AN IMPROVED SAFETY BOLT AND TUMBLER FOR THE LOCKS OF CERTAIN KINDS OF FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1844

page_text: THOMAS SEYMOUR, of Riding House Lane, Great Portland Street, in
the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, and JOHN SEYMOUR, of Welling-
ton Square, Gray's Inn Lane, in the same County, Lock Filer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by. Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of March, in the seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Thomas Seymour and John Seymour, Her
especial licence that we, the said Thomas Seymour and John Seymour, -
our exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas
Seymour and John Seymour, our exors, admors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, our Invention "AN IMPROVED SAFETY BOLT AND
TUMBLER FOR THE LOCKS OF CERTAIN KINDS OF FIRE-ARMS; "in which
.

page_text: said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging us, the said Thomas
Seymour and John Seymour, by an instrument in writing, under our
or one of our hands and seals, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the. same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the
said Thomas Seymour and John Seymour, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention to consist,
First, in an improved arrangement of safety bolt.
Secondly, in an improved tumbler, so formed and arranged with
reference to the said bolt that when the cock is raised from the nipple
to any extent (before it reaches half cock), that would cause the cap to
explode if suddenly let down upon the nipple again from that extent of
elevation; the bolt takes effect by a self-acting safety motion, and
prevents the falling action of the tumbler till the bolt is withdrawn
again from interference with it.
And, thirdly, in a friction roller applied to one part of the tunibler to
quicken the action of the seer.
And in further compliance with the said proviso we, the said
Thomas Seymour and John Seymour, do hereby describe the manner
in which our said Invention is to be performed by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, similar letters being used
to denote similar parts in all the Figures (that is to say):
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
It being premised that the certain kinds of fire-arms to which we
allude are all such as have stocks grasped by the hand when firing,
Figure 1, is an elevation of our improved safety bolt and tumbler gun
lock, shewing the cock bolted at the first position of safety being raised
a.little distance from the percussion cap or the nipple B. Figure 2.

page_text: represents the inside of the lock with the cock A, at the first position of
safety, the dovetailed safety bolt C, having been projected by the spring
D, on to the first notch E, of the tumbler F, and so securing the cock A,
from striking the percussion cap on the nipple B. Figure 3, represents
the cock A, on the second position of safety and full cock, the dove-
tailed safety bolt C, having been projected by the spring D, on to the
shaft or plane G, of the tumbler F, which secures the cock A, from
coming down on the percussion cap on the nipple B, even although the
trigger H, be drawn, unless the spring lever I, be pressed into the
stock, which will be done by the right hand in presenting the gun to
the object to be shot at. When the hand is loosened from the lever I,
the spring D, will force the lever I, back out of the stock to the position
shewn in the Drawing. This lever I, acts upon the safety bolt as
follows: A link J, is hinged at one end to the lever and at the
other end to the swivel sliding bolt K, which takes hold by means of
the fork S, S, of the stud L, projecting from the side of the dovetail
safety bolt C, and projects the said safety bolt C, forward; and when
the spring lever I, is again pressed into the position shewn by the
dotted lines, Figure 2, the swivel sliding bolt K, will be drawn back,
bringing with it the safety bolt C; the link J, will take the position
shewn by the dotted lines, Figure 2, and the trigger being drawn, the gun
will go off, for the trigger H, having pushed up one end of the seer M,
the other end or point of the seer will pass very freely over the small
friction roller N, in the tumbler F, and thus allow the cock A, to fall
down on the percussion cap with a force sufficient to explode it and
ignite the charge in the barrel. Figure 4, is an elevation, and Figure 5,
a plan of the guard and guard plate, shewing the swivel sliding bolt K,
with its link J, and forked end S, S, all colored green, while those parts
common to all guns are colored gray and indian ink. Figure 6,
represents the tumbler F, with the small friction roller N, fitted into it
and colored red. The advantages of the before-described improved
safety bolt and improved tumbler gun lock are, that in handling a
loaded gun without the safety bolt the cock A, in coming against any-
thing is sometimes raised only a little distance (not so far as the half
cock) from the percussion cap, and falling back on the percussion cap.

page_text: up
with some force explodes it, and lets off the shots, and also in drawing
the cock that the finger sometimes slips and lets down the cock on
the percussion cap and lets off the shot; also by letting the butt end of
the gun strike-hard against anything the shot will sometimes go off, by
which many accidents have occurred. In all these and such like cases
the improved safety bolt C, and improved tumbler prevent the shot going
off, for if the cock A, be raised up by any means but a small distance
from the percussion cap the safety dovetail bolt C, will be projected on
to the first notch of the tumbler F, and prevent the cock A, from
striking the percussion cap; in no case is the shot likely to go off
until the spring lever I, be pressed into the stock by the right hand
in presenting the gun; the trigger being then drawn, the shot will go off.
And further, that by using the safety bolt C, we are enabled to rest the
point of the seer on the small roller N, which gives the advantages of
hair triggers with perfect safety.
3.
Now whereas it is evident that our self-acting safety bolt might be
made to act outside of the lock plate by merely cutting a slot for it to
act through, and a second tumbler for the said bolt to act upon might
be placed on the original tumbler, axis, or square for the cock, but we
prefer having all this mechanism inside of the lock, and to have the
original tumbler so arranged as to receive the self-action of the safety
bolt.
And whereas we claim as our Invention, first, the improved arrange-
ment of safety bolt with its forked lever K, linked to the spring lever I,
by the link J, arranged and acting on the various parts of a tumbler in
manner herein-before described.
Secondly, an improved tumbler arranged to receive the action of a
self-acting safety bolt, as herein-before described.
And, thirdly, a friction roller applied to the tumbler, as herein-before
also described.
.
And such our Invention being, to the best of our knowledge and
belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her
said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, Her said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, nor in any of Her said Majesty's Colonies or Plantations
.

page_text: abroad, we do hereby declare this to be our Specification of the same,
and that we do verily believe this our said Specification doth comply
in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise with the proviso
in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
wherefore we do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege
to our said Invention.
In witness whereof, the said Thomas Seymour and John Seymour
have hereunto set their hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and forty-four.
THOMAS (L.S.) SEYMOUR.
JOHN (L.B.) SEYMOUR.
FRA J. SMITH, Clk. to Mr. Rob* Gamlen,
Sol', Gray's Inn.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Thomas Seymour
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifi-
cation aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our