IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1882

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 2nd September 1882.
ENOS JAMES trading as Enos James and Company of Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Gun Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL
ARMS
"
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of the lock mechanism of breech loading small arms of the kind
commonly called drop down guns. By the construction and arrangement of parts
constituting my invention the raising of the hammers to full cock is effected by
the lifting of the breech ends of the barrels from the break off for charging.
In the body of the gun is a horizontal slide having on the underside of its front
end an incline. The rear face of the front lump on the underside of the barrels is
inclined, the inclined face of the lump bearing against the incline on the underside
of the slide. The rear end of the said slide is engaged with the short vertical arm
of a cranked lever the horizontal arm of which is situated underneath the slide.
When the barrels are raised for charging the gun the inclined lump acting on the
incline on the underside of the slide forces the slide back. The vertical arm of the
cranked lever being thereby forced back, the horizontal arm of the said lever is
raised and its rising motion is inade to cock the hammers in the following manner.
The horizontal arm of the cranked lever has a crosspiece near its end and on the
opposite ends of this cross piece, cross projections on the lower or short arms of
the hammers bear. When the horizontal arm of the cranked lever rises, the cross
piece acting through the projections on the hammers raises the hammers to full

page_text: cock. The hammers are held in their cocked positions by the ordinary sear and
bent. When after charging, the barrels are shut down the back lump strikes
against the raised arm of the lever depressing the said arm and thereby producing
the return motion of the slide without the action of a spring.
The cranked lever described may be dispensed with and the rear end of the
slide made to act directly on the hammers In this case the end of the slide
bears on the breasts of the hammers at a short distance above the centre on which
the hammers turn.
My invention is especially applicable to drop down guns having internal hammers
but may also be applied to drop down guns having external hammers

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 21st February
1883.
ENOS JAMES, trading as Enos James and Company, of Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Gun Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING SMALL
ARMS
"
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described, the parts of the lock mechanism of breech loading small arms of the
kind commonly called drop down guns. By the construction and arrangement of
parts constituting my invention, the raising of the hammers to full cock is
effected by the lifting of the breech ends of the barrels from the break off for
charging.
In the body of the gun is a horizontal slide having on the underside of its front
end an incline. The rear face of the front lump on the underside of the barrels is
inclined, the inclined, face of the lump bearing against the incline on the underside
of the slide. The rear end of the said slide is engaged with the short vertical arm
of a cranked lever, the horizontal arm of which is situated underneath the slide.
When the barrels are raised for charging the gun, the inclined lump acting on the
incline on the underside of the slide forces the slide back. The vertical arm of
the cranked lever being thereby forced back the horizontal arm of the said lever is
raised and its rising motion is made to cock the hammers in the following manner.
The horizontal arm of the cranked lever has a crosspiece near its end and on the
opposite ends of this crosspiece cross projections on the lower or short arms of the
hammers bear. When the horizontal arm of the cranked lever rises the cross-
piece acting through the projections on the hammers raises the hammers to fuli
cock. The hammers are held in their cocked positions by the ordinary sears and
bents. When after charging, the barrels are shut down the back lump strikes
against the raised arm of the lever depressing the said arm and thereby producing
the return motion of the slide without the action of a spring.
My invention is especially applicable to drop down guns having internal
hammers but may also be applied to drop down guns having external hammers.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent in longitudinal vertical
section and Figure 3 in horizontal section the breech end of a double barrel drop
down gun containing lock mechanism having concealed hammers constructed
according to my invention; Figure 4 represents the cocking slide separately
Figure 5 represents the cocking lever separately; Figure 6 represents one of the
hammers separately and Figure 7 represents a side elevation of the breech end of
the gun.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a, a are the internal or concealed hammers of the gun carried by the lock
plates bb let into the sides of the body c and d d are the sears. The short arms of
the hammers a, a are provided with cross projections a², a² which pass through
openings in the body c (see the horizontal section Figure 3) to be acted upon by
the cocking lever; e, e' is the horizontal slide working in the body c of the gun.
The front end of the slide e is formed on its underside with an incline e² against
which the inclined face of the front lump f on the underside of the barrels acts to
operate the slide e; g,g² is the cranked cocking lever turning on the centre g' in the
body c. The vertical arm g of this lever is engaged with the rear end of the
slide e in the manner represented in Figures 1 and 2 and the cross piece g³ no

page_text: the nearly horizontal arm g² of the lever is situated under the projections a³, a² on
the short arms of the hammers a, a (see Figure 3). The extreme end of the hori-
zontal arm g2 is situated in an opening in the body c and can be acted upon by the
front lumph to give the return motion to the slide e.
After the discharge of the gun the cocking slide e and lever g. g. g³ have the
respective positions represented in Figure 1. On raising the breech ends of the
barrels i, i for charging the gun, the inclined face of the front lumpf acting on
the incline e² on the underside of the front end of the slide e forces back the said
slide into the position represented in Figure 2. By this back motion of the slide
the vertical arm g of the cocking lever is carried with it and the said lever turned
on its centre and its horizontal arm g² raised. The cross piece g³ on the arm g² in
its rising motion acting upon the projections a², a² on the hammers lifts the said
hammers to full cock, the hammers being held in their cocked positions by the
sears d, d engaging with the bents of the hammers as represented in Figure 2. On
closing the barrels after charging them, the outer face of the front lump h strikes
against the raised arm g³ (Figure 2) of the lever g, g² and depressing the said
arm g² causes the vertical arm g to give the return motion to the slide e leaving
the hammers in their cocked positions, the slide and cocking lever after the barrels
have been shut down occupying the positions represented in Figure 1
The axis of each of the hammers a carries an outside indicator as represented in
Figure 7 and marked for indicating when the hammer is cocked and discharged.
This indicator also serves to lower the hammer by hand to half cock when
necessary.
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 drop down guns in which the hammers are raised to full
cock on opening the gun for loading-The combination of the slide e, e² with the
cranked cocking lever g, g², g³ for cocking the hammers on opening the gun the said
slide being forced back on opening the gun and made to operate the cocking slide
by an incline on the front lump on the barrels, the said slide being returned to its
place on closing the barrels by the back lump on the barrels striking against the
raised cocking lever substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said Enos James have hereunto set my hand
and seal this fourteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW
ENOS JAMES (L.S.)