IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Enos James, trading as Enos James and Company, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Enos James at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1881.
ENOS JAMES, trading as Enos James and Company, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer. IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING
SMALL ARMS,"
"
My improvements consist, first, in the following arrangement or combination of
parts for effecting the cocking of breech loading small arms having internal-
lammers and commonly called hammerless guns :-
In the rear end of the body of the gun is a vertical slot in which a lover is
situated, the said lever turning upon a cross pin or axis.
The upper end of this lever engages with a horizontal bolt working in a slot in
the upper part of the body of the gun, the said bult being immediately under the
tang of the break off. The lower end of the said lever engages with a horizontal
bolt working in a slot at the bottom of the body. The arm or lever on the top of
the tang (by turning aside which arm the barrels are unlocked from the face of the
break off preparatory to charging them) has on its underside a pin which on the
motion of the said arin travels in a slot in the tang.
This pin engages with the upper sliding bolt and when the arm is turned aside
the upper end of the vertical lever recedes from the slot in the body of the gun,
and the lower end of the said lever advances in its slot.
The lower bolt is thereby made to advance in the body of the gun.
The advance of the said lower bolt effects the cocking of the hammers in the
following manner :-Each of the hammers has below the axis ou which it turns a
projection which enters the slot in which the lower bolt slides, and when by
turning aside the arm on the break off the said lower bolt is advanced in the body
of the gun the front end of the said bolt comes against the said projections,

page_text: carrying them forward and consequently drawing the hammers back. When the
hammers have been brought into their cocked position they are retained there by
the ordinary sear and bent, and the liberation of the haminers by the triggers is
effected in the ordinary way.
The lower sliding bolt may be dispensed with, and the lower end of the lever
prolonged and curved so as to act directly on the projections on the hammers. The
lever described may also effect the withdrawing of the locking bolt.
My improvements consist, secondly, in the following arrangement of parts
constituting an indicator for showing when the gun is cocked :-Immediately over
each hammer a vertical slot is made in the body of the gun, and in this slot a bolt
slides. A light coiled or other spring tends to keep this bolt down. On cocking
the hammers the head of the hammer when retiring comes against the inclined
lower end of the bolt and raises it in its slot, and the holt remains in its raised
position until by pressure on the trigger the hammer is allowed to fall, when the
said bolt no longer supported by the head of the hammer is forced down by its
spring; hence when the hammer is cocked the top of the bolt stands above the
level of the body of the gun, but when the hammer has fallen the top of the bolt is
flush with the body of the gun. This indicator may be applied to breech loading
small arms of various constructions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Enos James in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th November
1881.
ENOS JAMES, trading as Enos James and Company, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING
SMALL ARMS."
My improvements consist, first, in the following arrangement or combination of
parts for effecting the cocking of breech loading small arms having internal
hammers and commonly called hammerless guns.
In the rear end of the body of the gun is a vertical slot in which a lever is
situated, the said lever turning upon a cross pin or axis.
The upper end of this lever engages with a horizontal bolt working in a slot in
the upper part of the body of the gun, the said bolt being immediately_under the
tang of the break off.
The lower end of the said lever engages with a horizontal bolt working in a slot
at the bottom of the body. The arm or lever on the top of the tang (by turning
aside which arm the barrels are unlocked from the face of the break off preparatory
to charging them) has on its underside a pin which on the motion of the said arm
-travels in a slot in the tang..
This pin engages with the upper sliding bolt and when the arm is turned aside
the upper end of the vertical lever recedes from the slot in the body of the gun,
and the lower end of the said lever advances in its slot.
The lower bolt is thereby made to advance in the body of the gun.
The advance of the said lower bolt effects the cocking of the hammers in the
following manner:-Each of the hammers has below the axis on which it turns a
projection which enters the slot in which the lower bolt slides, and when by
turning aside the arin on the break off the said lower bolt is advanced in the body
of the gun, the front end of the said bolt comes against the said projections
carrying them forward and consequently drawing the hammers back. When the
hammers have been brought into their cocked position they are retained there by
the ordinary sear and bent, and the liberation of the haminers by the triggers is
effected in the ordinary way.
