Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Breech Loading Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 13th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Breech Loading Guns.
I, AXEL WELIN, Scandinavian Sailors Temperance Home, Garford Street,
London, E., Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to safety devices for preventing the gun from being
accidentally opened after a misfire and for preventing it being discharged before
the breech is completely closed.
I will describe my invention in relation to the breech closing mechanism
described in my Specification No. 17079 in the year 1889 but it also applicable
to other breech mechanisms.
The firing pin works within a tube which projects from the front and back faces
of the rear breech block. The rear end of the pin is of smaller diameter than the
inside of the tube and in the recess so formed there is a sleeve surrounding the pin
and the main spring surrounding the sleeve. The firing pin is not acted upon
directly by the main spring, but the latter bears against a flange on the front end
of the sleeve and tends to press it forward. The firing pin has upon it a collar in
advance of the sleeve and, when this collar is in contact with the end of the sleeve,
the firing pin is forced forward by the spring, but the pin can also move indepen-
dently of the sleeve. In order to prevent the pin from sliding too readily in the
sleeve so as to move with the elevation and depression of the gun the firing pin
carries a split ring or other friction device which bears upon the inside of the
sleeve, which is preferably grooved to receive the split spring ring at the forward
and rear positions of the firing pin relatively to the block. The front end of the
firing pin has upon it a longitudinal feather which works in slots in the front breech
block and in the tube upon the front face of the rear block. The forms of the
slots in the blocks are such that when the firing pin is in its forward position the
feather fits them so that the blocks are locked together and the pin also is prevented
from turning.
When however the pin is slightly withdrawn the feather upon it
One side of the
comes to wider places in the slots so that the pin can be turned.
rear of the slot in the rear block forms the incline up which the feather rides to
cock the gun. The action of the apparatus is as follows:
-
In cocking the gun the pin and sleeve are drawn back, the collar on the firing
pin resting against the forward end of the sleeve and the spring is compressed. In
firing the gun the pin is released and the sleeve is forced forward carrying the
firing pin with it, the sleeve being ultimately stopped by coming against the end of
the recess in the rear breech block whilst the firing pin continues to move forward
until it strikes the cartridge. If the cartridge explodes as it should do, the gun
recoils, carrying the firing mechanism with it and as the rearward movement of the
gun is checked by the recoil mechanism the firing pin tends to continue its rearward
movement independently of the gun, the result is that it slides back in the tube in
the rear breech block until the collar upon it comes into contact with the end of
the sleeve and is arrested. On the other hand, if there is a misfire and there is no
recoil the firing pin does not come back again but remains in its forward position
and the breech therefore cannot be opened for in this position the feather upon the
firing pin constitutes a key connecting the breech blocks together preventing them
from turning, and the breech can only be opened by withdrawing the firing pin.
Accidentally firing of the gun before the breech is completely closed is also
prevented by the feather upon the firing pin and the forms of the slots in the

page_text: breech-block which receive it for in order to fire the gun the breech pin has to
move forward in these slots which it cannot do unless they exactly coincide and
this is only the case when the breech is fully closed.
D
1011 1
C
1001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Firing Mechanism of Breech Loading Guns.
I, AXEL WELIN, Scandinavian Sailors Temperance Home, Garford Street,
London, E., Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
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 safety devices for preventing the gun from being
inadvertently opened too soon after a misfire and for preventing it being dis-
charged before the breech is completely closed.
I will describe my invention in relation to the breech closing mechanism described
in my Specification No. 17079 in the year 1889 but it is also applicable to other
breech mechanisms.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a section of the breech blocks of such a gun
and the figure illustrates also my improvements in the firing mechanism.
a is the front breech block and 6 is the rear breech block; they are held together
by dovetails of aunular form. The block b is held in the gun when the breech is
closed by a divided screw and the block a by a multiple screw of rapid pitch. In
closing and opening the-breech the rear breech-block b is rotated in relation to the
front breech block a through an are of about sixty degrees.
The firing pin c works within a tube which projects from the front and back
faces of the rear breech block. The rear end of the pin is of smaller diameter than
the inside of the tube and in the recess so formed there is a sleeve d surrounding
the pin and the main spring e surrounding the sleeve. The firing pin is not acted
upon directly by the main spring, but the latter bears against a flange on the front
end of the sleeve and tends to press it forward. The firing pin has upon it a
collar c in advance of the sleeve and, when this collar is in contact with the end of
the sleeve, the firing pin is forced forward by the spring, but the pin can also
move independently of the sleeve. In order to prevent the pin from sliding too
readily in the sleeve so as to move with the elevation and depression of the gun
the firing pin carries a split ring for other friction device which bears upon the
inside of the tube ', which is preferably grooved to receive the split spring ring
at the forward and rear positions of the firing pin relatively to the block. The
front end of the firing pin has upon it a longitudinal feather which works in
slots in the front breech block and in the tube upon the front face of the rear
block.
Figure 2 shows a side view of the fore part of the tube 6º on the rear breech
block 6 together with the firing pin c and its feather c². The parts are here in
the position they occupy at the instant of firing or after a misfire.
Figure 3 is a section and shows that part of the front breech block which when
in place overlies the parts shown in Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 3 is seen the
cavity within the front breech block which receives the fore part of the tube and
also the nose of the firing pin. This figure also shows the slots or recesses within
the cavity into which the feather c² on the firing pin enters.
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4, 4, in Figure 3.
The forms and arrangements of the slots in the blocks at a and are such that
when the firing pin is in its forward position as in Figure 2 the feather c² fits them
so that the blocks are locked together and the pin also is prevented from turning.
When however the pin c is withdrawn to the position in which it is represented

