IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Middleditch Scott, of the Firm of
W. and C. Scott and Son, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
Scaled the 25th March 1875, and dated the 7th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Middleditch
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th October 1874.
I, WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT, of the Firm of W. and C. Scott and
Son, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING Small-arms,” to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of improvements in or additions to an In-
vention of "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms," for which
Letters Patent were granted to me on the 25th day of October 1865,

page_text: No. 2752. The Invention described and claimed in the Specification of
the said Letters Patent consists of mechanism for bolting down, for
firing and unbolting, for charging the barrels of breech-loading guns of
the kind commonly called drop-down guns, the said mechanism being
actuated by a lever working on the tang of the break off.
My present Invention consists of the improvements or additions
herein-after described, whereby the action of the hand lever on the tang
is made, not only to effect the bolting down and unbolting of the barrels,
but in the motion for effecting the unbolting of the barrels to raise the
hammers to full cock, so that on the shutting and bolting down of the
barrels the gun shall be ready for discharge. The hammers I employ
are internal hammers. At the back of the break off is a vertical
hanging lever the top end of which turns in snugs fixed in the back of
the break off. The lower end of this lever bears against the lower part
of the breasts of the hammers. The rear or hind part of the bolt which
bolts down the barrels bears against the middle of the hanging lever
described. When the said bolt is in its shot position, that is, when the
barrels are bolted down, its rear end is flush with the back of the break
off, and the hanging lever lies against the back of the break off. When
the hanging lever is in this position the hammers are free to fall.
When however the hand lever on the break off is turned in the direction
proper to withdraw the bolt and unbolt the barrels, the rear or hind
part of the said bolt presses on the middle of the hanging lever, forcing
its lower end from the back of the break off; the said lower end of the
hanging lever acting on the lower part of the breasts of the hammers
forces back the said hammers into the position in which the retaining
mechanism prevents their return, and the cocking of the gun is thereby
effected. On shutting and locking down the barrels the rear or hind
part of the bolt retires into the break off, the hanging lever lies close to
the back of the break off, and the hammers are free to fall for the
discharge of the gun.
Instead of making the heel of the bolt act on the hanging lever a
cam on the vertical axis of the hand lever may be made to act on the
said hanging lever with the same effect.
Although I prefer to use the mechanism described in combination with
bolting down mechanism constructed according to the Patent herein-

page_text: bolting down mechanism in which a sliding bolt is used, the said sliding
bolt being worked either from a hand lever on the tang of the gun or
from a hand lever on the side or under side of the gun.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Middleditch Scott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 25th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT, of the Firm of W. and C. Scott and Son, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Middleditch Scott,
Her special license, that I, the said William Middleditch Scott, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Middleditch Scott, 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 and Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Middle-
ditch Scott, 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 calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
AM 77NAT
n that T the said William Middleditch Scott do

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists principally of improvements in or additions to
an Invention for " Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms," for which
Letters Patent were granted to me on the 25th day of October 1865,
No. 2752. The Invention described and claimed in the Specification of
the said Letters Patent consists of mechanism for bolting down, for
firing and unbolting, for charging the barrels of breech-loading guns of
the kind commonly called drop-down guns, the said mechanism being
actuated by a lever working on the tang of the break off.
My present Invention consists of the improvements or additions
herein-after described, whereby the action of the hand lever on the tang
is made, not only to effect the bolting down and unbolting of the barrels,
but in the motion for effecting the unbolting of the barrels to raise the
hammers to full cock, so that on the shutting and bolting down of the
barrels, the gun shall be ready for discharge. The hammers I employ
are internal hammers. At the back of the break off is a vertical
hanging lever, the top end of which turns in snugs fixed in the back of
the break off. The lower end of this lever bears against the lower part
of the breasts of the hammers. On the vertical axis of the hand lever:
which works the horizontal bolt, is a cam, which cam on the motion of
the hand lever to unbolt the barrels acts against the hanging lever
described. When the locking lever is in its shot position, that is, when
the barrels are bolted down the hanging lever lies against the back of
the break off. When the hanging lever is in this position the hammers:
are free to fall. When however the hand lever on the break off is
turned in the direction proper to withdraw the bolt and unbolt the
barrels, the cam on the axis of the hand lever presses on the middle of
the hanging lever, forcing its lower end from the back of the break off.
The said lower end of the hanging lever acting on the lower part of the
breasts of the hammers, forces back the said hammers into the position
in which the retaining mechanism prevents their return and the cocking
of the gun is thereby effected. On shutting and locking down the
barrels the cam retires into the break off, the hanging lever lies close to
the back of the break off, and the hammers are free to fall for the
discharge of the gun.
Although I prefer to use the mechanism danasikad in