The lower sliding bolt may be dispensed with, and the lower end of the lever
prolonged and curved so as to act directly on the projections on the hammers. The
lever described may also effect the withdrawing of the locking bolt.
For the purpose of showing when the gun is cocked I prefer to use an indicator
constructed as follows:-Immediately over each hammer a vertical slot is made in
the body of the gun, and in this slot a bolt slides. A light coiled or other spring
tends to keep this bolt down. On cocking the hammers the head of the hammer
when retiring comes against the inclined lower end of the bolt and raises it in its
slot, and the bolt remains in its raised position until by pressure on the trigger the
hammer is allowed to fall, when the said bolt no longer supported by the head of
the hammer is forced down by its spring; hence when the hammer is cocked the
top of the bolt stands above the level of the body of the gun, but when the
hammer has fallen the top of the bolt is flush with the body of the gun. This
indicator may be applied to breech loading small arms of various constructions.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.

page_text: "
Figure 1 represents in side clevation, and Figure 2 in vertical section, the breech
end of a drop down double barrel gun, the parts of the cocking mechanism of the
said gun being arranged or combined according to my Invention, the hammers
being shewn in their discharged positions. Figure 3 represents the cocking
mechanisin in the act of cocking the haminers. Figures 4, 5, and 6, represent parts
of the gun, as herein after explained.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
and G.
is
a is one of the hammers of the gun (shewn separately in Figure 4), encli of the
hammers having below the axis on which it turns a pin or projection b; c is the
main spring of the hammer situated in a recess in the side of the body; d is a
vertical lever (shewn separately in Figure 5) at the rear of the body of the gun,
the said lever turning on the cross pin or axis e. By means of the double spring /
the said lever and parts connected with it are made to take their normal
positions. The upper end of the vertical lever & engages in the horizontal bolt or
slide g situated under the tang and working in a slot in the break off, and the
lower end of the said lever d engages with a second horizontal bolt or slide h
(shewn separately in Figure 6) working in a slot at the bottom of the body;
the ordinary locking bolt which takes into the lump on the underside of the barrels
for locking down the said barrels. The vertical lever & passes through a slot in
the locking bolt i and operates it at the same time that it operates the cocking
mechanism; is the arin or hand lever on the top of the tang of the break off, by
the turning aside of which hand lever the locking bolt i is withdrawn and the
hammers a cocked. The said hand lever le is centred excentrically on the tang as
usual, and its underside carries a pin which on the side motion of the said hand
lover travels in the slot m in the tang. The head of the pin on the band lever k
engages with the upper bolt or slide 7, in the manner represented in Figures 2
and 3. When the hand lover is turned aside the headed pin causes the upper
bolt or slide to move towards the butt end of the gun and turns the vertical
lever d on its centre. The upper arm of the said vertical lever & is thereby caused
to move in the same direction as the bolt or slide 9, and its lower arm to move in
the opposite direction or towards the barrels. The lower bolt or slide h is thereby
made to advance in the body of the gun, that is, towards the barrels. As the lower
bolt or slide h advances its front rounded end bears against the pins or projections b
on the hammers a carrying the said pins or projections forward, and consequently
throwing back the hammers to full cock, as illustrated in Figure 3, the cocked
hammers being held in their cocked_positions by the ordinary sears n engaging
with bents in the said hammers. By the turning on its centre of the vertical
lever d for cocking the hammers, the locking bolt is at the same time withdrawn
and the barrels unlocked for reloading.
เ
On loosing the hand lever after the cocking and unbolting of the gun, the said
hand lever, the vertical lever d, and the top and bottom bolts or slides g, h, and
the locking bolt i, are returned to their normal positions by the action of the
spring, leaving the hammers in their cocked positions. The hammers thus cocked
are discharged by pressing upon the triggers 2 in the usual way.
