Apparatus for Working and Closing the Breech of Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1887
Complete Left, 26th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 4th May, 1888
Apparatus for Working and Closing the Breech of Guns.
I, ALBERT SAUVÉE, of 22 Parliament Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Gustave Adolphe Canet,
of 91 Avenue Malakoff, Paris, France, Civil Engineer, to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for working the breech
mechanism of guns known as the French interrupted screw system. For this pur-
pose I have devised an arrangement by which the various operations are effected by
means of an ordinary hand lever.
The figures show the breech mechanism applied to a quick firing gun with metallic
cartridge case and percussion cap, but it can be used as well with breech mechanism
of guns fitted with the ordinary obturators.
Fig. 1 shows the back of the breech.
Figs. 2 and are horizontal and vertical sections through the axis.
Fig. 4 shows a section through the firing apparatus.
Fig. 5 shows a groove in the gun in which the tail end of the cocking lever
works.
The closing screw A is in the form of a truncated cone and is supported as usual
when out of the breech by a bracket B pivoted on the hinge C.
On the outside face of the screw and in its axis is a pin a secured in the piece b
which carries a vertical pivot c which is made to turn by means of the working
lever d.
On the pivot e is mounted a portion of a pinion e in gear with a toothed sector ƒ
fixed on the face of the breech screw.
The bracket has two grooves, the first y in the axis of the gun, the other
laterally.
placed
The vertical pivot e fixed to the breech slides at its lower end in the groove g.
The working lever is bell cranked and its small arın carries at the end a small
roller i which during the motion of the lever engages into the groove h.
To open the breech of the gun the lever being at its extreme forward position is
brought backwards. During the first part of this motion the pinion e is in gear with

page_text: the toothed sector f and gives to the screw or of a turn thus releasing the engaged
parts of the interrupted screw. The motion of the lever continuing, the roller i enters
groove h and finds a bearing point; the axis c then slides along groove g and brings
back the breech screw till the roller strikes against the extremity of groove h; the
lever then carries the bracket which turns round its axis and leaves the breech of the
gun completely open.
The firing arrangement consists in the usual firing pin mounted inside the breech
screw. This firing pin has two shoulders K between which works one end of a small
cocking lever; the other end works in a groove provided in the body of the gun
itself. When the breech is opened after firing and the breech screw turns or of a
turn this end of the lever travels along the parts 1, 2, 3, of the groove shown in
Fig. 5.
During the travel through part 3 the lower end of lever which is engaged at K
between the two shoulders is pushed backward and the striker is cocked.
??
The forward shoulder lifts up a small spring catch which when falling stops it and
keeps the firing pin cocked up till the breech is closed again and a trigger o pulled
by the lanyard presses against the end of the catch and releases the firing pin, which
then strikes the cap under the influence of the spring.
The trigger o can only act on the catch when it is exactly opposite to a notch on
the breech screw which must therefore be completely screwed up before the gun can
be fired.
In a similar way the lever I can only release the striker when the closing is com-
pleted; if not its end strikes against the partition 5, see Fig. 5 between the two parts
of the groove m.
These two arrangements act as a safety apparatus.
The automatic extractor is housed in the breech screw. The claws or grippers 9
are pressed against the rim of the brass case of the cartridge by means of springs.
When the breech screw is closed there is a certain amount of play between the
grippers and the rim of the cartridge, so that the shock produced when they meet the
rim will release the case. When the bracket begins to turn, the right hand gripper
releases the empty case which is then only acted on by the left hand gripper.
When the breech screw is cylindrical as shown in Fig. 6 the dimensions of the
various parts of the mechanism are modified but the arrangement is the same.
In order to assist the releasing of the case the working lever carries a cam which
bears on a boss placed under the bracket.
To the bracket is fitted a holt or latch s which only allows it to turn when the
breech screw has come out sufficiently. The other end of this latch prevents any
forward motion of the breech screw when the breech is closed, as long as the bracket
is not in its place.
Figs. 7 and 8 show another arrangement of breech in which the bracket is lowered
by rotating round a horizontal axis.
The motion of the working lever remains the same during the rotation of the breech
screw and the drawing out of the breech screw, but when the breech screw is com-
pletely drawn out the breech mechanism falls down by its own weight.
It will be readily understood that the threads of the breech screw may he placed
either on a cylindrical surface or on a conical surface according to the arrangement
for closing the breech described in Patent No. 5565 dated 29th November 1883 for
"Tube and carriage for the launching of fish torpedoes by means of gunpowder or
any similar explosive."
Dated this 4th day of July 1887

