IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Purdey, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Purdey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th January 1878.
JAMES PURDEY, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
The object of this Invention is to give additional security to the locking of the
breech in break-down guns by adapting thereto an additional bolt or catch for
holding the breech in place.
The breech part of this class of guns is generally held in place by causing a bolt
or spring catch to enter or lay hold of a hooked piece or block attached to and pro-
jecting from the under side of the breech end of the barrels. This bolt or spring
catch is worked by a lever arranged either on the under side or on the top of the
stock.
This
I impart additional security to the gun by forming a notch or recess at the breech
end of the barrels and causing a short bolt or catch to take into the same.
bolt or catch is worked by the same lever which works the ordinary locking bolt,
and therefore no additional motions are required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Purdey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
July 1878.
JAMES PURDEY, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
The object of this Invention is to give additional security to the locking of the
breech in breakdown guns by adapting thereto an additional bolt or catch for
holding the breech in place.
The breech part of this class of guns is generally held in place by causing a bolt
or spring catch to enter or lay hold of a hooked piece or block attached to and pro-
jecting from the under side of the breech end of the barrels. This bolt or spring
catch is worked by a lever arranged either on the under side or on the top of the
stock.
I impart additional security to the gun by forming a notch or recess or a pro-
jecting block at the breech end of the barrels and causing a short bolt or catch to
take into or project over the same. This bolt or catch is worked by the same lever
which works the ordinary locking bolt, and therefore no additional motions are
required.
In the accompanying Drawing,
"
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the breech part of a "breakdown'
breech-loading gun shewing the breech action, in which the fastening bolt b is
worked by a lever a under the trigger guard, and is called the "under snap" or
the "bottom lever action."
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same looking at the face of the fixed breech
block or "action" of the arm. The bolt b takes hold of two hooked blocks c, c,
forged on the under side of the barrels, and therefore holds them down in place, as is
well known in reference to this class of gun.
In
In combination with this sliding locking bolt b there is a vertical spindle d,
Fig. 1, and shown by dots in Fig. 2. This spindle is necessarily placed at a slight
inclination in order to give room for the sliding bolt, and is provided with a hori-
zontal arm d¹ which takes into a notch cut in the sliding bolt, as will be best seen
by reference to the detached views, Figures 3, 4, and 5, of these parts; Fig. 3 being
a plan view of the top side of the bolt band vertical spindle d; Fig. 4 is a side
elevation of the same; and Fig. 5 is a view of the under side of the boit and spindle
shewing the horizontal arm d₁ of the spindle d in the notch cut in the bolt b for the
purpose. At the upper end of the pin or spindle d is another arm or bolt d², which
projects through an opening cut in the face of the fixed breech e of the arm.
connection with this opening there is a concave notch F Figures 1 and 2, cut in
the face of the breech to receive a curved block y forged on the end of the barrels.
The operation of the various parts is as follows:-Upon depressing the lever a
the short arm a', Fig. 1, of this lever will draw back the bolt 6 and release the
notched blocks c on the under side of the barrels, at the same time the bolt 6 by its
backward motion will act on the arm d¹ of the vertical spindle d (Fig. 5) and
will cause the same to turn on its axis, and remove the upper bolt d² of the
spindle d from above the block g on the rear end of the barrels; the latter will then
be free to rise up into the position shewn by dots in Fig. 1 ready for reloading.
When this operation has been performed the barrels may be brought up again into
the horizontal position, and there securely locked by the lever a being brought back
to its normal position.
It will be seen that by this arrangement and construction of parts an additional
locking of the barrels is provided, and that without cutting out the top part of the
fixed breech piece or " action."
Figures 6 and 7 are sectional and plan views of a gun shewing a method of
effecting the same object by a top lever action. In this instance the top a*
is secured on the squared upper end of the vertical spindle d, which at its lower end

page_text: carries a lever arm d, which works in a notch or recess in the locking bolt b as in
the former instance. At the upper end of the spindle d is the additional bolt or
catch d³, but in this case the additional fastening or catch d is not attached to the
vertical spindle d, but is mounted on a separate pin or stud, and has a tail which
takes into a notch cut in the end of the actuating top lever a*. The forward end
of the bolt d² works in an opening made in the face of the action, as in the other case.
When the top lever a* is pushed on one side, as shewn by dots in Fig. 7, the catch
piece is also pushed on one side and releases the block g at the rear end of the barrels,
and thereby allows the latter to be lifted from their seat, as indicated by the dotted
lines in Fig. 1. As the top lever a* is mounted on the upper end of the vertical
spindle d; the latter is made to turn on its vertical axis whenever the lever a* is
moved, and by so doing will force back the locking bolt 6 and release the hooked
lumps on the under side of the barrel, as in the former instance.
Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view of a modification of the arrangement shewn at
Figures 6 and 7.
The only difference between these two arrangements is in the difference in form
of the locking catch d². In Fig. 10 this catch is of a curvilinear form, and it is so
combined with the top lever a* that it occupies less space, and also will when the
lump g on the end of the barrels comes in contact with it be forced back and allow
the lump g to reach its proper place.
Fig. 9 is a sectional plan view and Fig. 10 a vertical section of another modifica-
tion of the breech action. It will be seen that in this case the additional locking
bolt d' has no connection whatever with the vertical spindle d; and moreover, that
it has a straight to-and-fro motion instead of a curvilinear motion as in the other.
cases. The centre of motion of the top lever a* is the spindle d, but this latter is
not centrally placed in the breech action but rather on one side of the lower locking
bolt b. The additional bolt or catch d² is worked by a pin d' at the end of the
lever a*, and which takes into a hole in the bolt d², so that when the lever a* is
turned on its centre of motion, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 9, it will
draw back the bolt d³, as shown in the Figure.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Breech-
loading Fire-arms," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim, the combination of an additional locking bolt or catch d² with the ordinary
locking bolt b for the purpose of giving additional security to the breech action
without cutting away the top part of the breech block or "action" of the arm, the
operation of all the parts of the locking action being effected simultaneously and by
the same lever, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Purdey, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES PURDEY. (L.S.)