IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHRISTOPHER GEORGE BONEHILL of 24 Belmont Row, Birmingham in the
County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS," to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to breech-loading Small Arms of the kind commonly
called drop down Gun or Guns in which the breech ends of the barrels turn upon a
horizontal joint on the fore-part of the body; the said breech ends being firmly held
against the face of the break off during discharge; and raised from the said break-
off for the ejection of the spent cartridge case, and for re-loading.
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in mechanism
for securing or bolting down the breech ends of the barrels-The cocking of the
hammer and improved check arrangements for preventing the barrels from being
opened too far, and also in attaching the fore-end to the barrel or barrels.
My improved mechanism for cocking the hammers is arranged as follows:-The
cocking or lifting of the hammer is effected on the opening of the barrels by
a lifter or broad lever jointed horizontally in the body of the Gun, the back end
takes into an inclined recess or foot on the underside of the front lump, while the
hammers to be raised have lugs upon which the lifter acts, in order to cock or raise
them into beut; the lifter has also provided at its front, or forward end, a flat
spring which abuts or takes its bearing upon the solid of the body, that is-the
spring which is attached at the back of the lever is for the purpose of keeping it
in its proper position with respect to the hammers and also for preventing it from
leaving the lifting lump in which it is in contact.
The bolting down of the barrels is effected by a lever on the tang having
a concentric boss which takes into the solid of the body of the Gun which actuates
a grip bolt working horizontally and which takes into a prolonged rib on the
barrels The bolt consists of a flat plate having a circular cut-away, part at its
front end, and on one side of the said circular or cut-away part, a teit or projection
is formed which takes into a vertical slot on one side of the central boss of the
hand lever; so that on turning the lever aside, the slot on the side of its boss turns
outward with the lever and thereby withdraws the top grip bolt and liberates the
barrels which fall by their own weight, and that in consequence of the back end of
the hammer lifter lying within the seat or recess on the underside of the lump, and

page_text: the upward movement of the said lump on the opening of the breech ends, the
hammer lifter is turned upon its joint or centre and thereby cocking or putting the
hammers into bent.
In order to prevent the barrels from falling too far, and so preventing undue
strain from being put upon the joint or centre upon which the said barrels turn,
I arrange spring pins or lugs, which pass laterally through the body of the arm near
the joint thereof; these pins or lugs have inclines on their sides against which the
ends of pins passing from the joint take; so that on affixing the fore-end to the
joint of the arm, the protruding noses of the pins are forced back and their other
ends acting upon the inclines on the spring lug cause the said lugs to move inwards
which engage with inclined slots on both sides of the back lump the said inclined
slot limits the movements of the barrels upon their point-When the barrels are
required to be detached from their body it is only necessary to remove the fore-end
when the parts resume their normal positions by the springs forcing back the lugs
and removing their ends from the slots in the side of the lump.
The check hooks described for limiting the movement of the barrels instead of
taking into the lump may be attached to the lump itself consisting of a swivelling
or jointed foot with its end terminating in the extractor rod; so that on the
extractor being pressed forward by the fore-end on the opening of the barrels the
jointed check hook is moved forward upon the joint presenting its front into
contact with the front inside metal of the table of the body of the arm and
so preventing the barrels of the said arm from being lowered too far-the closing
of the barrels takes the check hook back to ité normal position.
causes its
The foreend fastener consists of a cam-like fastening situated on the underside
of the strap the said cam-like fastening turns upon a horizontal pin and has upon
opposite sides a flat and also a champhered or inclined shoulder. A flat spring acts
upon the plain shoulder while the underside of the inclined shoulder acts upon the
bevelled top of the fore-end lump on the barrels that is to say on connecting the
fore-end the bevel on the lump acting on the underside of the cam
partial rotation and allows the end of the said cam to snap into the hole in the
lump the spring keeping it in that position-On the removal of the fore end, it is
only necessary to prise its end when the incline on the cam acting on the inner
underside of the lump, causes the said cam to rotate and liberate the fastening
which automatically liberates the fore-end-When it is desirous to liberate the
fastening as before described other than by the prising of the fore end, I arrange a
jointed lever turning outwards on the underside of the said fore-end-The turned
up end of the said lever takes into an opening or slot in the cam-like fastening, so
that for the removal of the fore-end, it is only necessary to turn outward the lever,
when its turned up end rotates the cam-like fastening and so removing it edge from
the hole in the lump and so affecting the liberation of the fore-end.
