IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS 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 fire-arms, and refers more specifically
to that kind of fire-arms usually called double-barreled shot guns, and in which the
barrels are hinged to the breech frame and are tipped to insert the cartridges or
remove the empty shells.
The said Invention comprises improvements in the action bolt which retains the
barrels in place; improved devices for rocking the concealed hammers by the
breaking down of the barrels; an improved safety guard; devices for automatically
alternating the action of the hammers; and a novel arrangement of the parts of
the locks so as to easily dismount them from the gun-stock.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the breech of the improved gun,
Figures 2 and 3 are detached plans showing the action bolt projected and
retracted.
Figure 4 is a plan of the lock detached.
Figure 5 is a cross section on the line c, c, Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a cross section on the line y, y Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a detached plan of the trigger and sears, and
Figure 8 is a vertical central section of the parts shown in Figure 7.
A indicates the rear end of the barrels, B the breech-frame, and C the stock; the
barrels are hinged to the breech-frame in the usual manner.
DE indicate two lugs on the underside of the barrels, and F indicates the action
bolt which is moved by the lever G. This lever G is placed on the top of the
breech-frame and is pivotally held in place by its pivot pin a, upon which is
secured the sleeve b; this sleeve is provided with a slotted toe c, which engages
ID 21

page_text: with a pin d, near the rear end of the action bolt F. The action bolt is a
rectangular bar and slides in a corresponding recess e in the breech, and is also
adapted to engage with, and slide laterally in, corresponding recesses f, f, in the lugs D
and E. g indicates a radial groove in the lug E, and h, h, indicate recesses in the
action bolt F. When the action bolt is projected as shown in Figure 2, it engages
with the recesses ff, of the lugs D and E, and firmly locks the barrels in place, but
when retracted as shown in Figure 3, the barrels may be tipped, as the radial
groove g in the lug E registers with the action bolt. By this arrangement but
little lateral movement of the action bolt is required to firmly lock the barrels.
G indicates a tumbler pivotted centrally upon the bolt i; its forward end
projects through the breech frame and into a slot jupon the lower end of the lug E,
and engages therein upon the transverse pin k."-
HH indicate the hammers pivotted upon the bolt i, one upon each side of the
tumbler G; they are concealed within the breech-frame, and are adapted to strike
the cartridge through proper openings in the breech. The tumbler and the
hammers engage with each other by means of their hubs, which are provided at
their meeting faces with spurs or teeth m, in the manner of a clutch, with this
difference that there is a certain amount of lost motion in the engagement between
the tumbler and the hammers, so that in operation, after the hammers are.cocked by
the tipping of the barrels they will not be interfered with, by the tumbler when
released by the trigger.
:..
I I indicate the sears or dogs which hold the hammers in their cocked position;
M M the main springs; N N the rear springs and 0 0 the swivels by means of
which the main springs operate the hammers. The rear ends of the dogs or sears
are provided with off sets n which overhang the ratchet disc P. This latter is
supported upon the bed plate R, and is provided on the underside with a pintle o,
around which it can revolve in the manner of a turn table. Around its periphery
the disc P is provided with ratchet teeth, and upon its top it has a series of lugs or
projections p, which are placed concentrically near the outer edge of the disc and
form an odd number.
S indicates a trigger; pivotted centrally upon the bolt r, upon which the dogs
are pivotted. The said trigger works through a slot in the bed plate R, and is.
provided with a trigger-guard for both hammers,
The rear end of the trigger is turned up and provided with the incline s adapted
to engage with the pin t, which is secured to a sliding plate u held to the bed
plate R by an undercut mortise, or in any other suitable way.
T indicates a small pawl pivotally secured to the sliding plate u, and adapted to
engage with the ratchet face of the disc P.
In practice, the tipping of the barrels for the purpose of loading or reloading,
cocks both hammers, but it will be seen that the off sets n on the rear ends of
the dogs are always in different positions in relation to the lugs p of the small
disc underneath, that is, the end of one dog is right over one of these lugs, while
the end of the other dog is over the interval between the two lugs, and when
the trigger is actuated by the finger in the usual manner, it will first impinge
against the pintle o of the disc P, and then lift the saine up. This lifting of the
dise P will release that dog which happens to have a lug underneath its rear end,
while the other dog will not be affected. Before the trigger, however, operates
upon the disc P in the manner described, its rear end has given to the disc Pa
turn of one tooth owing to the action of the incline s'of the rear projection of the
trigger.
As the ratchet teeth are just double the number of the lugs p, it is clear that
the dogs will be alternately released by the trigger, and thus prevent the same
barrel from being used continuously for single shots. If a sportsman should,
however, desire to use only oue barrel he can easily effect the desired object by
lifting the trigger just enough to turn the disc P one notch without lifting the
disc. The two actions of the trigger that is, first the turning of the disc P and

