IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Powell, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 3rd September 1869, and dated the 7th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Powell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th April 1869.
I, WILLIAM POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
for discharging central-fire cartridges in which the breech ends of the
barrels are opened for charging and closed for discharge by turning in
a vertical plane upon a joint underneath the barrels. Guns of the
kind described are commonly called drop-down guns. The barrels of
the said guns are generally fastened down during discharge by means of
a lever or sliding bolt; and the object of my Invention is to effect

page_text: the withdrawal of the strikers of the said guns by the operation of the
lever or bolt in the act of liberating the barrels for opening and charging
the same.
My Invention is especially applicable to guns in which the barrels
are fastened by a lever of the construction described and represented
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, dated May 7th,
1864, No. 1163.
I will first describe my present Invention as applied to guns of the
kind referred to in the said Specification. Underneath the lever by
which the barrels are fastened and unfastened is a forked slide consisting
of three parallel bars, a middle bar and two outer bars, the said three
bars being connected together at their rear ends by a cross bar. The
ends of the outer bars of the forked slide are turned outwards at right
angles, and engage in slots made in the sides of the strikers. The said
forked slide works in a recess in the rear of the body of the gun, and the
top end of the spring which acts upon the opening and closing lever
When the
engages in a slot in the middle bar of the said forked slide.
lever is raised to unfasten the barrels it forces the spring and forked slide
back, the latter withdrawing the strikers into the body of the gun. On
shutting down and fastening the barrels the forked slide advances by
the action of the spring, but does not carry the strikers forward with it
owing to the length of the slots in the strikers in which the ends of
the outer bars of the said forked slide engage. Thus the unfastening
of the barrels withdraws the strikers and leaves them in position to be
driven forward by the hammers for the discharge of the gun. The aet
of shutting down the barrels for the snapping of the lever into the
projecting piece between the barrels effects the withdrawal of the forked
slide and strikers if by any accident the said strikers had been
advanced between the opening and shutting down of the barrels. To
effect this I make the said projecting piece between the barrels a little
more prominent than usual for the purpose of making it act earlier on
the forked slide in shutting down the barrels. The rear ends of the
strikers may be engraved with the word "loaded," which word is
exposed when the said strikers are in their withdrawn position. .
In applying my Invention to guns having fastenings differing from
that described in my said Patent before referred to slight modifications
are made to adapt my Invention thereto. For example, when the
fastening lever turns on the tang of the body in a horizontal plane, that

page_text: is, by a side action instead of a rising and falling one, I dispense with
the middle bar of the forked slide, and I place the cross bar of the said
forked slide between the pin which passes through the bolt and the
spring, and the said spring is made to act upon the said cross bar of the
forked slide. When the fastening is effected by means of a lever work-
ing underneath the barrels, as in the ordinary Lefaucheux gun, the forked
slide is prolonged downwards into the lower part of the body, and
excentrics on the end of the lever are caused to act upon the forked
slide, the return motion of which may in this case be effected by a
separate spring.
In guns in which the unfastening of the barrels is effected by what is
called a "forward lever," that is, a lever pressed forward near the
trigger guard, I cause the upper end of the said lever to act upon the
forked slide, the cross bar of the forked slide being situated between the
upper end of the said lever and the spring which acts upon it. When
the unfastening is effected by a sliding bolt I cause the said sliding bolt
to act upon the cross bar of the forked slide. When the gun is fastened
and unfastened by a lever working on the side of the gun the cross bar
of the forked slide is situated between the toothed quadrant or arm made
to act upon the sliding bolt.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Powell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Powell, Her special licence
that I, the said William Powell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Powell, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREEOH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Powell, 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 William Powell, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:
My Invention consists of improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
for discharging central-fire cartridges in which the breech ends of the
barrels are opened for charging and closed for discharging by turning
in a vertical plane upon a joint underneath the barrels. Guns of the
kind described are commonly called drop-down guns. The barrels of
the said guns are generally fastened down during discharge by means of
a lever or sliding bolt, and the object of my Invention is to effect the
withdrawal of the strikers of the said guns by the operation of the lever
or bolt in the act of liberating the barrels for opening and charging the
same.
My Invention is especially applicable to guns in which the barrels are
fastened by a lever of the construction described and represented in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, dated May 7th, 1864,
No. 1163.
I will first describe my present Invention as applied to guns of the
kind referred to in the said Specification. Underneath the lever by which
the barrels are fastened and unfastened is a forked slide, consisting of
three parallel bars, a middle bar and two outer bars, the said three bars
being connected together at their rear ends by a cross bar. The ends of
the outer bars of the forked slide are turned outwards at right angles,
and engage in slots made in the sides of the strikers. The said forked
slide works in a recess in the rear of the body of the gun, and the top
end of the spring which acts upon the opening and closing lever engages