T
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CM7001

page_text: I, CHRISTOPHER GEORGE BONEHILL of 24 Belmont Row, Birmingham in the
County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
t
My invention has reference to breech loading small arms of the kind commonly
called drop down guns, or guns in which the breech ends of the barrels turn upon
a horizontal joint on the fore-part of the body; the said breech ends being held
firmly against the face of the break off, during discharge; and raised from the
said break off for the ejection of the spent cartridge case, and for reloading.
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in mechanism
for securing or bolting down the breech ends of the barrels. The cocking of the
hammers and improved check arrangements for preventing the barrels from being
opened too far and also in attaching the fore-end to the barrel or barrels.
My improved mechanism for cocking the hammers is arranged as follows-The
cocking or lifting of the hammers is effected on the opening of the barrels by a
lifter or broad lever jointed horizontally in the body of the gun, the back end
takes into an inclined recess or foot on the underside of the front lump, while the
hammers to be raised have lugs upon which the lifter acts, in order to cock or raise
them into bent; the lifter has also provided at its front or forward end, a flat
spring which abutts or takes its bearing upon the solid of the body; that is, the
spring which is attached at the back of the lever, is for the purpose of keeping in
its proper position with respect to the hammers, and also for preventing it from
leaving the lifting lump in which it is in contact.
The bolting down of the barrels is effected by a lever on the tang having a
concentric boss which takes into the solid of the body of the gun, which actuates
a grip bolt working horizontally and which takes into a prolonged rib on the
barrels The bolt consists of a flat plate having a circular cut away part at its
front end, and one side of the said circular or cut away part, a teit or projection is
formed, which takes into a vertical slot on one side of the central boss of the hand
lever; so that on turning the lever aside, the slot in the side of its boss turns
outwards with the lever, and thereby withdraws the top grip bolt and liberates the
barrels, which fall by their own weight, and that in consequence of the back end
of the hammer lifter lying within the seat or recess on the underside of the lump,
and the upward movement of the said lump on the opening of the breech ends, the
hammer lifter is turned upon its joint or centre, and thereby cocking or putting
the hammers into bent.
In order to prevent the barrels from falling too far, and so preventing undue
atrain from being put upon the joint or centre upon which the said barrels turn
I arrange spring pins or lugs, which pass laterally through the body of the arm of
the joint thereof; these pins or lugs have inclines on their sides against which
the ends of pins passing from the joint take so that on affixing the fore-end to the
joint of the arm, the protruding noses of the pins are forced back and their other

page_text: ends acting upon the inclines on the spring lugs, cause the said lugs to move
inwards, which engage with inclined slots on both sides of the back lump; the said
inclined slot limits the movement of the barrels upon the joint. When the barrels
are required to be detached from their body, it is only necessary to remove the
fore-end when the parts resume their normal positions by the spring forcing back
the lugs and removing their ends from the slots in the side of the lump.
The check hooks described for limiting the movement of the barrels instead of
taking into the lump may be attached to the lump itself consisting of a swivelling
or jointed foot with its end terminating in the extractor rod, so that on the
extractor being pressed forward by the fore-end on the opening of the barrels, the
jointed check hook is moved forward upon its joint presenting its front part into
contact with the front inside metal of the table of the body of the arm, and so
preventing the barrels of the said arm from being lowered too far; the closing of
the barrel takes the check hook back to its normal position.
