IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Wood at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th December
1866.
I, WILLIAM WOOD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech end
of the barrel is closed for firing by means of a hinged block being shut down
into a chamber at the said breech end and opened for loading by the raising
of the said block from the breech chamber, and consists of the improvements
herein-after described in the manner of hinging the said block to the breech
end or breech chamber, and also in the manner of giving motion to the pin
or striker for discharging the cartridge, and further of the arrangement
herein-after described for extracting the cases of the exploded cartridges from
the barrel. Instead of hinging the breech block to the end of the barrel or
side of the breech chamber or shoe, as is usual, I hinge it to the rear end of
the breech, chamber or shoe, the said block being raised from and shut down
into the said chamber or shoe by motion in a vertical plane. By hinging the
breech block in this way the cartridge can be introduced into the barrel and
the case of the exploded cartridge removed therefrom with great ease.
the axis of the said breech block is a cylindrical hole or recess in which the
pin or striker for discharging the self-ignition cartridge is situated and works.
The end of the pin or striker is maintained flush with the face of the free end
of the block by means of a coiled spring pressing the said pin or striker
In

page_text: towards the butt end of the gun. The pin or striker is provided with a
shoulder or lug which projects through and works in a longitudinal slot
made in the bottom of the breech block. The hammer by which motion is
given to the pin or striker to discharge the cartridge in the barrel is situated
underneath the bottom of the breech chamber or shoe, and works through a
slot in the said chamber and enters the slot in the bottom of the breech block
to act upon the shoulder or lug of the pin or striker. On pulling the trigger
of the gun after the breech block has been shut down in its place, the hammer
works through the slot in the breech chamber or shoe and that in the block,
and strikes upon the lug or shoulder on the pin or striker, and forces the said
pin or striker forward into the cartridge in the barrel and discharges the gun.
I prefer to use with the gun a lock in which the hammer after having struck the
pin or striker is made to rebound and raise itself to half cock. By the use of a
lock of this kind the snap bolt herein-after described has only to be released
to permit of the raising of the block for the introduction of a fresh cartridge.
I fasten the breech block in its place by means of a jointed snap bolt situated
on the side of the breech chamber. The acting part of the bolt passes
through the breech chamber, and as the breech block is being shut down it
strikes against and presses outwards the bevilled end of the bolt, and when
the block is completely shut down the end of the bolt is pressed inwards by a
spring and made to snap into a recess in the side of the said block. When
the block is required to be raised the bolt is released from the said block by
pressing upon a thumb-plate situated outside the breech chamber.
I extract the exploded cartridge cases from the barrel by means of an extractor
working on the top of the barrel. The extractor consists of a rod the end of
which is provided with a hook against the lower edge of which the flange of
the cartridge fits when placed in the barrel. This hook occupies a recess at
the mouth of the barrel and is kept in its place by means of a spring pressing
the rod of the extractor towards the muzzle end of the gun. The rod of the
extractor is furnished with a handle, by pulling which handle towards the
butt end of the gun, the hook of the extractor is forced from its place at
the mouth of the barrel and pushes before it the case of the exploded
cartridge.
$4.1