An Improvement in Breech Apparatus for Breech Loading Guns.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by WILHELM LORENZ, of 61, Kriegstrasse, of Karlsruhe,
in the Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire, Engineer and Manufacturer.]
An Improvement in Breech Apparatus for Breech Loading Guns.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. .28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the opening and closing of the breech of a breech loading gun
by means of a vertically sliding breech block so arranged that on raising the breech end
cf the barrel together with the breech block a certain distance and then letting it drop,
the breech block is prevented by catches from descending with it so that the breech is
left open for extraction of a cartridge shell and for introducing a fresh cartridge,
and then on releasing the catches, the block descends and closes the breech.
For this purpose, the breech block is fitted to slide in vertical chases in the breech
part of the gun and it has on each side of it a vertical groove. On the top of the
elevating screw of the gun is pivotted a double bell crank lever, the two upright
limbs of which take into the grooves of the breech block being urged in one
direction by a spring.
When the breech end of the barrel is raised, the elevating screw remaining
stationary, the breech block is raised with the barrel its grooves sliding along the
limbs of the bell crank. The barrel being then allowed to drop, descends till it
rests on a buffer on the top of the elevating screw, but the breech block is caught at
the ends of its grooves or by notches therein upon the limbs of the bell crank which
hold it up leaving the breech open for extraction and fresh charge. The horizontal.
arm of the bell crank being then moved by hand in opposition to the spring so as to
bring its vertical limbs back into the grooves; the breech block descends and closes
the breech.
For the purpose of extracting the shell of a spent cartridge an extractor is pivotted
in the end of the barrel above the breech. This extractor has two side limbs in
recesses in front of the cartridge flange and a spring pawl is arranged in a cavity of

page_text: the breech block in such a position that, as the barrel descends, leaving the brecch
block raised, a shoulder on the extractor meets this pawl and the two side limbs of the
extractor are thus caused to make a rapid stroke backwards throwing out the shell:
As the breech block descends the pawl moves aside allowing the shoulder of the
extractor to pass it.
Dated this 10th day of Santamber 1888
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents. for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Breech Apparatus for Breech Loading Guns.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to breech loading ordnance in which the breech end of the
gun is thrown upward on firing, and it consists in so arranging the vertically sliding
breech block of such guns that on firing it rises with the breech of the gun and is
retained in the raised position by suitable means while the breech of the gun
descends again into its original position. By this means the breech block is held in
such a position that its lower edge is situated above the top of the cartridge chamber
of the gun, so that free access can be bad to the latter for the removal of the empty
cartridge case and the introduction of a fresh cartridge.
The downward motion of the breech of the gun can be utilized for effecting the
expulsion of the empty cartridge case.
Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings shew an arrangement of breech
mechanism in which the above described invention is applied. Fig. 1 shews a
vertical longitudinal section of the breech mechanism, Fig. 2 shews a cross section,.
Fig. 3 shows a plan, and Fig. 4 detached views of the extractor.
The breech block A is inserted from the top into the opening b of the gun B, and
when in the closed position it rests with the top plate a upon
the gun. The opening b
is closed at bottom by a plate a', which serves as a bearing surface for the gun to rest
upon the heade on the elevating screw C. The breech block has on each side
grooves dd with abutments d' d', into which grooves take vertical arms ee on elbow
levers E E, which, in the arrangement shewn, are mounted on an axis c¹ carried by
the head of the elevating screw.

page_text: On firing the gun, the breech end together with the breech block will rise to the
position shewn in dotted lines Fig. 1, in which the abutments d' d' are situated above
the ends of the lever arms e e.
At this moment a spring acting on the arms el e¹ of the lever presses these down-
ward and consequently brings the arms e e underneath the abutments d' d', whereby
the breech block will be held in its raised position.
As soon as the block is thus held, the gun will fall back upon its support c, so that
owing to the form imparted to the lower end of the breech block, as indicated in
Figure 2, the cartridge chamber of the gun will be quite uncovered thereby, so
that the empty cartridge case can be removed, and a fresh cartridge be subsequently
inserted. The arms e e are then removed from underneath the abutments d¹ by means
of a slight upward movement of the handle e2 of the lever E, whereupon the breech
block A losing its support, will fall down into the full position at Fig. 1, thereby
closing the cartridge chamber 6' ready for the next fire.
For utilizing the falling motion of the breech end of the gun while the breech block
is in the raised position for effecting the extraction of the empty cartridge case, an
extractor can be arranged at the mouth of the cartridge chamber as shewn, and be
provided with lugs h, which, on the descent of the breech come in contact with levers i
situated on each side of the breech block, whereby the extractor will receive a jerky
motion in the direction of the arrow, and will thus throw the cartridge case backwards
below the lower end of the raised breech block. The levers are pressed sufficiently
forward by springs to cause the lugs h to strike against them.
The elevating screw is held in position by a fork & fixed on the gun carriage. The
firing of the gun is effected by means of a striking pin 7 in the breech block, which
is propelled forward by a spring so as to fire the cap of the charge, and
which is then drawn back sufficiently by a spring that its point is situated
behind the plane of the front surface of the breech block so that it does not offer any
hindrance to the downward motion of the breech while the breech block is held in the
raised position above described.
The cocking and releasing of the firing pin can be effected in any suitable known
manner.
It will be evident that the above described arrangements can be variously modified
without departing from the nature of the invention; thus for instance in place of
the spring may be used two blade springs indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 1
acting upon the upper end of each lever arm ee; the lever E may also be supported
otherwise than upon the elevating screw as shewn, such as directly upon the gun
carriage.
I
In the modified arrangement of the extractor y shewn at Figs. 5, 6 and 7, this is
placed at the lower side of the cartridge chamber and it is provided with a head h
projecting down below the gun, which as the breech descends after having been
raised, comes in contact at the part with the spring ¹ attached to the head c of the
elevating screw, so that this, in canting the extractor sharply backward as indicated
by the dotted lines, causes this. to throw out the empty cartridge case. As the breech
arrives near its lowest position as shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 5, the part h² of the
extractor head will come in contact with the head c of the elevating screw, so that by
the further descent into the lowest position shewn at Fig. 6, the extractor will be
forced back into its original position as shewn, at the same time deflecting the
spring i.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In breech loading guns in which the breech is thrown upward on firing the use of
a breech block so arranged as to rise with the breech and to be held in the raised
position while the breech descends again, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.

page_text: 2. In breech blocks arranged and operating as set forth in the preceding claim, the
arrangement of grooves dd with abutments d' d¹ operating in combination with
supporting arins e e which on the rising of the block are caused by springs such as f
or to pass under the abutments d' so as to hold the block in the raised
position.
3. In combination with a breech block arranged and operating as set forth in the
first claim, the use of levers i Fig. 1 against which strike lugs h on an extractor 9 as
the breech of the gun descends while the breech. block remains in the raised position,
whereby the extractor is actuated so as to eject the empty cartridge case.
4. The use, in combination with the breech block referred to in Fig. 1, of lever
arms e e pivotted on an axis c¹ on the head of the elevating screw C.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1888.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.