IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Lionel Gye at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 29th November 1879.
"
LIONEL GYE, of 60, St. James Street, in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE ARMS."
This Invention has for its object to do away with the use of external hammers
at the sides of the locks of fire arms, more especially of ordinary doubled barrelled
sporting guns, and also to provide a ready means for bringing the hammers of the
locks of fire arms to full cock when the breech is opened, and at the same time give
security against any accidental discharge of the gun. To effect these objects I form
each lock with a hammer on the inside to act against a striker carried at the rear
end of the barrel. The hammer at its axis is formed with an arm extending back-
wards from it; this is acted on in opposite directions by two flat springs or hinged
arms acted on by springs, one to press it in one direction, and the other in the
opposite direction. An axis having a small cam or eccentric upon it is placed
crosswise between the arms or springs, and if the hammers are vertical hammers
inay be provided with a lever handle on the outer side of the lock plate. When
the lever handle is turned in one direction the cam presses back the spring by
which the hammer is to be thrown forward, whilst the other spring assists to turn
the cam, and acts upon the hammer to turn it back to full cock. When the lever
handle is turned in the opposite direction the cam presses back the spring, which
before was assisting to turn the cam, and moves its end out of the way of the
hammer, leaving the hammer free to be thrown forward by the other spring
whenever the hammer is released by pulling the trigger.
By this means the force required to be exerted to bring back the hammer of
the lock to full cock may be reduced to any extent desired.
In order that the hammer of the lock may be brought back to full cock when
the breech of the gun is opened, the lever used for working the catch by which
the barrel is locked may have on it a projection to press back a small rod that at
its other end bears against an arm on the axis of the cam before mentioned, so that
when the lever is turned to open the breech the hammer is simultaneously brought
to full cock. When the breech has been closed the cam may be turned back by
its lever handle to set the hammer free or may be left unturned back, in which
latter case it will prevent the possibility of the gun being fired. The hammer also
may be readily lowered if desired by holding back the trigger, and then turning
the cam by its lever handle. With double barrelled guns the cams of the two locks
may be on one axis, and the lever handle of this axis may be on either of its ends.

page_text: Other ordinary mechanical appliances than that above described may be used
for causing the cam axis to turn, and bring the locks to full cock at the time of
unlocking or opening the breech.
When sliding strikers thrown forwards by springs are used in place of hammers
turning on axes, another spring or springs may be used to act in opposition to
them in a similar manner to that above described, so that on the unlocking or
opening of the breech, the force required to be exerted to bring the strikers to full
cock may be reduced to any extent desired.
When using coiled springs for acting on strikers I form such springs in the form
of a cone, that is, with the diameter of the coils gradually decreasing from one end
of the spring to the other.