AN IMPROVED REBOUNDING SAFETY GUN. Lock
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stanton, of No. 13, Clifton Street, Wolver-
hampton, in the County of Stafford, Gun Lock Manufacturer, for
Sealed the 28th June 1870, and dated the 30th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stanton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th December 1869.
I, JOHN STANTON, of No. 13, Clifton Street, Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, Gun Lock Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED REBOUNDING SAFETY GUN.
Lock," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the rebounding of the cock or
hammer to half-cock position by self-action immediately after firing the
gun, rifle, or pistol used for military, sporting, and other purposes, thereby.
insuring safety and effecting a saving of one movement, so indispensable
in central fire-arms.

page_text: I construct the several parts of the lock, bar and back action, and
otherwise in the ordinary manner, with the following exceptions:-The
mainspring being made the usual length, I lengthen the tumbler below
the bents and form it into a curve shape, so as to cause it to bear against
the hook or claw end of the mainspring. I construct a roller, and place
it in position so as to bear against the side of the tumbler to facilitate
the rebound action of cock after it has struck the cap, nipple, or any
other appliance to produce ignition of charge. I construct the bearing
of the claw and tumbler either with or without rollers, or without a
roller on either claw or tumbler. I construct this lock so that it will,
if desired, self-bolt the cock in the half-cock position, as an additional
means of safety from accidents. This lock can be made cither with or
without the usual swivel, or the crane or lever end of the tumbler,
thereby dispensing with one part of the tumbler and relinquishing the
swivel. The hammer being always kept in the position of half-cock
ready to be pulled to full-cock, it is impossible for it to fall by the pull
of the trigger, unless pressed forward intentionally, and if by accident
the hammer should be drawn to nearly full-cock and loosened it would
not fall upon the nipple, as the sear nose with the assistance of the
usual sear spring would engage in the half-cock of the tumbler, and
thereby avoid an accidental explosion of the charge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Stanton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STANTON, of No. 13, Clifton Street, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Gun Lock Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
.Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Stanton, Her special licence
that I, the said John Stanton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Stanton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "AN IMPROVED REBOUNDING
SAFETY GUN Lock," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Stanton, 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 John Stanton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object or purpose the throwing back or
rebounding the cock or hammer to half-cock position by self-action
.immediately after firing the gun, rifle, or pistol used for military,
sporting, and other purposes, thereby insuring safety in the use of
fire-arms and effecting a saving of one movement, which is most valuable
and indispensable in central fire-arms.
I construct the several parts of the lock both for bar and back action
and otherwise in the ordinary manner, with the following exceptions :—
The mainspring being made as heretofore, I alter the tumbler and
lengthen it at the end below the bents, and make this lengthened end
into a curved shape or form in such length and proportion as to cause
it to touch or bear against the hook or claw end of the mainspring. I
construct a roller and place it in position so as to cause it to bear
against the side of the curved end of the tumbler. The object of this
roller is to facilitate the motion in the rebounding action of the cock
or hammer after firing the cap or striking the nipple or any other
appliance to produce ignition of the charge. I also place a roller in
the curved end of the tumbler, so as to cause the roller in the tumbler
and the roller in the claw end of the mainspring to act together in
contact and conjointly to reduce the friction. I thus, either with the
roller or rollers inserted, or without the use or introduction of a roller
in either tumbler or in the mainspring, secure a perfectly antifriction
rebounding action of the cock or hammer, to half-cock as desired. I'

page_text: construct this gun lock so that it will, if desired, self-bolt the cock in
the half-cock position, thereby secure an additional means of safety, and
thus avoid accidents. This gun lock can be made either with or without
the usual swivel or the crane or lever end of the tumbler, thus dis-
pensing with one part of the tumbler and relinquishing the swivel.
The hammer, by my construction of this lock is always retained in the
position of half-cock waiting to be pulled to full-cock. The hammer or
cock cannot fall by the pull of the trigger when at half-cock, and if by
accident the hammer should be drawn to nearly full-cock and then
loosened it would not fall upon the nipple, as the sear nose with the
assistance of the usual sear spring would engage in the half-cock of
the tumbler, and thereby avoid an accidental explosion of the charge.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the construction of
the part or parts to produce the rebound effect by self-action of the
cock or hammer of gun, pistol, rifle, and military gun locks, I now
further illustrate my improvement by the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. I. represents a plan of the interior of the bar lock shewing the
ordinary mainspring with a roller inserted at the claw end of it, as at (a),
and bearing against the lengthened end of the tumbler (b, c, colored
red), as heretofore described. The plan of the other parts of this lock
represents them as usually hitherto made.
Fig. II. represents a plan of the interior of the back-action gun lock
shewing the ordinary mainspring with a roller inserted at the claw end
of it, as at (a), and bearing against the lengthened end of the tumbler
(b, c, colored red), as heretofore described. The plan of the other parts
of this lock represents them as usually hitherto made.
Fig. III. represents a side view of the ordinary mainspring open, with
a roller inserted in the claw end of it, as at (a).
Fig. IV. represents a plan of the tumbler shewing the lengthened
end, as at (b, c, colored red), as heretofore described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be done, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated by the Drawings, as the same may be varied without
departing from the nature of my Invention; nor do I claim originality
in causing the self-action of the cock or hammer to rebound to half-
cock, such having been done in different ways; but what I do claim as

page_text: my Invention and improvement is, the lengthening of the end below
the bents of the tumbler, and forming this lengthened part of the
tumbler into a curved or V shape or other suitable form, and then
causing this curved or V. shape or other suitable form thus lengthened
to bear upon or against the lower or claw end of the ordinary main-
spring, in which end of mainspring, when required, the insertion of
roller or rollers, also roller or rollers in the curve or V part of the
tumbler, in either or both mainspring or tumbler, as may be required,
to assist and produce the rebound self-action to half-cock, as herein
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Stanton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
JOHN WILKINS,
Old Hall Works,
Wolverhampton.
JOHN STANTON. (L.s.)