Improvements in the Lock Mechanism of Fowling Pieces and other Small Arms.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1896
Complete Specification Left. 22nd Feb. 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Lock Mechanism of Fowling Pieces and other
Small Arms.
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND and WILLIAM MANSFIELD, the younger,
both of No. 98 New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to mechanism by which the two barrels of a double barrel
gun may be discharged in succession by means of one trigger.
The trigger carries a movable piece which we call the "lifter," it can assume
two positions and on the trigger being pulled, it comes against the tail of the one or
other of the sears as the case may be.
In the opening of the gun the locks are cocked by well known means and at the
same time the lifter is set in position to operate on, say, the right hand sear; it is
then detained by a spring catch which the trigger carries.
A slide in connection with the right hand lock is set in position when the lock is
cocked; the function of this slide is to release, at the proper time, the catch which
retains the lifter.
The action is as follows:-The gun being loaded and cocked, on first pulling the
trigger, the lifter comes against the tail of the right hand sear and the right hand
barrel is fired, the trigger at this time retains the slide. As soon as the pressure
on the trigger is released the slide moves forward and this brings a nib upon it into
engagement with the catch. On the trigger being pulled a second time the catch
is retained by the slide whilst the lifter rises; the lifter so escapes from the catch
and moves to its second position. This second pull of the trigger is performed
involuntarily after firing the first barrel. On pulling the trigger the third time the
lifter rises in such a position that it comes against the tail of the left hand sear and
the second barrel is fired.
A rotating safety block is provided to prevent the detaining sear of second lock
being jarred out and is rotated over such sear by the backward movements of the
lifter on cocking the gun.
On opening the breech the locks are again cocked and the lifter and slide are
re-set.
Dated this 20th day of May 1896.
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
WILLIAM MANSFIELD, JUNIOR.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in the Lock Mechanism of Fowling Pieces and other
Small Arms.
We, HENRY WILLIAM HOLLAND, and WILLIAM MANSFIELD, the younger,
both of, No. 98 New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be:
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to mechanism by which the two barrels of a double
barrelled gun may be discharged in succession by means of one trigger.

page_text: On the trigger blade we mount a sliding piece which we call the lifter as it
serves to lift the tails of the sears; a spring. presses the lifter forward along the
trigger blade and a catch retains the lifter in its rearward position.
In the opening of the gun for loading the lifter is thrust back till the catch
engages. In firing the first barrel, when the trigger carries the lifter upwards, a
shoulder upon it comes against and raises the tail of the right hand sear, the lock
is set free and the right barrel is fired.
The recoil of the piece causes an involuntary pressure upon the trigger; this
again raises the lifter and in this movement the catch is released. The release is
effected by the operation upon the catch of some suitable part of the mechanism of
the right hand lock which after the firing of the right barrel is in a position such
that now on the second rise of the lifter it operates upon the catch and the catch
is withdrawn.
As soon as the lifter is free it is driven forward by its spring which brings it to
such a position that a shoulder upon it comes beneath the tail of the left hand sear.
When for the third time the trigger is pulled the lifter raises the sear and the left
barrel is fired..
The details of the mechanism may be variously arranged, we prefer the
arrangement shown by the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of the trigger plate and
trigger and those parts in immediate connection therewith with which our invention.
is concerned. Figure 3 is also a side elevation but with the parts in another
position. The remaining figures show some of the parts separately and also
explanatory diagrams.
a is the trigger plate and b is a lump upon it to which the trigger blade c and
trigger c are jointed at b. d is the lifter which can slide upon the trigger blade;
e is the spring which presses the lifter forward and f is the catch which locks the
lifter in its rearward position, in which position it is shown in Figures 1 and 2,
whilst Figure 3 shows it in the forward position which it assumes after the spring.
catch has been released.
The trigger and trigger blade are shown at Figure 4. Figure 5 is a pin which
screws into the trigger blade and when in action is in effect a part of it. In this
pin there is a notch at g and it is with this notch that the spring catch f engages.
Figures 6 and 7 show respectively a side elevation and a rear elevation of the.
catch f. in Figure 1 is a spring which presses this catch upwards. 62 is the
trigger spring. Figure 8 is a plan of the lifter, Figure 9 is a side elevation:
thereof and Figure 10 is a rear elevation.
I
In the lump ba hole is drilled and in this a pin h is able to slide; by a well
known arrangement this pin is thrust rearward when the breech of the gun is
opened. It in turn thrusts upon another pin i which lies in a passage formed for
it in the trigger blade c and this pin i abuts on the lifter. As the lifter is thus
thrust back, the spring bolt fupon it passes the notch 7 and immediately the bolt
springs up into the notch which allows of a further backward movement until the
right sear tail falls in front of the bolt f and retains the lifter in its rearward
position. The head of the spring catch is then behind the tail k of the right hand
sear as is shown by the diagram Figure 11 and the shoulder d on the lifter is
immediately beneath it consequently when the trigger is pulled the tail of the right
sear is lifted and the right barrel is fired. The tail of the left sear however is
not acted upon as the part d' of the lifter immediately beueath it is recessed as the
dotted lines in the diagram indicate.
The diagram Figure 12 shows approximately the relative positions of the head
of the catch and the sear tails k and I after the first barrel has been fired. The
right scar tail being now in a raised position, the lifter has moved forward
as far as permitted by the notch g and is now in such a position that when the
trigger is again pulled, the head of the catch f comes against the sear tail k; the
catch is then depressed and thus the lifter is released; it passes forward a short

page_text: distance only being stopped by the tail of the left hand sear which then abuts
upon the front face d³ of the shoulder d*.
When the trigger is allowed tó descend, the lifter passes beneath the left hand
sear tail and advances until the shoulder d' upon it is in a position when the trigger
is next pulled to lift this sear tail and to fire the second barrel. This position is
shown by Diagram 13.
It is not essential to our invention that the release of the spring catch should be
effected by the tail of the right hand sear. This operation may be effected by an
independent part added to the lock which is moved into position when the
hammer descends but the tail of the right hand sear effects the object in a simple
manner.
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 :-
1. Mechanism substantially as described in which the trigger blade carries a
lifter moveable along it to enable the trigger to free the two locks in succession;
and in which a catch retains the lifter until it is withdrawn with the aid of some
part of the lock which has fired the first barrel.
2. Mechanism substantially as described and illustrated by the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1807
HENRY W. HOLLAND.
WILLIAM MANSFIELD, JUNIOR.