IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERLESS GUNS AND RIFLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Camp Hill Grange, Nuneaton, in the county
of Warwick, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERLESS GUNS AND RIFLES" to be as follows:-
My invention consists of certain improvements in dropdown hammerless guns
and rifles.
I provide a cramping lever pivoted in the action body between the two lumps.
The tumblers are cocked by the mainsprings during the process of opening the gun,
and the mainsprings are compressed during the process of closing the gun, the
forward lump acting as a cam upon the aforesaid cramping lever. The transverse
pin upon which the lever is pivoted passes through a transverse hole in the doubled
end of each mainspring, and the cramping lever itself is rigidly connected with
both the mainsprings.
A stirrup or swivel is secured to the long arm of the mainspring by means of a
rivet, pin, or screw, and is attached to the tumbler in a similar way, in order that
the aforesaid long arm of the mainspring may not only cock the tumbler, but also
act upon it in order to fire the gun.
Instead of a doubled mainspring, a flat mainspring with two arms may be used,
the longer arm firing the gun, the two arms acting in combination with each other
cocking the tumbler. The short arm instead of acting as a spring may be rigid,
and a separate spring may act directly or indirectly upon it; this separate spring
and the rigid short arm of the mainspring, together with the long arm of the
mainspring, will then all act in combination with each other to cock the tumbler.
As another modification, an ordinary flat mainspring secured to the forward part
of the action body, and passing underneath a second arm or a cam attached to the
cramping lever, may be used, and so bent that it not only fires the gun but also
cocks the tumbler.
Instead of one lever, two levers embracing the lump may be used to cramp the
mainsprings. These levers may be in one solid piece, or separate, and may be
pivoted in any convenient position.
I attach a flat or spiral spring to the fore-end iron, and allow it to act directly
or indirectly either upon the extractor post, or upon the action body. During the
process of opening the gun this spring is compressed, therefore during the process
of closing the gun, it assists in cramping the mainsprings. The labour in opening
and closing the gun is thereby equalized, and to lessen the friction I provide the
cramping lever with an antifriction roller.

page_text: I, JAMES WILLIAM SMALLMAN, of Camp Hill Grange, Nuneaton, in the County
of Warwick, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
and in what manner
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERLESS GUNS AND RIFLES "
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention consists of certain improvements applicable to all kinds of dropdown
sporting hammerless guns and rifles. I will at once proceed to explain my invention
with reference to the accompanying drawings; the same letters indicate similar
parts in all the Figures.
I provide cramping levers A, A¹, pivoted in the action body between the two
lumps B, B, and connected together by an antifriction roller A2; the two
levers A, A, net to all intents and purposes as if they were in one solid piece,
and it is obvious, if preferred, they may be so constructed. The transverse pin C,
on which the levers A, A', are pivoted, passes through the doubled ends of the
mainsprings D, D¹; the lumps or projections E, E', on the doubled ends of
the mainsprings fit into corresponding recesses in the sides of the cramping
levers A, A¹, as illustrated in Figure 4, but it is manifest the cramping lever or
levers may be rigidly connected with the mainsprings in a variety of other ways.
The short arms of the mainsprings D, D¹, are weaker than the long arms; they are
not required for the proper working of the parts and may be dispensed with, but
they serve to make the gun easier to close without making it harder to open, by
absorbing power from the long arms whilst they are cocking the tumblers that
would otherwise be lost. A notch F is cut in the one tumbler to receive the long
arm of the mainspring D, and in the other tumbler a similar notch is cut to receive
-the long arm of the mainspring D'; both these notches are situated above the
pin G about which the tumblers are pivoted, and are of such a length that the long
arms of the mainsprings reach to their full extent, or thereabouts, when the
tumblers are down, as illustrated in Figure 1. The action of the parts is then as
follows: during the process of opening the gun the cam shaped lump B gradually
liberates the cramping levers A, A', and allows them to move, together with the
mainsprings D, DI, about the pivot C; at the same time the lower arms of the
mainsprings gradually become straight, or nearly so, and by so doing not only act
as thrust rods to force the tumblers to full cock, but also cramp their short arms,
as illustrated in Figure 2. The tumblers are retained at full cock by scears in the
usual way. During the process of closing the gun, the forward lump B presses
against the roller A2, and (acting as a cam) thereby forces back the cramping
levers A, A', thus giving the requisite tension to the long arms of the main-
springs D, D¹, and liberating their short arms, as illustrated in Figure 3. Figure 5
is a side elevation of the mainspring D, Figure 6 an elevation and Figure 7 a side
elevation of the cramping lever A, and Figure 8 an elevation of the antifriction
roller A²
The gun will work with greater freedom if the long arm of the mainspring is
provided with an antifriction roller, or if it is secured to the tumbler by means of

