Improvements in Small Arms.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
Improvements in Small Arms.
I THOMAS PERKES of 18 Cork Street Bond Street in the County of London
Gunmaker do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of improvements on, and additions to, an invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to me on the 6th day of June 1893 No. 11121.
In the Specification of the said Patent, I have described and claimed a mode of
operating both locks of a double barrelled gun by one trigger.
*In.one trigger double barrelled guns, the hammer or tumbler of the second
barrel, is very liable to prematurely fall, by the action of the recoil on the explosion
of the cartridge of the first barrel, and the first part of my present invention consists.
of improvements, which prevent such premature fall of the hammer or tumbler.
-
To effect this I so construct and form the tumbler or scear safety of the second
-barrel, as to receive and hold the limb pivotted on the trigger for operating the
second scear referred to in my said Letters Patent 11121 of 1893, out of the way
of the second scear during the recoil. On the recoil taking place, the said limb by
the effect of the recoil, lifts the safety or equivalent part, but not the scear of the
second barrel. The safety or equivalent limb is then held by a suitable spring in a
neutral position, to admit of the said limb taking its place under the scear arm of
the second lock, ready for firing in the usual way. The hammer is so formed as to
replace the safety or equivalent part into its first or usual position, when the
hammers are at cock. It may be also replaced by any moveable part of the lock,
such as the tumbler the hammer or trigger safety.
In guns constructed without safetys, a limb may be fitted to effect the same:
object as the operating part, for the purpose of this invention, of the safety.
I can effect the same object by another mode-I so form the said limb as to be..
capable of engaging with and lifting both scears. On pulling the first trigger the
said limb raises the first scear, at the same time a projection on the said limb..
engages with a projection on the trigger plate, and by the action of the recoil, or
the pull of the trigger, the said limb is withdrawn from the first scear, and allowed
when the trigger is released, to take its acting position under the second scear.
The second part of my present invention consists of an alteration in the said
limb, whereby instead of being pivotted on the trigger, it may be constructed.
having a sliding movement.
To effect this, I construct the limb so as to be capable of working in a groove,.
on the trigger plate, or trigger. It is operated by a spring. When the gun is
cocked, the said limb is held back by the scear of the first lock. When this scear
has been raised in the ordinary way by the trigger, the said limb is free to come-
forward when the trigger is lowered and takes its acting position under the second.
BCCar. The liability of the second hammer or tumbler to prematurely fall, is
guarded against as hereinbefore described. The sliding limb is returned either by
the lock, on the cocking of the hammers or tumblers, or by the trigger safety.
Dated this 16th day of February 1895.
:

page_text: Improvements in Small Arms.
I THOMAS PERKES of 15 Swallow Street St. James in the County of London
late of 18 Cork Street, Bond Street in the same County Gunmaker 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:-
The invention consists of improvements on, and additions to, an invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to me on the 6th day of June 1893 No. 11121.
In the Specification of the said Patent I have described, and claimed, a mode of
operating both locks of a double barrelled gun by one trigger.
In one trigger double barrelled guns, the hammer or tumbler of the second
barrel is very liable to prematurely fall by the action of the recoil on the explosion
of the cartridge of the first barrel; and the first part of my present invention
consists of improvements which prevent such premature fall of the hammer or
tumbler.
To effect this, I so construct and form the tumbler scear safety of the second
barrel, as to receive and hold the limb pivotted on the trigger for operating the
second scear, referred to in my said Letters Patent 11121 of 1893, out of the way
of the second scear during the recoil. On the recoil taking place, the said limb, by
the effect of the recoil, lifts the safety or equivalent part, but not the scear of the
second barrel. The safety or equivalent limb is then held by a suitable spring in
a neutral position, to admit of the said limb taking its place under the scear arm of
the second lock, ready for firing in the usual way. The hammer is so formed as
to replace the safety or equivalent part into its first or usual position when the
hammers are at cock. It may be also replaced by any movable part of the lock,
such as, the tumbler, the hammer, or trigger safety.
In guns constructed without safeties a limb may be fitted to effect the same
object as the operating part, for the purpose of this invention, of the safety.
I can effect the same object by another mode. I so form the said limb as to be
capable of engaging with and lifting both scears. On pulling the trigger the said
limb raises the first scear, at the same time a projection on the same limb engages
with the projection on the trigger plate, and, by the action of the recoil, or the pull
of the trigger, the said limb is withdrawn from the first scear and allowed, when
the trigger is released, to take its acting position under the second scear.
The second part of my present invention consists of an alteration in the said
limb, whereby, instead of being pivotted on the trigger, it may be constructed
having a sliding movement.
To effect this, I construct the limb, so as to be capable of working in a groove
on the trigger plate or trigger. It is operated by a spring. When the gun is
cocked the said limb is held back by the scear of the first lock. When this scear
has been raised in the ordinary way by the trigger, the said limb is free to come
forward when the trigger is lowered, and takes its acting position under the second
.scear. The liability of the second hammer or tumbler to prematurely fall is
guarded against as hereinbefore described. The sliding limb is returned either by
the lock on the cocking of the hammers or tumblers, or the trigger safety.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, of the accompanying drawings show in longitudinal section a
right hand lock with the limb pivotted on the trigger for operating the second scear,
referred to in my said Letters Patent 11121 of 1893, the said limb being so con-
structed as to engage with both scears, the safety scear, hereinafter referred to as
the safety, and the trigger safety. The parts being so arranged as to prevent the
premature pull on the second scear which otherwise might be caused by the action
of the recoil on firing the first barrel. Figure 5 shows the same parts in sectional

