Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Charles Hodges, of Florence Street, Islington,
in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker,. for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 29th May 1866, and dated the 4th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Charles Hodges
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th December 1865.
I, EDWIN CHARLES HODGES, of Florence Street, Islington; in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improvement in breech-loading fire-
arms, whereby the descending hammer serves to explode percussion cart-
ridges by causing them to be struck in the centre of the percussion; and
secondly, to an improvement in the construction of self-acting extractors
for withdrawing the cartridge case from the barrel preparatory to reloading.
The improvements apply chiefly to double-barrel sporting guns, whose barrels
are hinged to the breech and are "dropped" to permit of the insertion of

page_text: the cartridges. In order to strike the percussion of the cartridge in such a
manner as will ensure the firing of the same, a sliding pin is fitted in the
recoil shield of the breech piece so that it may play freely therein, and when
driven forward, strike a blow in the line of the axis of the cartridge or
parallel thereto. This pin is kept from protruding beyond the breech piece
when not required to act by means of a coiled spring. In the rear of the
pin is a short rock lever, the upper end of which is rounded to receive and
rock under the blow of the descending hammer. This rocking of the lever
will drive the pin suddenly forward, and cause it by a direct blow to fire the
percussion compound. Instead of a rock lever for conveying the blow of the
hammer to the pin, the head of the pin may be made taper, and an inclined
sliding pin fitted into a nipple in the breech piece, and bearing on the taper
head may receive the blow of the hammer and communicate it to the pin.
The improvement in the cartridge extractor consists in making its forward
end with lateral projections, which project through a slot cut in the "lump
at the under side of the barrels, and enter inclined transverse slots made in
the breech piece to receive them. The head of the cartridge extractor is
formed as usual, and lies in a recess made in the rear of the barrels, so as to
project under the metal shoulder or flange at the rear end of the cartridge,
and it is fitted to a rod which slides freely in a guide formed for the rod
between the barrels. As the barrels are dropped to reload the gun, the
inclined transverse grooves in the breech piece will, by acting on the lateral
projections of the cartridge extractor, cause it to release the exploded cart-
ridges from the barrels, and facilitate their removal therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Charles Hodges, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
CHARLES HODGES, of Florence Street, Islington, in the County of Middlesex,
Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edwin Charles Hodges, Her special licence that I, the said Edwin
Charles Hodges, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time-
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edwin Charles
Hodges, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
.
This Invention relates, firstly, to an "improvement in breech-loading fire-
arms," whereby the descending hammer serves to explode percussion cart-
ridges by causing them to be struck in the centre of the percussion; and,
secondly, to an improvement in the construction of self-acting extractors
for withdrawing the cartridge case from the barrel preparatory to reloading.
The improvements apply chiefly to double-barrel sporting guns, whose barrels
are hinged to the breech, and are "dropped" to permit of the insertion of
the cartridges.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in sectional elevation, and
Fig. 2 in plan view, one arrangement for carrying out the first object of this
Invention. In order to strike the percussion of the cartridge in such a manner
as will ensure the firing of the same I insert in a recess in the recoil shield a
of the breach piece a sliding pin b, and pierce a hole through the breech piece
of such bore and in such a position that it may play freely thereon, and when
driven forward strike a blow in the line of the axis of the cartridge or parallel
thereto, the cartridge having been inserted in the barrel c, and the barrel
locked in position for firing. The pin b is formed with an enlarged head, and
it is kept from protruding beyond the breech piece a when not required to act
by means of a coiled spring d which is inserted between the breech piece and
the head of the pin. In the rear of the pin is a short rock levere mounted in
the recess of the breech piece on a fulerum pin f; the upper end of this lever

page_text: is rounded to receive and rock under the blow of the descending hammer.
The depression of the rounded end of the rock lever by the blow of the
hammer will cause the lower end of the lever to advance and drive the
pin suddenly forward, and thereby cause it by a direct blow to fire the
percussion compound placed in the rear of the cartridge, and thus fire the
.charge.
Another arrangement which I propose to employ for imparting a central or
direct blow to the cartridge in the line of or parallel to its axis is shewn in
the partial sectional view Fig. 3. In this arrangement instead of using a
rock lever for conveying the blow of the hammer to the pin I round or taper
the head of the pin, and employ an inclined sliding pin g fitted into a nipple h
in the breech piece to receive the blow of the hammer and communicate it to
the pin b. The inner end of this pin g I chamfer off so that it may act as a
wedge when forced down by the descent of the hammer, and force forward
the pin 6. The return of both pins to their normal position will be effected
by means of the coiled spring d.
My improvement in the cartridge extractor consists in making its forward
end with lateral projections which project through a slot cut in the "lump"
at the under side of the barrels, and enter inclined transverse slots made in
the breech piece to receive them. The improved cartridge extractor is shewn
in side view at Fig. 4 and end view at Fig. 5 as detached from the
gun, and
its application to the gun is illustrated at Figures 6 and 7; Fig. 6 being a
side view of the gun with the barrels "dropped" and the extractor protruded,
and Fig. 7 shewing the rear end of the barrel with the extractor in position.
i is the cartridge extractor having its head formed as usual, and lying in a
recess made in the rear of the barrels so as to project under the metal
shoulder or flange at the rear end of the cartridge. The head is fitted to a
rod which slides freely in a guide formed for it between the barrels, as shewn
by dots in Fig. 7. The forward end of the rod carries a forked piece i³ which
overrides the lump on the under side of the barrels, and has its prongs set at
an incline that they may work in inclined grooves cut in the inner faces of
the slotted part of the breech piece near the hinge pin that connects the
barrels with the breech. As the barrels are dropped to re-load the gun the
inclined grooves in the breech piece will by acting on the lateral projections of
the cartridge extractor move out the extractor to the position shewn at
Fig. 6, and cause it to release the exploded cartridges from the barrels and
facilitate their removal therefrom.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improvements in
the construction of breech-loading fire-arms, and explained the manner of

page_text: carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, the means above described for delivering a direct blow on to the rear
of cartridges of breech-loading fire-arms.
And, secondly, the arrangement described for operating cartridge
extractors.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Charles Hodges, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
E. C. HODGES. (L.S.)