page_text: in a slot in the middle bar of the said forked slide. When the lever is
raised to unfasten the barrels it forces the spring and forked slide back,
the latter withdrawing the strikers into the body of the gun. On
shutting down and fastening the barrels the forked slide advances by the
action of the spring, but does not carry the strikers forward with it
owing to the length of the slots in the strikers in which the ends of the
outer bars of the said forked slide engage. Thus the unfastening of the
barrels withdraws the strikers and leaves them in position to be driven
forward by the hammers for the discharge of the gun. The act of
shutting down the barrels for the snapping of the lever into the pro-
jecting piece between the barrels effects the withdrawal of the forked
slide and strikers if by any accident the said strikers have been advanced
between the opening and shutting down of the barrels. To effect this
I make the said projecting picce between the barrels a little more pro-
minent than usual for the purpose of making it act earlier on the forked
slide in shutting down the barrels. The rear ends of the strikers may
be engraved with the word "loaded," which word is exposed when the
said strikers are in their withdrawn position.
In applying my Invention to guns having fastenings differing from
that described in my said Patent before referred to slight modifications are
made to adapt my Invention thereto. For example, when the fastening
lever turns on the tang of the body in a horizontal plane, that is, by a
side action instead of a rising and falling one, I dispense with the middle
bar of the forked slide, and I place the cross bar of the said forked slide
between the pin which passes through the bolt and the spring, and the
said spring is made to act upon the said cross bar of the forked slide.
When the fastening is effected by means of a lever working underneath
the barrels, as in the ordinary Lefaucheux gun, the forked slide is pro-
longed downwards into the lower part of the body, and eccentrics on
the end of the lever are caused to act upon the forked slide, the return
motion of which may in this case be effected by a separate spring.
In
guns
in which the unfastening of the barrels is effected by what
is called a forward lever, that is, a lever pressed forward near the trigger
guard, I cause the upper end of the said lever to act upon the forked
slide, the cross bar of the forked slide being situated between the upper
end of the said lever and the spring which acts upon it. When the
unfastening is effected by a sliding holt I cause the said sliding bolt to
act upon the cross bar of the forked slide. When the gun is fastened

page_text: and unfastened by a lever working on the side of the gun the cross bar
of the forked slide is situated between the toothed quadrant or arm
which is made to act upon the sliding bolt and the spring.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation the breech end of a central-fire
drop-down gun (the stock, hammers, and other parts being omitted) to
which my present Invention is applied, the said gun having a fastening
lever of the kind described in my Patent No. 1163, year 1864. Figure 2
represents the same partly in vertical longitudinal section; and Figure 3
represents a plan of the same the break-off or rear of the body and
some of the parts working within the said body being represented in
horizontal section.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 the parts of the gun are represented in position
for discharge.
Figure 4 represents the gun with the barrels in the act of being shut
down; and Figure 5 represents the same view as Figure 3, excepting
that the strikers are shewn in plan and in their advanced position;
Figures 6, 7, and 8 are parts of the same separately as herein-after
explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in
Figures 1 to 8, both inclusive.
a, a, are the barrels of the gun turning in a vertical plane upon the
centre at 6 in the usual manner; c is the break-off or rear end of the
body; and d, ds, is the fastening down lever turning on the centre d³.
A plan of the fastening lever is shewn in Figure 7. e is the projecting
piece between the barrels a, a, upon which the end of the arm d² of the
lever bears to fasten down the barrels; f, f*, is the forked slide con-
structed according to my present Invention. The said forked slide is
shewn separately in plan and edge view in Figure 8. The said slide
consists of three parallel bars f, f, f, connected together at their rear
end by a cross bar, as represented. The free ends f³, f, of the outer
bars f, f, of the slide are turned outwards and form hooks or engaging
pieces for the slide. The said forked slide works in the break-off or rear
of the body c and underneath the lever d, d³, openings being made in
the middle and sides of the said body c for the middle bar f' and side
bars ff, respectively to work in. h, h, are the strikers of the gun for
igniting the central-fire cartridges placed in the barrels a, a. In the

