IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, THOMAS BAILEY, of 76, Dudley Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Gun Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said 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, reference
being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters and Figures marked
thereon, that is to say :—
My Invention has reference to Improvements in that class of breech loading fire-
arms known as hammerless drop down guns in which the gun is automatically
cocked by turning down the barrels, and my Invention consists, Firstly, In an
improved arrangement of mechanism for cocking the gun by the act of turning
down the barrels; Secondly, In improved means for preventing the accidental
discharge of such a gun after it has been cocked and, Thirdly, In dispensing with
the striking hammers ordinarily used for such guns and providing improved firing
pins or needles and firing mechanism.
I proceed with reference to the accompanying drawing to fully describe my
Invention.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several Figures.
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a sectional side view and plan of part of a breech
loading gun constructed according to my Invention and they represent the parts in
the positions they would occupy immediately after the gun has been discharged;
Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the same representing the parts in the positions
they would occupy when the barrels have been turned down and the gun thereby
cocked and the trigger locked; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional side views of the same
representing the parts in the positions they would occupy when ready for firing
except that the triggers are shewn locked; Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively views of
one of the firing pins and one of the sears separately as hereinafter described.
For the purposes of my Invention I provide in the body a of the breech action a
slide b placed preferably below the ordinary slide c which latter locks the barrels dd
and is unlocked by the locking lever e in the ordinary manner. The fore end of
the slide bis inclined and rests against a roller ƒ provided in the lump g formed
with the barrels d, d and the backward end thereof rests against a vertical lever h
against which the back end of the slide c also rests. The vertical lever h can be

page_text: turned upon a pivot i at its lower end and at its upper end it. is connected by
means of a link j to a central slide k which works in a groove or recess in the
body a of the breech action. 7, I are the firing pins or needles which also work in
grooves in the body a of the breech action and they are each provided at their
back ends with a side projection U, so that when the central slide is pressed
backwards as hereinafter described it will catch the side projections, and press
back the firing pins 7, & also. m, m are the sears which I place preferably behind
the firing pins 1, 2 and which are pivotted at m², m¹ to the top of the body a of the
breech action. The front ends of the sears are each hooked so that when the
firing pins, are pressed backwards as hereinafter described the said hooked parts
will catch into corresponding notches,1, 13 in the firing pins, and so hold them
in their backward position. Each sear m, m is provided with a tail m² which is
bent downwards so as to rest on the triggers n, n and to be operated by them to
release the firing pins l, as hereinafter described. I provide springs o, o which
press the sears m, m against the firing pins l, l. For each firing pin 7, I provide
a bow shaped main spring p placed preferably parallel thereto and fitted at their
back ends into notches a, al in the body a, their front ends fitting against notched
projections 3, 13 on the firing pins l, L
°
The operations of the parts as above described for cocking and firing the gun
are as follows:-
The ordinary slide c which locks the barrels having been withdrawn by turning
the locking lever é in the ordinary manner the barrels can then be turned down on
the hinge pin w (see Fig. 3). By turning down the barrels d, d the roller fis
raised and, operating on the inclined part of the slide b, forces it backwards against
the vertical lever h which is thereby forced backwards carrying with it the central
slide k and the firing pins l, and compressing the main springs p, p until the
hooked ends of the sears m, m catch into the notches 12, 12 of the firing pins l, l.
The barrels can now be turned up (see Fig. 4) when the slides b and c will be
moved forwards by the spring h¹ forcing forward the vertical lever h. The central
slide having thus been withdrawn from contact with the side projections 1, 1,
the firing pins, are now free to be discharged by the triggers n, n raising the
sears m, m from the notches 1³, 12.
In order that such a gun may not be accidentally discharged after it has been
cocked, I provide between the sears m, m and the body a of the breech action a
safety slider having a recess and a projection 73 and I so arrange the said
safety slide that when the central slide k is pressed backwards to cock the gun as
herein before described, and almost at the end of its travel, the said central slide k
comes in contact with the forward end of the safety slide 7 and presses it also
backwards, a spring tail ³ formed on the end thereof, and resting on a turning
pip 8, completing the backward motion of the said safety slide 7 thus interposing
the said projection r³ between the ends m*, m' of the sears m, m and the body a of
the breech action and so preventing motion of the sears to discharge the gun
until the said projection has been removed. The said slider can be moved
forward to free the sears or backward to lock them by means of the thumb-piece t
attached thereto, the spring tail resting on the turning pip s maintaining it in
its forward or backward position.
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
1. The improvements in the cocking and firing mechanism of breech loading
fire-arms herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing; that
is to say, the construction and combination of the slide marked b, having an
inclined fore part for the purpose described and represented, the vertical lever h,
operated either by the slide 6 or through the slide c by means of the locking
lever e, the slide k, for operating the firing needles, the firing needles 1, ½, operateď

page_text: by the bow springs p, p, and the sears m, m, all for the purposes and substantially
as described and illustrated.
2. The improvements in breech loading fire-arms of a firing needle operated by
the direct action of a bow shaped spring as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
3. In a breech loading fire-arm the combination of the safety slider with the
sears m, m, constructed as and for the purposes described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing,