IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE FOR SINGLE OR DOUBLE BARRELS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Turner, junior, of the Firm of Turner and
Son, Gun Manufacturers, and Government Contractors, of Fisher Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
FOR SINGLE OR DOUBLE BARRELS."
Sealed the 4th April 1865, and dated the 19th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th October 1864.
I, THOMAS TURNER, junior, of the Firm of Turner and Son, Gun Manu-
facturers and Government Contractors, of Fisher Street, Birmingham,' in the
County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE FOR SINGLE OR DOUBLE BARRELS," to be as follows, (that is to say) :-
My improvements apply to the description of guns known as Lefaucheux's
and refer to the means of constructing and actuating the detent that holds the
barrel or barrels in position, which consists of a plate lying on the seer or
trigger-plate, the wood of the stock being slightly cut away for receiving it.
The end of this plate nearest the breech is so formed as to grip the detent,
which is held in position by a spring on the inside of the break-off, while the

page_text: other end of the plate is connected with a small lever working on a fulcrum
secured or formed on the inside of the seer plate behind the guard..
This lever works through the seer plate and lies close in contact with the
back part of the guard, its extreme end being curved around to form a finger-
hold for pulling it back, and with it the plate and detent, so as to free the de-
tent from the corresponding catch placed immediately below the breech end
of the barrel or barrels, the plate before referred to having an opening formed
in it for allowing the trigger or triggers, with their corresponding parts, to work
free between.
The improvement thus described is simple but highly efficient and economic
but may be capable of some modification; as for instance, instead of the spring
acting directly upon the detent, it may be placed in connection with the lever
and rear end of the plate, and the detent so formed with or united to the
fore end of the plate as to permit, as in the former case, of its being readily
actuated by the lever herein-before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Turner, junior, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, THOMAS
TURNER, junior, of the Firm of Turner and Son, Gun Manufacturers, and
Government Contractors, of Fisher Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Turner, junior, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Turner, junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Turner, junior, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
FOR SINGLE OR DOUBLE BARRELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Turner, junior, by an instrument in writing under my hand and

page_text: seal, 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 im-.
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the Said Thomas Turner, junior, do herebyi
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner, the same, is
to be performed, to be particularly described. and ascertained. in, and by.
the following statement:-
My improvements apply to the description of guns known as "Lefaucheux"
and refer to the position and means of constructing and actuating the..detent:
that holds the barrel or barrels in place, which consist of a plate lying.on:
the sear or trigger plate, the wood of the stock being. slightly. cut away..for:
receiving it; the end of. this plate. nearest the. breech is so.formed as to.grip
the detent, which is held in position by a spring on the inside of the break-off,.
while the other end of the plate is connected with a small lever. working on a
fulcrum secured or formed on the inside of the sear plate behind the guard
This lever works through the sear plate, and .lies close in contact with the..
back part of the guard, its extreme end. being curved around,. or otherwise.
shaped to form a convenient finger hold or means for pulling it back, and with
it the plate before referred to and: detent so as to free the detent from the
corresponding catch placed immediately below the breech end of the barrel or
barrels; the said plate having an opening formed in it for allowing the trigger
or triggers with their corresponding parts to work free between:
The improvements thus described are simple but highly efficient and
economic, and capable of some modification, as for instance, instead of the
spring acting directly upon the detent it may be placed in connection with the
lever and rear end of the plate, and the detent so formed with or united to the
fore end of the plate, as to permit, as in the former case, of its being readily.
actuated by the lever at the back of the guard as herein-before described..
"
But in order to be well. and fully understood as to the nature, object, and
extent of my. Invention; I will proceed to describe the Drawings bereunto
annexed; reference being made to the Figures and letters marked. thereon,
observing that to avoid confusion the same parts. as they occur. in the various
views are marked with the same letters of reference.
Fig. 1.represents, drawn half size, a side view of a double-barrelled gun
embodying my improvements which in reality are limited as far as this view.is
concerned to the small lever, marked. A standing at the back of the trigger
guard B, the lower end of the part. A being. checkered for the more convenient:
engagement with the finger for pulling it back as a means of freeing the breech

