IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Tolley of Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Gun Manufacturer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING
SMALL ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Tolley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1883.
HENRY TOLLEY of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Manufacturer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
"
My invention has reference principally to breech loading small arms of the kind
commonly called drop down guns having concealed or internal hammers that is
guns in which the breech ends of the barrels are raised from the face of the
break off for charging and shut down and fixed against the face of the break off
for firing.
I construct and arrange the parts of the said small arms essentially as
follows:-
I arrange the lock mechanism upon the trigger plate the front end of which has
lugs by which the main springs are held. The stand sides of the main springs
engage under a cross rod carried by two short uprights between the lugs described
and the axis on which the hammers turn. The main springs do not bear directly on
the underside of the said cross rod but against the rounded lower ends of two
short vertical arms turning upon the said rod. The rear side of each of these
vertical arins has a projecting tooth against the underside of which teeth the
turned up ends of the stand sides of the main springs bear. By this arrangement
the arm or lever by turning aside which the unlocking of the barrels and the
cocking of the hammers are effected is operated by the stand sides of the main
springs an arm carried by the vertical axis of the said lever bearing against the
short vertical arms described and by pressing them back causes their teeth to
depress the stand sides of the main springs which by their reaction tend to restore
the lever to its normal position. The separate spring ordinarily employed to
operate the lever is thus dispensed with
I effect the unlocking of the barrels and the cocking of the hammers by means
of a lever connected with a vertical axis on the side of the body of the gun. This

page_text: lever in its normal position lies against the edge of the tang of the break off the
free end only or thumb plate of the said lever lying on the said tang. The lever
may be fixed to the lower end of its axis instead of its upper end. A horizontal
arm carried by the vertical axis of the lever has at its end a cross bar or swivelling
cam the free end of which engages in notches in, the breasts of the hammers.
When the said lever is turned aside the hammers are brought to full cock and
retained by the ordinary sears and bents
In order to prevent the fall of the hammers until the triggers have been pressed
upon and thus to prevent the accidental discharge of the gun I place in grooves
in the trigger plate two sliding bolts. The rear ends of these bolts are over the
triggers and the front ends under the lower ends of the hammers respectively. The
front end of each of these bolts carries a small block which when the bolt is in its
normal position is immediately under the lower end of the hammer and blocks or
prevents the fall of the hammer. Before the hammer can fall and discharge the
gun the bolt must be pushed forward so as to remove its block from under the
hammer This is effected by the trigger in the following manner. The rear end
of each bolt is inclined on its underside and the upper rear end of the trigger is
also inclined the incline on the trigger bearing against the incline on the bolt.
When the trigger is pressed by the fingers its inclined upper rear end acting on
the inclined rear end of the bolt pushes it forward thus removing its block from
under the hammer and permitting it to fall wlien' the sear is withdrawn from the
bent. The return motion of the bolt is effected by the sear springs..
When the ordinary trigger safety thumb bit is employed I utilize it so as to
obtain an additional means of fixing down the barrels. I add a bolt to the said
thumb bit which bolt when the thumb bit is pushed forward takes into the recess
in the break off in which the prolongation of the rib enters when the barrels are
shut down.
The said prolongation of the rib has a cross slot, into which the said bolt, takes
and thereby forms a top bite for holding down the barrels in addition to the
ordinary bolting down mechanism on the underside of the breech ends of the
barrels. The said bolt is withdrawn by the action of the lever.
The method described of actuating the lever by means of the mainsprings and
the method described of blocking the hammers to prevent the accidental discharge
of the gun may be applied to guns having external hammers.

