IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN AND PISTOL LOCKS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Poole Bardell, of Aston, near Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Gun Finisher, and William Powell, of Aston
aforesaid, Gun Lock Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GUN AND PISTOL LOCKS."
Sealed the 7th December 1866, and dated the 6th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Poole Bardell and
William Powell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 6th September 1866.
WC, WILLIAM POOLE BARDELL, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gun Finisher, and WILLIAM POWELL, of Aston aforesaid, Gun
Lock Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GUN AND PISTOL LOCKS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts of
gun and pistol locks herein-after described, whereby the cock or hammer after
it has struck the percussion cap on the nipple, or the striker in case of a central-
firo or needle gun or pistol, and discharged, the gun or pistol returns to half-
cock, and only requires to be raised to full-cock by the hand prior to the next
discharge of the gun or pistol.
We construct the several parts of the lock in the ordinary manner,
with the following exceptions:-In place of the ordinary scar spring we

page_text: use a sear spring somewhat similar in form but larger and stronger than
the ordinary spring; the lower end of this spring bears upon the scar
in the ordinary way, while the upper end of the sear spring, instead of being
fixed to the lock plate by a screw, bears against the under side of tho
long arm of a small lever turning upon a pin on the lock plate. The short
arm of the said small lever engages in a notch or depression on the upper side
of the tumbler and presses the said tumbler in a direction contrary to that in
which it is pressed by the main spring, the two springs, that is, the scar spring
and main spring, being in equilibrium when the hammer is at half-cock. When
the hammer is raised to full-cock the main spring is compressed, and on liberating
the hammer by pressing the trigger the hammer is urged forward- by the
main spring beyond its position of equilibrium. The momentum acquired by
the hammer causes it to strike the percussion cap on the nipple or striker of
the central-fire or other gun or pistol, but the hammer is immediately with-
drawn to its position of equilibrium by the action of the sear spring, when the
sear engaging in one of the bents of the tumbler fixes, the hammer at half-
cock. The hammer is raised to full-cock in the usual manner. The sear
spring is fixed to the lock plate by a pin at its middle. Besides rendering the
usual process of half-cocking by hand unnecessary; gun and pistol locks con-
structed according to our Invention possess the following advantage:-If by
accident or the wearing of the bents in the tumbler the sear should be liberated
from the half-cock bent the hammer does not fall on the nipple or striker, and
the gun or pistol consequently will not be discharged. Guns or pistols
provided with locks constructed according to our Invention are therefore less
liable to accidental discharge than guns or pistols provided with locks of the
ordinary kind.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Poole Bardell and William Powell in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 2nd March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM 3
POOLE BARDELL, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Finisher, and WILLIAM POWELL, of Aston aforesaid, Gun Lock Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord a
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Poole Bardell and William Powell, Her especial licence, that
we, the said William Poole Bardell and William Powell, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Poole.
Bardell and William Powell, our 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 GUN AND PISTOL LOCKS," upon the condition (amongst.
others) that we, the said William Poole Bardell and William Powell, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 William Poolo Bardell, on behalf of:
myself and the said William Powell, do hereby declare the nature of the:
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be:
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:―
Our Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts of.
gun and pistol locks herein-after described, whereby the cock or hammer
after it has struck the percussion cap on the nipple, or the striker in case of
a central-fire or needle gun or. pistol, and discharged, the gun or pistol returns
to half-cock, and only requires to be raised to full-cock by the hand prior to
the next discharge of the gun or pistol.
way,
We construct the several parts of the lock in the ordinary manner, with the
following exceptions:-In place of the ordinary sear spring we use a sear
spring somewhat similar in form but larger and stronger than the ordinary
spring; the lower end of this spring bears upon the sear in the ordinary
while the upper end of the sear spring, instead of being fixed to the
lock plate by a screw, bears against the under side of the long arm of a small:
lever turning upon a pin on the lock plate. The short arm of the said
small lever engages in a notch or depression on the upper side of the tumbler
and presses the said tumbler in a direction contrary to that in which it is
pressed by the main spring, the two springs, that is, the scar spring and main
spring, being in equilibrium when the hammer is at half-cock. When tho