page_text: in Figure 5 the feather upon it comes to wider places in the slot or cavity within
the block a so that the parts can be turned. The side a of the slot in the front
block forms the incline on which the feather rides when the rear block b (together
with the firing pin) is turned to open the breech. The incline a' brings back the
firing pin and the feather thereon to the position shown in Figure 6.
In this movement the pin c and the sleeve d are drawn back, the collar c¹ on the
firing pin resting against the forward end of the sleeve and the spring e is
compressed.
The feather c' is now at the end of the incline a' within the block a and here is
retained whilst the tube 6° still turning brings the parts to the position in which
they are represented at Figure 7. The recess in the tube 60 is so formed at that
it now admits of the firing pin being moved forward by its spring to the position
represented at Figure 8. This figure shows the position of the parts when the
breech opens; the parts a b and c are now again locked fast together.
In closing and locking the breech the reverse movement of the rear breech
block brings the feather c against the incline a³ within the cavity of the front
breech block and this again presses back the firing pin to the position shown
in Figure 7. Then the feather gets to the end of the incline a³ the firing pin is
prevented from turning with the tube 60 and the final movement of the latter in
locking the-breech brings the feather 2 to the position represented in Figure 9
where it remains ready for firing. Figure 10 is an elevation of the fore part of the
firing pin and Figure 11 is a section of the feather upon it at the part which
engages the notch 6. The firing is effected by turning the firing pin by the
handle g until the feather comes opposite to the recesses a¹ and b¹.
In this way
in firing the gun the pin is released and then the sleeve is forced forward carrying
the firing pin with it, the sleeve being ultimately stopped by coming against the
end of the recess in the rear breech block whilst the firing pin continues to move
forward until it strikes the cartridge. If the cartridge explodes as it should do,
the gun recoils, carrying the firing mechanism with it and as the rearward move-
ment of the gun is checked by the hydraulic compressers or other recoil mechanism
the firing pin tends to continue its rearward movement independently of the gun.
The result is that the pin c slides back in the tube 6º in the rear breech block until
the collar upon it comes into contact with the end of the sleeve and is arrested.
On the other hand, if there is a misfire and there is no recoil the firing pin does not
come back again but remains in its forward position and the breech therefore
cannot be opened for in this position the feather upon the firing pin constitutes a
key connecting the breech blocks together preventing them from turning and the
breech can only be opened by drawing back the firing pin by hand. The firing
pin therefore in its forward position operates as a bolt and this bolt is withdrawn
by the recoil of the gun but prevents the breech opening in case of misfire.
Accidentally firing of the gun before the breech is completely closed is also
prevented by the feather upon the firing pin and the forms of the slots in the
breech-block which receive it, for in order to fire the gun the breech pin has to
move forward in these slots which it cannot do unless the parts a' and ' exactly
coincide and this is only the case when the breech is fully closed.
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. In the firing mechanism of a breech loading gun, a bolt which locks the breech
closing parts and which bolt is withdrawn when the gun is fired by the continuance
of its rearward movement of recoil when that of the gun is checked by the hydraulic
compressors or other appliances.
2. The combination in the firing mechanism of a breech loading gun consisting
of the parts a and b of the divided breech block, the firing pin c and the spring e,
the whole so arranged that the spring throws the pin forward into a position to

page_text: prevent independent movement of the parts of the breech block but does not prevent
its return by the impulse which it receives when the gun is fired.
3. The firing mechanism of a breech loading gun arranged substantially as
described and represented by the annexed drawings.
Dated 10
1
1001
A
AXEL WELIN.