Improvements in Quick Firing Guns.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16:h Jan., 1356-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Quick Firing Guns.
1, AXEL WELIN, of 9 London Street, in the City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The breech block may be of any of the well known constructions by which after
being freed from the divided screw in the gun it can be withdrawn from the
breech by being simply swung around a pivot. Preferably however I employ a
breech block such as is described in my Specification No. 11417 of 1891 and
having the steps of the screw sufficiently deep to allow them to clear the screws in
the gun when the block is swung back.
The usual carrier ring is dispensed with the breech block being supported on an
axial pivot fixed to the ends of two parallel arms whose other ends are pivotted to
the gun. The breech block is operated by the continuous movement of a lever
which when the breech is closed lies between the arms and which works on a pivot
fixed to them and parallel to their own pivot. This lever carries a pinion or
segment having oblique teeth gearing with corresponding teeth in a concavity in
the breech block, so that the first part of the movement of the lever turns the
block about its axis and frees it from the screws in the breech-when this has
taken place the lever is locked (as hereinafter described) to the arms and its
further movement therefore swings the arms with the block about the pivot of the
former. When the breech is closed the arins are locked to the gun by a hooked
shaped catch pivotted to them and engaging with a corresponding hook fixed to the
gun. This catch is supported in its locked position by the curved surface of the
breech block upon which it rests but when the block has been turned sufficiently
to disengage it from the screws in the gun the catch drops into a recess in the
block and frees the arms. The faces of the catch and hook are suitably inclined
to give the catch a tendency to disengage itself from the hook and a spring may
also be provided to assist in this. In closing the breech the tail end of the catch
comes against a projection or lug on the gun which raises the catch out of the
recess in the block and causes it to engage with the hook on the gun.
It will be
observed that when the catch is 'in the recess it locks the block to the arins and
since the lever and block are geared together the former can now no longer turn
about its own pivot but being also locked to the arms turns them with it as above
described.
The axial pivot of the breech block is hollow and contains the firing pin with
its spring. The hollow axial pivot has in it a longitudinal slot with a recess at
its rear end. A lug fixed to the firing pin projects through this slot and engages
with an incline inside the breech block. As the latter is rotated to disengage it
from the screws in the gun the incline forces the lug and firing pin back and when
the former comes to the rear end of the slot it is carried round by the breech
block into the recess where it is held the gun being now cocked. The rear end
of the spindle of the firing pin is square and works to and fro in a nut square
inside and circular outside which is free to rotate without moving endwise in the
ollow axial pivot. This nut carries a tooth engaging with a notch in a trigger or
firing bar which is radial to the gun and is contained in one of the arms which is

page_text: bored to receive it.
This trigger when pulled by a lanyard or otherwise turns the
nut and with it the firing pin freeing the lug on the latter from the recess. The
spring.tben forces the firing pin forwards and the gun is fired. The trigger bas
upon it a lug resting against a ridge or projection in the form of part of a circle
on the side of the pinion on the lever. When the pinion is being turned to
disengage the breech block this lug is on the inside of or nearer to the centre than
the circular projection, and the trigger is locked in the fired position, but when the
firing pin has been drawn fully back as above described the lug on the trigger
comes to the end of the circular projection and when the firing pin is turned to
cock the gun moving the trigger with it the lug passes to the other side of the
circular projection so that when the breech is being closed again the trigger is
locked in its cocked position and the gun cannot be fired until the breech is fully
closed when the lug on the trigger has passed the other end of the circular
projection.
When the breech block is being turned to disengage it from the screws in the
gun it has a slight rearward movement; in order to provide for this it has on its
inside interrupted threads of the same pitch as those on its outside and engaging
.with corresponding threads on its axial pivot.
C
1 1007
I, AXEL WELIN, of 9 London Street, in the City of London, Engineer, 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:-
The breech block may be of any of the well known constructions by which after
being freed from the divided screw in the gun it can be withdrawn from the breech
by being simply swung around a pivot. Preferably however I employ a breech
block such as is described in my Specification No. 11417 of 1891, and having the
steps of the screw sufficiently deep to allow them to clear the screws in the gun
when the block is swung back.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a rear elevation, Figure. 3 a longitudinal section,
(looking to the left,) and Figure 4 a part longitudinal section, (looking to the
right,) of the breech mechanism. In Figure 4 the firing pin and spring are
omitted.
a is the gun, and b the breech block.
The usual carrier ring is dispensed with, the breech block 6 being supported on
an axial pivot c fixed to the ends of two parallel arms d whose other ends are
pivotted by the pin d to the gun. The breech block is operated by the
continuous movement of a lever e which when the breech is closed lies between
the arms d and which works on a pivot el fixed to them and parallel to their own
pivot. This lever is operated by a handle and carries a pinion or segment e³
having oblique teeth gearing with corresponding teeth 61 in the breech block, so
that the first part of the movement of the lever e turns the block about its axis
and frees it from the screws in the breech; when this has taken place the lever is
locked (as hereinafter described) to the arms d and its further movement therefore
swings the arms with the block about the pivot d' of the former. When the breech
.is:closed.the arms d are locked to the gun by a hooked,shaped, catch a pivotted to
them and engaging with a corresponding. book fixed to the gun. The catch dis
supported, in its, locked, position by the curved, surface, of the breech block,jupon
which it rests but when the block has been turned, gufficiently to disengage it from
+

