IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Needham, of Piccadilly, in the County..
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 2nd October 1874, and dated the 7th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Needham at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th April 1874.
I, JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, do
5 hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-
_arms, and relates more particularly to double fowling pieces or rifles,
but is also applicable to single guns.
The Invention relates, firstly, to a method of obtaining greater
security in the use of the gun. For this purpose the hammer or the
tumbler is caused to act upon the sear to force the sear into the
t
:

page_text: "bent" and the hammer is "cocked" at the moment of opening the
breech by means of a projection or link on the hammer or tumbler,
which is acted upon by an incline on the "lump," or the hammer may
be "cocked" in the usual way by hand.
The Invention relates, secondly, to a method of throwing out the
spent cartridge case. For this purpose, when applying my Invention to
double barrel "drop" guns, instead of forming the "extractor" in one
piece to act upon both cartridges, I employ two " extractors," each of
which is capable of being separately acted by a lever mounted on a
centre of motion carried by the "lump," and these levers are capable
of being separately acted upon by a projection from each hammer or
tumbler. Thus, on opening the breech, the projection or link from the
tumbler or hammer, which has just acted, will act upon the tail end of
one of the levers to give a sharp blow thereto, and thus act upon one
of the extractors to throw the spent cartridge out of the barrel, and tho
live cartridge will be moved only a slight distance out of the breech
end of its barrel by the action of the breech piece on the lever actuating
its extractor, but will not be thrown out of the barrel as the pro-
jection or link from the hammer or tumbler, which is at full cock, will
be out of the way of acting upon its corresponding lever....
The Invention relates, thirdly, to a method of mounting the barrel or
barrels of that class of breech-loader in which the barrels are mounted
on an axis of motion parallel to the barrels, and consists in forming the
axis and the "lump" with a kind of bayonet joint to enable the parts to
be readily connected and disconnected from each other.
pursuance
SPECIFICATION in
of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Needham in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 7th October 1874.
· TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Needham, Her special license
that I, the said Joseph Needham, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Needham, 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 FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Joseph Needham, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Needham, 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 :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-
arms, and relates more particularly to double fowling pieces or rifles,
but is also applicable to single guns.
The Invention relates, firstly, to a method of obtaining greater
security in the use of the gun. For this purpose the hammer or the
tumbler is caused to act upon the sear to force the sear into the "bent,"
and the hammer is "cocked" at the moment of opening the breech.
by means of a projection or link on the hammer or tumbler, which is
acted upon by an incline on the “lump,” or the hammer may be cocked
in the usual way by hand.
The Invention relates, secondly, to a method of throwing out the
spent cartridge case. For this purpose, when applying my Invention
to double barrel "drop" guns, instead of forming the "extractor" in
one piece to act upon both cartridges, I employ two "extractors," each
of which is capable of being separately acted upon by a lever. mounted
on a centre of motion carried by the "lump," and these levers are
capable of being separately acted upon by a projection from cach
hammer or tumbler. Thus, on opening the breech, the projection or

page_text: "bents" on the hammers e, or on the "tumblers," and the hammers
are cocked at the moment of opening the breech by means of projections
or levers e³ (one of which is fixed rigidly on each of the axis e¹ of the
hammers), which are acted upon by an incline a² on the lump a', or in
cases where the hammer is external of the "stock," it may be cocked
in the usual way by hand, or in the manner shown at Figures 4, 5,
and 6, where the incline a³ is external of the lump a¹ and the projection
or lever is fixed on the axis e¹ of the hammer e external of the
"stock" and in position to be acted upon by the incline a².
I have not thought it necessary to show the application of my
Invention to guns having locks, as such, aided by the description herein
given, will be well understood.
In carrying the second part of my Invention into effect, instead of
forming the extractor in one picce; to act upon both cartridges to a liko
extent, I employ two "extractors" h, each of which is capable of being
separately acted upon by a lever i mounted on a centre of motion ¿¹
carried by the "lump" a¹, and these levers i are capable of being
separately acted upon by a projection or lever e³ from each hammer or
by a link from an extension of a tumbler. Thus, on opening the breech,
the projection or lever e³ from the hammer, or the link from the
tumbler, which has just acted, will act upon the tail end of one of
the levers to give a sharp blow thereto, and thus act upon one of the
extractors to throw the spent cartridge out of the barrel, and the live
cartridge will be moved only a slight distance out of the breech end
of its barrel by the action of the breech piece d on the tail end of the
lever i actuating its extractor, but will not be thrown out of the barrel,
as the projection or lever e³, or link from the hammer or tumbler,
which is at full cock, will be out of the way of acting upon its corre-
sponding lever . j is a locking piece, which is actuated by the lever k,
to lock or unlock the breech, and this locking picce j is so. formed as
to act slightly upon the levers i on opening the breech, and thereby
relieve the projections or levers e³ from too great a strain in acting upon
the levers i.
At Figures 4 and 5 a slight modification of this part of my Invention
is shown. In this case this part of my Invention is shown adapted to
a single-barralled gun having consequently only one extractor h, which
instead of sliding, as in the previous. arrangement, is mounted on

page_text: pivots and has a tail piece h² projecting through the lump a¹ in
position to be acted upon by the projection or lever e³ when the
hammer e las acted, but which will receive no motion from the pro-
jection or lever e³ when the hammer has not acted.
.. Figure 4 is a side view showing parts of a gun having the third part
of.
f.my.
Invention applied thereto; Figure 5 is an end view of the breech
end of the barrel a, lump a', and parts, carried thereby; Figure 6 is a
side view, and Figure 7 is an end view of the "breech action."
:
This part of my Invention relates to a method of mounting the
barrel or barrels of that class of. breech-loader in which the barrel a is
mounted on an axis of motion n parallel to the barrels, and consists in
forming the axis n and the "lump" a' with a kind of bayonet joint to
enable the parts to be readily and securely connected together and
readily disconnected from each other. For this purpose the axis n has
a projection n¹ formed or fixed thercon, and the lump a¹ is formed with
a hole a³ of such a shape as to allow the axis
and projection n¹ freely
when the parts are
to slide therethrough when in one position, and
turned into the position for use, as shown in the Drawings, such pro-
jection will bear on the outside of the lump a¹ and hold the parts
securely in position, a set screw (not shown) being employed, as will be
well understood, to limit the motion of the parts. Thus, by removing
the set screw and turning the barrel or barrels on the axis n, the parts
can be readily connected or disconnected.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood
that what I claim as my Invention is,-.
"
Firstly. The mode of forcing the " sear into the "bent" of the
hammer or tumbler, in manner and for the purpose substantially as
herein shown and described.
:
:
Secondly. I claim the employment of a separate extractor for each
barrel of double-barrel guns, each extractor being capable of being
operated separately by a projection, lever, or link from its corresponding
hammer or tumbler, in manner and for the purpose substantially as
herein shown and described.
Thirdly. I claim the mode of operating the extractor, in manner sub-

page_text: stantially as herein shown and described with respect to Figures 4
and 5.
And, fourthly. I claim the method of mounting the barrel or barrels
of that class of breech-loader in which the barrels are mounted on an
axis of motion parallel to the barrels, in manner substantially as herein
shown and described with respect to the third part of
my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Needham, have hereunto
"
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
JOSEPH NEEDHAM. (L.S.)