IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hill, the younger, of Aston, near Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Gun Action Filer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hill at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1879.
RICHARD HILL, the younger, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Action Filor. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
My Invention bas reference to breech loading small arms of the kind called drop
down guns, and my said Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter
described in the said drop down guns.
My Invention consists, first, of the construction and combination of parts herein-
after described for cocking the hammers of the said guns, and for preventing the
accidental discharge of the said guns.
I will describe this part of my Invention in connection with one of the concealed
hammers of a double barrel gun. I use a lock plate carrying a concealed hammer
and lock mechanism of the ordinary kind, the said lock plate being let into the
side of the body as usual. In the body of the gun a longitudinal channel or recess
is made. In this channel a lever, having motion in a vertical plane, is situated. I
will hereinafter call this lever the cocking lever. The end of the front arm of the
cocking lever is situated under a vertical slot in and passing to the upper side of
the body, and the end of the rear arm of the said cocking lever is so situated that
when the said rear arm is raised in the manner hereinafter described, it operates
upon the prolonged tumbler end of the concealed hammer on the lock plate, and
lifts the said hammer to full cock. Across the underside of the breech end of the
barrels and working through the front lump on the said barrels, is a slide carrying
a projecting peg. The said slide passes through the side of the gun, and its external
end may be operated by the thumb and finger so as to press the said slide in wards
or draw it outwards. The peg described on the slide is situated to and moves
in the vertical slot in the body of the gun, in which the end of the front arm
of the cocking lever works. By moving the slide into one or other of its two
Duins 677

page_text: positions, the peg on it is either brought opposite to or removed from the front arm
of the cocking lever. When in the first described position, the descent of the
breech ends of the barrels to close the gun causes the said peg to act upon the
cocking lever, and the latter to cock the hammer; and when in the last described
position, the motion of the barrels does not operate upon the cocking mechanism of
the gun. The slide carrying the cocking peg acts as a safety slide, and prevents
The action of the
the accidental discharge of the gun as hereinafter described.
cocking and safety mechanism of the gun is as follows:-After the discharge of the
gun, the lifting of the breech ends of the barrels for reloading leaves the cocked
hammer in its discharged position, but on the shutting down of the barrels after
reloading the gun, the peg on the slide (which said slide has been brought into the
proper position) bearing against the end of the front arm of the cocking lever turns
the said lever on its joint, and causes its rear arm to act upon the projeceing
tumbler end of the hammer, and cock the said hammer. So long as the peg on the
slide bears on the front arm of the cocking lever, the hammer is blocked, and the
gun cannot be discharged, as it is only by the rising of the said front arm of the
lever that the hammer has liberty of motion. The said slide thereby acts as a
safety slide to the gun. When it is wished to discharge the gun, the slide is pushed
inwards so as to remove the peg from over the end of the front arm of the cocking
lever. The cocking lever can now rise and the hammer be liberated for the dis-
charge of the gun. Brfore the barrels are shut down, the safety slide is moved
outwards so as to bring its peg into a position to actuate the cocking lever as before
described. This part of my Invention is applicable to guns having any kind of
lock mechanism, as well as to guns having external hammers. My Invention
consists further of the following improvements in the bolting down mechanism of
drop down guns. For the purpose of bolting down the barrels at top and bottom,
I use a bolt having a treble grip, the parts of the bolt being made solid or of one
piece of metal. The said bolt consists of two horizontal and parallel parts connected
together by a vertical arm. The bottom bolt slides in the body of the gun, and
takes upon seats made on the back and front lumps on the underside of the barrels.
The top bolt, which is shorter than the underbolt, works in a recess at the top of
the break off, and takes upon a seat made on the prolonged rib between the barrels.
The said solid bolt may be worked by a top lever, or by a lever on the underside of
When the said lever is moved for unfastening the barrels, the two bolts
are simultaneously withdrawn, the underbolt from its two seats on the lumps, and
the upper bolt from its seat on the prolonged rib, and the barrels are unfastened
.and may be raised for loading. On shutting down the barrels, the parts of the
solid bolt snap upon their respective seats, and the said barrels are fastened down at
top and bottom.
•
. the gun.
