IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Warry at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th June
1868..
I, ROBERT WARRY; Armourer Sergeant, of St. Mary's Barracks;.
Gillingham, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improved combinations and
arrangements of mechanism in the construction of breech-loading
fire-arms in which central-fire ammunition is employed..
The mechanism herein-after described may be inserted in and carried
by a "shoe" attached to the rear end of the barrel (a portion of
which has been previously removed), or the "shoe" may be dispensed
with and a portion of the rear end of the barrel removed for the
admission of the mechanism.
The breech block is what may be termed a compound breech block,
and consists of two parts, the forward portion, which may be termed
the "breech piece," being next the barrel when the breech chamber. is

page_text: closed, and the rear portion, constituting the breech block proper, filling
up the remainder of the chamber. The breech piece and the breech
block are respectively hinged to a transverse pin, and upon the breech
block being clevated towards the barrel by means of a lateral projection
at the hinder end thereof may be caused to traverse backwards and
forwards in the breech chamber, screw studs being placed in the sides
of the breech piece and working through slots formed in the sides of
the "shoe" or barrel for that purpose, or by means of any analogous
or suitable contrivance. A loose striker is placed in the centre of the
breech piece, the same being of such a length that upon the cartridge
being inserted and the breech piece being pushed up to the end of the
barrel (which is recessed for the admission of the cartridge head, as well
understood) the rear end of the striker will project beyond the back face
of the breech piece. A crank-shaped piece of metal is mounted upon
the before-mentioned transverse hinge pin, one arm whereof fits into a
recess formed in the upper part of the breech piece and of the rear end
of the barrel, and is terminated by a projecting tooth, which upon the
breech piece being withdrawn extracts the cartridge case. A stud or
projection is placed on the bottom of the breech chamber, against which
the head of the cartridge case strikes upon being withdrawn, the
result being that the latter is ejected from the chamber. The other arm
of the crank-shaped piece rises vertically from the breech, and is slotted
down the centre, thus serving the purpose of a sight guide. The rear
face of the last-mentioned arm is inclined or curved from the bottom to
the top thereof in a forward direction for the purpose of enabling the
gun to be cocked for firing, as herein-after mentioned. The breech block
is hollow, and contains a partially hollow cylindrical striking bolt,
having a solid face and a vertical projection at its forward end, a
notch being formed at the back thereof for the reception of the tooth
of the sear when the gun is cocked for firing. A helical spring is
placed within the hollow portion of the striking bolt, which spring is
.compressed when the gun is cocked, and serves to restore the bolt to its
normal position after discharge. The rear end of the breech block
contains a locking bolt, which takes into a recess formed in the breech
plate or tang, and locks the breech block firmly in position. The
forward end of the bolt is acted upon by the before-mentioned helical
spring, and it is secured in its position by means of a vertical pin which
passes through a slot formed therein, and through a portion of the
breech block. Around this last-mentioned pin is placed a small helical

page_text: spring capable of being compressed by an eye loop, which is placed on
the upper end of the pin, and by which the upward pressure of the
spring is communicated to the sear by means of which the gun is
cocked. The sear consists of a 'piece of metal which lies and works
in a recess formed in the upper portion of the rear end of the breech
block, the forward end' thereof being terminated by a tooth, and being
pivoted on a transverse pin which acts as its fulcrum, whilst the hinder
end rests upon the before-mentioned eye loop placed above the helical
spring, and is provided with a hole through which the vertical pin of
the locking bolt passes, and with a projecting arm furnished with a
thumb piece or head placed within a guard or other suitable contrivance
at the side of the breech.
The action is as follows:-Upon the breech block being clevated
towards the barrel the vertical projection at the end of the striking
bolt is carried up the inclined or curved face of the sight guide, the
helical spring being thereby compressed and the bolt forced backwards
until the tooth of the sear takes into the notch on the striking bolt and
holds it in position for firing, the sear being also kept at the requisite
angle by the small helical spring before mentioned pressing upwards
against its hinder end. The breech block and breech piece are then
moved backwards in the chamber, and the cartridge placed in the
barrel. The breech piece is then returned to its normal position, and
the breech block closed. Upon the thumb piece connected with the
lateral arm of the sear being depressed, the small helical spring which
had previously retained the sear at the requisite angle to hold the
striking bolt is compressed, the sear tooth rises, and the bolt is liberated,
and the latter being carried forward by its helical spring actuates the
loose striker carried by the breech piece, and by which the cartridge is
percussed. Ignition having taken place, the expended cartridge case can
be extracted, as before mentioned.
A further portion of this Invention consists in applying and adapting
to fire-arms in which the breech-action before described is used when
desired a reservoir or tube capable of holding a given number of
cartridges in connection with an arrangement of the breech chamber
whereby the cartridges are readily introduced into the same. The
reservoir or tube is formed of thin metal, and is placed under the barrel
in a groove or channel provided for its reception in the stock. The
bottom of the chamber is formed with a moveable trap pivoted at its

page_text: rear end. Under the rear end of the trap is placed a spring, which
exerts an upward pressure upon the same. A small lever catch working
on a pivot is placed above the trap, and when the breech chamber is
closed fits into a recess formed in the breech block. The lever catch has
an inclined face, which receives the pressure of the breech piece upon
the latter being drawn back previous to loading. Upon the breech block
being elevated the breech piece on being drawn back presses upon the
lever catch, and causes the same to exert a downward pressure upon
the face of the trap, thus bringing it down in an oblique position, so that
a cartridge will pass from the reservoir or tube on to the same, and
upon the breech piece being moved forwards the lever catch is liberated
and the spring restores the trap to a horizontal position, the cartridge
being carried forwards into the barrel by the breech piece.
This Invention is applicable not only to guns for military service but
also to sporting guns, whether single or double barrelled. The arrange-
ment of the scar and thumb piece for firing may also be applied and
adapted to revolver fire-arms.