page_text: outer side of each striker is a slot i (see Figure 3), in which a pin k
passed from the outside of the rear of the body c works. By means of
the pins and slots k, i, the strikers are guided and their motion in
either direction limited. On the opposite side of each striker to that
in which the slot i is made is another and longer slot in which slots /
the hooked ends f³, fs, of the forked slide engage (see Figure 3). m
is the spring which acts upon the opening and closing lever d, d³.
A front elevation of this spring is shown in Figure 6. The said
spring m has a double function, that is, it both acts upon the lever d, d³,
and gives the return motion to the forked slide. This is effected by
making the upper end of the acting arm of the spring engage in a
recess n in the middle bar of the slide, as illustrated in the Drawing.
By an examination of the Drawing it will be seen that the rear face of
short arm of the lever d, d³, bears against the inclined end of the
middle bar f of the slide, the said middle bar being kept to its bearing
against the said arm of the lever by the action of the spring m. When
the parts of the gun are in the respective positions represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3 the gun may be discharged by the action of the
hammers driving forward the strikers h, h. After the discharge of the
gun the hooked ends of the forked slide are situated at the tops of
the slots in the strikers in which they work. When the lever d, d², is
raised to unfasten the barrels a, a, the rear face of the short arm d
acting upon the inclined end of the middle bar f of the forked
slide, f, forces the said slide back and compresses the spring m. As
the forked slide is pushed back it carries with it by the operation of the
hooked ends fs the strikers h, h, and thereby withdraws the said
strikers h, h, into the body or break-off c of the gun, the said strikers
occupying the position represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3. Thus the
unfastening of the barrels withdraws the strikers and leaves them in
position for the discharge of the gun. When the lever d, d, is loosed
for the introduction of the cartridges into the raised and open breech
ends of the barrels a, a, the arm d³ of the said lever and the slide f,f",
are advanced by the spring m, but the withdrawn strikers are not
affected by this advance of the said slide, as herein-after explained. On
shutting down the barrels a, a, after loading the gun, as illustrated in
Figure 4, the middle reduced part e' of the projecting piece e between
the barrels acts upon the arm of the lever, which again forces back
the slide f, f, and compresses the spring m. As the barrels are

