IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-. LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Wilson, of Horncastle, in the County of
Lincoln, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-.
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 16th October 1866, and dated the 19th April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th April 1866.
I, EDWIN WILSON, of Horncastle, in the County of Lincoln, Gun Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
Breech-loading fire-arms are liable in use to become open and loose at the
junction of the end of the barrel or barrels with the face of the "action" or
break-off," or that part of the fire-arm attached to the stock, and the
object of one part of my improvements is to remedy this evil by the application
of adjusting means by which the parts may be readily brought into close
contact as occasion may require. For this purpose the pin which passes
through the "action" to act on the "lump" from the barrel, and which
serves as the axis of motion of the parts in supplying fresh charges, in place
of being formed cylindrical is of a conical form, in order that by moving it
end wise in the action, so as to cause a larger diameter of it to act on the
"lump," the desired adjustment may be obtained to draw the breech end of
the barrel or barrels close to the face of the "action" or "break-off." This

page_text: movement of the axis is regulated by screws which are set or fixed by other
I also apply an abutment to act in a recess or groove formed for
it in the boss of the fixing lever opposite the "grip," to throw the strain off
the axis of that lever, by which a lever acting as a "single grip" may be
rendered as effective as a "double grip." This abutment also by its pressure 5
renders a holding spring unnecessary, and acts as a stop to the motions of the
lever.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
WILSON, of Horncastle, in the County of Lincoln, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edwin Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said Edwin Wilson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edwin Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FTEB-ARMB," upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said Edwin Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said. Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin Wilson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
Breech-loading fire-arms are liable in use to become open and loose at the
junction of the end of the barrel or barrels with the face of the "action

page_text: break-off," or that part of the fire-arm attached to the "stock," and the
object of one part of my improvements is to remedy this evil by the application.
of adjusting means, by which the parts may be readily brought into close,
contact as occasion may require. For this purpose the pin which passes.
through the "action" to act on the "lump" from the barrel, and which serves:
as the axis of motion of the parts in supplying fresh charges, in place of being
forward cylindrical is of a conical form, in order that by moving it endwise
in the action, so as to cause a larger diameter of it to act on the "lump," the
desired adjustment may be obtained to draw the breech end of the barrel or
barrels close to the face of the "action" or "break-off." This movement of
the axis is regulated by screws, which are set or fixed by other set screws. I
also apply an abutment to act in a recess or groove formed for it in the boss
of the fixing lever opposite the "grip," to throw the strain off the axis of that
lever, by which a lever acting as a "single grip" may be rendered as effective
as a "double grip." This abutment also by its pressure renders a holding
spring unnecessary, and acts as a stop to the motions of the lever..
But that the Invention may be fully understood, I will by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure shows a side view, partly in section, of parts of a gun with my
improvements applied to it; Figure 2 shows a transverse section of the same
through the pin connecting the barrel with the stock; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, and 10 represent various views of other of the parts separately, in order
that their construction may be better understood. The gun shewn is what is
called a double-barrel gun, but this may be varied. In each of the views.
the same letters are employed to indicate corresponding parts wherever
they occur.
a is a part of the stock, and 6 is the face of the action, against which the
ends of the barrels are required to fit close, so as to prevent escape of
gases; d is the axis or fulcrum pin upon which the barrel is caused to turn,
in order to the application thereto of new charges, or the removal of old ones,
or otherwise. As such breech-loading guns are at present generally con-
structed they are owing to the wear on the axis or fulcrum pin employed
very liable to become open at the junction of the end of the barrels c with
the face plate 6; but according to the first part of my improvements the axis
or fulcrum pin d is at that part of it (1) which acts on the lump of the
barrel formed conical, whilst those parts (2), (2), which pass into the ears
a', a', carried by the stock a are, as heretofore, simply cylindrical, and the

page_text: or
pin & is capable of endway motion in either direction in the ears a¹, thereby
to regulate the exact fit of the end of the barrel to the face plate of the
"action
"break-off," and to admit of their being drawn up closer to that
plate in the event of wear. In order to admit of this endway movement of
the pin d, and to hold it in the position for the time desired, it is provided
with set screws e, e, at its opposite ends, the heads of each of which set
screws e is capable of turning in a recess formed for it in one of the ears a³,
whilst the screwed stems e¹ of the screws e pass into opposite ends of
the pin d, so that by unscrewing one of them and screwing up the other
the pin d will be drawn in one direction, or (vice versa). The pin d is
formed with a groove d' along part of its surface, into which passes a small
projection or feather from the ear a' in which it moves to prevent that pin
from turning, and yet admit of it sliding endway. The screws e, e, are also
held from turning when set by means of small screws f. f, passing through
the parts a¹, a¹, to the groove e formed around the head of each of the
screws e; g is the "fixing lever," which is supported to turn upon an axis 7.
This lever g, as is well understood, is formed with a groove g¹ adapted to
receive the part (3) of the "lump" from the barrel, and when that lever is
turned to hold the barrel in position for firing. As is well known some of
these fixing levers are formed with a "double grip," or a groove g¹ on opposite
sides of its boss, so as to act simultaneously by its opposite sides on two parts
of the lump, or two projections from the barrel, whilst other fixing levers, as
is the case with that shown, act only by "single grip," that is, with only one
groove g on its boss to act on one projection from the lump or part of the
barrel c, but where a single grip is used, as the parts are ordinarily con-
structed, the strain is injuriously thrown upon the axis of such fixing lever in
proportion to the power exerted upon the part of the barrel in holding it in
position. To remedy this evil, according to this the second part of my improve-
ments, I apply a projection i in the recess for the boss of the fixing lever to
press on that boss on the opposite side thereof to that exerted by the lump or
projection from the barrel. The boss of the fixing lever 9 is cut away
at (4) somewhat in the form of the groove of a bayonet joint to admit of the
ready removal and replacement of that lever, and yet of the full action of the
projection thereon; this projection in addition to the advantage of its
pressure taking the strain off the axis of the fixing lever 9 renders a holding
spring unnecessary, and as shown it also acts as a stop to the motions of the
fixing lever.
g
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in carrying
the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself

page_text: to the precise arrangements shown and described, as these may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the improvements; but what
I claim is,-
First, the forming the pin or axis of motion of the barrel in breech-loading
fire-arms conical, or with adjusting means adapted to maintain the breech
end of the barrel working in close contact with the face of the "action" or
"break-off," in manner substantially as described.
Secondly, I claim the application of an abutment or pressing surface to act
on the boss of the fixing lever in a direction opposite to the pressure exerted
by the projection from the barrel, so as to take the strain off the axis of the
fixing lever, in manner substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Wilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 16th day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.