IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Smith, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 20th May 1864, and dated the 16th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th December 1863.
I, JOSEPH SMITH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms of the kind called drop-down
guns, that is to say, breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech ends of the
barrels are opened and closed by the said barrels turning in a vertical plane
on a joint on the body of the gun, the open ends of the barrels being raised
from the face of the break-off for the introduction of the charge, and brought
down and fixed against the face of the break-off for firing.
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in

page_text: When the barrels are
the mechanism for locking down the breech ends of the barrels against the
break-off, I make a lump or projecting piece on the under side of the
breech ends of the barrels, which said lump takes into a recess in the body of
the break-off when the barrels are shut down for firing. In that side of the
lump which is turned towards the face of the break-off is a notch or recess, in
which a bolt sliding horizontally in the body of the break-off is made to
engage in order to fix down the barrels, the said bolt being withdrawn from
the said notch or recess in order to liberate the barrels. The upper side of
the end of the bolt is inclined, and the said bolt is pressed into the recess
into which the lump enters my means of a spring.
shut down the lump presses back the bolt until the notch in the lump is
brought opposite the end of the bolt, when the said bolt springs forward into
the said notch and the barrels are locked down." I effect the withdrawal of
the bolt for the unlocking of the barrels in the following ways:-I make a
rack on the upper side of the bolt, a horizontal axis parallel to and at the
back of the face of the break-off carries a pinion which takes into the said
rack. The end of the said axis projects on one side of the body of the gun,
and a lever or handle is attached to the projecting end of the axis. By means
of the said lever a motion of partial rotation can be given to the axis, and its
pinion made to withdraw the bolt; or I make the bolt without a rack, and
connect it to a bar, which is parallel to the bolt, and whioh slides in a recess
parallel to that in which the lump shuts down. Across the body of the break-
off and at about its middle is a lever. One end of the said lever is jointed to
the body of the break-off, and its free end projects from the side of the gun.
At or about its middle the said lever is jointed to the before-described bar,
and by pressing the said lever towards the face of the break-off the bolt may
be disengaged from the lump, and the barrels unlocked from the face of the
break-off. Or I make the notch or recess in the lump on the side of the said
Jump most distant from the face of the break-off, and I joint one end of a
horizontal lever to the body of the break-off, the other end of the said lever
projecting from one side of the gun. The said lever is pressed by a spring
towards the face of the break-off, and engages in the notch in the lump when
the barrels are shut down. By pressing the end of the lever towards the
muzzle end of the gun it is disengaged from the lump, and the barrels may
then be raised.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the. Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June-1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SMITH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker,. send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our. Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Joseph Smith, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Smith, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Smith, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms of the kind called drop-
down guns, that is to say, breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech ends of
the barrels are opened and closed by the said barrels turning in a vertical plane
on a joint on the body of the gun, the open ends of the barrels being raised
from the face of the break-off for the introduction of the charge, and brought
down and fixed against the face of the break-off for firing."
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
the mechanism for locking down the breech ends of the barrels against.the

page_text: break-off and releasing the same. I make a lump or projecting piece on the
under side of the breech ends of the barrels, which said lump takes into a
recess in the body of the break-off when the barrels are shut down for firing.
In that side of the lump which is turned towards the face of the break-off is
a notch or recess, in which a bolt sliding horizontally in the body of the break-
off is made to engage in order to fix down the barrels, the said bolt being
withdrawn from the said notch or recess in order to liberate the barrels. The
upper side of the end of the bolt is inclined, and the said bolt is pressed into
the recess into which the lump enters by means of a spring. When the
barrels are shut down the lump presses back the bolt until the notch in the
Tump is brought opposite the end of the bolt, when the said bolt springs
forward into the said notch and the barrels are locked down. I effect the
withdrawal of the bolt for the unlocking of the barrels in the following ways:
I make a rack on the bolt and a horizontal axis parallel to and at the back
of the face of the break-off carries a pinion which takes into the said rack. The
end of the said axis projects on one side of the body of the gun and a lever or
handle is attached to the projecting end of the axis. By means of the said
lever a motion of partial rotation can be given to the axis and its pinion made
to withdraw the bolt; or I make the bolt without a rack and connect it to a
bar which is parallel to the bolt and which slides in a recess parallel to that
in which the lump shuts down. Across the body of the break-off and at about
its middle is a lever. One end of the said lever is jointed to the body of the
break-off, and its free end projects from the side of the gun. At or about
its middle the said lever is jointed to or passes through the before-described
bar, and by pressing the said lever towards the face of the break-off the bolt
may be disengaged from the lump and the barrels unlocked from the face of
the break-off. Or I make the notch or recess in the lump on the side of the
said lump most distant from the face of the break-off, and I joint one end of
a horizontal lever to the body of the break-off, the other end of the said lever
projecting from one side of the gun. The said lever is pressed by a spring
towards the face of the break-off, and engages in the notch in the lump when
the barrels are shut down. By pressing the end of the lever towards the
muzzle end of the gun it is disengaged from the lump and the barrels may
then be raised.
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.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a double-barrelled breech-loading gun
of the kind described, the locking-down mechanism of which is constructed

