IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."—-A com-
munication from abroad by Eli Whitney, of New Haven, in the
State of Connecticut, United States of America.
Sealed the 16th October 1875, and dated the 22nd April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd April 1875.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,” a
communication to me from abroad by Eli Whitney, of New Haven, in
the State of Connecticut, United States of America, to be as follows:—
This Invention relates to an improvement in that class of breech-
loading fire-arms in which the breech block is moved vertically in a
mortise to open and close the breech.

page_text: The Invention consists in certain new and useful combinations of a
barrel open at the breech and rigidly attached to the frame with a
vertically guided breech piece and an operating lever hung in rear of
said breech piece and working in a mortise in the frame, the said lever
and breech piece so connected at the forward end of said lever that the
downward movement of said forward end in the arc of a circle causes a
corresponding vertical downward movement of the breach piece to open
the barrel, and the return of the said lever in like manner raises the
breech picce to close the barrel, as more fully herein-after described.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view; Fig. 2 a plan or
top viow; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section,
the parts in the position of breech when open; and Fig. 5, a view of
detached part.
A is the frame, to the forward end of which the barrel B is attached
in the usual manner for breech-loading fire-arms, the rear end opening
into a mortise A¹ in the frame in rear of the barrel; in the forward end
of this mortise the breech piece O is placed, the mortise for the length
of the breech piece being wider so as to form shoulders a, sco Figure 2,
between which and the extreme forward end of the mortise the breech
piece will move freely up and down, the shoulders a forming guides for
the proper vertical movement of the breech piece, and also bearings to
sustain the breech piece in resisting the recoil of the explosion. In rear
of the breech piece the operating lever D is hung upon a pivot D³, the
other arm D² of the lever extending back upon the upper side of the
frame, and so that by raising the rear end D2 the lever turns upon
the pivot D¹, the forward end D will be correspondingly depressed, as
seen in Fig. 4. The forward end of the lover is hung to the breech
piece, so that as the forward end of the lever is depressed it carries down
the breech piece, and returning raises the breech piece; this is best
done by cars a on the lever working in corresponding recesses in the
breech piece. The upper surface of the forward part D of the lever and
the upper surface of the breech piece are made concave transversely so
as to form a conductor when down, as in Fig. 4, to guide the cartridge
into the barrel. In rear of the pivot D¹ the hammer E is hung upon its
pivot E¹, and extends up through a mortise E* in the rear part of the
lever so as to be cocked by means of the thumb piece E', caught by the
trigger E³, and actuated by the mainspring E³ substantially in the usual
manner. In the breech piece the firing pin F is arranged in substantialy.

page_text: the usual manner for central or rim fire, as the case may be. Through
the lever D an auxiliary pin F is arranged, extending from the principal
pin F to the rear, where the nose of the hammer will strike it, as in
Fig. 3, the blow of the hammer communicated to the cartridge through
the pins F¹ and F. The rear end D² of the lever is secured to the frame
by a latch D³, as seen in Fig. 3; this holds the breech piece up in
position for firing and is released by raising the latch handle D', as
denoted in broken lines.
The novel method of hanging the lever D constitutes an important
feature in these improvements. The mortise in which the lever
works does not extend quite back to the hammer opening, but leaves
a bridge A between the hammer and the lever mortise. The lever
extends down into the mortise in front of the bridge A* of the frame,
thus forming a shoulder on the lever against the said bridge A*.
The pivot D cuts away the angle of this shoulder in the lever and a
portion of the said bridge A³, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, the larger part
of the pivot being in the lever, but the rear side of the pivot bears on the
frame; this gives a firm and solid bearing for the lever, and this bearing
being in a central line with the barrel it follows that the shortest
distance from the pivot to the front face of the breech piece is when the
brecch is closed, hence the lever may be brought to a solid bearing
against the breech piece when closed, as seen in Fig. 3, and thus
materially aid the shoulders a in resisting the recoil. The bearing of
the lever coming solidly against the frame at A² there is no such strain
upon the pivot as would be the case if it were supported by its two ends
only in the sides of the frame. This construction also enables the
opening of the breech to set the hammer at half-cock by means of a
spindle L in the part A³ of the frame extending from below the pivot
up to the hammer. When the breech is closed, as in Fig. 3, the said
spindle lies forward, its end against the lever D, hence when the lever D
is depressed it will impart to the spindle a rearward movement, as
denoted in Fig. 4. The rear end of the spindle bearing against the
hammer forces it back to half-cock, as shewn in Fig. 4. The raising of
the lever D allows the spindle to return, leaving the hammer at half-
cock.
In order to withdraw the firing pin by the movement of the breech
stud fextends from the pin F through a slot in the breech piece into