page_text: then the lifting up of the same, for releasing one of the dogs, are perfectly distinct
and succeed each other, but in practice the same facility of discharging the shot is
obtained as with the ordinary trigger.
The safety guard consists of the two swinging shutters T T which are pivotally
secured to the breech frame at w, as shown in Figure 6; they have interlocking
heels so as to make them swing together, and one is provided with a socket z, into
which the inner end of the hand-lever U is stepped. This hand-lever is concealed,
in the stock, but its free end projects outside and on the top, so that when the gun
is brought into firing position the hand which grasps the breech of the gun will
naturally close over the projecting end of the lever, and depress it sufficiently to
make the shutters T T disclose the openings through which the hammers strike
the cartridges. The tension of a spring acting upon the hand-lever U will
normally keep the shutters T¹ T¹ closed. The bed-plate R is secured to the breech
frame by means of the bolts, and if one of these, for instance the bolt is
withdrawn, the bed plate may be swung out of the breech frame around the bolt 2;
thus by withdrawing one bolt the whole lock of the gun can be exposed to view,
and all the parts are accessible for the purpose of oiling or cleaning.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. In a breech-loading fire-arm having tilting barrels, the combination of the
lugs D and E having lateral recesses f, f, with a laterally sliding action-bolt F
adapted to engage in the said recesses, substantially as described.
Second. In a breech-loading fire-arm having tilting barrels, the combination of
the lug E having a lateral recess f and the radial recess g, with, the laterally sliding
bolt F having recesses h, h, all so arranged that the lug E may be disengaged from
the action-bolt by making the latter register therewith, substantially as specified.
Third. The device for cocking the gun by tilting the barrels, consisting of a
tumbler engaging with the breech end of the barrel, and also by means of suitable
devices with the hammers, which, together with the tumbler, are pivotted upon
the same bolt, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In a breech-loading fire-arm having tilting barrels, the combination of
the lug E having the slot ; and the pin , the tumbler G¹ engaging with the said
slot and pin, the bolt ȧ and hammers H, and interrupted clutches by means of
which the hub of the tumbler engages with the hubs of the hammers, substantially
as described.
Fifth. In a device for discharging alternately the two barrels of a breech-loading
fire-arm, a turn-table interposed between a single trigger and the rear end of the
sears, the said turn-table having an odd series of contacts upon its upper side, and
being adapted to be lifted by the trigger for the purpose of disengaging one of the
sears and capable of being rotated for the purpose of alternating its contacts with
the sear, substantially as specified.
Sixth. In a device for discharging alternately the two barrels of a breech-loading
fire-arm by means of a single trigger, an intermediate device, such as a turn table,
placed between the rear ends of the sears and the trigger and adapted to receive
and transmit, by contact, the motion of the trigger, in combination with devices for
alternating the contacts between it and the sears by the initial motion of the
trigger, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The devices for alternating the discharges of a double-barrelled
breech-loader by means of a single trigger, consisting of the ratchet disc P having
an odd series of projecting contacts p upon its upper side and a pintle o upon its
lower side, the trigger S pivotted centrally below the disc P and having an incline a
upon its tail end, the sliding plate u provided with the arm t and pawl T, and the
sears I having off sets n, all combined and operating substantially as described.
Eighth. In a safety guard, the combination of the swinging shutters T", T¹
having interlocking heels, with the hand-lever U stepped into a socket z and

page_text: having its free end projecting outwardly from the top of the breech frame so that
when the gun is held in firing position, the hand will naturally close over said
projecting end, substantially as specified.
Ninth. In a breech-loading fire-arm, substantially as described, the arrangement
of the bed-plate R, secured to the under side of the breech frame by two bolts, and
having all the parts of the gun lock secured to it, substantially as set forth and
shown.