IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALI. ARMS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas William Webley, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALI.
ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas William Webley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1880.
THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
$1
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading small arms, and
it relates especially to the lock and the bolting mechanism of guns known as
break down" guns, in which the barrels are jointed to the stock in such manner
that the barrels can turn about the joint, so that for loading their breeches may
be raised above the breech face or front of the body.
I arrange the lock and the bolting mechanism in the following manner :-I
mount all the parts of the lock and also the bolting lever upon the trigger plate.
The bolting lever and the tumblers or hammers are on the same axis, and this is
so low down that the ordinary straight locking bolt lies above it and between the
two tumblers or hammers. The bolt receives its motion from a short and nearly
upright arm on the lever, the rounded end of which enters a hole formed to receive
it near the rear end of the bolt. The sears take into bents on the under side of
the tumblers or hammers, and are operated on by the triggers in the usual way.
The main springs are connected each with its tumbler or hammer by a swivel
which operates by thrust upon the upper part of the tumbler or hammer. The
locking lever when moved to draw back the bolt in opening the breech also
raises the tumblers or hammers to the cocked position. For this purpose each
tumbler or hammer has a finger which projects from it at its lower end and in
front of the axis on which the tumblers or hammers are carried; when the locking
lever is moved to draw back the bolt the front part of the lever comes against
these fingers of the tumblers or hammers, so that at the same time that the bolt
is withdrawn the tumblers or hammers are forced back to the cocked position, or
that in which they are caught and retained by the sears.

page_text: The locking lever is provided with a coiled spring pressing on the back of the
lever immediately above the axis. This spring tends to throw the lever forward
when it is left free, and so to cause the locking bolt to engage with the lump on
the barrels when the breeches are closed.
For greater security I sometimes provide stops to intercept the hammers in
their fall, if from any cause (such as the breakage or wear of a portion of the lock)
they should fall otherwise than in consequence of pressure exerted upon the
triggers.
These stops are carried by a pair of levers which pass between the tumblers or
hammers; they have their fulcrum at a point intermediate of their length at a
short distance from the triggers.
The stops project outwards from the fore ends of the levers, and the levers are
held by springs in such positions that if the lever has not been displaced prior to
the fall of the hammer, the haminer strikes against the stop and the cartridge in
the barrel does not receive the blow. At the rear end of each lever there is a stud
or short arm projecting over the trigger in such a position that when the trigger
is drawn back the hinder end of the lever is raised.
When the lever is thus displaced by the trigger the stop at its fore end descends
out of the way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas William Webley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th November 1880.
THOMAS WILLIAM WEBLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading small arms, and
it relates especially to the lock and the bolting mechanism of guns known as
"break down" guns, in which the barrels are jointed to the stock in such manner
that the barrels can turn about the joint, so that for loading their breeches may be
raised above the breech face or front of the body.
_I
I arrange the lock and the bolting mechanism in the following manner:-
mount all the parts of the lock and also the bolting lever upon the trigger plate.
The bolting lever and the tumblers or hammers are on the same axis, and this is so
low down that the ordinary straight locking bolt lies above it and between the
two tumblers or hammers. The bolt receives its motion from a short and nearly
upright arm on the lever, the rounded end of which enters a hole formed to
receive it near the rear end of the bolt. The sears take into bents on the under-
side of the tumblers or hammers, and are operated on by the triggers in the usual
way. The main springs are connected each with its tumbler or hammer by a
swivel which operates by thrust upon the upper part of the tumbler or hammer.
Or the main springs may operate directly upon shoulders formed on the tumblers

