IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Needham of Wandsworth in the County of
Surrey Gunmaker for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING
FIRE-ARMS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Needham
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd October 1883.
GEORGE HENRY NEEDHAM of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey, Gunmaker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
"
In
The first part of my invention refers to the "grip" as applied to drop down
fire-arms; I make the grip to extend from say the top to the bottom of the breech
end of the barrels, although a shorter or longer distance may in some cases be
desirable and with threads or teeth therein, the number of which may vary.
the breech block portion of the face of the action I form a slot to receive the lump
of the grip and the threads or teeth and through the breech block or partially
extending through same I form an aperture to receive a bolt or plug for locking
and holding the grip by the threads or teeth. The bolt or plug is slotted to receive
the grip and by turning the said bolt or plug the threads or teeth thereon are
brought in and between the thread or teeth on the grip and the barrels are locked.
By turning the plug in the contrary direction the slot in the plug is brought
opposite the threads or teeth on the "grip" and the barrels are free to drop. The
aperture to receive the plug may be tapped to take the plug which may have a
thread corresponding there with or in any other convenient way.
The next part of my invention refers to the cocking action. The chief object of
this part of the invention is to cause the self cocking of the fire-arm and at the
same time to produce a safety to prevent the striker falling until the safety is
released. I cause one end of what I may call a safety lever (which latter is under
control of the sportsman or other person using the piece) to act on one end of the
main spring the lower arm of which is acted on by the arm on the tail end of the
striker or tumbler and so prevents the latter falling. The swivel on the striker is
free to act on the other or upper arm of the spring when the safety lever is operated
by the person using the gun, when this is done the lower or rear end of the spring
Prine 871

page_text: is depressed and the other end raised when the tail end of the striker is free and
the same is then free to fall as soon as, but not until the trigger is pulled. The
act of releasing the safety lever allows the spring to return to its normal position
and the striker or tumbler to full cock which in fact is the normal position of the
tumbler but secured so that it cannot fall till the lever aforesaid is again operated
on as before described.
The safety lever may be operated from the underside of the hand of the stock
from the heel plate, butt end or from any other convenient position. When
operated from the heel plate a rod passing up through the stock operates on a
tail piece which latter acts on the main spring. The position of the action may be
varied for example it may be at the front or rear of the striker and according to
the position the various parts must be arranged in accordance therewith.
The extractors may be fitted to the side of the grip or lump action so that as the
barrels are brought down the extractors are operated. The lever for this purpose
is centered on the grip or lump one arm of which bears against the face of the
action when opening the piece but of course any other suitable extractor may be
used
I provide means to lock the tumbler and cocking action by means of a bolt
operating on the plug and tumblers or strikers. This bolt is formed with
indentations and projections thereon which are caused to act on a spring in the
base of the lump slot or in the rear of the action; the plug is made with an
aperture into which this spring is forced by turning the bolt, while at the same
time the tumblers are prevented from falling. This bolt is operated by means of a
key which can be removed when not required for use; by this means the action can
be locked when the gun is not in use and no one can use it until the key is
produced.
The safety lever before described is applicable for use as applied to revolving or
repeating fire-arms as well as to break barrel guns, in which case the action
described would be used to operate the rotation of the barrel and at the same time
to act as a safety as before described. In some cases the long safety lever may be
dispensed with and the action be produced from the trigger instead on the spring
or springs in connection with the tumbler or tumblers or the seer may be made to
act on the main spring

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Henry Needham in the Patent Office on the 2nd April
1884.
GEORGE HENRY NEEDHAM of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey, Gunmaker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE ARMS"
The first part of my invention refers to the "grip" as applied to drop down
firearms. I make the grip to extend from say the top to the bottom of the breech
end of the barrels although a shorter or longer distance may in some cases be
desirable and with threads or teeth therein the number of which may vary. In
the breech block portion of the face of the action I form a slot to receive the lump
of the grip and the threads or teeth and through the breech block or partially
extending through same I form an aperture to receive a bolt or plug for locking
and holding the grip by the threads or teeth. The bolt or plug is slotted to receive
the grip and by turning the said bolt or plug the threads or teeth thereon are
brought in and between the threads or teeth on the grip and the barrels are locked.
