5th, safety against accidents caused by the premature explosion of the

page_text: cartridge by the action of the hammer, the arrangement of parts being such
that the hammer cannot reach the firing pin and cause it to operate on.
the fulminate without the breech being first closed and securely locked in
position.
6th, a recoil tumbler and a hammer arranged to vibrate on the same shaft
in such manner that the breech block cannot be unlocked and opened without
forcing the hammer back to the position of half-cock, yet when the cartridge
has been inserted and the breech block closed the tumbler alone moves
forward and securely locks the breech block independent of the hammer,
while the latter is left free to be moved backward and forward through all.
parts of its motion independent of the locking tumbler, this arrangement,
while admitting the recoil tumbler and the hammer to vibrate on the same
shaft, limits the operation of the hammer to its ordinary function of firing the
fulminate, and the gun can be carried with the hammer down or at the
position of half-cock or full-cock without in the least affecting the position of
the locking mechanism, hence when the breech block is closed, it remains
firmly locked irrespective of the position of the hammer.
7th, by connecting the operating trigger guard lever to the swinging breech
block great power is obtained by a slight pressure on the same to unlock
and open the breech block and eject the exploded shell from the bore, and
the return motion is equally effective to force home the cartridge in re-
loading.
8th, by the single downward movement of the trigger guard lever the
tumbler is unlocked, the hammer half-cocked, the breech block opened, and
the exploded shell ejected from the barrel, and the extractor returned to its
forward position, leaving the open chamber clear and unobstructed for the
insertion of a fresh cartridge, thus limiting the operation to the fewest possible
movements.
9th, the arrangement of parts is such that the operating mechanism is
almost entirely enclosed within the breech receiver, thus securing it against
injury by exposure in its closed or open position. The parts themselves,
including the lock, are few, and while they are comparatively light they are
all substantial and strong and not liable to wear or breakage by ordinary use,
and the entire fire-arm is plain and symetrical in appearance.
. A very slight alteration of the firing pin adapts this arm to the use of
central-fire cartridges, the alteration consisting merely in lowering the position
of the segmental arm so that the point is projected through the face of the
breech block on a line with the centre of the cartridge.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the
manner of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of construction above laid down, as these
may obviously be modified without deviating from the principles or main
features of the Invention; but what I claim and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is,
face of the closed
1st, in combination with the swinging breech piece a swinging recoil
tumbler working upon an axis arranged relatively to the axis of the breech
piece in or nearly in the same plane perpendicular to the
breech piece, and in such a manner that any tendency of the breech to be
pressed back by the discharge of the fire-arm will be counteracted by the con-
sequent toggle-like action between the breech piece and the said tumbler,
substantially as herein described.
2nd, the combination and arrangement of one or more springs i, the
swinging tumbler 9, and one or more notches in the arc portion of the swinging
breech piece, whereby the said tumbler is pressed by the said spring or springs
into the said notch or notches and made to lock the breech piece as it
closes, substantially as herein specified.
3rd, the breech operating lever n pivoted to the breech piece and acting
upon the swinging tumbler g, substantially as herein described, to disengage
the same from the breech piece before commencing to act on the latter, as
herein set forth.
4th, the combination of the lever n pivoted to the breech piece, the recoil
tumbler 9, and the hammer k, whereby the said lever is made to act
through the said tumbler to produce the half-cocking of the hammer
preparatory to the opening of the breech piece, substantially as herein
specified.
5th, the recoil tumbler g pivated to the same shaft h with the hammer and
so constructed, substantially as herein described, that the tumbler of the hammer
works through its lower portion, and the nose of the hammer works through
its upper portion, as herein set forth.
6th, the firing pin 1 constructed in the form of a hammer, and swinging
within, but sufficiently independent of the swinging breech piece upon
the same shaft or axis as the breech piece itself swings upon, as herein
described.
7th, in combination with a breech block e, swinging backward and downward,
I claim a cartridge shell ejector sliding longitudinally under the barrel, and
actuated wholly or in part by an attachment to said breech block, substantially
as herein described.

page_text: 8th, a hook, a spring, and a sector r in combination with each other and
with the swinging breech piece and extractor, substantially as and for the
purpose herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
M. F. MENNONS. (L.S.)