page_text: herein-before referred to, yet the said mechanism may be combined with
other bolting down mechanism in which a sliding bolt is used, the said
sliding bolt being worked either from a hand lever on the tang of the
gun or from a hand lever on the side or under side of the gun.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in longitudinal section, partly in side
elevation, the breech end of a drop-down gun (the barrels, stock, and
other parts being omitted) containing cocking mechanism constructed
according to my Invention in combination with bolting down mechanism
of the kind herein-before referred to. In Figure 1 the hammers aro
represented in their discharged position, and the locking bolt in its
advanced or bolting position, and in Figure 2 the hammers are represented
lifted to full cock, and the bolt withdrawn for releasing the barrels.
Figure 3 represents a cross section of the gun taken at the back of
the break off, and Figure 4 represents a horizontal section of the body of
the gun taken on the line a, Figure 1.
Figure 5 represents the axis of the hand lever by which the bolt and
cocking mechanism are worked.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5.
b is the break off; c is the sliding bolt by which the barrels are
bolted down, and d are the concealed hammers which act upon strikers
in the usual manner to discharge the gun. The said hammers d turn on
the centre & and are held in their cocked position by the ordinary sear
mechanism; e is the vertical hanging lever at the back of the break
off 6, the said hanging lever e turning in snugs or eyes f, f, carried by
the bar or cross plate g. The lower end of the hanging lever e bears
against a shoulder at near the lower part of the breasts of the
hammer d. Working in the break off 6 is a small horizontal slide h,
the outer end of which bears against and raises the hanging lever e and
the latter cocks the hammers d, as herein-after explained. The motion
of the slide is limited by the stud i working in a cut away part in the
edge of the slide. The shape of the slide h is best seen in Figure 4;.
k is the vertical axis passing through the break off and carrying at its;

page_text: upper end, the hand lever 7 working on the tang of the break off. The
said vertical axis & has near its lower end an arm p which works in and
actuates the bolt c by which the barrels are fastened and unfastened.
Above the said arm p on the axis k is a cam q (the shape of which is
best seen in Figure 4), which cam is situated immediately behind the
inner end of the slide h.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the gun has been
discharged the parts occupy the respective positions represented in
Figure 1. To unbolt the barrels and cock the hammers, the hand
lever is turned to the right. By this motion of the said hand lever the:
axis k is partly rotated and its arm p withdraws the bolt c and unfastens
the barrels. The same motion of the axis / causes the cam q to act
against the inclined end of the slide h and push outwards the said slide,
which slide acting on the middle of the hanging lever e forces the
lower end of the said hanging lever from the break off. The said lower
end of the hanging lever e acting on the shoulder d³, at the lower part
of the breasts of the hammer d forces back the said hammers into their
full cocked position, in which position they are retained by the ordinary
sear mechanism of the lock, as illustrated in Figure 2, which represents
the bolt c in its withdrawn position, and the hammers d in their cocked
position. The manner in which the cam 2 acts upon the slide h and the
latter upon the hanging lever e, and the said hanging lever upon the
hammers d, is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4. On loosing the hand
lever after the bolt has been withdrawn and the hammers cocked, the
action of the spring bearing on the axis k brings the said axis and
the bolt into their normal positions or the positions represented
in Figure 1. The cam g being thus withdrawn or removed from the
back of the slide h, the said slide is free to be moved inwards by the
descent of the hanging lever e which falls into the position represented
in Figure 1, and the hammers when relcased by pressure on the triggers
are free to fall for the discharge of the gun. Thus the movement of the
hand lever for unbolting the barrels also cocks the hammers.
Instead of giving motion to the hanging lever e through a horizontal
slide acted upon by a cam on the vertical axis of the hand lever as
before described and illustrated, the said slide may be dispensed with
and the cam be made of such a size and shape as to act directly on the
said hanging lever.

page_text: 8
Figure 6 represents in section, partly in side elevation, the arrange-
ment of my Invention in which the sliding bolt is worked, and the
cocking of the hammers effected by the action of a lever on the side of
the gun. In this arrangement an axis & passing horizontally through
the break off b has at its end and external to the gun a hand lever s³. .
On the said horizontal axis & is a forked or double arm t, t, the arm t
taking into and working the bolt c, and the other arm & giving motion
to the hanging lever e for cocking the hammers d. When the hand
lever is depressed the arm withdraws the bolt c and unfastens the
barrels, while the short upper arm & forces outwards the hanging lever e,
and the latter cocks the hammers & in the manner herein-beforo par-
ticularly explained.
Figure 7 represents in section, partly in side elevation, the arrange-
ment of my Invention in which a lever on the under side of the gun is
made to actuate the bolt and cock the hammers; u is the lever on the
under side of the gun turning on the centre u³ and pressed home by the
spring us. The upper short arm ut of the lever u works in a slot in
the sliding bolt c, and its extreme upper end or head u³ bears against the
hanging lever e. When the hand lever " is moved in the direction of
the arrow, its upper arm a withdraws the bolt c and unfastens the
barrels, and the extreme end or head u³ forces outwards the hanging
lever e, and the latter cocks the hammers d. On loosing the hand
lever u the hanging lever e is free to return to its normal position.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention, but I claim as my Invention of improvements in breech-
loading small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns,—
First. The construction and combination of the parts of mechanism
hercin-before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of
the accompanying Drawings, for raising the hammers to full cock on the
unfastening or unbolting of the barrels for charging, that is to say, the
construction and combination of the hanging lever e at the back of the
break off, the horizontal slide in the said break off, and the cam q
on the axis of the hand lever by which the sliding bolt is worked,
whereby on the motion of the said hand lever and axis to unbolt the

page_text: barrels they are made to cock the hammers, substantially as described
and illustrated; also the modification in which the cam on the axis of
the hand lever is made to act directly on the hanging lever.
Secondly. The construction and combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying Drawings for
working the sliding bolt and cocking the hammers in which the parts
are actuated by a hand lever at the side of the gun.
Thirdly. The construction and combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying Drawings for
working the sliding bolt and cocking the hammers in which the parts 1
are actuated by a hand lever on the under side of the gun.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Middleditch Scott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
1
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM MIDDLEDITCH SCOTT. (L.S.)