By turning the plug in the contrary direction the slot in the plug is brought
opposite the threads or teeth on the "grip" and the barrels are free to drop. The
aperture to receive the plug may be tapped to take the plug which may have a
thread corresponding therewith or in any other convenient way.
The next part of my invention refers to the cocking action. The chief object of
this part of the invention is to cause the self cocking of the firearm and at the
same time to produce a safety to prevent the striker falling until the safety is
released. I cause one end of what I may call a safety lever (which latter is under
control of the sportsman or other person using the piece) to act on one end of the
main spring the lower arm of which is acted on by the arm on the tail end of the
striker or tumbler and so prevents the latter falling. The swivel on the striker is
free to act on the other or upper arm of the spring when the safety lever is
operated by the person using the gun when this is done the lower or rear end of
the spring is depressed and the other end raised when the tail end of the striker is
free and the same is then free to fall as soon as but not until the trigger is pulled.
The act of releasing the safety lever allows the spring to return to its normal
position and the striker or tumbler to full cock which in fact is the normal position
of the tumbler, but secured so that it cannot fall till the lever aforesaid is again
operated on as before described.
The safety lever may be operated from the underside of the hand of the stock,
from the heel plate, butt end, or from any other. convenient position. When
operated from the heel plate, a rod passing up through the stock operates on a tail
piece which latter acts on the main spring. The position of the action may be
varied, for example it may be at the front or rear of the striker and according to
the position the various parts must be arranged in accordance therewith.
The extractors may be fitted to the side of the grip or lump action so that as the
barrels are brought down the extractors are operated. The lever for this purpose
is centred on the grip or lump one arm of which bears against the face of the
action when opening the piece but of course any other suitable extractor may
be used.
I provide means to lock the tumbler and cocking action by means of a bolt
operating on the plug and tumblers or strikers. This bolt is formed with
indentations and projections thereon which are caused to act on a spring in the
base of the lump slot or in the rear of the action; the plug is made with an
aperture into which this spring is forced by turning the bolt, while at the same
time the tumblers are prevented from falling.

page_text: This bolt is operated by means of a key which can be removed when not required
for use, by this means the action can be locked when the gun is not in use and no
one can use it until the key is produced.
The safety lever before described is applicable for use as applied to revolving or
repeating firearms as well as to break barrel guns, in which case the action
described would be used to operate the rotation of the barrel and at the same time
to act as a safety as before described. In some cases the long safety lever may be
dispensed with and the action be produced from the trigger instead on the spring or
springs in connection with the tumbler or tumblers or the sear may be made to act
on the main spring.
In order that my Invention may be more fully understood I will now proceed to
more fully describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of so much of a fire-arm constructed according
to my invention, showing the barrel open, as will be necessary to illustrate the
grip action of the firearm; it will be noticed that most of the cocking action is
removed. Figure 2 is a plan of same with the barrel closed. Figure 3 shows in
part sectional elevation a somewhat modified form of grip action to that just
illustrated. Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a firearm showing my
improved cocking action as applied thereto; Figure 5 is a plan view of so much of
this action as will be necessary to explain same. Figure 6 shows the tumbler with
the locking key applied thereto. Figures 7 and 8 are views of the locking pin
and key for same detached. Figure 9 is an outside view of that part of the
breech where the locking pin may be inserted. Figures 10, 11, and 12 are
respectively section, elevation, and plan, of the plug. Figure 13 is a sectional
elevation of a modified form of cocking action operated from the heel plate, and
Figure 14 is another somewhat modified arrangement of cocking action from the
arrangement shown at Figure 4. Figure 15 is a sectional side elevation of so
much of a revolving firearm with my improvements applied thereto as will be
necessary to explain this part of my invention. Similar letters of reference refer
to like parts in all the figures.
a, a', show the barrels of the firearm, b is the grip or lump and 6₁ the teeth
thereon, c is the slot in the face of the action; d is the bolt or plug in same,"
detached views of which are shown at Figures 10, 11 and 12; a modified arrange-
ment of this bolt being shown at Figure 3 where the bolt is made of a series of
rings as shewn in the drawings; e shows the slot in the plug; fis the lever for
operating the plug d. In Figure 1 the plug d is screwed into the action from
above, and in Figure 3 it is inserted from the underside of the gun. g is the
safety lever, pivotted at h and provided with pins or projections at i. k is the
main spring on which the pins i act through a projection k¹ on same; k is the pin
on which the main spring works. k³ is the lower arm of the main spring; is
the striker or tumbler pivotted at 12; the tail end of the striker or tumbler;
m is the swivel or link pivotted at m' on to the arm of the striker or tumbler;
is the upper arm of the mainspring which takes into the link m; n n are the
triggers; o is the sear and o¹ the sear spring; at Figure 4 the sear and spring are
shown made out of one piece of metal; at Figures 13 and 14 they are shown as
being made of separate parts; o' is the tail piece which acts on the mainspring;
p is the heel plate hinged at p¹; p³ is the rod (which may be in a tube as shown
and which tube may also serve as a breech pin to fix the action to the stock)
passing from the heel plate up the stock to the tail piece o³, Figure 13; where
the action is shown in the front of the striker whereas at Figures 1, 4 and 5 this
action is shown in the rear of the striker. In Figure 14 the mainspring is operated
on by the tail piece of which latter is operated by the lever g². In Figure 13 the
main spring is shown as being operated by the tail piece o³, rod p', and the heel
plate p. In Figure 4 the mainspring is operated on by the safety lever g without
the intervention, as is the case in Figures 13 and 14, of any intermediate parts;
sometimes the mainspring may be caused to act on the tumbler without the link m,
in which case the spring acts on a projection m on the tumbler shown at

page_text: Figures 13 and 14; a similar arrangement is applicable to a back action; qq are
the extractors one only of which is shown in the drawing; q¹ Figure 3 is the
lever for operating the extractor; q' is the lever centre on the lump b; q is the
groove in the face of the action to receive the arm q¹ of the extractor as the barrels
are closed; r is the locking bolt shown detached at Figure 7; 1, 71, are the
indentations or recesses on bolt which allow for the fall of the tumbler; 2, 3, are
the indentations which act on the plug; 8, Figures 1 and 3 is the spring in the
base of the action; s¹ is the aperture in the plug d, into which the spring & takes
or is forced by the turning of the bolt r; t Figure 8 is the key for turning this
locking bolt Figure 7 which key fits on the square end of the locking bolt shown
at Figure 9. This bolt may be placed in any other suitable position in the
action provided the key, which is in all cases detachable, can be easily inserted to
operate the bolt.
At Figure 15 which shows a repeating firearm the parts are marked with
corresponding letters, g shows the safety lever extending to the barrel cylinder a¹
or nearly so; h is the point at which the safety lever is pivoted; gl shows the
continuation or prolongation of the safety lever; g³ is the hook or pawl which
operates on the ratchet of the cylinder; g³ is a spring for keeping the hook g³
against the face of the ratchet g².
