Year: 1888

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 breech-loading fire-arms and more especially to those in
which metallic cartridges are employed.
The main object of the said invention is to afford protection against, or avoid,
accidents such as are frequently occasioned by cartridges which hang fire. For this
purpose a locking device is provided which prevents premature opening of the
breech, and the recoil of the gun is utilized to disengage the said locking device.
In all the arrangements hereinafter described, the main feature is the provision for
preventing the movement of the breech-block by a rod, bar, catch or other locking
device, until the disengagement of the latter is effected by the action of the recoil.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how the said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the breech-portion of a
gun with the present improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing the working parts in a different
position.
Figures 3 to 9 are various views illustrating modifications of the said invention,
hereinafter described.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the reinforce of the gun, B the breech-block, ( is the crank for reciprocating
or moving upwards and downwards the breech-block by means of its crank-pin, which
slides in a groove in the said breech-block.
a is a lever arranged to turn or pivot freely upon a pin band provided at one
extremity with a suitable counterbalance weight a The other extremity or free

page_text: end a² of the said lever engages in a notch or groove c in the crank-shaft C. During
the recoil of the gun, the counterbalance weight a', by reason of its inertia, is caused
to move forward and assume the position shown in Figure 2. By this movement
the extremity a² of the lever a is disengaged from the notch or groove c in the
shaft C. To the lever a is firmly attached a rod or piece d which, during the recoil,
engages in an excentric shaped notch or groove provided in the shaft C. When
the said shaft. C is rotated and the breech opened, the lever a and the rod or piece d
are carried back to their original position by the eccentric form of the groove c¹.
In Figure 1 the parts of the device are shown in the position they assume when
the gun has missed fire or hangs fire. In Figure 2 in the position they assume after
the firing of a shot.
.
When the gun has niissed fire and it is desired to open the breech, the extremity a²
of the lever a is disengaged from the notch or groove e by means of the extremity of
the rod or piece d which extends through the reinforce, and the breech can then be
opened in the usual manner.
Figures 3 and 4 show a modification wherein the lever a is pivoted at b. The
.extremity a¹ of the lever a is acted upon by a small spiral springe which maintains
the extremity a² of the said lever engaged in the groove or notch c. f is a weight
pivoted at During the recoil of the gun, the weight, by reason of its inertia, is
caused to move forward and disengage the extremity a² of the lever a from the
notch or groovec in the shaft C, by striking against a projecting portion of the
said lever a provided with a suitable anti-friction roller a³. The weight is carried
back again to its original position by the projecting or cam portion of the notch
or groove c when the shaft () is rotated.
Figure 5 illustrates a modification wherein the inertia of a bar or rod g caused
to move by the sudden stoppage of the gun at the termination of its recoil movement
is employed.
Under normal conditions the rod or har g which is attached to a heavy bolt or
piece is maintained engaged in a recess provided in the shaft C, by means of
a spiral spring h. When the gun comes to rest at the termination of the recoil
movement, the inertia of the bolt g' causes it to continue the rearward moveinent,
and to overcome the pressure of the said spiral spring h, and the said bolt or piece g
and the rod or bar gare moved backwards and kept in that position by a catch i
provided with a spiral or other suitable spring . During the rotary movement of
the crank-shaft the said catch i is disengaged by an eccentric or cam-groove
in the said shaft which presses upon an arm or projection 2 firmly attached to or
forming part of the said catch which enters the said groove e when the catch i is in
its highest position, and the rod or bar g¹ again engages in the recess c³ as soon as
the breech is closed.
When the gun has missed fire and it is desired to open the breech, the rod or
bar gis, disengaged by operating a knob g² provided on the exterior of the breech.
Figures 6 and 7 show a similar arrangement to that above described, only the
rod or bar g, instead of engaging in a recess in the crank-shaft C, engages in a
recess provided in the breech-block B. When the bolt g is thrown back at the
termination of the recoil the catchi which is acted upon by its spring engages in
a recess in the said bolt y, and prevents the latter springing forward again, and
the breech can therefore be opened. In the downward movement of the breech-
block B, the catch is drawn back by an arm or projection sliding upon an
inclined plane provided for that purpose, and the bar y moves forward into engage-
ment again as soon as the breech-block has arrived in its proper position, that is to
say, is completely closed.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a modification in which the inertia of a heavy bolt or
piece is utilized to lock the breech at the beginning of the recoil movement of the
gun. In a suitable recess in the crank-shaft C is fitted a bar or catch m provided
with a spiral or other suitable spring m'. The rod or bar m, when the breech is
closed, engages in a recess in the reinforce and prevents the shaft C from being
rotated. During the recoil of the gun, the bolt g is caused to move forward and

page_text: is maintained in that position by a catch i actuated by a spring as hereinbefore
described. The bar m is thus pressed back and the crank-shaft C can be turned for
the purpose of opening the breech.
In cases where the gun has missed fire, the breech can be released or unlocked by
operating the handle or knob g².
Figure 8 shows the mechanism in its normal or locked condition, or after the gun
has missed fire or hung fire. Figure 9 shows the position of the parts after a shot
has been fired.
It is obvious, moreover, that the said invention can be somewhat further modified
so as to render it applicable to other portions of the breech-mechanism, but the main
feature in every case is the displacement of a suitable bolt or bar by reason of the
inertia of a weight caused to move by the action of the recoil of the gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign
Correspondents, I wish it understood that I claim :-
:-
First. The above described method of providing for preventing premature opening
of the breech of a gun, when a cartridge hangs fire therein, by the employment of a
locking device arranged to be automatically disengaged in the recoil of the gun.
Second. The improved device comprising the bar or catch arranged to lock the
breech-block or other movable portion of the breech-mechanism and to be disengaged
or unlocked in the recoil of the gun, substantially as described with reference to
either of the forms or modifications shown in the accompanying drawings for the
purposes above specified.
Dated this 6th day of December 1888
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.