The first described part of my Invention is applicable to single and double barrel
drop down guns, and the last described part of my Invention is applicable only to
double barrel drop down guns.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
{ the said Richard Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th October
.1879.
RICHARD HILL, the younger, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Action Filer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
My Invention has reference to breech loading small arms of the kind called drop
down guns; and my said Invention consists of the improvements herein after
described in the said drop down guns.
My Invention consists, first, of the construction and combination of parts herein-
after described for cocking the hammers of the said guns, and for preventing the
accidental discharge of the said guns.
I will describe this part of my Invention in connection with one of the concealed
hammers of a double barrel gun. I use a lock plate carrying a concealed hammer
and lock mechanism of the ordinary kind, the said lock plate being let into the side
of the body as usual. In the body of the gun a longitudianal channel or recess is
made. In this channel a lever having motion in a vertical plane is situated. I
will herein after call this lever the cocking lever. The end of the front arm of the
cocking lever is situated under a vertical slot in and passing to the upper side of
the body, and the end of the rear arm of the said cocking lever is so situated that
when the said rear arm is raised in the manner hereinafter explained, operates upon
the prolonged tumbler end of the concealed hammer on the lock plate, and lifts the
said hammer to full cock. Across the underside of the breech end of the barrels,
and working through the front lump on the said barrels, is a slide carrying a
projecting peg. The said slide passes through the side of the gun, and its external
end may be operated by the thumb and finger so as to press the said slide inwards, or
draw it outwards. The peg described on the slide is situated opposite to and moves in
the vertical slot in the body of the gun in which the end of the front arm of the
cocking lever works. By moving the slide into one or other of its two positions,
the peg on it is either brought opposite to or removed from over the front arm of
the cocking lever. When in the first described position, the descent of the breech
ends of the barrels to close the gun causes the said peg to act upon the cocking
lever, and the latter to cock the hammer. And when in the last described position
the motion of the barrels does not operate upon the cocking mechanism of the gun.
The slide carrying the cocking peg acts as a safety slide, and prevents the accidental
discharge of the gun, as herein after described.
The action of the cocking and safety mechanism of the gun is as follows:-After
the discharge of the gun the lifting of the breech ends of the barrels for reloading
leaves the hammer in its discharged position, but on the shutting down of the
barrels after reloading the gun the peg on the slide (which said slide has been
brought into the proper position) bearing against the end of the front arm of the
cocking lever turns the said lever on its joint, and causes its rear arm to act upon
the projecting tumbler end of the hammer and cock the said hammer.
So long as
the peg on the slide bears on the front arm of the cocking lever the hammer is
blocked, and the gun cannot be discharged, as it is only by the rising of the said
front arm of the lever that the hammer has liberty of motion. The said slide
thereby acts as a safety slide to the gun. When it is wished to discharge the gun
the said slide is pushed inwards so as to remove the peg from over the end of the
front arm of the cocking lever. The cocking lever can now rise, and the hammer
be liberated for the discharge of the gun. Before the barrels are shut down the
safety slide is moved outwards so as to bring its peg into a position to actuate the
cocking lever, as before described.
This part of my Invention is applicable to guns having external hammers, as well
as to guns having internal hammers.
My Invention consists further of the following improvements in the bolting down

page_text: mechanism of drop down guns --For the purpose of bolting down the barrels at
top and bottom I use a bolt having a treble grip, the parts of the bolt being made
solid or of one piece of metal. The said solid bolt consists of two horizontal and
parallel parts connected together by a vertical arm. The bottom bolt slides in the
body of the gun, and takes upon seats made on the back and front lumps on the
underside of the barrels. The top bolt, which is shorter than the underbolt, works
in a recess at the top of the break off, and takes upon a soat made on the prolonged
rib between the barrels. The said solid bolt may be worked by a top lever, or by
a lever on the underside of the gun. When the said lever is moved for unfastening
the barrels the two bolts are simultaneously withdrawn, the underbolt from its top
seat on the lumps, and the upper bolt from its seat on the prolonged rib, and the
barrels are unfastened and may be raised for loading. On shutting down the barrels
the parts of the solid bolt snap upon their respective seats, and the said barrels are
fastened down at top and bottom.
