IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BREECH LOADING SMALL FIRE ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Woodward of St James' Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gunmaker, and Frederick Beesley of Queen Street, Edgware
Road, both in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, for an Invention of
HDK ADAG"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Woodward and
Frederick Beesley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
6th June 1883.
JAMES WOODWARD, of St James' Street, in the City of Westminster, Gunmaker,
and FREDERICK BEESLEY, of Queen Street, Edgware Road, both in the County
of Middlesex, Gunmaker, "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BREECH LOADING
SMALL FIRE ARMS
"
This Invention which relates to certain improvements in or applicable to breech
loading small fire arms, has especial reference to self cocking lock actions of break
down guns of the hammerless class.
A principal object of the present improvements, is to cause the weight of the
barrels in opening the same for re-charging after firing to be instrumental in
automatically effecting the cocking of the locks ready for a renewed discharge, by
a novel and improved combination of parts of a simplified and easy action.
In one modification of the Invention, the stand side of the mainspring of a bar
action lock is prolonged beyond its norinal point of bearing as in the case of what
are known as rebounding locks, but it is done so in a much reduced and lightened
form, until it comes under a forward part of the tumbler or cock against which it
is brought to bear in such a manner as will perinit of its lifting the tumbler to full
cock, when the latter is relieved in the manner hereinafter described of the greater
pressure exerted upon it in the contrary direction and in the usual manner by the
ordinary playing side of the spring. Under the playing side of the spring adjacent
to its free end there is pivotted either to the lock plate or in the body of the
breech action a tumbling lifter having a forward toe and a rear extension. The
lifter of each lock is turned upon its centre, when depressing or opening the barrels
13

page_text: to insert the cartridges, by means of a cam piece which is flattened on its upper
edge to bear along the under side of the barrels and works round the joint pin in
a recess cut in the fore end of the breech action and has a notch with which
engages the fore end of a bar or rod which slides in a way drilled through the
belly of the action rearward from the knuckle joint, and is both thrust back and
withdrawn by the cam piece. When the barrels are thus depressed or opened, the
rod of each lock is thrust back and pushing the forward toe of its lifter causes it
to turn in such a manner as that its rear extension cramps the playing side of the
mainspring up to the stand side, when, the cock, being relieved from the pressure
of the playing side of the spring, is lifted to full cock by the said extension of the
stand side of the spring, and the sear of the lock drops into its bent or notch in
the usual way. On the barrels being closed or returned to the position for firing
the gun, the playing side of the spring is released from pressure by the withdrawal
of the rod and the fall of the lifter and is free to act on the tumbler or cock in the
ordinary manner for discharging the cartridge when the tumbler is released from
the sear by the action of the trigger.
In another modification, a separate light spring may be used for cocking the
lock in lieu of extending the mainspring: but in all modifications of the present
improvements, it constitutes a principal feature that the tumbler or cock should be
cocked not directly by any main thrust of the bar or rod as has been previously
effected, but by a light extension of the mainspring or its equivalent when by the
depression or lowering of the barrels the cock is released in the manner herein
described or in any equivalent manner from the pressure of the playing side of the
spring.
The lifters, springs, and such parts of the improved lock action which have any
bearing against each other may be fitted with friction rollers to minimise the
friction and give ease to the action.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Woodward and Frederick Beesley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th December 1883.
JAMES WOODWARD, of St James' Street, in the City of Westminster, Gunmaker,
and FREDERICK BEESLEY, of Queen Street, Edgware Road, both in the County
of Middlesex, Gunmaker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BREECH LOADING
SMALL FIRE ARMS
This Invention which relates to certain improvements in or applicable to breech
loading small fire arms, has especial reference to self cocking lock actions of break
down guns of the hammerless class.
A principal object of the present improvements is to cause the weight of the
barrels when being opened for charging to be instrumental in automatically effecting
the cocking of the locks ready for a renewed discharge, in a more advantageous
way than has been hitherto effected, and by novel and improved combinations of
means of simple and easy action, and in all modifications of which it constitutes a
principal feature that the tumblers or cocks should be cocked by light extensions
of the mainsprings, or by separate springs (the equivalent of such extensions),
when by the depression or lowering of the barrels the tumblers or cocks are
released in the manner herein described or in any usual or other manner from the
pressure of the playing sides of the mainsprings.
On the accompanying drawings, Figs 1 to 4 represent one modification of
carrying the present Invention into effect, and show sufficient of a break down
gun of the hammerless class to illustrate the application of the improvements to
the self cocking lock actions thereof, the locking details for securing the barrels,
and the fore part, and other parts of the gun to which the improvements do not
particularly relate, are omitted from the drawings for facility of comprehension.
1, represents the mainspring of one of the locks, and 2, represents its stand side,
and 3, represents the prolongation thereof beyond the normal point of bearing 4;
the prolonged part 3, is made of a much reduced and lightened form, (as seen best
in Fig 3), and its extremity is hooked or otherwise formed, as shown at 5, to engage
with a stud 6, projecting from a forward part of the tumbler or cock 7. In lieu
of prolonging the mainspring as described, a separate light spring may be carried
by the lock plate and used as the equivalent of the said prolonged part 3, of the
mainspring. The parts are thus combined in such a manner as that the pro-
longation 3, or the equivalent separate spring, will effect the lifting of the tumbler to
full cock, when the tumbler is re-relieved in the manner hereinafter described of the
greater pressure exerted upon it in the contrary direction and in the usual manner
by the ordinary playing side 1, of the mainspring. The playing side of the main-
spring is linked to the tumbler at 9, in a usual manner, and under it and adjacent
to its linked end, there is pivotted at 10, either to the lock plate, or in the body
of the breech action, as shown, a tumbling lifter 11, having a forward toe 12, and a
rear extension 13, fitted with a friction roller 14. When depressing or opening
the barrels in the usual manner to insert fresh cartridges, the lifters 11, of the
locks are turned upon their pivots 10, by means of bars or rods 15, which slide in
ways 16, drilled through the belly of the action rearward from the knuckle joint 17,
and these bars are both thrust back in opening the barrels, and withdrawn in
closing them, by means of cain pieces 18, which are flat on their upper edges and
bear along the under side of the barrels 19, and are centred on the joint pin 17,
or on an independent centre, and work in recesses 20, cut in the fore end of the