page_text: plan. Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 shew detailed views of the safety-tumbler, pivotted
limb and scear respectively. For convenience I have illustrated in the drawing
the safety of the right hand lock so constructed as to effect the desired purpose of
nullifying the effect of the recoil, but of course the safety of the left hand lock can
equally be utilised, though I prefer it as illustrated.
Figure 1 shows the position of the parts when the lock is at full cock, the safety
in its ordinary position as a safety when the hammer is at cock, and the pivotted
limb in the position to raise the scear and safety.
Figure 2 shows the same parts after firing the first barrel. The trigger has by
the involuntary action of the recoil been returned to its first position as shown in
Figure 1, and the scear and safety are held up by the formation of the lower part
of the tumbler. The pivotted limb is in consequence free to take its position in
the second bent of the safety, which prevents it from passing into its operating™
position under the scear of the second lock.
Figure 3 shows the same parts. The involuntary pull on the trigger caused by
the recoil has taken place, the safety has been further raised by the pirotted limb
until its spring falls into the bent on the upper part of the safety. . The safety is
thereby held out of the way of the pivotted limb which is free to pass, and by the
action of its spring does pass, under the scear of the second lock, as shown at
Figure 4, and is also held out of the way of the pivotted limb when the same is
being raised by the trigger to fire the second barrel.
Figure 5 shows a plan of the parts, the locks being at full cock, and the pivotted
limb under and engaging with the right sear and safety.
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, are detailed drawings of the safety, tumbler or hammer,
pivotted limb, and scear respectively.
In the accompanying drawings similar letters refer to similar parts. A is the
tumbler, A and A³ the formation of its lower part to control the height of the
scear and safety; B the scear; C the safety, constructed so as to be capable of.
nullifying the effects of the recoil, C₁ being a bearing surface for the safety spring .
to hold the safety in its acting position as an ordinary safety, C being the bent
into which the spring falls for the purpose of holding the safety out of the way
of the pivotted limb while operating the second scear, C³ being the point of contact
with the hammer for operating the safety by the aid of its spring into its original
or safety position when the lock is at cock. C is a bent in the stalk of the safety
in which the pivotted limb engages when the lock is at cock, C³ being the bent in
the same stalk in which the said pivotted limb engages immediately the trigger
goes forward under the effects of the recoil, and which prevents the limb from
taking the acting position under the scear of the second lock. D is the safety
spring suitably formed to engage with the bent C. E is the trigger. F is the
controlling spring of the pivotted limb. G is the said pivotted limb, G¹ being the
side projections or steps for raising the scears and safeties. G³ is the point of
contact for returning the limb G when such return is effected by means of the
trigger safety.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the drawings the operation of
the various parts.
When the gun is cocked, as shown in Figure 1, the hammer A is being held at
cock by the scear B in the ordinary way. I form the safety C with an upper part
which has two operating surfaces, one controlled by the spring D at C and C³,
and the other C for the purpose of engaging with the hammer A. The scear
safety C is at Figure 1 shown in its ordinary position when the gun is at cock the
spring D operating it in the usual way ready to intercept the hammer A should it
prematurely fall. The pivotted limb G is engaging with the first scear and the
bent C of the safety. After raising the trigger for the first time, the hammer of
the right barrel falls as shewn in Figure 2. I form on the bottom of the hammer
two surfaces A¹ and A' against which the noses of the scear and safety abut when
the hammer has fallen. The rear ends of the scear and safety, by this means,
are held in the required position to allow the pivotted limb G to take its position

page_text: This
in the second bent C of the safety when the trigger has gone forward again. The
going forward of the trigger is really an involuntary movement caused by the recoil
of the gun during the explosion of the cartridge in the first barrel.
involuntary movement also causes a second pull on the trigger which raises again
the pivotted limb G, at that moment engaging with bent C in the safety, and
causes the spring D to slip into the bent C2 on the upper arm of the safety C,
and thereby hold the safety out of the way of the pivotted limb G, as shown in
Figure 3, to permit such limb by the action of its spring F to move slightly
forward and pass under the scear and safety of the second lock ready for firing in
the usual way, as shown in Figure 4. On opening the gun, the hammer A on
going to cock comes in contact with the safety at C³, presses the safety back,
and allows the spring D to return the safety to its first position, as shown in
Figure 1. The pivotted limb G being returned to its original position by means
of the scear, or trigger safety or slide which I suitably form to engage with it, or
by any convenient part of the lock.
If preferred the safety C may be returned to its acting position, as shown at
Figure 1, by means of the trigger safety.
I am aware that means have been employed for the purpose of nullifying the
effect of the recoil on firing the first barrel in single trigger double barrelled guns,
and I make no general claim to mechanisms for effecting this purpose, but only to
the special method and arrangement of the mechanism for the purpose particularly
referred to in the following claim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In single trigger double barrelled guns the utilisation of the lock safety for
the purpose of nullifying the effect of the recoil caused by the explosion of the
cartridge in the first barrel on firing substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and subject to the disclaiming.note.
Dated the 16th day of December 1895.
THOMAS PERKES.