Improvements in Breech-loading Small-arms.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech-loading Small-arms.
I THOMAS PERKES of No. 70 Osnaburg Street London Gun Maker, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to facilitate the closing of a breech loading ejector
gun and also to render the mechanism thereof more compact. Hitherto considerable.
difficulty has been experienced when closing such guns owing to the pressure
required to cock the ejecting mechanism when closing the breech. To obviate this
difficulty I fit the fore end of the gun in any convenient manner with a rebounding
lever and catch or detent or other suitable equivalents. Such lever and catch or its
equivalent are fitted with springs whereby they are operated when the ejecting
mechanism is brought into play. The rebounding lever is furnished with a spur or
projection which when the lever is released by withdrawing the catch or detent comes
into contact with the spring fitted to such lever and so causes the latter to rebound
after operating the extractor thus leaving such extractor free and allowing the gun to
be closed with much greater ease than heretofore. The catch or detent or its
equivalent may take into a bent on the rebounding lever or it may form a stop to
prevent the spring from acting on such lever until required for the purpose of ejecting
the empty cartridge case. Or the spring which operates the catch or detent or its
equivalent may be formed and arranged so that it acts as a catch upon the rebounding
lever.
In this case a limb or arm is pivotted on the fore end to raise such catch spring
and release the rebounding lever thus allowing the latter to be operated by its
spring. In order to render the mechanism of the gun more compact and convenient
for construction I pivot the catch or detent or its equivalent at the side of the fore end
in any convenient manner instead of at the back of the ejecting lever as heretofore.
The catch is placed beside the rebounding lever and engages with a projection formed
thereon. If desired such catch may be made to act as a detent on the spring of the
rebounding lever a suitable spur or projection being formed upon the latter which
engages with such catch: The rear arm of the latter is prolonged or lengthened so
that it engages with a rod slide or lever or extension of the main spring and such
rod' slide or lever is operated by the gun lock mechanism in any convenient
manner.
DL: 10 dana 1880
ELT & Co.,
33, Southampton Building, Holborn, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech-loading Small-arms.
I THOMAS PERKES of No. 70 Osnaburgh Street London Gun Maker, 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 that class of weapons which are technically known as

page_text: 33
"ejector guns" and has for its object to facilitate the closing of the gun and also
to render the mechanism thereof more compact. Hitherto considerable difficulty has
been experienced when closing such guns owing to the pressure required to cock the
ejecting mechanism when closing the breech. To obviate this difficulty I fit the fore
end of the gun in any convenient manner with a rebounding lever or limb or its
equivalent which is operated when the ejecting mechanism is brought into play either
by the ejector spring or by an independent spring both of which are hereafter referred
to as the "operating spring. Such lever is held in a neutral position by a catch
which takes into a bent on the lever or which forms a stop to prevent the operating
spring of the lever acting thereon until required. The lever is furnished with a
projection which when the lever is released from the catch comes in contact nith the
operating spring and so causes such lever to rebound after operating the extractor
thus imparting a return action to the ejecting mechanism and so allowing the
gun to he closed with much greater ease than heretofore. The catch is fitted
with a catch spring whereby it is operated-Or the catch may be dispensed
with and the catch spring so made and fitted that it acts as a catch upon the
lever In this caso a cam is pivotted at the fore end to raise such catch spring
and release the lever thus allowing the latter to be operated by its spring-To render
the mechanism of the gun more compact I pivot the catch beside instead of behind the
ejecting lever in such a manner that it engages with a projection formed thereon―
Such catch may also be made to act as a detent on the operating spring by engaging
with a projection formed on such spring-The rear end of the catch is prolonged so
that it engages either with a rod, slide or lever or with an extension of the main
spring, either of which is operated by the gun lock mechanism in any convenient
manner.
The letters of reference occurring in the following description of my invention refer
to corresponding letters on the accompanying drawings Figs. 1, 2, whereof shew
views in side elevation of an ejector gun fitted with one form of my invention while
the remaining figures shew various modifications of the same. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
My invention as shown at Figs. 1; 2, is as follows. A is a box or frame fitted to
the fore end of the gun which serves to carry the various parts of the ejecting
mechanism B rebounding lever or limb pivotted thereon with projections B₁-B²
C catch pivotted beside such lever with bent C¹ (which engages with the projection B²
on lever B when the gun is closed) and extension C2 at rear end-D ejector spring
having its stand arm prolonged and a spur D' at end thereof which causes the rebound
of lever B after operating the extractor-F catch spring of catch (G extractor
G cocking rod-In Fig. 1 the gun is shewn closed with the tumbler in the fired and
the ejecting mechanism in the cocked position, the bent C being engaged with the
projection B, thus holding the lever B in a neutral position. In Fig. 2 the gun is
open with the tumbler at cock and the ejecting mechanism in the discharged position―
The operation of this form of my invention is as follows-The ejecting mechanism
being in the cocked position, (see Fig. 1)-the barrel is tilted when the nose of the
cocking rod G' or its equivalent engages with the extension on the rear end of
the catch C, thus releasing the lever B by withdrawing the bent C₁ from the pro-
jection B2, and allowing such lever to operate the extractor, (see Fig. 2).-At the
same time the projection B' is brought into contact with the spur D on the spring D,
thus causing the lever B to rebound-On the gun being closed the bent C' re-engages
with the projection B by the action of the catch spring
upon the catch, and the
various parts resume the position shewn at Fig. 1:
In Figs. 3, 4, the catch C is shewn acting as a detent on the operating spring D,
instead of on the rebounding lever, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2-Such modification consists
in forming a projection D2 on the free arm of the ejector spring D, with which pro-
jection the fore end ("of the catch engages when the gun is closed as shewn in Fig. 4,
thus holding the operating spring in a neutral position until the gun is again fired,
when the catch is withdrawn from such projection thus releasing the operating
spring as shewn at Fig. 3-The end of the extractor, is, either left free, as shewn in