page_text: according to one of the arrangements of my Invention, the barrels of the said
gun being locked down for discharge.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the body of the same,
the stock and other parts being omitted, and Figure 3 represents the parts of
the gun, Figure 2, in the respective positions which the said parts assume
when the barrels are unlocked and raised from the face of the break-off for
charging.
:
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent detached portions of my Invention as herein-
after explained. The same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, and 6.
The barrels a of the gun turn on an axis b, on the fore part of the body c,
as is usual; d is the fixing bolt sliding horizontally in the lower part of the
break-off e, and engaging when the barrels are shut down in a recess fr in
the front of the lump or projecting piece f on the under side of the
breech ends of the barrels a. The bolt d is pressed forward when it is at
liberty to move by the spring 9, the free end of which spring bears against
the top of the pinion or portion of a pinion h, and by means of the said pinion
projects the bolt d forward as herein-after explained. The bolt d is with-
drawn from the recess f in the lumpf when the barrels are required to be
raised for charging in the following way:-The upper side of the bolt is made
into a rack, with the teeth of which rack the teeth of the pinion h gear. The
said pinion is carried by a horizontal axis i, situated at the back of and
parallel with the face of the break-off e. One end of the axis i projects on
one side of the body of the gun, and a lever or handle k is attached to the
said projecting end. The pinion h is fixed on the axis i by means of the
key, and the longitudinal motion of the bolt d is limited by a pin working
in the slot d² in one side of the said bolt (see Figure 6). The lever k and
axis i are shown separately in Figure 4, the pinion h in Figure 5, and the
bolt d in Figure 6. After the barrels have been discharged, and it is required
to reload them, the lever or handle k is depressed so as to give a motion of
partial rotation to the axis i and pinion h. The said pinion h is thereby made
to withdraw the nose d³ of the bolt d from out the recess f³ in the lump f
into the break-off e, and thus to release the barrels as represented in Figure 3.
The barrels can then be turned on their joint b, and their breech ends Ĭifted
from the face of the break-off, as illustrated in the said Figure 3. By now
releasing the lever or handle k the bolt d is projected by the action of the
spring g on the pinion h, through the break-off e, into the opening in the
body c, which had been occupied by the lump f. On shutting down the
barrels a, after loading, the bevilled lower part of the lumpf strikes against
9.

