Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 28th Jan., 1887.
I, ROBERT CHAPLAIN, of 29 Whittall Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Gun
Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to those drop-down small-arms which are cocked by
the locking bolt (which locks the barrel or barrels) being moved backwards by means
of the unlocking and cocking lever on the upper part of the breech, the back end of
such locking bolt being made T shaped in a double barrelled gun so as to catch the
hammers and turn them backwards on their pivots into their cocked position when
required.
The object of my Invention is to provide means whereby such a gun can be cocked
by the act of turning down the barrels as well as by the ordinary unlocking and
cocking lever.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a double barrelled drop-down gun.
According to my Invention I provide an inclined part on the "lump" so arranged
that when the barrels are being turned down or "dropped" the said inclined part
will act upon the front end of the locking bolt and force it backwards far enough to
turn the hammers into their cocked position. On the barrels being raised into their
locked position the inclined part allows the locking bolt to be moved forwards by a
spring in the ordinary manner to lock the barrels when the hammers will be free
to be fired.
As an alternative arrangement instead of forming an inclined part on the "lump"
and a roller on the front end of the locking bolt as above described, an inclined part
may be formed on the front end of the locking bolt and a roller provided on the
lump" in such a position that when the barrels are dropped "the roller will act
upon the inclined part and force the locking bolt backwards to cock the gun as above
described.
<
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CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
128, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Drop-down Small-arms.
I, ROBERT CHAPLAIN, of 29, Whittall Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Gun
Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement :-
My Invention has reference to those drop-down small-arms which are cocked by
the locking bolt (which locks the barrel or barrels) being moved backwards by means
of the unlocking and cocking lever on the upper part of the breech, the back end of
such locking bolt being made T shaped in a double barrelled gun so as to catch the
hammers and turn them backwards on their pivots into their cocked position when
required.
The object of my Invention is to provide means whereby such a gun can be cocked
by the act of turning down the barrels as well as by the ordinary unlocking and
cocking lever.
«
39
I will describe my Invention as applied to a double barrelled drop-down gun.
According to my Invention I provide an inclined part on the "lump" so arranged
that when the barrels are being turned down or dropped the said inclined part
will act upon the front end of the locking bolt and force it backwards far enough to
turn the hammers into their cocked position. On the barrels being raised into their
locked position the inclined part allows the locking bolt to be moved forwards by a
spring in the ordinary manner to lock the barrels when the hammers will be free
to be fired.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents in part sectional side elevation
parts of a drop-down gun constructed according to my Invention the barrels being
dropped ready for loading and the hammers in their cocked position; Fig. 2 is a plan
of the same with the barrels removed; Fig. 3 represents the same parts as Fig. 1
with the barrels locked and the gun cocked ready for firing; Fig. 4 represents the
same parts the gun having been fired; Fig. 5 represents in side elevation and Fig. 6
in part plan the unlocking lever and the locking bolt separately in the positions they
occupy relatively to each other when the barrels are locked and Fig. 7 is a part plan
of the same as they appear when the gun is opened and cocked.
The barrels are marked A, a is the "lump," is the locking bolt or slide of
which is part of the T part, c, c, are the hammers having the ordinary operating
springs d, d, the scars are marked e, e, and f, f, are the side plates, 9, 9, are the
striking pins and is the unlocking lever.
That part of the "lump" a which is below the front notch a¹ is, according to my
Invention, made inclined at a² the front end of the locking bolt being rounded off
to bear against it. The locking bolt bengages with the notches a', a³, to lock the
barrels and it can be withdrawn therefrom to unlock the barrels by means of the
unlocking lever hall in the ordinary manner but when the barrels are being turned
dropped for the purpose of opening the breech the inclined part a will,
according to my Invention, act upon the front end of the locking bolt and force it
down or
22

page_text: backwards far enough to turn the hammers into their cocked position (see Figs. 1
and 2) where they are held by the sears e, e. The unlocking slide 6 is drawn back
to unlock tlie breech in the ordinary manner by means of the unlocking lever h
turning a notched cam i engaging with a pin j on the top of the T part of the slide b,
but when the hammers have been forced back by the incline a², as above described and
represented by Figs. 1 and 2, the pin has been moved so far back that it has left
the notch in the cam i (see Figs. 2 and 7) and bearing against the flat part of the
cam maintains the locking lever in its open position. When the barrels are being
raised into their locked position the "lump" first moves the locking bolt forwards for
a short distance until the pinj has entered the notch in the cam i when the ordinary
spring brings the lever into its normal position and moves the locking bolt forward
in the ordinary manner to lock the barrels. The hammers are now free to be fired.
The front of the bolt may be provided with a roller (see Fig. 8) so as to diminish
the friction on the incline.
Instead of forming an inclined part on the "lump" a to act upon the front of the
locking bolt b, as above described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,
an inclined part may be formed on the front end of the locking bolt b and a roller
provided on the "lump" a (for instance as illustrated by Figs. 9 and 10) in such
a position that when the barrels are dropped" the roller will act upon the
inclined part on the bolt 6 and force it backwards and cock the gun as herein-
before described.
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Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
The improvement in drop-down small-arms hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, that is to say, providing an inclined part or a roller
on the
lump" which when the breech is opened, acts upon the locking bolt and
forces it backwards thereby cocking the hammers, substantially as described.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.