page_text: Figs. 1, 2, or a recess is formed therein as shewn in Fig. 3 wherein the toe of the
lever B works, so that as such lever rebounds, it simultaneously draws back the
extractor with it, and thus prevents the extractor impeding the closing of the gun-
In Fig. 3 the lever B is represented in the returned position having drawn back the
extractor G after it has ejected the spent case.
In Fig. 5 the catch spring F is shewn acting as a catch on the lever B, thus
dispensing with the catch C-Such modification consists in fitting the spring F to the
bottom of the box or frame A, and in forming a projection F on the rear end of the
spring-This projection simultaneously engages with a bent B³ on the lever B, thus
holding such lever in position, and abuts against a projection A' on the box or
frame A, which holds the spring F in position until it is released by a cam J
furnished with arms J¹, J-The arm J¹ lies under the projection F' until the gun is
opened for reloading when the arm J2 is forced upwards by the cocking rod or its
equivalent, thus causing the arm J' to release the projection F from the bent B³, and
allow the lever B to operate the extractor-When the lever is so released the free
arm of the ejector spring D strikes against a pin or stud D³ fitted on the box or
frame A, thus creating a sufficient reaction of such free arm to cause the lever B to
rebound after oporating the extractor.
Figs. 6, 7 shew a modified arrangement whereby the catch C is dispensed with and
in lieu thereof a projection B is formed at the back of the lever B. This pro-
jection engages with the nose of the cocking rod G or its equivalent when the
gun is opened to eject the spent case, thus releasing such lever to operate the
extractor, after which a rebound motion is imparted to such lever, by the projection B¹
on the lever B coming in contact with the spur D on the stand arm of the
operating spring D-Fig. 6 shews the lever B on the point of being released by
the cocking rod engaging with the projection B on such lever; and Fig. 7 shews
the ejecting mechanism in the returned position after the rebound action of tho
lever B.
Fig. 8 illustrates the application of my invention to an ejector gun wherein the
catch is pivotted at the back of the ejecting lever in the ordinary inanner-In this
modification the extension C² on the catch engages with the nose of the cocking rod
in the manner already described with reference to Figs. 1, 2; so that on opening
the gun, the catch is operated by such cocking rod or its equivalent to release the
lever B-In this and the preceding Figure the points of contact B¹, D¹ are shewn in
position after having caused the rebound of such lever.
Fig. 9 shews a spiral spring D mounted on a rod d the rear end I whereof serves
as a striker. Such spiral spring serves to create both the ejecting and rebounding
action in the following manner-On opening the gun the fore end of the catch Č
is withdrawn from the striker I by the cocking rod G¹ or its equivalent acting on
the rear arm C2 of the catch The spiral spring D then expands thus causing the
striker I to act on the spur B² on the lever B to operate the extractor and eject the
empty case At the same time the projection B₁ on lever B comes in contact with an
arm D formed on the underside of the striker I thus causing the lever B to rebound
and cause the return action of the ejecting mechanism. In this figure the gun is
shewn closed with the operating spring compressed and the catch in position to
retain the striker I in a neutral position.
When it is desired to preserve the compact arrangement of the ejecting mechanism
without its having a rebound or return action the catch is pivotted beside the ejecting
lever while the projection B' on the latter and the spur D' on the stand arm of the
ejector spring Dare dispensed with.
My invention is applicable to all breech loading ejecting smail arms that turn upon
a hinge for opening and closing-Ordinarily my improved rebounding ejecting
mechanism is fitted to cach barrel of a breech loading ejector gun but it may be
otherwise fitted if desired I do not confine myself to the precise details of con-
struction and arrangement herein described and shewn as the same admit of various
minor modifications as regards the position and form of the several parts thereof
without affecting the essential features of my invention which are to facilitate the

page_text: closing of the gun by imparting a rebound action to the ejecting mechanism
thereof and to arrange such ejecting mechanism in a more compact form.
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 a breech loading ejecting small arm the combination of a rebounding lever
or limb with a suitable operating spring both constructed, fitted, and arranged so as
to produce a rebound action in such lever or limb and so cause a return action of the
ejecting mechanism, and facilitate the closing of the gun, all substantially as herein-
before described and shewn,
2° In a breech loading ejecting small arm the combination of a rebounding lever
or limb operated by a suitable spring, with a suitable catch and catch spring all
substantially as herein before described and shewn.
3° In a breech loading ejecting small arm the combination of a rebounding lever
or limb operated by a suitable spring, with a catch spring and cam all substantially as
herein before described and shewn.
4° In a breech loading ejecting small arm forming a suitable projection on the
ejecting lever and pivotting the catch beside instead of behind such lever in order
to render the mechanism more compact all substantially as herein before described
and shewn.
Dated this O
December 1889.
ELT & Co.,
33, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, London, Agents for the Applicant.