page_text: the screws in the gun the catch drops into a recess in the block and frees the
arms d. The faces of the catch and hook a¹ are suitably inclined to give the
catch a tendency to disengage itself from the book and a spring d³ may also be
provided to assist in this. In closing the breech the tail end of the catch comes
against a projection or lug a³ on the gun which raises the catch out of the recess b*
in the block and causes it to engage with the hook a¹ on the gun. It will be
observed that when the catch is in the recess it locks the block b to the arms d and
since the lever e and block are geared together the former can now no longer turn
about its own pivot el but being also locked to the arms turns them with it as above
described about the pivot d'.
The axial pivot ċ of the breech block is hollow and contains the firing pin f
with its spring f'. The hollow axial pivot e has.in itoa longitudinal slot c¹
(Figure 4) with a recess at its rear end. A lug fixed to the firing pin
projects through this slot and engages with an incline inside the breech block.
As the latter is rotated to disengage it from the screws in the gun the incline
forces the lug 2 and firing pin back and when the former comes to the rear end
of the slot cit is carried round by the breech block into the recess c³ where it is
held the gun being now cocked. The rear end of the spindle of the firing pin is
square and works to and fro in a nut 9 square inside and circular outside which is
free to rotate without moving endwise in the hollow axial pivot c.
This nat
carries a tooth g' engaging with a notch in a trigger or firing bar which is radial
to the gun and is contained in one of the arms d which is bored to receive it. This
trigger when pulled against the spring by a lanyard attached to the eye at its
end or otherwise turns the nut g and with it the firing pin f freeing the lug on the
latter from the recess. The spring then forces the firing pin forwards and the
gun is fired.
The trigger has upon it a lug resting against a ridge or
Irojection (Figure 1) in the form of part of a circle on the side of the pinion e
on the lever e. When the pinion is being turned to disengage the breech block
this lug is on the inside of or nearer to the centre than the circular projection e*
and the trigger is locked in the fired position but when the firing pin has been
drawn fully back as above described the lug h³ on the trigger comes to the end of
the circular projection and when the firing pin is turned to cock the gun
moving the trigger with it the lug passes to the other side of the circular
projection et so that when the breech is being closed again the trigger is locked in
its cocked position and the gun cannot be fired until the breech is fully closed when
the Ing on the trigger has passed the other end of the circular projection.
When the breech block b is being turned to disengage it from the screws in the
gun it has a slight rearward movement; in order to provide for this it has on its
inside screw threads of the same pitch as those on its outside and engaging with
corresponding threads c on its axial pivot c. Preferably these screws are divided
screws so that the block may readily be detached from the pivot.
(Figure 1) is the extractor, it is pivotted at j' to the gun and its tail is acted
on by a cam shaped lug d' on the arms d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what J
claim is :-
1. The combination of a gun, an arm pivotted to the gun, its pivot being at right
angles to the axis, a breech block pivotted to the arm and locking in the gun by a
partial turn, a lever pivotted to the arm, its pivot being parallel to that of the arm,
and gearing whereby the rotation of the lever turns and unlocks the breech block.
2. The method of locking the arm to the gun substantially as described.
3. Mounting the breech block on an axial pivot having on it a screw of the same
pitch as the divided screw outside the block.
4. Mounting the breech block on a hollow axial pivot having the firing pin and
spring inside substantially as described.
5. The arrangements for cocking substantially as described.

page_text: 6. The method of locking the trigger in the cocked and fired positions substantially
as described.
7. Quick firing guns substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
6. The method of locking the trigger in the cocked and fired positions substantially
as described.
7. Quick firing guns substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of January 1896.
AXEL WELIN.