The action of the break barrel guns shown in the drawings is as follows:-
Supposing the firearm to be closed and locked and no cartridges in the barrels,
then the key t is inserted into the aperture containing the bolt into or onto the
square or other shaped end of which the key is placed; on giving the key a half
turn or thereabouts the bolt r is revolved, from the position shown at Figure 4 to
that shown at Figures 1, 3 and 6, moving the half round of the bolt r clear of the
tumbler 7, and at the same time allowing the spring 8 to fall clear of the alot 8¹ of
the plug d, the gun is then unlocked and can be opened by the lever f. (which
lever fmay be closed automatically by a spring) being put into the position shown by
the dotted lines Figure 2, this movement bringing the slot e in the plug & opposite
the lump 6 thus withdrawing the teeth or threads of the plug d from the corre-
sponding apertures of the grip b, the barrels then fall; the cartridges are inserted
and the barrels closed, the locking being effected by the reverse action of the
mechanism just described operated by the lever f, which is then brought into the
position shown by the full lines in Figure 2. The holding power thus obtained by
the teeth of the plug d entering into the corresponding spaces on the lump 6 is very
great and so long as the safety lever g remains in the position shown at Figure 4
the tumbler cannot fall even if the trigger n is pulled, but to enable this to be
accomplished, or in other words, to enable the tumbler or striker to fall and explode
the cartridge, press the safety lever upwards in the direction of the arrow, the safety
lever turns on the pivot h and the pin i presses or acts on the projection k¹ of the
mainspring, which latter being pivotted at 4, causes by its upper arm k³, an
upward elastic pressure on the link m, which link being pivotted at m¹ to the tail
end of the striker 1, the latter is free to fall as soon as the trigger n is pulled.
When the trigger is pulled, the safety lever still being kept pressed up in the
direction of the arrow, the tumbler or striker falls and explodes the cartridge, the
mainspring k on the safety lever being released bringing the striker back to its
original position, owing to the arm of the mainspring pressing on the tail end
of the striker 7, and on releasing the safety lever g, the parts are again in their
normal position, and the tumbler or striker cannot fall until the safety lever g is
again raised; on opening the breech the cartridge cases are extracted by the
extractor q Figure 3, or by any other approved extractor, another form of which is
shown at Figure 1. When the gun is not required to be used the key t is used to
turn the bolt r, whereby the half round portion of the bolt is brought into the
corresponding recesses in the tumblers or strikers, and thus preventing them from
falling, and the indentation is brought under the spring 8, thus forcing the
latter into the slot 8² in the plug d and the gun cannot possibly be opened or used
without the key.

page_text: The action of the arrangements shown at Figures 13 and 14 is substantially the
same as that described with reference to the previous Figures, only the operation
as before stated on the mainspring by the safety lever is indirect instead of direct,
and the action is obtained from the heel plate p in the one case, and the lever g* in
the other,
The action of the revolver so far as the safety lever is concerned is similar to the
action before described, except that the prolongation g' of the safety lever g, passes
through a slot in the face of the action to operate the usual ratchet on the cylinder
or barrels, so that the motion of the safety lever g in bringing upward pressure to
bear on the link or part m causes the end g¹ to operate on the barrels or chamber a¹
The position of the ratchet may be changed by bringing it to the interior by
prolonging the pivot of the barrels or cylinder, and fixing the ratchet on end of
same. The shape of the various parts composing the firearm action must be
necessarily varied to suit the class of arm to which it is to be applied.
Although I have described my invention as particularly applicable to break down
firearms yet it is to be understood that the several parts of the invention are
applicable to other firearms which are not break barrel firearms.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my aforesaid "Improvements in
breechloading firearms,
First In drop down firearms the construction of the grip with teeth, in
combination with a slotted plug or bolt, having teeth thereon, which lock and
unlock with the teeth on the grip, all operating and arranged in manner
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Second: The self-cocking action, in and by the employment of the safety
lever g, acting directly, or indirectly on the mainspring of the action, and operated
by the hand or shoulder of the operator, all substantially as herein before described
and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, together with my
mere modification thereof.
Third-The cartridge extractor, constructed as described, in combination with
the grip locking action, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with
reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth-The employment of a locking bolt, operated by a detachable key, for
locking the grip or tumblers (or strikers) or both, when the firearm is not required
for use substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fifth: The application to, and the combination with, repeating firearms of the
safety lever g, constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated with reference to Figure 15 of the accompanying
drawings.
Sixth-The general arrangement and combination of parts of firearms
substantially as, and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated
with reference to the accompanying drawings
In witness whereof I the said George Henry Needham have hereunto set my
hand and seal this First day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
GEORGE HENRY NEEDHAM (L.S.)