page_text: hammer is raised to full-cock the main spring is compressed, and on liberating
the hammer by pressing the trigger the hammer is urged forward by the main
spring beyond its position of equilibrium. The momentum acquired by the
hammer causes it to strike the percussion cap on the nipple or striker of the
central-fire or other gun or pistol, but the hammer is immediately withdrawn
to its position of equilibrium by the action of the sear spring, when the scar
engaging in one of the bents of the tumbler fixes the hammer at half-cock;
the hammer is raised to full-cock in the usual manner. The sear spring is
fixed to the lock plate by a pin at its middle.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in clevation a gun or pistol lock constructed according
to our Invention; Figure 2 is the same with the bridle or bearing plate
removed, the hammer in the said Figures 1 and 2 being represented in its
normal position or the position of half-cock; Figure 3 represents the lock
with the hammer raised to full-cock; Figure 4 is a plan of the same; Figure 5.
represents the same when the hammer is at its lowest position; and Figure 6
represents a portion of the lock. The same letters of reference indicate tho
same parts in cach Figure of the Drawing..
a, a, is the tumbler of the lock, upon the axis b of which the hammer c is
fixed in the ordinary way; d is the main spring of the lock; e is the sear;
and fis the scar spring, the said scar spring being fixed to the lock plate by a
pin at its middle or bent part. The lower end of the scar spring bears in
the ordinary way upon the sear c, while its upper end bears against the
under side of the long arm g of a lever g, h, the said lever turning on the pin
or axis i; the motion of the lever g, h, is limited by the fixed stop ; the
lever g, h, is shown separately in Figure 6. The short arm of the lever g, h,
when the hammer c is in its normal position or position of half-cock, as
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, bears upon the upper side of the part a² of
the tumbler. The stop k limits the motion of the lever g, h, in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, and the main spring d presses the end a³
of the tumbler against the arm of the lever g, h. When the parts are in the
position Figures 1 and 2, that is in position of half-cock, they are in a position of
equilibrium, there being no tendency to motion of the hammer c in either direc-
tion, the main spring d not having sufficient tension to depress the hammer c,
when the sear e is removed from the half-cock bent a in consequence of the
resistance offered by the arm of the lever g, h, and the said lever being limited
cannot act on the tumbler so as to move the
in its motion by the stop

page_text: hammer in the direction proper for full cocking. On raising the hammer to
full-cock by hand the main spring d is compressed and the sear e engages with
the full-cock bent a', the tumbler a, a, being removed from out the range
of action of the lever g, h, as represented in Figure 3. On the liberation of
the hammer c by the action of the trigger upon the scare the said hammer is
urged forward by the main spring d beyond the position of equilibrium, or the
position represented in Figures 1 and 2. The momentum acquired by the
hammer c causes it to fall sufficiently far beyond the position represented in
Figures 1 and 2 to strike the percussion cap on the nipple, or pin, or striker
of the gun or pistol, but immediately the hammer c falls below the position
Figures 1 and 2 the part a² of the tumbler raises the arm h of the lever g, h,
and compresses the sear spring f. By the reaction of the spring ƒ through
the lever g, h, on the tumbler a, a³, the hammer c immediately after striking
the percussion cap, or pin, or striker is brought back into the position
Figures 1 and 2, that is, the position of half-cock, or the position of
equilibrium. Tho position of the parts of the lock when the hammer c is in
the act of striking the nipple, or pin, or striker is represented in Figure 5.
On the hammer being brought to the position of equilibrium the scar e
engages in the half-cock bent at of the tumbler, and tho said hammer has
only to be raised to full-cock by hand to make the gun or pistol again ready
to be discharged.
Besides rendering the usual process of half-cocking by hand unnecessary,
gun and pistol locks constructed according to our Invention possess the fol-
lowing advantage:-If by accident or pressure on the trigger or the wearing
of the bents in the tumbler the sear should be liberated from the half-cock
bent the hammer does not fall on the nipple or striker, and the gun or
pistol consequently will not be discharged. Guns or pistols provided with
locks constructed according to our Invention are therefore less liable to
accidental discharge than guns or pistols provided with locks of the ordinary
kind.
Although we have described the best method with which we are acquainted
of carrying our Invention into effect, yet we do not limit ourselves thereto, as
the second spring, which is made to act on the hammer in opposition to the
main spring, and which by being brought into a state of tension on the fall of
the hammer effects the rebound of the hammer to half-cock, may be an
independent spring instead of the sear spring, and may be made to act directly
on the tumbler or on the hammer; but we believe that the nature of our
Invention will be sufficiently understood by the description herein-beforo
given with reference to the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that wo do
not limit ourselves to the precise details berein described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing
from the nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the
improvements in gun and pistol locks herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the sear spring or an
independent spring act upon the tumbler or hammer of the lock in a direction
contrary to that in which the main spring acts, the said sear or independent
spring being brought into a state of tension by the fall of the hammer and
made to effect the return of the hammer to half-cock, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Poole Bardell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM POOLE BARDELL. (L.S.)