page_text: on the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Tolley in the Great Seal Patent Office
14th September 1883.
HENRY TOLLEY of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Manufacturer
" IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
"3
My invention has reference principally to breech loading small arms of the kind
commonly called drop down guns having concealed or internal hammers; that is,
guns in which the breech ends of the barrels are raised from the face of the break.
off for charging and shut down and fixed against the face of the break off for
firing.
°
I construct and arrange the parts of the said small arms essentially as
follows:-
I arrange the lock mechanism upon the trigger plate the front end of which has
lugs by which the main springs are held. The stand sides of the main springs
engage under a cross rod carried by two short uprights between the lugs described
and the axis on which the hammers turp. The main springs do not bear directly
on the underside of the said cross rod but against the rounded lower ends of
two short vertical arms turning upon the said rod. The rear side of each of these.
vertical arms has a projecting tooth against the underside of which teeth the
turned up ends of the stand sides of the main springs bear
By this arrangement, the arın or lever, by turning aside which the unlocking of
the barrels and the cocking of the hammers are effected, is operated by the stand
sides of the main springs, an arm carried by the vertical axis of the said lever
bearing against the short vertical arms described and by pressing them back causes
their teeth to depress the stand sides of the main springs which by their reaction
tend to restore the lever to its normal position. The separate spring ordinarily
Semployed to operate the lever is thus dispensed with.
1 effect the unlocking of the barrels and the cocking of the hammers by means
of a lever connected with a vertical axis on the side of the body of the gun. This
lever in its normal .position lies against the edge of the tang of the breakoff, the
free end only or thumb plate of the said lever lying on the said tang. The lever
may be fixed to the lower end of its axis instead of its upper end. A horizontal
arm or cross bar carried by the vertical axis of the lever operates against the
breasts of the hammers. When the said lever is turned aside the hammers are
brought to full cock and retained by the ordinary sears and bents.
In order to prevent the fall of the hammers until the triggers have been pressed
upon and thus to prevent the accidental discharge of the gun; I place in grooves in
the trigger plate two sliding bolts. The rear ends of these bolts are over the
triggers and the front ends under the lower ends of the hammers respectively. The
front end of each of these bolts carries a small block which when the bolt is in its
normal position is immediately under the lower end of the hammer and blocks or
prevents the fall of the hammer. Before the hammer can fall and discharge the
gun the bolt must be pushed forward so as to remove its block from under the
hammer. This is effected by the trigger in the following manner. The rear end of
each bolt is inclined on its underside and the upper rear end of the trigger is also
inclined the incline on the trigger bearing against the incline on the bolt. 'When
the trigger is pressed by the finger its inclined upper rear end acting on the _
inclined rear end of the bolt pushes it forward thus removing its block from under

page_text: the hammer and permitting it to fall when the sear is withdrawn from the bent.
The return motion of the bolt is effected by the sear springs.
When the ordinary trigger safety thumb bit is employed I utilize it so as to
obtain an additional means of fixing down the barrels. I add a bolt to the said
thumb bit which bolt when the thumb bit is pushed forward takes into the recess
in the break off in which the prolongation of the rib enters when the barrels are
shut down.
The said prolongation of the rib has a cross slot into which the said bolt takes
and thereby forms a top bite for holding down the barrels in addition to the
ordinary bolting down mechanism on the underside of the breech ends of the
barrels. The said bolt is withdrawn by the action of the lever.
The method described of actuating the lever by means of the mainsprings and
the method described of blocking the hammers to prevent the accidental discharge
of the gun may be applied to guns having external hammers.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
•
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, partly in section, the body of a drop down
gun containing one of iny arrangements for causing the main springs of the lock
to operate upon the arm or lever by which the barrels are unlocked and the
hammers cocked; a is the trigger plate carrying the lock mechanism; b is one of
the main springs held by the lug c. The stand side b² of the spring b engages
under a cross rod d carried by two short uprights at opposite sides of the trigger
plate; one of these uprights is marked f. Fixed on the said cross axis d at each
end is a nearly vertical arm g the rear side of which has a projecting tooth h
against the underside of which the turned up end of the stand side 62 of the main.
spring bears as represented; n² is the horizontal cross piece or arm of the
actuating lever n, n², n³ (herein after more fully described with reference to
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) by the turning aside of which lever the locking bolt is
withdrawn and the hammers cocked. The upper end of the vertical arm g on the
cross axis & bears against the said cross piece or arm n² of the lever. By the
action of the stand side 62 of the main spring b upon the vertical arm g it tends to
press the arm n of the lever in the direction of the muzzle end of the gun and
thereby causes it to give the back or return motion to the said arm n³ and the
advance or snapping action to the locking bolt connected to it. A separate spring
is thus dispensed with.
The main springs may be inverted so that the stand sides are undermost instead
of uppermost.
This modification in conjunction with other parts of a drop down gun constructed
according to my invention is shown in Figures 2. 3. 4. 5 and 6; Figure 2 repre-
senting a longitudinal vertical section of the gun with the hammers discharged;
Figure 3 the same with the hammers cocked; Figure 4 a plan of upperside and
Figure 5 a plan of underside of the body and Figure 6 an end elevation of the gun
partly in cross section.
9
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6.
The stand side 63 of the main spring b in this modification is undermost and
bears upon the foot k² of a nearly vertical arm & turning on the pin or centre
carried by the trigger plate the stand side of the said spring tending to press the
vertical arm k in the direction of the muzzle end of the gun and cause it to
operate upon and force home the locking bolt m as well as the hand lever n, n², n³
to which the said bolt is connected in the manner hereinafter described. The
part of the band lever is situated at the side of the gun and the part n²
constitutes an arm nearly at right angles to the part n, the said arm n² being
situated at and nearly crossing the back of the break off. The lever n, n², n³
turns on the vertical pin or axis p. The said lever in its normal position lies

