IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS RELATING TO THE LOCK AND THE PROJECTILE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Manuel Costa de Arguibel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th June 1883.
MANUEL COSTA DE ARGUIBEL, of Buenos Aires, in the Argentine Republic, but
temporarily of Sackville Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS RELATING TO THE LOCK AND THE PROJECTILE."
My invention has reference to certain improvements in fire arms, which relate to
the lock of portable fire arms, and to a novel construction of projectile applicable
thereto, or to heavy guns, and it is designed to afford a simple lock mechanism of
great strength, and not easily liable to derangement, and to provide a projectile of
increased efficiency and penetrative power.
My improved lock consists, in the first place, of the known hammer, trigger,
and V spring. In front of the trigger guard is pivotted a push lever, the upper
end of which works against the forward face of the hammer piece, so as to cock
the hammer on the push lever being thrust forward. The breach piece or shutter,
is held in position by a lug resting upon the top of the push lever, and is provided,
in addition to the said lug, with a stirrup. As the push lover is thrust forward,
its point slides from the lug into the stirrup of the breach piece, and draws it
down by the same movement which effects the cocking of the hammer, leaving the
breach exposed for the reception of the cartridge. The thrust of the push lever is
against the pressure of a spring, and thus, when it is released, it always tends to
return to its position, and to lift at the same time the breach block back into its
seating. The extractor is a double jawed piece, pivotted on the same axle as the
push lever. Upon the part of the push lever einbracing the axis is formed a
clutch, which shall engage with a corresponding clutch cut in the pivotted base of
the extractor, to suddenly jerk the same from its seating in the breach, on the
forward thrust of the push lever, and thus to throw out the empty cartridge case, at
the same time throwing forward a detent to hold down the breach piece. The
extractor is pushed back into position by the insertion of a fresh cartridge, the
detent is at the same time released, and the breach piece is free to rise.
A modification of my device is where the push lever is not employed, but the
action is effected by the drawing back of the hammer.
In this case the extractor is pivotted near the front of the fall of the breach
piece, and its lower end bent in the path of the breach piece. The bottom of the

page_text: breach piece stirrup, pulled down by a lever, strikes against the bent piece of the
extractor, causing the same to jerk from its seating, and throw out the cartridge,
and at the same time, by means of a detent cut at its back, to hold down the
breach piece. The lever controlling the movement of the breach piece, engages at
one end in the stirrup thereof, and is pivotted just beyond the throw of the back
of the hammer. A lug upon the haminer, when the latter is drawn past full cock,
presses upon the lever, and, the haminer being drawn beyond full cock, theroby
depresses the breach piece, actuating the extractor, and locking the detent. Upon
the lower part of the hammer piece is a cam, upon which the lever rests, when in
the locked position aforesaid. The insertion of the cartridge releases the detent,
and, the pressure of the V spring forcing the hammer to the position of full cock,
the cam thereupon raises the lover, and, by its means, the breach block on to its
seating, and the piece is ready to discharge.
My improved projectile is cast in the ordinary conical_form_to_fit-the-calibre-of-
-the-barrel-but-its-back-end, in place of being slightly coned, which form is open
to objection, is stepped in form, so as to present Hat faces for the action of the
explosive, whilst at the same time it constitutes a tail, to obviate back eddy
behind the projectile, in its passage through the air. Tightly wrapped around the
projectile, and in the contrary direction to the rifling, is strong paper. The
cartridge chamber of the piece is ccned gradually to the rifling, so as to permit of
the free insertion of the thickened projectile. On discharge taking place the
paper is compressed on to the projectile, slightly elongating it, and causing it to
assume the form of a heavy head with a tail of smaller diameter. On leaving the
barrel the paper, being wound in the direction contrary to the rifling, is-stripped
from the projectile, which continues its flight in its altered form, with a mass of
weight concentrated at its point and the centre of gravity thus changed.