page_text: end of the barrels for the insertion of the cartridges as at C, from the corres-
ponding part of the break-off D; and Fig. 2 is also a side view as at Figure 1,
with the exception that the wood and a. part of the front barrel is.removed
for the purpose of exhibiting the action, which is shown in section, but I will
limit this description to the new parts.
a is a catch which engages by means of its inclined end with the corresponding
part marked 6 of the breech end of the barrels, the catch a is held. in position
by a small spring secured on the under side of the break-off marked c, shown:
separate also marked c, at Fig. 3, and has a free action independent of the
means of pulling_back_as_will_be.hereafter referred to. At the back end.of.the.
catch a..a projection is formed downwards marked d, for engaging with a plate:
marked c, which works along. on the inside of the trigger plate and has two
projecting, ears. that project up each side of the detent a, one of which is shown
in dotted lines in this. view marked n. At the rear end of this plate, e.a small
slot is formed through which the lever A passes to be united to an axis passing
through the trigger plate ġ, which is held in position by the screw m passing
into the wood of the stock, and by the screws p, p, which screw into the solid
part connected with the break-off shown in an entire detached view at Fig. 9.
Thus it will be seen that by pulling back the lower end of the lever.A, the
catch a will be pulled out of the detent b; and the barrels by the weight of
the fore-end and working on the hinge joint h, will drop down forward, placing
the stock, barrels, and parts in position. as shown at Fig. 4; but by removing
the finger loosely sketched in dotted lines, from the lever A, the catch a will
assume the position shown in Figure 2 by the counteracting force of the spring
c, and the barrels being brought into a horizontal direction the inclined part.
b will strike against. the corresponding inclined surface of the catch a, forcing
it back and when they pass each other the catch will spring forward, and
complete the engagement or detention of the barrels in position while the plate
e with lever A will be perfectly at rest, as the. catch a has an independent
motion that permits it to: retire from the inclined part of the detent b, without
affecting the other parts. The extreme breech.end is, shown in side and end.
views at Fig. 5, showing the true position and inclined part of the detent.
marked b, and Fig. 6 is simply a top view of Figure 3, the dotted line k, k,
shows the position of the axis on which the. lever A works, also the opening
or slot I, 1, for the, triggers to. work through, and this same plate I have shown
detached in top and edge views at Fig. 7 marked as in the other. Figures; e
showing the ears marked n that clip the catch a, and at Fig. 8. I have likewise.
represented in side and top.views the catch a.
⚫ In these several views and details I have accurately described my Invention

page_text: and the best mode I have discovered of giving it effect, notwithstanding instead
of actuating the catch or detent a by the spring c as therein shown, other
equivalent means may be adopted, as a spring may be conveniently applied on
the inside of the trigger plate behind the part f, its free end being brought in
contact with the upper or curved end of the lever A or otherwise if so preferred,
the forward end of the plate e and rear end of the catch a being fashioned for
that mode of actuating, and again, instead of fashioning the end of the lever
as exhibited at A, which may be objected to from its projection, it may be
made of the same shape as the corresponding part of the guard and with
lateral projections at its extreme end for the finger and thumb to clip for the
purpose of pulling it back in contradistinction to effecting this as herein-before
exhibited, and this form of lever I have exhibited with the guard. in dotted
lines in a side view at Fig. 10, and a front view of the lever. showing the lateral
projections at Fig. 11.
Thus it will be seen that my Invention is limited to the 'manner.of actuating.
the detent in the description of guns herein exhibited and which I claim as
new and of my Invention, and wish protected by these my in part recited.
Letters Patent..
In witness whereof I, the said Thomas Turner, junior, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS TURNER, JUNIOR. (L.S..)
Witness
WILLIAM LOACH,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.