Figures 7 and 8 represent the arrangement of my Invention in which the lower
bolt or slide h (Figures 1, 2, and 3,) is dispensed with. In Figure 7 the hammers
are represented in their discharged positions, and in Figure 8 in their cocked
positions, the lever a being represented in the act of cocking the hammers.
Figure 9 represents one of the hammers a detached, and Figure 10 represents the
lever d, d, detached.
In this arrangement the lower arm of the lever d, e, is prolonged forward or
towards the barrels, and has the form best seen in the separate view, Figure 10,
where it is shewn that the end of the arm 2 is provided with a cross piece d³ for
operating upon both of the projections of the hammers a, the said projections b in

page_text: this case being situated at the extreme end of the short or tumbler part of tho
hanımers instead of at about the middle of the said short arm.
When the hand lever is turned aside, the sliding bolt ŋ acting upon the upper
end of the lever d causes it to take the position represented in Figure 8. Its
short lower prolonged arın d³ is thereby raised, and the cross pieco d³ of the same
acting upon the projections b of the hammers a lift the anid hammers to full cock,
as illustrated in Figure 8, in which positions they are retained by the scars n.
The other parts of the modification, Figures 7 and 8, are the same as corre-
sponding parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the same letters of reference indicate the
same parts.
Figures 11 and 12 represent side elevations of a drop down gun containing an
indicator for indicating when the hammers are cocked and discharged, and also a
safety bolt for locking down the triggers and scars.
m is the indicator consisting of a bolt (shewn separately in Figure 13) working
in a slot at n made through the top of the body. The said indicator m is situated
immediately over the hammer a, the lower face of the indicator being curved or
inclined, as represented.
In the indicator m is a slot pin which a coiled spring 7 is placed, which spring
takes a bearing at one end against the bottom of the slot 22, and at the other end
against the fixed cross pin 7 passed through the slot p froin the side of the body.
The said spring q tends to press down the indicator m into its lowest position.
When the hammer a is discharged the top of the indicator m is situated flush with
the curved side of the body, as illustrated in Figure 11. On cocking the hammer a
its head comes against the inclined lower end of the bolt or indicator m and raises
it in the slot n in the body and compresses the coiled spring 9, as illustrated in
Figure 12. The top of the indicator m now projects above the level of the top of
the body and indicates that the gun is cocked, the said indicator remaining in its
raised position until the hammer is discharged, when the indicator being no longer
supported by the head of the hammer is forced down by the spring q into the
position represented in Figure 11. An indicator of the kind represented is used
for each haminer in the case of double barrel guns.
8 is the safety bolt for locking down the triggers and sears. The said safety bolt
slides on the upper face of the trigger plate, the acting end of the bolt being
cranked to perinit it to slide over the triggers and sears. The rear end of the bolt
is furnished with a strong spring u bearing on the trigger plate, by which the bolt
is retained in its shot or withdrawn position. The bolt is moved by means of a
stud or head working in a slot in the trigger plate and projecting below the
outer face of the said plate. When the safety bolts is pushed into the position
represented in Figure 11, its cranked end passes over the triggers and sears and
prevents them being raised for discharging the gun. When the safety bolt is with-
drawn into the position represented in Figure 12, the triggers and sears are
liberated, aud the triggers may be raised for discharging the gun.
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 claim as my Invention
of improvements in breech loading small arms of the kind called drop down
guns,
First. The combination or arrangement of the parts herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying Drawings, for cocking
the internal hammers of the said guns, that is to say, the combination of the
vertical lever d with the upper and lower bolts or slides g and h, the upper bolt or
slide g being withdrawn by the eccentric hand lever on the tang through the headed
pin l, the said pin working in a slot m in the said tang, the lower bolt or slide h
on the withdrawal of the upper bolt or slide g advancing and by its advance
motion effecting the cocking of the hammers, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. Actuating cocking levers of the kind marked Ɑ, d², ď³, in Figures 7. 8.

page_text: l
and 10, by means of the top bolt or slide g and hended pin on the hand lever on
the tang, the said headed pin working in the slot m in the said tang, substantially
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Enos James, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.