page_text: a stirrup or swivel of any convenient shape. Of course if a stirrup or swivel is
used, the long arm of the mainspring must act upon that portion of the tumbler
(in order to cock the same) corresponding with the end, of the notch F, as will be
readily understood.
In Figures 10, 11, and 12, the two arms of the mainspring act independently,
and both are cramped whilst the barrels are being closed. The long arm serves to
discharge the gun, and afterwards (whilst the barrels are falling) the short arm
acts in combination with the long arm to cock the tumbler. Of course, made in
this way, the gun is harder to close. The mainspring D, as illustrated in Figures 10,
11, and 12, is shewn separately. in side elevation in Figure 9.
A flat mainspring with two arms may be substituted for the doubled mainspring,
and may work in a similar way. The short arm, however, instead of acting as a
spring may be rigid, and a separate spring may act directly or indirectly upon it;
or, an ordinary single flat mainspring secured to the forward part of the action
body, and passing underneath a second arm or a cam attached to the cramping
lever, may be used, and so bent that it not only serves to discharge the gun, but also
cocks the tumbler.
The lever or levers used to cramp the mainsprings may embrace the lump, and
may be pivoted in any convenient position; instead of being actuated by the lump,
they may be actuated by separate cams worked directly or indirectly by the barrels,
and moving in slots on each side the lump. The tumblers may be cocked by levers
worked by the falling barrels, and the mainsprings may be afterwards compressed
by the cramping lever or levers, as previously setforth.
For the purpose of equalizing the labour in opening and closing the gun, I attach
a doubled or single flat or spiral spring to the fore-end iron, and allow it to act
directly or indirectly either on the extractor cam H, or on the action body. I prefer
to use a doubled spring L, as shewn in Figure 1; whilst the barrels are falling this
spring is compressed as illustrated in Figure 2, therefore, during the process of
closing the gun it assists in cramping the mainsprings. It is obvious that a spring
or springs working in the action body may act in the same way as the spring Lin
the fore-end, and may be substituted for it.
I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the precise
details herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention. I am well
aware that modifications of the Stanton mainspring, described in specification
No. 367 A.D. 1867, in conjunction with cams, thrust rods, tumbling levers, and
other complications, and also that single flat spring levers worked by the barrels,
have been employed to actuate the tumblers in hammerless guns, but having now
particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what
manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
(1) Using a cramping lever or levers, pivoted in the action body, and rigidly
connected with the mainsprings, substantially as described, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
(2) Pivoting the cramping lever or levers and the mainsprings on one and
the same pin, substantially as described, and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
(3) Allowing the barrels to act upon the doubled ends of the mainsprings,
substantially as described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(4) Arranging the centres of the tumblers and the doubled or straight pivoted
mainsprings in a dropdown hammerless gun or rifle, so that the aforesaid main-
springs may act as thrust rods to cock the tumblers when the barrels are lowered,
substantially as described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(5) Using the second arın of the mainspring to absorb power that would otherwise
be lost, thereby making it easier to close the gun, substantially as described, and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying drawings, or any mere
modification thereof,
;

page_text: . (6) Using the second arm of the mainspring to assist in cocking the tumbler,
without allowing it to act in combination with the other arm to discharge the gun,
substantially as described, and illustrated in Figures 10, 11, and 12, of the
accompanying drawings.
(7) Using a spring attached to the fore-end iron of a dropdown hammerless
gun or rifle, and acting directly or indirectly either on the extractor cam or
post, or on the action body, substantially for the purpose described, and working
essentially as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying drawings, or
any mere modification thereof.
(8) Utilizing the weight of the falling barrels to compress an auxiliary spring or
springs, thereby making it easier to cramp the mainsprings whilst closing the gun,
substantially as herein before setforth.
(9) The improvements in dropdown hammerless guns and rifles, and the com-
bination and arrangement of the parts, substantially as described, and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, or any mere modifications thereof.
Dated thin ath do of M. 1005