page_text: 14
against the edge of the tang of the break off the free end or thumb plate n³ lying
on the said tang (see Figure 4).
.f
When the lever is in its normal or closed position the-horizontal arm or cross
bar n of the said lever is situated in front of the breasts of the hammers as seen
in Figure 2. The tail end of the locking bolt m is connected to the cross arm n²
of the lever by the pin and is withdrawn by the operation of the said lever.
After the discharge of the gun and in order to unlock the barrels and cock the
hammers q, the hand lever n. n². n³ is turned aside. By the turning aside of the
said lever its cross arm or bar n² is moved towards the. butt end of the gun and
made to operate upon the breasts of the hammers q and lift them to full cock, the
cocked hammers being retained by the ordinary sears and bents; the turning aside
of the lever n, n², n³ also effects the withdrawal of the locking bolt m through the
pin on the cross arm n³:
s is the trigger safety thumb bit working on the tang, the said thumb bit
carrying the depending arm s² connected to the safety slide t which is brought into
its safety position by the locking bolt mon opening the gun. To the said safety
bit 8 I add the bolt u which acts as a top bolt for holding down the barrels at the
prolonged rib v in addition to the ordinary bottom bolt m. The prolonged rib v is
furnished with a cross slot into which the bolt u takes when the thumb bits is
pushed towards the barrels for taking the safety slide t out of action. On the
withdrawal of the lower bolt m by the turning aside of the lever n; n³, n³ as before
described, the said lower bolt puts the safety slide t into a safety position and at
the same time withdraws the top bolt u from the prolonged rib v (see Figure 3).
Figure 7 represents my arrangement for preventing the fall of the hammers until
the triggers have been pressed upon.
w is the safety bolt sliding in a groove in the trigger plate a. The front end of
this bolt carries a small block x and the rear end is provided with a pin y which
works in an inclined slot z in the blade of the trigger 2. By the pressure of the
tail of the sear upon the trigger 2 it is pressed down as usual. By the pressure of
the trigger its inclined slot z gives a backward movement to the safety bolt w so
as to bring the block x on its front end immediately under the lower end of the
haimmer q and block the said hammer as illustrated in the drawing. The hammer
is thereby prevented from being accidentally discharged.
When the trigger 2 is lifted to discharge the gun the inclined slot z causes the
bolt w to be pushed forward so as to remove its block x from under the hammer q.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention of
Improvements breech loading small arins of the kind commonly called drop down
guns;"
"
First The arrangements or combinations of the parts herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying Drawing for causing the stand
sides of the main springs of the said guns to give the advance or snapping motion
to the sliding bottom bolt and to return the hand lever, by which the said bottom
bolt is withdrawn and the cocking of the hammers is effected, to its normal
position.
Secondly-The construction of the hand lever marked n, n², n³ turning in a
horizontal plane upon the vertical pin or axis p, for withdrawing the sliding
bottom bolt and cocking the internal hammers of the gun, the said hand lever being
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing
Thirdly The safety sliding bolt and parts connected with it for preventing the
accidental fall of the hammer until the trigger has been pressed upon herein before
described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying Drawing.
Fourthly The addition to or combination with the ordinary safety thumb bit,
working on the tang, of the top bolt or extension u for taking into a recess in the

page_text: prolonged rib for fastening the barrels at the said rib as herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawing
In witness whereof I the said Henry Tolley have hereunto set my hand and
seal this thirteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty. three
Witness, ARTHUR J. POWELL
Clerk to George Shaw
37 Temple Street
Birmingham.
HENRY TOLLEY (L.S.)