The first described part of my Invention is applicable to single and double barrel
drop down guns, and the last described part of my Invention is applicable only to
double barrel drop down guns.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the.
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in longitudinal section a double barrel drop down gun
(the lock plates being removed) containing cocking and safety mechanism con-
structed according to my Invention, Figure 1 representing the hammers cocked and
the safety slide in its safety position, and Figure 2 representing the hammers
discharged, and the breech ends of the barrels raised from the break off for charging
the gun; Figure 3 represents in plan of underside the barrels of the gun detached,
exhibiting the safety slide; Figures 4 and 5 represent cross sections of the gun
taken through the safety slide, Figure 4 showing the safety slide pushed inwards
to permit of the discharge of the gun, and Figure 5 the same in its normal or safety
position to prevent the discharge of the gun; Figure 7 represents a plan of upper
side of the body of the gun; and Figure 8 represents a plan of the upper side of
the covering plate, carrying the springs of the cocking levers.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, and 8.
a is one of the concealed hainmers of the gun used in combination with the sear
and the other parts of a gun lock carried by a lock plate let into the side of the
body, a hammer and cocking mechanism being used with each of the barrels of the
gun. The tumbler end of each hammer a is prolonged at b; c, c², c, c², are the cocking
levers for operating upon the hammers a at the sides of the gun, the said cocking
levers turning on the centres d, d. The said cocking levers c, c², c, c, are situated
in recesses e, e, in the sides of the body f, and their position in the said body is best
seen in Figure 7. The long arm c² of each cocking lever is pressed upwards by the
spring g, carried by the covering plate h (shown separately in Figure 8) fixed on
the underside of the body, and the end of the short arm c of each cocking lever is
situated under a slot i in the body, and passing to the upper side thereof. It will
be seen by reference to Figures 1 and 2 that the end of the long arm c² of the
cocking lever c, c², bears against the inclined end of the tumbler arm 6 of the
hammer a, and when the short arm c of the cocking lever is depressed, on shutting
down the barrels, the long arm c² lifts the hammer to full cock, the spring g keeping
the cocking arm in contact with the tumbler arm b; kis the safety slide working
across the underside of the breech ends of the barrels l, and also through the front
lump n (see Figure 3). One end of the slide k projects from the side of the gun in
position to be acted upon by the finger. The projecting end of the slide is fur-
nished with a milled finger plate k². By means of a spring p the safety slide k is
pressed outwards, and made to take the safety or normal position represented in
Figures 3 and 5. On the underside of the safety slide k are pegs m, m. The said
pegs m, m, are situated opposite to and work in the slots i, i, in the body of the
gün, and pass into the recesses e, c, in which the cocking levers c, c², c, c, are

page_text: situated (see Figures 1 and 2). When the pegs m, m, are in the position repre-
sented in Figure 5 (the safety slide k being in its normal position) they are situated
over the ends of the front arms c, c, of the cocking levers, and the said pegs on the
descent of the breech ends of the barrels to close the gun operate upon the cocking
levers, and cause them to raise the hammers to full cock, but so long as the pegs
m. m, are in the position, Figure 5, the gun cannot be discharged, as the said pegs
block the cocking levers and prevent their short arms from rising for the discharge
of the hammers.
When by pressure upon the finger plate k¹, the slide k is pressed inwards and
held in the position represented in Figure 4 in the manner herein after explained,
the pegs m, m, are removed from over the ends of the short arms c, c, of the
cocking levers, and the said short arins c, c, are free to rise to permit of the
discharge of the gun. The slide thus prevents the accidental discharge of the
gun, the gun being incapable of being discharged so long as the slide occupies its
normal position, Figure 5.
The action of the cocking and safety mechanism is as follows:-After the
discharge of the gun the barrels are unfastened and their breech ends raised, the
.several parts occupying the respective positions shown in Figure 2, the haminers
being left in their discharged position and the safety slide resuming its normal or
safety position. On shutting down the barrels after reloading them, the pegs
m, m, on the safety slide k bear against the ends of the front arms c, c, of the
cocking levers c, c², c, c³, and cause their rear arms c², c², to act upon the tumbler
arms of the hammers a and raise the said hammers to full cock, the parts
occupying the respective positions represented in Figure 1.