The fore-end fastener consists of a cam like fastening situated on the underside
of the strap, the said cam like fastening turns upon a vertical pin, and has upon
opposite sides, a flat and also a shamphered or inclined shoulder. A flat spring
acts upon the plain shoulder, while the underside of the inclined shoulder acts
upon the bevelled top of the fore-end lump on the barrels; that is to say, on
connecting the fore-end, the bevel on the lump acting on the underside of the cam,
causes its partial rotation and allows the end of the said cam to snap into the hole
in the lump, the spring keeping it in that position. On the removal of the fore-
end, it is only necessary to pryse its end, when the incline on the cam acting on
the inner underside of the lump causes the said cam to rotate and liberate the
fastening which automatically liberates the fore-end. When it is desirous to
liberate the fastening as before described, other than by the prysing of the fore
end, I arrange a jointed lever turning outwards on the underside of the said
fore-end. The turned up end of the said lever takes into an opening or slot in the
cam like fastening; so that for the removal of the fore-end, it is only necessary to
turn outward the lever, when its turned up end rotates the cam like fastening and
so removing its edge from the hole in the lump and so effecting the liberation of
the fore-end.
The end of the spring which presses home the cam like fastening may be made
to do the same duty as the cam fastening itself. When the spring is so employed,
the cam is dispensed with.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a breech loading small-arm con-
structed according to my invention, the gun being shown in its discharged position.
Figure 2 represents essentially the same sectional view as figure 1 with the barrels
open, and the hammers raised to their cocked positions, which are held by the
sears; the closing of the barrels takes back the hammer lifter, by its forward end
taking into the inclined recess on the underside of the front lump. This view
also shows the hand lever on the tang turned aside and the grip bolt which takes
into the prolonged rib of the barrels withdrawn. Figure 3 is a diagram of a
portion of the gun mechanism shown detached so as to better exhibit some of the
parts; such for example as the overhanging foot of the hammer and the hammer
Lifter. Figure 4 is an underside view of figure 1, with the underplates and parts
of the gun removed. Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the tang of the gun, so
as to exhibit the grip bolt, and the way in which it is withdrawn and pressed home
into the prolonged rib by the hand lever. Figure 6 shows in plan how the lugs on
the foot of the hammers overhang the hammer lifter, and also the position the front
lump takes on the front of the said lifter. Figure 7 is a side elevation of the
barrels. Figure 8 is a front elevation of one of the hammers, and figure 9 the
same with the sears. Figure 10 is an elevation and plan of the hammer lifter
lever. Figure 11 is a side elevation of the hand lever. Figure 12 is the grip bolt.
Figure 13 is a plan and side elevation of the fore-end fastener. Figure 14 is a

page_text: יו
modification of figure 13, arranged in a box form. The fore-end in the latter is
removed by a lever which presses hack the cam. Figure 15 is a transverse section
of the barrels through the fore-end lump to show the curved foot over which the
bevelled edge of the cam like fastening snaps. In figure 16 the end of the spring
is made to do the duty of the cam fastener.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the Drawings.
a a are the barrels and b the body of the gun. cc are the hammers, and
c³ ³ are the side-hanging lugs, the means by which the said hammers are raised
by the hammer lifter lever d, the hammers and their lifter is jointed upon the
same fulcrum. The back end d³ of the hammer lifter d, takes into an inclined
recess as on the underside or foot of the front lump ae is a flat spring carried
by the lifter d, the said spring abuts or takes its bearing upon the solid of the
gun, for the purpose of keeping the lifter to which it is attached, always in its
proper position with respect to the foot of the lump a; that is, it prevents the
lever from leaving the foot of the lump with which it should always be in contact,
as best seen in figure 2, where the tail of the spring is shown pressing upon the
solid of the under plate. f f are the sears and g g are the triggers, and hh are
the main springs, the limbs of which press respectively upon the foot of each
tumbler or hammer, and upon the solid of the body. is the bolt which takes
into the double lumps of the barrels, and j is the axis carrying at its lower end
an enlargement for operating the bolts. is the lever on the tang for withdrawing
the bolts both from the prolonged rib and the under-lumps. kis the concentric boss
of the lever which takes into the solid of the body of the gun. ka is a slot or groove
running down one side of the boss k³, and within this slot, a teit of the grip bolt
lies, so that by the turning aside of the lever, the bolt is drawn from the
prolonged rib a' of the barrels, as best seen in figure 2. is the spring for bringing
back the lever k.