page_text: and presses back the nose d³ of the bolt d into the break-off e, until the
recess in the said lump is brought opposite the said nose of the bolt,
when the bolt springs forward and engages with the said recess and locks or
bolts down the barrels, and the gun is again ready for discharge, as illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2. Although I prefer to make the rack on the upper side
of the bolt as described and represented, yet the. rack may be made on the
under side of the bolt, and the axis and pinion work under the bolt with the
same or nearly the same effect.
'
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 represent a modification of the last described
arrangement of my Invention. Figure 7 being a longitudinal vertical section
of the barrels and body of the gun, the barrels being locked down. Figure 8.
represents the same with the barrels released and raised from the break-off.
Figure 9 represents a side elevation of Figure 7, and Figures 10 and 11
represent detached portions of the same. In this modification of my Inven-
tion, instead of making the teeth of a pinion or portion of a pinion engage
with a rack on the bolt, I use an arm h, engaging with a recess or opening d
in the bolt d. The lower end of the said arm h is equivalent to a large tooth
of the pinion in the arrangement first described, and the opening d' in the
bolt is equivalent to a large space between two teeth in the rack of the said
first described arrangement. The said arm or large tooth h is fixed upon the
horizontal axis i, and motion is given to the axis and arm by a handle or
lever k, on the end of the said axis i. The bolt d is shown separately in
Figure 10, and the axis i and lever k are shown separately in Figure 11.
The action of the arrangement of my Invention represented in Figures 7, 8,
and 9 is essentially the same as that represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and
the parts in the said Figures 7, 8, and 9 are marked with the same letters as
corresponding parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3. Figure 12 represents in plan the
body of a gun (the barrels being omitted) provided with bolting mechanism,
constructed according to another arrangement of my Invention, and Figure 13
represents a portion of the same separately. In this arrangement of my
Invention I make the bolt a without a rack, and connect it to a bar b, situated
parallel to the said bolt a. The said parallel bar 6 slides in a recèss at c in
the body e, parallel to the recess d, into which the lump on the under side of
the barrels enters when the barrels are shut down against the body of the
break-off. Working in a recess across the body e is a lever f, turning on a
centre. The said leverf passes through an opening near the end of the
parallel bar b, and its outer end projects from the side of the gun, and is provided
with a knob or plate f³, by which it can be moved. A spring 9 bears against
the side of the lever and projects the bolt a into the recess in the lump on the

page_text: barrels, or into the opening d, into which the lump enters. as represented in
Figure 12. In order to liberate the barrels, it is only necessary to press the
lever towards the break-off to the position indicated by the dotted line, when
the bolt is withdrawn into the said break-off and the barrels liberated. In
shutting down the barrels the front of the lump pushes back the bolt until the
recess in the lump comes opposite the end of the said bolt, when the bolt is
pressed forward by the spring g, and made to enter the recess in the lump and
fasten down the barrels. 'Figure 14 represents in plan the body of a gun, the
locking mechanism of which is constructed according to another arrangement
of my Invention. In the arrangement Figure 14 I joint one end of a hori-
zontal lever h to the body i of the break-off, the other end projecting from the
side of the gun. The said lever h works in a recess in the body i, parallel to
the plane of the said body. A spring k bears against one side of the lever h
and presses it towards the face of the break-off 1. The notch or recess in the
lump on the under side of the barrels is made in this arrangement on the side
of the said lump most distant from the face of the break-off l. On shutting down
the barrels the lump pushes back the lever h to the position indicated in dotted
lines. When the barrels have been shut down to their fullest extent and the
said lump has entered the recess m in the body i, the said lever his pressed
forward by the spring k, the part h* of the said lever thereby engages with the
recess in the lump and fastens down the barrels. By pressing the free end of
the lever towards the muzzle ends of the barrels to the position indicated in
dotted lines, the part 3 of the lever his withdrawn from the recess in the
lump and the barrels may be raised. The lever h is cut away in front of the
parts to enable the said part h³ to be brought parallel with and withdrawn
from the recess in the lump by moving the said lever to a small angle.
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 in the Drawings,
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 fire-arms of
the kind called drop-down guns, or guns in which the breech ends of the
barrels are opened and closed by the barrels turning in a vertical plane on a
joint on the fore part of the body of the
gun,-
Firstly, the general arrangement or combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying
Drawings, for locking down and releasing the barrels of the said fire-arms.
Secondly, the general arrangement or combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the accompany-

page_text: ing Drawings, for locking down and releasing the barrels of the said fire-
arms.
Thirdly, the general arrangement or combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 12 and 13 of the accompanying Drawings,
for locking down and releasing the barrels of the said fire-arms.
Lastly, the general arrangement or combination of the parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 14 of the accompanying Drawings, for
locking down and releasing the barrels of the said fire-arms.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOSEPH SMITH. (L.S.)