As the cocking pegs
m, m, on the safety slide k are now over and block the ends of the short arins c, c,
of the cocking levers, the gun cannot be discharged as before described; the pegs
m, m, through which the cocking of the hammers is effected thus preventing the
fall of the said hammers. When it is wished to discharge the gun, the safety slide
k is pressed inwards by the finger into the position shown in Figure 4, so as to
remove the pegs m, m, from over the ends of the short arms c, c. The said short
arms c, c, of the cocking levers c, c², c, c², can now rise, and the hammers be
liberated for the discharge of the gun. The slide k when pressed inwards is held
in the position which permits of the discharge of the gun, and is liberated at the
proper time automatically in the following manner:-It will be seen by an
examination of Figure 1 that the pressure of the main springs acting through the
hammers causes the short arms c, c, of the cocking levers c, c², c, c², to bear against
the cocking pegs m, m, of the slide k, the said pegs acting as stops to the said
levers c, o, and when the slide is pressed inwards by the finger so as to remove
the pegs m, m, from over the short arins c, c, the said arms c, c, slightly rise by the
pressure of the main spings into the positions represented in Figure 4, and the slide
is thereby out of action and the gun may be discharged when the triggers are
pressed upon in the usual way. The safety slide k is held out of action by the
arms c, c, of the cocking levers after the discharge of the gun, but when the barrels
are raised for recharging the gun, the short arms c, c, of the cocking levers no
longer bearing against the pegs m, m, (see Figure 2), the slide k is pressed outwards
or into its normal position, Figure 5, by the spring p, so as to bring the said pegs
over the short arms c, c, ready on closing the gun to cock the hammers as before
described.
Although I prefer to use a spring for pressing the safety slide into its safety and
cocking position, yet the said spring may be dispensed with, and the said slide be
moved outwards as well as pressed inwards by hand. In this case the safety slide
can be thrown out of action so that the descent of the barrels does not cause the
cocking mechanism to be operated upon.
In applying my Invention to guns having external hammers, the axes of the
locks are prolonged through the lock plates, and on the said prolonged ends the
external bammers are fixed. In this case tumblers are fixed on the axes of the

page_text: .locks, the cocking levers acting upon the prolonged parts or tumbler arms in
the manner described with respect to internal hammers.
Figure 9 represents the body of a drop down gun provided with a bolt con-
structed according to my Invention for bolting down the barrels at top and
bottom; Figure 10 represents the bolt detached in end elevation, side elevation,
and plan; q, r, 8, is the compound bolt having a treble grip, the parts q, r, 8, being
made solid or in one piece; q, 8, are the top and bottom parts of the compound
bolt, which parts are connected together by the vertical arm ?*.
The bottom bolt s
slides in the body of the gun as represented in Figure 9, and takes upon seats
made in the back lump t and front lump u, and the top bolt q takes upon a seat in
the prolonged rib v between the barrels. The solid compound bolt described may
either be worked by a top lever as represented in Figure 9, or by a lever on the
underside of the gun. The manner in which the two bolts snap upon their
respective seats so as to fasten down the barrels at top and bottom will be
understood by an examination of Figure 9.
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 claim as my Invention
of improvements in breech loading small arms of the kind called drop down
guns,-
-
First. The construction and combination of parts of mechanism hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, both inclusive, of the accompanying
Drawing, for cocking the hammers of the said guns on the closing of the barrels
after charging, and for preventing the accidental discharge of the said guns, that is
to say, the combination of the cocking lever or levers c, c², with the slide k, the said
slide when in one position causing a peg or pegs carried by it to operate upon the
cocking mechanism when the barrels are shut down, and bring the hammer or
hammers to full cock; and also to act as a safety slide and prevent the discharge
of the gun, and when the said slid is brought into another position permitting of
the discharge of the gun, the said cocking levers, slide, and parts connected with
them being constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The improvement in compound bolts for bolting down at top and
bottom the double barrels of drop down guns, having prolonged ribs herein before
described and illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, that is to say, making the top and
bottom bolts of the said compound bolts solid or of one piece of metal, as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
RICHARD HILL, JUNE. (L.S.)