page_text: Apparatus for Working and Closing the Breech of Guns.
I, ALBERT SAUVÉE, of 22 Parliament Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which has been
communicated to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Gustave Adolphe Canet, of 91
Avenue Malakoff, Paris, France, Civil Engineer, and in what manner the same. is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for working the breech
mechanism of guns known as the French interrupted scrow system. For this purpose
I have devised an arrangement by which the various operations are effected by means
of an ordinary hand lever.
Referring the drawings accompanying the provisional specification of this appli-
cation, and which form a part of this description, the figures show the breech
mechanism applied to a quick firing gun with metallic cartridge case and percussion
cap, but it can be used as well with breech mechanism of guns fitted with the ordinary
obturators.
Fig. 1 shows the back of the breech.
Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal and vertical sections through the axis.
Fig. 4 shows a section through the firing apparatus.
Fig. 5 shows a groove in the gun in which the tail end of the cocking lever works.
The closing screw A is in the form of a truncated cone and is supported as usual
when out of the breech by a bracket B pivoted on the hinge C.
On the outside face of the serew and in its axis is a pin a secured in the piece b
which carries a vertical pivot c which is made to turn by means of the working
lever d.
On the pivot c is mounted a portion of a pinion e in gear with a toothed sector f
fixed on the face of the breech screw.
The bracket has two grooves, the first 9 in the axis of the gun, the other h placed
laterally.
The vertical pivot c fixed to the breech screw slides at its lower end in the groove g.
The working lever is bell cranked and its small arm carries at the end a small
roller i which during the motion of the lever engages into the groove h.
To open the breech of the gun the lever being at its extreme forward position is
brought backwards. During the first part of this motion the pinion e is in gear with
the toothed sector fand gives to the screw or of a turn thus releasing the engaged
parts of the interrupted screw. The motion of the lever continuing, the roller i
enters groove and finds a bearing point; the axis c then slides along groove g and
brings back the breech screw till the roller strikes against the extremity of groove h;
the lever then carries the bracket which turns round its axis and leaves the breech of
the gun completely open.
The firing arrangement consists in the usual firing pin mounted inside the breecli
screw. This firing pin has two shoulders K between which works one end of a
small cocking lever 1; the other end works in a groove provided in the body of the
gun itself. When the breech is opened after firing and the breech screw turns or
of a turn this end of the lever travels along the parts 1, 2, 3, of the groove shown in
Fig. 5.
During the travel through part 3 the lower end of lever which is engaged at K
between the two shoulders is pushed backward and the striker is cocked.

page_text: The forward shoulder lifts up a small spring catch n which when falling stops it
and keeps the firing pin cocked up till the breech is closed again and a trigger o
pulled by the lanyard presses against the end p of the catch and releases the firing
pin, which then strikes the cap under the influence of the spring.
The trigger o can only act on the catch when it is exactly opposite to a notch on
the breech screw which must therefore be completely screwed up before the gun can
be fired.
In a similar way the lever I can only release the striker when the closing is com-
pleted; if not its end strikes against the partition 5 see Fig. 5 between the two parts
of the groove m. These two arrangements act as a safety apparatus.
The automatic extractor is housed in the breech screw. The claws or grippers q are
pressed against the rim of the brass case of the cartridge by means of springs.
When the breech screw is closed there is a certain amount of play between the
grippers and the rim of the cartridge, so that the shock produced when they meet the
rin will release the case. When the bracket begins to turn, the right hand gripper
releases the empty case which is then only acted on by the left hand gripper.
When the breech screw is cylindrical as shown in Fig. 6, the dimensions of the
various parts of the mechanism are modified but the arrangement is the same.
In order to assist the releasing of the case the working lever carries a cam which
bears on a boss placed under the bracket.
To the bracket is fitted a bolt or latch s which only allows it to turn when the breech
screw has come out sufficiently. The other end of this latch prevents any forward
motion of the breech screw when the breech is closed, as long as the bracket is not in
its place.
Figs. 7 and 8 show another arrangement of breech in which the bracket is lowered
by rotating round a horizontal axis.
The motion of the working lever remains the same during the rotation of the
breech screw and the drawing out of the breech screw, but when the breech screw is
completely drawn out, the breech mechanism falls down by its own weight.
It will be readily understood that the threads of the breech screw may be placed
either on a cylindrical surface or on a conical surfaco according to the arrangement
for closing the breech described in Patent No. 5565 dated 29th November 1883 for
"Tube and carriage for the launching of fish torpedoes by means of gunpowder or
any similar explosive."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved arrangement, by which by the working of a bell cranked lever and
geared wheels, substantially as described, I obtain :-
a. The rotation of the conical or cylindrical well known French breech screw.
b. The drawing out of the breech screw by means of a suitable groove on which
the crank lever bears.
c. The removal of the breech screw from opposite the breech by the revolution of
the whole system round a vertical or horizontal hinge on the bracket.
2. The improved mechanism which permits the cocking of the firing pin during
the rotation of the screw by means of a lever working in a groove purposely provided
in the gun, substantially as herein described.
3. The improved firing mechanism, extracting mechanism and safety mechanism,
combined with the system of closing the breech as above, or with any other system,
substantially as herein described.