page_text: or hammers near to their axis. The locking lever when moved to draw back
the bolt in opening the breech also raises the tumblers or hammers to the cocked
position. For this purpose each tumbler or hammer has a projection at its lower
end and in front of the axis on which the tumblers or hammers are carried. When
the locking lever is moved to draw back the bolt the front part of the lever comes
against this projection of the tumblers or hammers, so that at the same time that
the bolt is withdrawn the tumblers or hammers are forced back to the cocked
position, or that in which they are caught and retained by the sears.
The locking lever is provided with a spring. This spring tends to throw the
lever forward when it is left free, and so to cause the locking bolt to engage with
the lump on the barrels when the breeches are closed.
For greater security I sometimes provide stops to intercept the hammers in their
fall, if from any cause (such as the breakage or wear of a portion of the lock)
they should fall otherwise than in consequence of pressure exerted upon the
triggers.
These stops are carried by a pair of levers which pass between the tumblers or
bammers; they have their fulcrum at a point intermediate of their length at a
short distance from the triggers.
The stops project outwards from the fore ends of the levers, and the levers are
held by springs in such positions that if the lever has not been displaced prior to
the fall of the hammer, the hammer strikes against the stop and the cartridge in
the barrel does not receive the blow. At the rear end of each lever there is a stud
or short arm projecting over the trigger in such a position that when the trigger
is drawn back the hinder end of the lever is raised.
When the lever is thus displaced by the trigger the stop at its fore end descends
out of the way.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of parts of the lock together with the locking bolt
and the bolting lever; some parts of the body are also indicated by dotted lines.
In this Figure the tumblers or hammers are in the cocked position, the bolting
lever is depressed, and the bolt drawn back, as at the time of opening the breeches.
Figure 2 is also a side elevation, but with some of the parts removed to admit
of others being more clearly seen; Figures 3 and 4 are similar to the Figures 1
and 2, but with the tumblers or hammers down, the bolting lever up, and the
locking bolt forward.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the lock with the lock plate in section on the
line 1, 1, in Figure 1.
In these several Figures, a represents the trigger plate; it has side cheeks a¹
carrying the axis b for the tumblers or hammers c, c, and also for the bolting
lever d. This axis b is so placed that the straight locking bolt e, which engages
in the usual way with a lump on the under side of the barrels, may work over the
axis and over the boss of the bolting lever through which the axis passes; c, c,
are the tumblers or hammers, they project in front of the axis at c¹, and on each
tumbler or hammer there is a shoulder. At the under side of the projection d is the
bolting lever, and upon its boss there are corresponding shoulders at d¹, which
when the bolting lever is pressed down (as in unbolting the breeches) force back
the tumblers or hammers until they are caught by the sears; d is the spring of
the bolting lever; h, h, are the sears which in the usual way engage with bents
on the under sides of the tumblers or hammers; i, i, are the sear springs; and j, j,
are the main springs. The main springs operate upon the tumblers or hammers
by means of the inverted swivels k, k; the triggers are marked 1, l. In place of
employing swivels the main springs may be arranged to act directly upon shoulders
on the tumblers or hammers near to the axis, as indicated by Figure 6.

page_text: With locks constructed as above described I combine safety stops, such as
many years ago were made use of by Purdey in locks of a different construction.
These stops are so arranged that if from any cause the tumbler or hammer
should fall when the trigger is not pressed back the tumbler or hammer is blocked,
and the blow which otherwise would fall on the pin by which the cartridge is
exploded is intercepted by the safety stop. Figure 7 is a side elevation of the
lock with the front tumbler or hammer, its sear, and the main spring and sear
spring removed in order that the safety stop may be clearly seen. The stop is in
this Figure marked m, and at m¹ is a pin or axis connecting the stop with a lump
upon the trigger plate. The same lump also serves to receive a screw or pin
passing through the tang of the body. Figure 8 is a plan of one of the stops m;
n is a spring which presses upon the safety stop m at its rear end, and causes it
when it is free to stand in such a position that its head m¹l faces the hammer
head. Should the hammer fall whilst the stop m is in this position the blow is
taken by the head ml of the stop, which in turn is supported by resting against
the body at 0. When however the trigger is pulled back for firing the gun,
at the same time that withdraws the nose of the sear from the bent in the
tumbler, it raises the rear end of the stop lever m and depresses the head to the
position indicated in dotted lines at m*, where it is out of the way of the hammer;
p in Figure 7 represents a projection from a slide mounted upon the tang of the
body, and which slide forms a safety bolt capable of being moved at will by the
thumb of the sportsman. When the slide is drawn back it stands over the triggers
1, 1, in such a position as to prevent them moving, and it has to be pushed forward
before the gun can be fired. In the act of unlocking the barrels for opening the
breeches this part p is also automatically pushed back by the bolt è. The rear end
of the bolt operates directly upon an horizontal rod passing in a longitudinal
direction through a hole in the lump upon the trigger plate. This horizontal rod
or pusher, which is not shown in the Drawing, when inoved back by the bolt e
thrusts upon the piece p, and moves it into such a position that it locks the
triggers.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
First. My improvements in breech loading fire arms, consisting in the arrange-
ment and combination of the parts of the lock and of the bolting mechanism in
the manner described with the tumblers or hammers and the bolting lever on the
same axis, and with the ordinary straight locking bolt working over the axis and
the boss of the lock bolting lever, substantially as herein described and represented
by the Drawings.
Second. The combination with such a lock and bolting mechanism of safety
levers m, substantially as described in respect to Figures 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas William Webley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
MYYA
THO. W. WEBLEY,
(L.S.)