IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAMMERLESS GUNS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I THOMAS KEIGHT of the firm of T. G. Styles & Co: of Weaman Street
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Gun Manufacturers do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
HAMMERLESS GUNS" to be as follows:-
My object in dispensing with the cocks or hammers usually fixed on Guns
of ordinary construction is that they impede the aim of the sportsman and waste
time in cocking.
:
My Invention greatly facilitates the preparation of the gun for firing and as the
construction is very simple, the cost of manufacturing is greatly reduced. I will
now describe the construction.
I take ordinary body of Sporting gun in which the locks or actuating parta
are fixed having the ordinary spring and sere fixed in position with the ordinary
tumbler. This I so alter that it will act as the striker in lieu of the ordinary
hammers or cocks. To put the tumbler in position for firing I drill or pierce
a passage through the bottom ond of the body so as to allow a rod or its equivalent
to work in same in connection with the fore end, the said rod having a square slot
in centre. By fixing a stop pin between same the rod is kept in position when the
said rod is in use. On the bottom or other suitable part of the fore end I fix
(assuming the gun is double barrel'd) two pieces of nietal of shape to suit my
purpose or I may drill or pierce holes or slots in the lip or other suitable part of
the fore end. In these pieces of metal I drill or pierce a slot or hole the purpose
of this I will describe. The ends of the aforesaid rod being pointed the top end
fits into a notch bent or hole formed in a suitable position in the aforesaid tumbler,
the lower end fitting into the slots or holes in the two pieces of metal fixed on the
fore end, or the slots or holes in same so that when the Sportsman opens the
breech or action to load, it forcos or pushes the rod against the tumbler which at
once pushes same into full cock. The stop pin fixed between the slot in the said
rod guiding and guaranteeing the correct action of same. The breech or action
being closed the gun is ready for firing, the tumbler returning to its former position
forces back the rod again into position with the fore end ready to be actuated
again by the opening of the said breech or action. It will therefore be readily seen
that by my Invention hammerless guns can be manufactured at very small cost,
cannot possibly get out of order as there is no complicated mechanism, and the
sportsman baving nothing to do but to load and fire, is enabled to do so very
rapidly.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, THOMAS KEIGHT, of the firm of T. G. Styles & C° of Weaman St, Birmingham,
in the county of Warwick, Gun Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of iny
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAMMERLESS GUNS
and in what manner the same to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My object in dispensing with the cocks or hammers usually fixed on guns
of ordinary construction is that they impede the aim of the sportsman and waste
time in cocking.
My invention greatly facilitates the preparation of the gun for rapid firing and
as the construction is very simple, the cost of manufacturing is greatly reduced.
I will now describe the construction.
I take an ordinary body of a sporting gun in which the locks or actuating parts
are fixed, having the ordinary spring and scear fixed in position with the ordinary
tumbler. This I so alter that it will act as the striker in lieu of the ordinary
hammers or cocks. To put the tumbler in position for firing I drill or pierce
a passage through the bottom end of the body so as to allow one end of a fork
or its equivalent to work in the same in connection with the fore end the said fork
having a square slot in the centre. By means of a stop pin in the samo, the fork is
kept in position when in use. On the bottom or other suitable part of the fore end
I fix (assuming the gun is double barrelled) two pieces of metal of a shape to suit
my purpose or I may drill or pierce holes or slots in the lip or other suitable part
of the fore end. In these pieces of metal I drill or pierce a slot or groove to receive
the other end of the fork.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is an eleva-
tion partly in section of the lock action of a double barrel sporting gun constructed
according to my invention the side plate of the lock mechanism being removed and
the parts being shewn in the position they occupy when the gun has just been
fired; figure 2, is a similar view to figure 1, but shewing the gun cocked ready for
loading; figure 3, is also a similar view to figure 1, but shewing the gun ready
for firing with the barrels closed; figure 4, is a detached plan view of the fork.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, is the ordinary body of a sporting gun; b, shews one of the main springs
and c, the scear and d, the tumbler thereof all of which except the latter are
of ordinary construction and all the said parts are fitted in the body a, in the usual
manner. The tumblers d, are so formed (as shewn in the drawing) that they will
act as the strikers in place of the ordinary hammers or cocks. e, is the notch or
bent in the fore part of the bottom end of each of the tumblers d; f, is the fork one
end of which works in the notches or bents e, and which fork serves to put the
tumblers d, in position for firing; g, is the slot or space in the fork f, in which slot
or space a stop pin is placed to keep the rod in position when the gun is in use;
h, is one of the grooves or slots formed in the lower part of the fore end i, of the
gun for receiving the front end of the fork f; the said fork f, passes freely through
an opening, at the front end of the action.

page_text: By this construction the parts being in the position shewn in figure 1, when the
sportsman opens the breach or action to load the gun the fore end i, as it is bent
downwards will force or push the rear end of the fork, or its equivalent against
the tumbler which will be thereby at once pushed into full cock as shown in
figure 2, the hereinbefore described stop pin fixed between the slot in the fork f,
guiding and guaranteeing the correct action of the same. The breech or action
being then closed the gun is ready for firing as shewn in figure 3, the fork f, or its
equivalent being taken into its former position for re-cocking by the closing of the
breech or action.
It will therefore be readily seen that by my invention, hammerless guns can be
manufactured at very small cost, they cannot possibly get out of order as there is
no complicated mechanism and the sportsman having nothing to do but to load and
fire is enabled to do so very rapidly.
It will be obvious that the slot g, in the fork f, and the pin in the same on which
the fork works may if required be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1). In a hammerless gun the use of a fork or its equivalent operated from the
fore end of the gun so as to move the striker or strikers into position for firing the
gun, when the breech is opened to load the same substantially as herein before
described.
(2). In a hammerless gun the combination of a fork or its equivalent the fore
part of which passes through an opening in the front end of the lock action and
enters a groove or slot in the fore end with a tumbler or tumblers arranged and
formed as shewn and described to act as the striker or strikers substantially as
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
(3). The improved hammerless gun herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawing.