IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1886

page_text: I, HENRY TOLLEY of Weaman Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
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 :—
My invention has reference to that class of 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; and my said
invention consists first, in rebounding or partial rebounding lock mechanism, for
throwing back the hammers from the strikers after discharge; the rebounding only
taking place after the pressure of the finger has been relieved from the triggers.
Secondly, in means for taking back the locking bolt and operating lever, by
forming at the extreme lower end of the lever spindle, an extending arm, against
which the free end of a V spring takes its bearing, for the bringing back of the
parts to their normal positions, on the closing of the barrels. Thirdly, in an
automatic trigger safety, operated by the outer end of the lever on the tang,
instead of by means of a rod acted upon by the spindle as is commonly done.
The safety slide is held back from a position of safe, by one end snapping into a
catch cross notch, made in the end of the lever.
I will describe my invention in connection with a double gun..
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal vertical section a breech loading gun, con-
structed according to my invention, and which said gun is shown with its barrels
open, hammers cocked, and the arm at safety. Figure 2 shows the same with the
barrels closed and the arm fired, with one of the triggers pulled, or in a position
which it would assume on firing the arm. Figure 3 represents the same section
and view as figure 2, but with the cock thrown back from the striker. This
automatic rebound is effected on pressure being relieved from the triggers after
firing. Figure 4 shows a complete longitudinal vertical section through the
middle of the gun, in order to show the spindle of the bolt withdrawal lever, and
the safety, the latter being shown out of action, or in a position for the gun to be
fired. Figure 5 represents the same section and view as shown at figure 4, but
with the barrels open, and the locking bolt withdrawn, and also the arm at safe..
Figure 6 shows an underside view of gun, with a portion of body in section, to
exhibit the spring for taking back the locking bolt and lever, on the shutting down'

page_text: of the barrels. Figure 7 is a separate view of the spindle and figure 8 is a plan
of its underside. Figure 9 is a plan of the locking bolt. Figure 10 is a top view
of safety slide, and figure 10A is the spring for taking back the bolt and lever on
the barrels being closed. Figure 12 represents a plan of cocking rods and slide,
and figure 13 shows a side elevation of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the Drawings.
a are the barrels turning in a vertical plane upon the fore-part b of the arm.
c is the body, and d is the break off of the said body, against which said break off,
the open ends of the barrels are held firmly during discharge, or from which they
are released by means of the levere working horizontally upon the tang or tang
strapf. This lever carries at its inner end an axis. g, for the withdrawal of the
locking bolt h by means of the cam or quadrant arm g³; and at the extreme lower
end of this said lever axis, a short arm or wing 9* extends outwards and against
which the free end of a V or flat spring i takes its bearing, for the bringing back
of locking bolt and lever to their normal positions. The underside of the outer
end of the said lever has a notch or catch depression 63, wherein the front
yielding end of the slide 3 of the safety ; engages and is held, until the lever is
turned aside, when the angular movement made by it, releases the slide from the
notch, and allows the slide to be pressed back from the position figure 4, to the
safe position figure 5, thereby preventing the triggers k from being pulled.
The automatic pressing back or returning of the safety expedient to a position
of safe, (on being liberated) is effected by a coiled spring situated within a gap
or opening formed in the tang strap, with the ends of the spring abuting and
pressing against the back of the opening, and the front of the safety. Thus the
act of turning the lever aside, for the opening of the barrels, releases the safety,
which is pressed home by the spring carrying the depending part of the safety
over the standing up part or rise of the trigger blades k³, thereby preventing the
trigger from rising on being pulled. m is the fore-end of the arin, and m³ is the
fore-end-iron, which when on the barrels being opened, presses upon the lip of a
cocking slide n, working within a gap or cut away part, on the underside of the
fore-part b. This slide carries jointed cocking rods o, which work obliquely in the
sides of the body c, with their back ends impressing upon the lower parts of
the breasts of the hammers p; so that on the barrels being turned on the joint
pin q for opening, the slide n is urged backward by its fore part bearing against
the fore-end iron m³, and so urging back the rods, which cock the hammers as
represented in figure 1.
The cocking rods o have trunnion like ends o' working in knuckle bearings n³;
this is for the purpose of allowing the rods and slide to make a slight angle with
respect to each other, on being pressed home. The slots or gaps c', wherein the
cocking rods work, are a little broader than the rods themselves, to admit of them
having a little play with their guide recesses on the backward and forward move-
ments of the slide.
The return movement of the slide and cocking rods is effected by the inside
inclined edge of the back lump r coming against the inclined knuckle part n' of
the slide n, thus on the closing of the barrels when the parts are in the positions
as represented in figure 1, the incline 3 of the back lump r comes on the top of
the incline n' of the slide, thereby pressing back 'the slide and cocking rods with
it, to the positions as represented at figures 2, 3 and 4.
The rebounding lock mechanism for throwing back the hammers from the
striker ends after discharge, is as follows.
The hammer p already described, is provided with two bents p¹ p³, and a spring
bearing shoulder p³-p² is a rebound bent, p³ is a full cock bent, and p³ is a shoulder
upon which the free end of the stand side 8 of the main spring & rests, when
pressure is removed or relieved from the triggers after firing. The top side of the
spring is connected to the hammer in the usual way, through the intervention of
a link t.. u is a sear, with the usual sear nose u³, returned end u³, and upon the

