IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Rock Cooper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1869,
I, JOSEPH ROCK COOPER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of
breech-loading fire-arms in the following manner :-I effect the opening
and closing of the breech by means of a block rising and falling
vertically, the said block when raised closing the breech and when
depressed leaving the said breech open. Through the said block and
in a line parallel with or inclined to the axis of the barrel is a hole
in which a striker works for igniting the cartridge. The raising and
lowering of the said block is effected by a lever which may constituto
the trigger guard of the gun, by the motion of which said lever the
cocking of the hammer of the gun and the extraction and ejection of
the empty cartridge case are effected. The sliding breech block is
connected with the said lever by means of a connecting piece or link.
The hammer by which the discharge of the gun is effected is be

page_text: preference central, that is, is in the same plane as the axis of the gun,
and its cocking is effected by the said lever in the following manner :-
To the tumbler of the hammer a link is jointed, through a slot in which
the before-mentioned link which effects the raising and lowering of the
block passes. When the lever is depressed to, open the breech, its link
presses obliquely against the end of the slot in the tumbler link and
raises the hammer to half or full cock. On raising the lever the block
is lifted and closes the breech, and the tumbler link being no longer
pressed upon by the lever link the hammer is at liberty to. fall on being
released by pressure upon the trigger. The hammer being unacted
upon by the lever when the said lever is. in its raised position, the said
hammer can be readily put to half cock and afterwards raised to full
cock when required.. The extractor consists of two small cranked levers
working in vertical planes against the upper properly shaped ends of
which the rim of the cartridge bears when placed in the barrel. After
discharge the depressing of the lever for opening the breech causes the
lower edge of the block to strike against the lower ends. of the extractor
thereby forcing its upper ends. outwards and extracting and ejecting
the empty cartridge case from the barrel. The sliding block is supported
during discharge against shoulders in a frame connected to the end of
the breech chamber or shoe. By merely depressing the lever the breech is
opened, the empty cartridge case extracted and ejected, and the hammer
cocked. After the introduction of a fresh cartridge into the barrel
and the raising of the lever the breech is securely closed, and the gun
again ready to be discharged by pressure upon the trigger. The hammer
in falling strikes the rear end of the striker in the breech block, and
the fore end of the said striker striking the cartridge causes. the discharge
of the gun.. The arrangement of parts described permits the stock to
be made in one piece..