The fore-end fastener consists of a cam like fastening n situated on the underside
of the strap m. The cam like fastening n turns upon a pivot or centre. The
fastener is provided with a shamphered or inclined shoulder n³ which snaps over
the incline o of the fore-end lump or loop o. p is a flat spring which acts upon
the plain shoulder of the fastener, so that in pressing home the fore-end in connecting
it to the arm, the bevel n³ is presented to the underside of the lump, and by the
said bevel, the cam like fastener n is rotated, and snaps into the hole in the
lump o³, the spring keeping it in that position. On the removal of the fore-end,
it is only necessary to pryse its end, when the incline on the fastener acting on the
inner underside of the lump, causes the said fastener to rotate, and automatically
liberate the fore-end. When it is desirous to liberate the fore-end other than by
prysing it, I arrange the parts as represented in the modification figure 14. q is
the jointed lever turning outwards upon the fulcrum q, the turned up end or
spike q³ takes into an opening n' of the fastener n, so that for the removal of the
fore-end, it is only necessary to turn outward the lever q when the turned up end q³
rotates the cam like fastener n upon its pivot or centre n² and so removing the
end n³ from out of the hole in the lump o thus effectually liberating the fore-end.
To open the gun, it is only necessary to turn the hand lever k aside when the
top and bottom bolts are withdrawn, and on the opening of the barrels, the recess a³
of the lump a' raises the end of the lifter & of the hammer lifter d, which in its
turn lifts the hammers by the side snugs c³ and so cocks the arm, the hammers
being retained by the noses of the sears f engaging with the respective bents of
the said hammers, as represented in figure 2. The sears and triggers are provided
with the usual sear and trigger springs for keeping them in their proper relative
positions.
On closing the barrels, the hammer lifter leaves the hammers or tumblers, and
follows the motion of the foot of the front lump, and when the barrels are fully
closed, the end d of the lifter & lies within the recess a³ of the lump a³, the barrels
when in this last named position, (with the cartridges introduced into the chambers)

page_text: the arm is ready to be discharged, the barrels being bolted down both top and
bottom, by the return of the hand lever and bolts carried by it, to their normal
positions, the return of the lever being effected by the spring r underneath the
tang strap of the arm.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
:-
First The construction and combination of the parts of breech loading small
arms herein-before described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawings; that is to say, the arrangement or combination of the
hammer lifter d with the hammer c and its side snugs c³ and with the recess a³ and
foot of the front lump a³, also the spring e, and other parts, whereby the opening
of the arm, cocks the hammers, through the intervention of the hammer lifter and
the foot of the front lump on the barrels. The closing of the barrels bring the
cocking expedients to their normal positions; the parts being arranged, combined
and operating in the way and for the purpose as described and set forth.
Secondly. The hammer lifter d d for the purpose of raising or cocking the
hammers on the opening of the barrels of the arm, also the spring e for keeping
the said bammer lifter to the foot of the front lump on the barrels, as described
and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3 4, 6 and 10 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The method of actuating the top grip bolt 7, by a snug or projection l
on the said bolt taking into a slot in the boss of the hand lever for the
purpose as described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 5, 11 and 12 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourthly. The fore-end fastening represented in figures 13 and 15 of the
accompanying Drawings, consisting of a partial rotating cam like fastener n with
a bevel shoulder n³ which snaps over the bevel o' of the loop o on the barrels, the
fastener being actuated by a spring p pressing upon a plain shoulder as described
and illustrated, also the modification represented in figure 14, in which the
fastener n is liberated from the loop o by a lever instead of by prysing as in the
first described arrangement; also the modification figure 16.
Dated this twentyseventh day of February 1885.