page_text: As the movement of the breech piece is vertical, while that of the
cars is in the arc of a circle away from the breech piece, it follows that
thus connecting the firing pin F with the lever it will receive a rear
movement according to the arc of the circle in which the lever moves, and
this is sufficient to retract the firing pin at least as much, and probably
more, than the required protrusion from the breech picce, and that in
returning the firing pin may remain in the retracted position the ear of
the lever is slotted, so that having in its descent withdrawn the firing
pin on its return the slot will pass over the pin without returning so far
as to protrude from the face of the breech piece. P, P', are the two
arms of a bell-crank lever ejector hung in the frame upon a pivot r,
forward of the rear end of the barrel, one arm P extending up to about
the central line of the barrel, and in such relative position to the bore
of the barrel that the rim of the cartridge will lie against its rear side
in like manner as for similar ejectors in other arms.
The other arm P'
extends rearward into a recess n in the breech piece, this recess
forming a shoulder m on the breech piece at such point relative to the
vertical movement of the breech piece that so soon as the breech picce
has passed below the head of the cartridge, the shoulder m will strike
the arm P¹ of the ejector, and the completion of the downward move-
ment of the breech piece imparts a quick turn to the lever, sufficient to
eject the exploded shell or cartridge, as the case may be. This method
of ejecting the cartridge necessitates the movement of the breech piece
below the bore of the barrel. To conveniently insert the cartridge, it is
desirable to bring the breech piece up above the lower side of the bore
of the barrel, because in the act of inserting the cartridge the breech
piece is unavoidably depressed, unless it be brought to a dead stop in
line with the barrel, and this is difficult to do; to thus raise the breech
piece a little above the lower side of the barrel, the turning of the
lever D in opening the breech is made to force the hammer back a little
beyond half-cock, as seen in Fig. 4, hence so soon as the lever is free
the power of the mainspring will be exerted upon the lever D through
the spindle L, and force the lever to rise until the hammer arrives and
is arrested at half-cock; this brings the breech piece slightly above the
lower side of the barrel, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 4; then
the unavoidable depression which comes upon the breech piece and
lever in the act of inserting the cartridge will not carry it below
the lower side of the barrel; for this depression the mainspring readily
vields.

page_text: In order that the breech piece may be closed by the act of cocking the
hammer and thereby avoid the necessity of an independent movement
of the hand to do so, as well as to insure the proper closing of the
breech before firing, the rear side of the thumb piece E' in cocking the
hammer will bear against the rear end of the mortise E³ and force down
that end of the lever until it is latched in the position of the breech
closed, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 3, and this latching occurs just
as the hammer passes on to the full-cock.
For the purpose of securing the two pivots D' and E' in place, one of
the pivots here represented as D' is constructed with an arm D' to
extend on the outside of the frame, over the end of the other pivot, as
seen in Figures 1 and 1ª, and in line with the other pivot E¹; the arm D'
is tapped to receive a corresponding screw thread on the pivot E¹; the
said pivot E¹ is formed with a head to take a bearing from the opposite
3 direction, as seen in Fig. 1°, hence when the two pivots are in place, each
secures the other, and either may be removed without the other. This
device is applicable to arms of other construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
123, Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special
licence that J, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, adminis-
O trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Thomas
Hughes, my executors, administrators, and 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
5 and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention

page_text: for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication to
me from abroad by Eli Whitney, of New Haven, in the State of
Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 calondar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that
is to say):
This Invention relates to an improvement in that class of breech-
loading fire-arms in which the breech block is moved vertically in a
mortise to open and close the breech.
The Invention consists in certain new and useful combinations of a
barrel open at the breech and rigidly attached to the frame with a
vertically guided breech piece and an operating lever hung in rear of
said breech picce and working in a mortise in the frame, the said lever
and breech piece so connected at the forward end of said lover that tho
downward movement of said forward end in the arc of a circle causes a
corresponding vertical downward movement of the breech piece to open
the barrel, and the return of the said lever in like manner raises the
breech piece to close the barrel as more fully herein-after described.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a plan
or top view; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section; Fig. 4, a longitudinal
section, the parts in the position of breech when open; and Fig. 5, a ¦
view of detached part.
A is the frame, to the forward end of which the barrel B is attached
in the usual manner for breech-loading firc-arms, the rear end opening
into a mortise A¹ in the frame in rear of the barrel. In the forward
end of this mortise the breech piece O is placed, the mortise for the
length of the breech piece being wider so as to form shoulders a, see
Figure 2, between which and the extreme forward end of the mortise

