Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 20th May, 1887.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to breech-loading guns of that kind or class wherein the
breech-block is fitted to slide up and down in a chamber at the rear of the barrel and
is arranged to be raised and lowered by means of a lever operated by hand.
The object of the said invention is to provide for constructing guns of this class in
such a manner that the opening and closing of the breech, the firing, and the extracting,
can be performed by one hand without removing the same from the operating lever.
For this purpose I arrange the trigger in, or upon, the said lever and provide suitable
means for connecting the said trigger with the sear.
In constructing a breech-loading gun according to the said invention, the breech-
block is arranged to be moved up and down by a crank keyed upon a shaft
on which is fixed the operating bar. The hammer is acted upon by a spring whereby
it is driven against the firing pin. The said hammer is drawn back or cocked by
means of the said lever through the medium of two toothed segments one of which
is fixed upon the crank-shaft and the other of which is mounted loosely upon the
shaft or pivot of the hammer. A projection is provided upon the shaft or pivot of the
hammer and works in a groove or slot in the toothed segment on the said shaft or
pivot. In the turning of the lever to open the breech and extract the empty
cartridge shell, the said shaft or pivot is moved by the toothed segment thereon
and the hammer thus cocked, but the groove or slot in this segment permits the
turning of the lever to load the gun while the said shaft or pivot remains stationary,
the latter, and the hammer, being retained in the cocked position by a sear which
is caused by a spring to engage with a shoulder or projection upon the said shaft or
pivot as soon as this shoulder or projection has passed under the said sear.
The gun
is then ready for firing.

page_text: The trigger is carried by, and pivotted to, the operating lever and is coupled to a
rod or bar provided with a projection which works in a groove or slot in the wall of
the chamber, which groove or slot is so formed that it permits the movement of the
trigger to fire the gun only when the operating lever is in such a position that the
breech is closed.
When the parts are in this position, the trigger is free to act, through the medium
of the said rod or bar, upon a rod or bar coupled to the said sour, thereby disengaging
the latter and releasing the hammer, which strikes the firing-pin and thus fires
the gun.
For extracting the empty cartridge-shells, from the barrel, a lever is pivotted beneath
the barrel and is arranged to be operated, in the downward movement of the breech-
block, by means of a pivotted piece carried by the said block, and acted upon by a
spring which normally holds the said piece in position to engage with the lever but
yields to permit the said piece to pass the lever in the upward movement of the
breech-block. Any other suitable means may, however, be used for effecting the
extraction of the empty shells.
a
The operation of the gun is extremely simple, inasmuch as the gunner keeps the
forefinger of his right hand uninterruptedly upon the trigger. After firing the gun,
he turns the operating lever upward and thus opens the breech, extracts the empty
shell from the barrel, and cocks the hammer; then, with his left hand, he pushes
fresh cartridge into the barrel; he then turns the said lever downward and thus closes
the breech, so that the gun is again ready for firing, and his finger is in position to
pull the trigger.
1011
CT..1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Breech-loading Guns.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to breech-loading guns of that kind or class wherein the
breech-block is fitted to slide transversely to the axis of the barrel in a slot or
chamber formed in the breech and is arranged to be operated by hand by means of
a lever.
The main object of the said invention is to so construct guns of this class that the
opening and closing of the breech, the firing and the extracting, can be performed by
one hand without removing the same from the operating lever. For this purpose,
arrange the trigger in, or upon, the said lever and provide suitable means for connecting
the said trigger with the sear.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1, is a side elevation, and
I
Figure 2 a vertical longitudinal central section, of part of a gun constructed according
to the present invention, showing the parts in the positions which they occupy
immediately after the gun has been fired.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal central section, showing the parts in the positions
which they occupy when the gun is ready for loading.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 2.
Figures 5, 5, 6 and 6ª are different views hereinafter referred to showing details of
construction.
Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which the cocking of the hammer
is effected.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is the breech; B the barrel; C the breech-block, which is fitted to slide up and
down in a slot or chamber A¹ formed in the breech. D is the operating lever which
is fixed on a shaft E, on which is also fixed a crank e. The pin e¹ of this crank is
arranged to work in a curved slot c in the breech-block C, so that, when the lever D
is moved in one or the other direction, the said block will be raised or lowered.
F is the hammer which is pivotted at fand is acted upon by a spring f¹ whereby it
is driven at the proper time against the firing pin g. The hammer is drawn back or
cocked by means of the lever ) in its upward movement through the medium of two
toothed segments i, k; the segment is fixed upon the crank-shaft E and the
segment k is mounted loosely upon the shaft or pivot f of the hammer. A projection f
is provided upon the said shaft or pivot f, and works in a slot k¹ in the toothed
segment k. In the upward movement of the lever D, the shaft or pivot fis moved by
means of the toothed segments i, k and the hammer thus cocked; in the downward
movement of the said lever, however, the projection * moves freely in the slot k¹,

page_text: therefore the hammer is unaffected by the lever D in its downward movement.
The said hammer is retained in its cocked position by a sear 1 (Figure 6) which is
acted upon by a spring whereby it is caused to engage with a shoulder or
projection upon the shaft or pivot f, as soon as this shoulder or projection has passed
under the said sear.
The trigger m is carried by, and pivotted to, the operating lever D and is coupled
to a rod or bar m³ provided with a projection m² (Figures 5 and 5ª) which works in
grooves or slots a, a', in the wall of the chamber A. These grooves or slots are so
formed as to permit the movement of the trigger to fire the gun only when the
operating lever is in such a position that the breech is closed, that is to say, when the
breech is closed the parts occupy the position shown in Figures 5 and 6, so that, when
the trigger is pulled, the projection m² will be moved up into the slot a', when however
the lever D is moved upward to open the breech, the projection m² will enter the slot a
and prevent the movement of the trigger.
When therefore the parts are in the position shown in Figures 5 and 6 the trigger
is free to act, through the medium of the said rod or bar m³ upon a rod or bar 12 (shown
detached in Figure 6) coupled to the sear 1, and thereby disengage the latter from the
hammer F.
For extracting the empty cartridge shells from the barrel, a lever n is pivotted at n¹
and is arranged to be operated, in the downward movement of the breech block C, by
means of a piece o carried by and pivotted at o' to the said block. This piece o is
acted upon by a spring o' which normally holds the said piece in position to engage
with the lever n so that, in the downward movement of the breech-block, the said lever
will be operated to extract the empty cartridge shell from the barrel. The said spring
however, yields to permit the piece o, to pass the lever n in the upward movement of
the breech-block. Any other suitable means may, if desired, be used for effecting the
extraction of the empty shells.
The operation of the gun is extremely simple. The gunner keeps the fore finger of
his right hand uninterruptedly upon the trigger. After firing the gun he turns the
operating lever D upward and thus opens the breech, extracts the empty shell from
the barrel, and cocks the hammer; then with his left hand, he pushes a fresh cartridge
into the barrel; he then turns the said lever downward and thus closes the breech so
that the gun is again ready for firing, and his finger is in position to pull the trigger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I declare that what I claim is,
First. A breech-loading gun of the kind or class abovo described, wherein the
trigger is carried by, and pivotted to, the operating lever, for the purpose specified.
Second. The combination, with the said lever and trigger, of the devices substantially
as above described, whereby I provide for the firing of the gun when, but not until,
the breech is closed.
Third. The improved breech-loading gun consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing and
operating as above set forth.
101
20
110
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.