IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING HAMMERLESS AND OTHER GUNS AND RIFLES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Anson of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Gun Maker and John Deeley of Birmingham aforesaid Gun Maker
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING HAMMERLESS AND
OTHER GUNS AND RIFLES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Anson and John
Deeley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th April
1883.
WILLIAM ANSON of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Maker,
and JOHN DEELEY of Birmingham aforesaid Gun Maker "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH LOADING HAMMERLESS AND OTHER GUNS AND RIFLES"
Our invention consists of certain improvements on the well known Hammerless
Gun, Patented by us called Anson & Deeley's Patent, and dated 11th May 1875
No 1756 in which the cocking of the Gun is effected by the dropping of the Barrels
for charging by means of two dogs or lifters whose fulcrum is the centre of the
ordinary joint, the said dogs or lifters passing through the joint of the breech
action also passing through the joint part of the forend, the above parts are those
which we propose to improve in the following manner viz:-
We make the two dogs or lifters in ono solid peice by connecting them with a
cross bar, which cross bar forms a bridge across the slot in the breech Action nearly
close to the joint pin, the bridge will also span over the lump of the barrels, when
the breech is closed, the forend will, (as in our above mentioned Patent) hold the
dog or lifter in position in the act of cocking, the lump will not form any part
of the cocking arrangement but will merely turn on the joint pin as in ordinary
Guns,
Our invention also consists in certain improvements for coupling together the
top and bottom bolts, used for fastening down the barrels of breech loading Guns
during discharge we couple the two bolts together, by means of an angular
peice of metal jointed to the back end of the bottom bolt and fastened to the top
bolt by a pin passing through the upper end of the angular peice of metal the
attachment of the angle to the bottom bolt is in front of the breech pin the

page_text: attachment to the top bolt is behind the breech pin by this arrangement the
wood directly in front of the breech pin is not cut away
By a similar arrangement to the above We get the same result by jointing
the angular peice of metal on the side of the bottom bolt instead of the end
In another method of coupling the two bolts together we employ a perpen-
dicular rod working in a socket formed at the back end of the bottom bolt, the
said rod working the top bolt by being forced up and held in position by a flat or
helical spring.
We also arrange the lever spring which actuates the top and bottom bolts to
work on the side of the top strap, instead of working underneath the top strap in
the ordinary manner

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Anson and John Deeley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th October 1883.
WILLIAM ANSON of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Maker
and JOHN DEELEY of Birmingham aforesaid Gun Maker "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING HAMMERLESS AND OTHER GUNS AND RIFLES
32
The object of our invention is to effect certain improvements in the well known
hammerless or drop-down gun, patented by us, and called Anson and Deeley's
Patent dated eleventh May One thousand eight hundred and seventy five N° 1756
in which the cocking of the gun is effected by the dropping of the barrels for
charging by means of two dogs or lifters the fulcrum of which is concentric with
the centre of the ordinary joint, the dogs or lifters passing through the joint of
the breech action and also passing through the back or joint part of the foreend.
Our present invention consists of an improved Lifter, an improved method of
forming and coupling together the top and bottom bolts and certain improvements
in the method of actuating such bolts
And in order that our said invention may be clearly understood reference is
hereby made to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
Fig 1 is an elevation of so much of the breech of a double barrelled drop-
down gun as is requisite to explain our improvements.
Fig: 2 is a top view of the same.
Fig: 3 is a sectional elevation on the line a. a. of Fig: 2
Fig 4 is a sectional elevation on the line b. b. of Fig: 2, representing the gun
as it appears after discharge.
Fig 5 is a view of the underside of Figs 1 and 2.
Fig: 6 is a separate plan view of the double lifter Fig: 7 is a side view of the
same and Fig: 8 is a section on the line cc of Fig: 6
Fig: 9 is a separate perspective view of the lower bolt & shewn also in Fig: 3
and Fig 10 is a plan view of the
upper bolt e.
Fig: 11 represents the gun cocked by the dropping of the barrels and ready for
loading on the line b. b. of Fig: 2
The lifters f. fare formed of one piece of metal, the two lifters being united by
the cross-piece g. which forms a bridge across the slot in the breech action near the
joint pin h., the bridge also spans over the lump of the barrels. When the barrels
are "dropped" the portion marked i of the fore-end lever presses the lifters f. f.
backward by its contact with g. and consequently their inner ends rise in a radial
line with the centre h. as shewn in Fig. 11 the inner ends of the lifters being in
contact with the tail ends of the hammers k, the latter are lifted to the position
of "cock" as also shewn in Fig: 11 the lump does not form any part of the
cocking arrangement, but merely turns on the joint pin as in ordinary guns. It is
obvious that the lifter ff by a slight modification, can be adapted to single barrel
drop down guns.
The lower bolt d has an opening d' through which one of the lugs / passes and
enters the lugs at A. 1. and the upper bolt e also enters the recess cut out at e¹.
thereby holding the barrels down during discharge.
The upper bolts and lower bolt d are simultaneously withdrawn in order to let
the barrels drop, by pushing aside the hand lever m. This hand lever is pivotted
at m². Fig. 2 to the upper bolt e but the hand lever is also pivotted at m². to a
fixed centre.
This arrangement causes the pivot at m¹. to recode when the hand lever is

page_text: pushed aside, and this receding movement causes the upper and lower bolts to
release the barrels. The connection between the actuating mechanism of the upper
and lower bolts is effected by means of the angle piece n, the mode of connection
being behind instead of in front of the breech pin as is clearly shewn in the
drawings Figs. 3 and 4.
The bolts are pressed forward by means of the spring o between the provision p
and thrust block q. But instead of this spring we sometimes substitute the side
spring shewn in Fig. 12 which operates upon the hand lever m as shewn.
By the foregoing arrangements there is an increased simplicity in the working
parts, the strength is also increased and the wood is not cut away in front of the
breech pin.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
we claim :-
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
1. The arrangement and construction of the lifters in one piece of metal, for
double or single barrelled drop-down hammerless guns, and the method and means
of causing such guns to become cocked, substantially as herein before described and
shewn on the drawings Figs 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8 and 11.
2. The method and means of forming, coupling and actuating the top and
bottom bolts for such last mentioned guns for the purpose and in manner sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and as shewn on the drawings Figs 1. 2. 3.
9 and 10.
•
3 The use and manufacture of the several and respective parts of the breech
action substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts together forming our
improvements in breech-loading hammerless and other guns and rifles as herein-
before described and shewn on the drawings or any mere modification thereof.
•
In witness whereof we the said William Anson and John Deeley have hereunto
set our hands and seals the tenth day of October in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
TTT TTAR ANSON