page_text: the breech piece will move freely up and down, the shoulders a forming
guides for the proper vertical movement of the breech piece, and also
bearings to sustain the breech piece in resisting the recoil of the
explosion. In rear of the breech piece the operating lever D is hung
upon a pivot D¹, the other arm D³ of the lever extending back upon the
upper side of the frame, and so that by raising the rear end D³ the lever
turns upon the pivot D'; the forward end D will be correspondingly
depressed, as seen in Fig. 4. The forward end of the lever is hung to
the breech piece, so that as the forward end of the lever is depressed it
carries down the breech piece, and returning raises the breech piece ;
this is best done by cars a on .the lever working in corresponding
recesses in the breech picco. The upper surface of the forward part D
of the lever and the upper surface of the breech piece are made concave
transversely, so as to form a conductor when down, as in Fig. 4, to guide
the cartridge into the barrel. In rear of the pivot D¹ the hammer E is
hung upon its pivot E³, and extends up through a mortise E in the rear
part of the lever, so as to be cocked by means of the thumb piece E',
caught by the trigger E³, and actuated by the mainspring E³, sub-
stantially in the usual manner. In the breech picco the firing pin F is
arranged in substantially the usual manner for central or rim fire, as
the case may be. Through the lover D an auxiliary pin F¹ is arranged,
extending from the principal pin F to the rear, where the nose of the
hammer will strike it, as in Fig. 3, the blow of the hammer com-
municated to the cartridge through the pins F¹ and F. The rear end D³
of the lever is secured to the frame by a latch D³, as seen in Fig. 3;
this holds the breech piece up in position for firing, and is released by
raising the latch handle D', as denoted in broken lincs.
The novel method of hanging the lever D constitutes an important
feature in these improvements. The mortise in which the lever works
does not extend quite back to the hammer opening, but leaves a
bridge A between the hammer and the levor mortise. The lever
extends down into the mortise in front of the bridge A² of the frame,
thus forming a shoulder on the lever against the said bridge A². The
pivot D cuts away the angle of this shoulder in the lever and a portion
of the said bridge A², as seen in Figures 3 and 4, the larger part of the
pivot being in the lever, but the rear side of the pivot bears on the
frame. This gives a firm and solid bearing for the lever, and this bearing
being in a central line with the barrel it follows that the shortest

page_text: distance from the pivot to the front face of the breech piece is when the
breech is closed, hence the lever may be brought to a solid bearing
against the breech piece when closed, as seen in Fig. 3, and thus
materially aid the shoulders a in resisting the recoil. The bearing of
the lever coming solidly against the frame at A* there is no such strain
upon the pivot as would be the case if it were supported by its two ends
only in the sides of the frame. This construction also enables the
opening of the breech to set the hammer at half-cock by means of a
spindle L in the part A³ of the frame extending from below the pivot
up to the hammer. When the breech is closed, as in Fig. 3, the said 1
spindle lies forward, its end against the lever D, hence when the lever D
is depressed it will impart to the spindle a rearward movement, as
denoted in Fig. 4. The rear end of the spindle bearing against the
hammer forces it back to half-cock, as shown in Fig. 4; the raising of
the lever D allows the spindle to return, leaving the hammer at half- ]
cock.
In order to withdraw the firing pin by the movement of the breech, a
stud ƒ extends from the pin F through a slot in the brocch piece into
one of the ears a of the lever D, as seen in Figures 4 and 5.
As the movement of the breech piece is vertical, while that of the ears 2
is in the arc of a circle away from the breech piece, it follows that thus
connecting the firing pin F with the lever it will receive a rear move-
ment according to the arc of the circle in which the lever moves, and
this is sufficient to retract the firing pin at least as much, and probably
more, than the required protrusion from the breech piece, and that 2
in returning the firing pin may remain in the retracted position the ear
of the lever is slotted, so that having in its descent withdrawn the firing
pin on its return the slot will pass over the pin without returning so far
as to protrude from the face of the breech piece. P, P¹, are the two arms
of a bell-crank lever ejector hung in the frame upon a pivot forward of 3
the rear end of the barrel, one arm P extending up to about the central
line of the barrel, and in such relative position to the bore of the barrel
that the rim of the cartridge will lie against its rear side in like manner,
as for similar ejectors in other arms. The other arm P¹ extends rearward
into a recess n in the breech piece, this recess forming a shoulder m on 3
the breech piece at such point relative to the vertical movement of the
breech picce, that so soon as the breech piece has passed below the head
of the cartridge the shoulder m will strike the arm P¹ of the ejector, and

page_text: the completion of the downward movement of the breech piece imparts
a quick turn to the lever, sufficient to eject the exploded shell or
cartridge, as the case may be. This method of ejecting the cartridge
necessitates the movement of the breech piece below the bore of the
barrel. To conveniently insert the cartridge it is desirable to bring the
breech piece up above the lower side of the bore of the barrel, because
in the act of inserting the cartridge the breech piece is unavoidably
depressed, unless it be brought to a dead stop in line with the barrel,
and this is difficult to do; to thus raise the breech piece a little above
the lower side of the barrel the turning of the lever D in opening the
breech is made to force the hammer back a little beyond half-
cock, as seen in Fig. 4, hence so soon as the lever is free the power of
the mainspring will be exerted upon the lever D through the spindle L,
and force the lever to rise until the hammer arrives and is arrested at
half-cock; this brings the breech piece slightly above the lower side of
the barrel, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 4; then the unavoidable
depression which comes upon the breech piece and lever in the act of
inserting the cartridge will not carry it below the lower side of the
barrel; for this depression the mainspring readily yields.
In order that the breech picco may be closed by the act of cocking
the hammer, and thereby avoid the necessity of an independent move-
ment of the hand to do so, as well as to ensure the proper closing of the
breech before firing, the rear side of the thumb piece E' in cocking the
hammer will bear against the rear end of the mortise E³, and force down
that end of the lever until it is latched in the position of the breech
closed, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 3, and this latching occurs just
as the hammer passes on to the full-cock.
For the purpose of securing the two pivots D¹ and E' in place, one of
the pivots here represented as D' is constructed with an arm D³ to
extend on the outside of the frame over the end of the other pivot, as
seen in Figures 1 and 1ª, and in line with the other pivot E¹; the arm D'
is tapped to receive a corresponding screw thread on the pivot E¹; the
said pivot E' is formed with a head to take a bearing from the opposite
direction, as seen in Fig. 1", hence when the two pivots are in place,
each secures the other, and either may be removed without the other.
This device is applicable to arms of other construction.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention,

page_text: First. The combination of a barrel open at the breech, a vertically
sliding breech picce, a lever pivoted in rear of said breech piece, the
forward arm of which is in connection with said breech piece, the other
arm extending in the rear of the pivot above the frame; the arrange-
ment of the parts being substantially such as described, whereby the
raising of the rear arm of the said lever throws down the said breech
piece to open the barrel, and returning, said lever raises the said breech
picce to close the barrel.
Second. The combination of a barrel open at the breech, a vertically
sliding breech piece provided with a loose firing pin, a lever pivoted in
rear of said breech piece, the forward arm of which is in connection
with said breech piece and provided with an auxiliary firing pin, the
other arm extending to the rear of said pivot above the frame; tho
arrangement of the said pivot being such relatively to the said vertically
sliding breechi pieco that the shortest distance between said pivot and
the forward or closing surface of said breech picce is when the breech
is closed, and that the are described by the forward end of the lever
in opening the breech will cause said forward end of the lever to retreat
from the breech piece, substantially as described.
Third. The combination of a barrel open at the breech, a vertically
sliding breech piece provided with a loose firing pin, a lever pivoted
in rear of said breech piece, the forward arm of which is in connection
with said breech picce and provided with an auxiliary firing pin, the
other arm extending to the rear of said pivot above the frame, the
arrangement of the said pivot being such relatively to the said
vertically sliding breech piece, that the shortest distance between said
pivot and the forward or closing surface of said breech piece is when
the breech is closed, and that the arc described by the forward end of
the lever in opening the breech will cause said forward end of the lever
to retreat from the breech picce and the said lever connected to the
principal firing pin, so that said retreating movement of the lever will
withdraw said principal firing pin, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of a barrel open at the breech, a vertically
sliding brecch piece, a lever pivoted in rear of said breech piece, the
forward arm of which is in connection with said breech piece, the other
arm extending in the rear of the pivot above the frame, and the bell-
crank ejector P, P¹, the arrangement of the parts being substantially

page_text: such as described, whereby the raising of the rear arm of the said lever
throws down the said breech piece to open the barrel, and returning,
said lever raises the said breech piece to close the barrel, the breech
piece actuating the ejector, substantially as described.
Fifth. The combination of the breech closing lever D, D³, the bridge
A* in rear of the forward part of the lever, the pivot of the lever taking
its bearing on said bridge, substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination of the breech closing lever D, D³, the
bridge A³, spindle L in said bridge, and the hammer E with its main-
spring and trigger, substantially as described.
Seventh. The herein described method for securing the pivots of the
mechanism of a fire-arm consisting of an arm on one extending over
another which is screwed into the said arm from the opposite side.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
fivc.