IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS.
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Francis Augustus Braendlin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1878.
FRANCIS AUGUSTUS BRAENDLIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS.'
"
My Invention has reference to those kinds of breech-loading small-arms in
which the breech is opened and closed by a hinged rising and falling block, working
in the body or shoe of the small-arm. And my said Invention consists of the
improvements herein-after described in the said breech-loading small-arms.
My improvements are particularly applicable to the breech-loading rifles commonly
called Martini rifles, and I will describe them as applied to such rifles, but my said
improvements may also be applied to other rifles and guns having hinged rising
and falling breech blocks.
My Invention consists, first, of the following construction and combination of
parts, having for their object to enable the barrel of the rifle to be readily cleaned
from the breech end. Instead of jointing the block to the rear end of the breech
shoe by a pin passed through a tubular knuckle at the rear end of the block as
usual, I use a block, the rear jointed end of which has a forked figure, that is, on
each side of the rear end of the block a short knuckle or tubular branch is made so
as to leave a space at the middle of the block between the said knuckles or branches.
The block is hinged or jointed to the shoe by two screw pins, each pin being passed
through the side of the shoe and made to take into the knuckle or branch of the
block situated at the side of the shoe. The middle of the rear end of the breech
shoe contiguous to the jointed end of the block is cut away to a depth equal to the
depth of the channel in the top of the breech block, and of a width equal to the
space between the two side knuckles of the block. The depth of the opening at
the rear of the breech shoe may be varied, but I prefer to make it so deep that its
bottom is on a level or nearly so with the axis of the barrel. By this construction
and combination of parts the opening at the rear of the shoe forms with the groove
in the top of the block a continuous channel from the rear of the shoe to the barrel,
and on lowering the breech block in the shoe the cleaning rod or ramrod may
Price 2d1

page_text: readily be introduced through the opening at the rear of the shoe into the barrel,
and the said barrel thus cleaned from the breech end. This arrangement also
enables longer cartridges than usual to be readily introduced into the barrels of
the guns and rifles.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following improvements in hinged rising
and falling block guns or rifles having internal cocking mechanism, such as the
Martini rifles, my said improvements having for their object to enable the trigger
to be more readily manipulated by the hand.
In the Martini and other rifles the trigger is situated some distance in front of
the hand lever by which the breech and cocking mechanisms are worked.
By my improvements the trigger is arranged nearer to the butt end of the rifle
than usual, and is situated nearly in contact with the hand lever, and the trigger is
in consequence within easy reach of the hand for manipulating it.
According to this part of my Invention I make the sear and trigger of separate
parts, and I joint the sear within the trigger plate, the said sear being pressed into
its acting position to engage with the tumbler of the lock mechanism by a spring.
On the side of the sear is a stud or projection, and the inner short arm of the
trigger is pressed upon by the said stud on the sear. When the trigger is pulled,
its inner short arm acting on the stud of the sear lifts the latter from the tumbler
for discharging.the rifle.
I do not limit myself to this method of working the separate sear, as the latter
may be connected to the trigger by a swivel joint or other connection.
In order that the trigger may be situated near to the hand lever without
interfering with the motion of the said hand lever, a slot is cut through the said
hand lever, so that when the hand lever is in its depressed or normal position it
takes upon the rear end of the trigger guard, the said end of the trigger guard
passing through the said slot in the band lever. When the hand lever is raised to
open the breech it moves from off the trigger guard.
For the purpose of obviating the cutting through of the hand lever, either a
recess may be made in the lever into which the rear end of the trigger guard
passes, or the hand lever may be cranked at that part which passes over the
trigger guard, that portion of the lever below the cranked part lying on one side
only of the shoe.