page_text: breech action 21, their positions being seen best in Fig 4, and each cam has a
notch 22, with which the projecting fore end 23, of its bar or rod 15, engages.
Thus, in depressing or opening the barrels, the bars 15, of both the locks are thrust
back, and each lifter 11 is thus turned on its pivot in such a manner as to cramp
the playing side of the mainspring of its lock up or nearly up to the stand side;
the tumbler of each lock is thus relieved from the pressure of the playing side of
its mainspring, and is thereupon lifted to full cock by the extension of the stand
side of the spring, or by the equivalent separate spring, and the sear 24, of each
lock then drops into the bent or notch 25, in the tumbler in the usual way. On
the barrels being closed or returned to the position for firing, the playing sides of
the mainsprings of both locks are released from being cramped by the withdrawal
by means of the cam-pieces 18, of both the rods 15, and by the fall or withdrawal
of the lifters, and are therefore free to act on the tumblers in the ordinary
manner for discharging the cartridges (and in so doing the playing sides of the
mainsprings overcome the resistance offered by the said light extensions thereof,
or by the said equivalent light springs,) when the tumblers, are released from their
respective sears by the pulling of the respective triggers 26.
According to another modification, the campieces may be placed so as to turn
next to the front steel lump of the barrels, and may be connected at a lower part
by a cross bar, which acts on the front end of a single flat bar which slides in a
recess cut along the belly of the action from the front to the rear, where it is
formed with projecting parts or extended arms so that as the barrels drop on
being opened the bar is driven backward by the cross bar of the connected cams
and its projecting parts or arms act upon the lifters of both the locks in the same
manner as the separate rods do in the modification previously described. The bar
may be withdrawn out of the way of or together with the lifters on the closing of
the barrels by means of the forward end of the said front steel lump which may
be caused to engage with a slot made in the single part of the bar. With such an
arrangement of the single bar, the cams may be dispensed with, and the bar may
be extended through the front of the knuckle, and may then be thrust back for
cramping the playing sides of the mainsprings by the forepart, on the barrels
being opened.
The lifters, springs, and such parts of the improved lock action which have any
bearing against each other may be fitted with friction rollers to minimise the
friction and give ease to the action.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we
consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as constituting the Invention
secured to us by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
The novel and improved combination of means hereinbefore described for
utilizing the weight of the barrels of break down guns of the hammerless class on
their being opened for charging in automatically effecting the cocking of the
tumblers of the lock actions thereof, such means consisting of the following parts
or of their respective equivalents, namely, a cam or cams directly actuated by or
partaking of motion with the barrels, a bar or bars extending rearward through
the breech action and directly acted upon by the said cams, pivotted tumbler
lifters acted upon by the said bar or bars for cramping the playing sides of the
mainsprings of the lock action, and light extensions of the stand sides of the
mainsprings or separate light springs for effecting the cocking of the tumblers or
locks when the playing sides of the mainsprings are cramped; such parts being
combined and operating substantially in the mauner hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
We also claim as a principal feature of our Invention.
The improved method and means hereinbefore described of lifting the tumblers
of such lock actions to full cock namely he cramning the nleving sides of the

page_text: mninsprings, and by applying and using light extensions of the stand sides of the
springs, or separate light springs, for cocking the tumblers.
In Witness whereof we the said James Woodward and Frederick Beesley have
hereunto set our hands and Seals this 6th day of December in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and eighty three
Witness. CHARLES AUBREY DAY. Fel. Inst. P.A;
Office for Patents. Trade Marks. & Designs.
321. High Holborn. London. W.C.
JAMES WOODWARD
FREDOK BEESLEY.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)