page_text: .
top or upper part of the said sear a rise u³ is formed, upon which the free or stand
side end of the spring rests, and takes its bearing on the sear being raised; that is,
either when the sear is in its cocked position, or in that position which it assumes
on the trigger being pulled. Thus on the hammer being cocked with the sear nose
in the full cock bent, the springs back pressure is removed from the rebound
bearing shoulder, by the suspension of its lower limb out of the range of the
hammer, which is done by the rise on the sear top, keeping the said limb in a
raised or quiescent state; this allows the bammer to be cocked without the
spring following its rebound shoulder.
After firing, and the fingers pressure being relieved from the trigger, the sear
tail is consequently lowered; this allows the free end of the lower limb of the
spring to now take its bearing upon the rebound shoulder, which thereby causes
the partial rebound of the hammer, from the end of the striker, as represented at
figure 3.
To open the gun after firing, as in figure 2, turn aside the lever ⚫ when its
angular movement causes the liberation of the slide, which is now taken into a
position of safe, by the tension of the coiled spring f, as represented in figure 1.
This brings the depending safety stump above the ungapped or uncut away part
of the trigger blades, thereby preventing the trigger from rising, and the accidental
discharge of the gun.
The said turning aside of the lever also rotates the spindle g, and with it the
cam formation g' and short arm g³; the former withdraws the locking bolt from
the under lumps, while the latter compresses the free end of the spring i situated
within the body of the arm. The barrels now liberated turn upon their joint
pin q, and on the downward movement of the barrels, the fore-end part n, m³
attached thereto, presses upon the cocking slide n, pressing it backwards, and at
the same time moving forward the rods o, which impinge upon the breasts of the
hammers and cock them as represented in figure 1.
On closing the barrels after loading, the inside edge r² of the front lump r slides
or moves upon the incline n' of the cocking slide n, and presses it back within the
fore-part, to its normal position as represented in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
Drawing; and when in this position, with the barrels firmly bolted to the face of
the break off, the arm can be discharged by first removing the safety slide into
the position as represented in figure 4; this is done by making its yielding or
spring end engage with the undercut notches of the tang lever e.
Thus by
simply pressing the slide forward, its front end j³ is made to yield and snap into
the under cut notch e³ of the lever, which is thereby retained out of safe, so long
as the position of the lever remains unchanged.
To discharge the gun when cocked, and with the safety out of position, pull one
or other of the triggers k, so as to remove the sear nose from out of the full cock
bent. This movement allows the hammers to fall, and the V projection on the
top of the sear to forcibly impress itself against the underside of the lower limb of
the main spring, thereby raising it from its former position, and out of contact
with the hammer. In other words, the act of pulling the triggers elevates the
stand side limb of the spring above its bearing shoulder, or the shoulder on which
it rests, on pressure being relieved from the triggers. The reverse action of the
triggers allows the spring to expand itself jagain, so as to bring the free end of the
stand side again upon its bearing shoulder p³, thereby causing the hammer or
hammers to recede or partially rebound.
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. In rebounding lock mechanism. Creating and checking the rebound or
recedence of hammers or tumblers, by making the sear alternately act upon the
stand side limb of the main spring, so as to hold up or suspend the said side away
from the rebound shoulder on the hammer when pressure is upon the triggers, or

page_text: when the hammer is at cock, but on pressure being relieved after firing, a rebound
or recedence of the hammer is effected, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly.-A lever spindle, having at its extreme end an arm or standing out
piece, upon which the spring for bringing back the locking bolt and lever takes its
bearing, substantially as described and illustrated in figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the
Drawings.
Thirdly. Holding or retaining trigger safety slides out of safe for firing, by
making the front engage with the end of the bolt withdrawal lever, and which
slide is also released by the turning aside of the said lever, on the opening of the
barrels; the safety when thus liberated, is automatically taken into safe by a
coiled spring, substantially as described and set forth in figures 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6
and 10 of the accompanying Drawings