page_text: fastened down by the snapping of the short arm of the fastening lever
upon the top of the projecting piece e the forked slide f,f, is advanced
by the action of the spring m, but the said slide does not carry the
strikers h, h, forward with it, owing to the length of the slots 1, 1, in
which the hooked ends of the slide engage. The said strikers are
thereby left in position to be driven forward by the hammers for the
discharge of the gun. If by accident the strikers h, h, are advanced
between the opening and shutting down of the barrels the middle
part e² of the projecting piece e is made so prominent that on shutting
down the barrels it acts sufficiently early on the forked slide through the
arm d³ to cause the withdrawal of the strikers h into the body c before
the barrels a, a, are shut down.
Figure 9 represents in side elevation and plan the rear end of the body
of a drop-down gun provided with a fastening lever turning in a
horizontal plane to which my Invention is applied. a, a, is the forked
slide without a middle bar. The cross bar a³ which joins the rear ends
of the parallel bars a, a, of the slide is situated between the pin b which
passes through the fastening bolt of the gun and the spring arm c which
drives the bolt forward. The pin 6 works in a slot d in the tang of the
break-off. The hooked ends a³, as, of the slide work in slots e in the
strikers e in the manner previously explained. When the lever fis
turned aside to withdraw the fastening bolt the pin b bears against the
bar a³ of the slide and pushes back the said slide, and the latter with-
draws the strikers e, as illustrated in the Drawing. On shutting down
the barrels the spring arm c acts upon the slide a, a³, and fastening bolt
so as to advance them, but the strikers e do not advance in consequence
of the length of the slots es in which the slide works, as before explained.
Figure 10 represents in side elevation my Invention applied to a drop-
down gun which is fastened and unfastened by means of a forward lever.
g is the forward lever, the lower end of which is situated near the trigger
guard. The hooked end of the said lever takes into a hole or depression
between the barrels. h is the forked slide, the cross bar h of which is
situated about the middle of the slide. Against the bar h* the spring i
bears on one side and the upper part of the fastening lever g on the other
side. When the lever g is turned on its joint 92 in the direction indicated
by the arrow for the purpose of unlocking the barrels the said lever
presses back the slide h and the latter withdraws the strikers 22. On

page_text: shutting down the barrels the lever g and slide h are pressed home by
the spring i, the strikers being left in their withdrawn position.
Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 represent my Invention applied to an ordinary.
Lefaucheux gun, Figures 11 and 12 representing plans of the body of
the gun exhibiting the strikers in their advanced and withdrawn
positions respectively; Figure 13, a side elevation, and Figure 14, a
front elevation of the same.
a, a², a³, is the forked slide, consisting of the upper and lower
parts a, a, connected together by the vertical part a³. The lower
part of the slide is acted upon by eccentrics on the end of the
fastening lever c working underneath the barrels. The part a of the
slide is connected to the strikers d, d, in the manner before explained.
In Figure 11 the strikers are represented advanced by the hammers of
the gun to discharge the gun, the fastening lever being represented in
position to bolt down the barrels. In order to unfasten the barrels tho
lever c is turned from the position represented in Figure 11 to that repre-
sented in Figure 12. By this motion of the lever its cams b act upon the
outer ends of the lower part a³ of the slide and push back the said slide,
and the latter withdraws the strikers d, d, as illustrated in Figure 12.
After the loading and fastening of the gun the slide a, a, a, is returned
to the position represented in Figure 11 by the action of a separate spring.
Figure 15 represents my Invention applied to a drop-down gun in
which the barrels are fastened by a sliding bolt operated by a lever on
the side of the gun. e is the sliding bolt acted upon by the toothed
quadrantf (or arm), the said quadrant being worked by a lever on the
side of the gun connected with the axis e of the quadrant or arm;-g is
the slide, made similar to that represented in Figure 8, the acting arm of
the spring engaging in a hole in the middle bar of the slide, and the
quadrant (or arm) f bearing against the end of the said middle bar.
When the quadrant (or arm) is turned by its lever to withdraw the
bolt e the said quadrant (or arm) pushes back the slide 9 and withdraws
the strikers i. On shutting down the barrels the quadrant (or arm) fand
slide y are advanced, and the bolt is shot forward by the action of the
spring h, leaving the strikers in their withdrawn position.
g
By modifying the slide herein-before described it may be adapted to
drop-down guns having fastenings of other constructions than those
described for the purpose of withdrawing the strikers of the said guns on
unfastening the barrels.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention, the improvements herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings in breech-loading fire-
arms of the kind called drop-down guns for discharging central-fire
cartridges, that is to say, the combination with or adaptation to the said
guns of a slide for effecting the withdrawal of the strikers of the gun
on the liberation of the barrels for opening and charging the same,
the said slide being constructed and operated and connected with the
strikers substantially in the ways described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Powell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM POWELL. (L.8.)