IMPROVEMENTS IN Birmingham in the Gun Manufacturers BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Middleditch Scott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1883. .
WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT of the firm of W and C Scott and Son of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Manufacturers
BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in breech
loading small arms of the kind called drop down guns.
My invention consists First of the following improvements in cocking the internal
hammers of drop down guns.
"
In the specification of Letters patent granted to Thomas Perkes on the 12th day
of November 1878 N° 1968 (which said Patent is the property of the firm of
which I am a member) there is described and claimed among other matters cocking
mechanism consisting of rods or slides working in the body of the gun the said rods
or slides being operated upon by the "fore end on the opening of the gun and made
to cock the hammers This part of my invention consists in the following
additions to or modifications of the said cocking mechanism whereby the closing
of the gun is utilized in such a manner as to assist in cocking the hammers on
opening the gun.
For this purpose I arrange around each of the sliding cocking rods a strong
coiled spring which tends by its expansion to press the rod towards the break off
or in the direction for cocking the hammer. Working in a slot made in the
horizontal face of the body of the gun and in the line of the cocking rod is an
arm or lever the short lower end of which takes into a slot in the cocking rod.
As the cocking rod is forced backwards by the fore end on opening the gun the
said arm or lever is lifted in and projects from the slot in the body. On shutting
down the barrels after the gun has been cocked the breech end of the barrels
acting upon the said arm or lever depresses it into its alot thereby causing the
said lever to give a forward motion to the cocking rod withdrawing if from the
hammer and compressing the coiled spring around it. On opening the gun the
power of the compressed spring assists in giving the back motion to the cocking
rod or slide for cocking the hammer the cocking motion of the rod being effected
by the joint action of the fore end and the expansion of the compressed spring
instead of by the fore end alone as in the patent referred to

page_text: The arm or lever on the cocking rod also assists in lifting the breech ends of the
barrels from the body on unfastening the barrels.
My invention consists Secondly of the several arrangements or combinations of
parts hereinafter described for adjusting the "fore end" to or tightening it upon
its abutment or bearing on the body of the gun to compensate for the wear of the
bearing parts of the joint and loop
On the bar of the fore end I fix a case containing a sliding bolt which by
means of an adjusting screw can be made to project more or less from its case
and take a bearing against the projection or stud on the barrel commonly called
the loop. The said adjusting screw passes from the underside of the bar and its
conical end bears against the inclined end of the bolt. The face of the loop or stud
against which the bolt bears is inclined and the bearing end of the bolt is also
inclined
When by wear the cross head or joint of the fore end does not take a close
bearing against the abutment at the end of the body it is only necessary to
advance the adjusting screw of the bolt by means of a screw driver. This advance
of the bolt against the loop forces back the fore end and its cross head is made to seat
itself closely against the body. The adjusting or compensating bolt described may
be applied to the front or back loop or stud. Or instead of a bolt a slide working
either on the fore end bar or in a slot in the bar may be used. In this case the
slide may be advanced more or less against the stud or loop for compensating for
the wear of the bearing parts by means of a screw the head of which or the
conical point of which may be made to act against the inclined end of the slide
and thereby adjust its position with respect to the stud or loop
Or an excentric disc toothed on part of its edge may be employed to bear
against the loop or stud on the barrel the adjustment of the position of the said
disc being effected by a toothed pin rotated by a screw driver engaging with the
toothed part of the excentric disc. Or a lever having an excentric part for
bearing against the loop or stud may be fitted on the bar of the fore end for the
same purpose. Although I prefer to apply the compensating or adjusting
appliances described to the fore end itself yet they may be applied to the loop or
stud on the barrel. In this case the bolt or slide or excentric disc takes a bearing
against the end of the slot in the fore end bar the adjustment of the bolt or slide
or disc being effected substantially in the ways herein before described.