IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO BREECH-LOADING GUNS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM GARDNER, of 49 Curtain Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO BREECH-LOADING GUNS" and in what manner the saine is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention relates to breech-loading ordnance and fire-arms of that class in
which a sliding breech-block is arranged to be actuated by means of a lever and
crank to open and close the breech.
My said Invention has for its object to improve the construction of the
breech-mechanism and thereby increase the rapidity with which the gun can be
loaded and fired. And my said Invention comprises improved means for extracting
and ejecting the empty cartridge cases.
In carrying my Invention into practice I provide the hammer with two arms or
extensions and arrange the same in the breech-block in such a manner that one of
the said arms or extensions will project into the path of the crank, whereby the
hammer will be cocked when the breech is opened or closed. The sear is so
arranged that it will engage with the other arm or extension of the hammer when
the breech is closed by the breech-block. This sear is either made to serve also as
a trigger as hereinafter described, or it is arranged in any suitable manner to be
acted upon by a trigger.
I employ by preference two extractors, but one of the same is in some cases
dispensed with.
Each extractor is arranged in front of the breech-block, with which it is
connected in such a manner that it will slide up and down or to and fro therewith.
And each extractor is formed with a projection or flange which lies in front of the
flange of a cartridge when the latter is inserted in the barrel.
I make the breech-block to slide in a direction slightly more oblique than is
usually the case in guns of this class as heretofore constructed, so that the act of
opening the breech will cause the extractor or extractors to withdraw the empty
cartridge case from the barrel; and the rear side of each of the said projections or
flanges is inclined or curved rearwardly at its upper end so that after the
cartridge case has been withdrawn slightly from the barrel, it will be moved
backwards with accelerating speed and ultimately be thrown out of the breech of
the gup
Moreover I so construct the several parts of my improved gun that it can be
readily dismounted by the aid of a metal rod or an ordinary nail of suitable size,

page_text: spring I that, after the gun is fired, the hammer will be forced by the said spring
into the position shewn in Figure 2, thereby withdrawing the firing pin from the
cartridge case and holding it in this position to permit the descent of the
breech-block.
The sear His a lever pivotted at to the breech A* in such a manner that it
will serve also as a trigger. A cord K is attached to the lower end of the sear H
and is passed through an eye L screwed into the breech A. By pulling the said
cord the gun can be easily fired. The sear H is acted upon by a spring H¹ which
tends to hold it in the path of, or in engagement with, the arm F¹ of the hammer.
The upper end of the said sear must be made of sufficient width to prevent its
entering the aperture or passage g in which the firing pin is situated.
Two extractors M are employed in the cannon shewn in Figures 1 to 6. Each
of these extractors consists of a wedge-shaped piece of steel or other suitable
material secured to the breech-block B in such a manner that it will move up and'
down therewith. When the breech-block is moved up or down, these extractors or
wedge-shaped pieces slide in grooves N in the breech-end of the barrel, the bottoin
faces of which grooves are longitudinally parallel to the rear surface of the
breech-block. Each of the said wedge-shaped pieces has a flange or projection M','
which lies in front of the flange of a cartridge inserted in the barrel, and forms
part of the seating for the said flange. The rear sides of these projections or
flanges are parallel to the front face of the breech-block, so that, as the latter
descends, the said projections exert a wedge-like action upon the cartridge-case
and thereby force the same from the barrel, and the said projections are made with
an inclined or curved surface M2, which will come in contact with the flange of the
said cartridge-case when the breech-block has descended far enough to permit the
ejection of the same and will so act thereon as to throw it out of the breech of
the gun.
The extractors M aro shewn in Figures 1, 4 and 6 fixed to the breech-block by
means of screws m, but I prefer to dispense with the said screws and make each
extractor, as shewn in Figures 11, 12 and 13, with a projecting piece or rib m¹
which enters a recess or cavity b' in the breech-block. By these means the said
extractor is caused to move up and down with the breech-block, but can be readily
removed therefrom when the latter is withdrawn from the breech A*. If desired,
the said screws may be employed in addition to the rib m'.
It is obvious that if the extractors are firmly fixed by screws to the breech-
block, the latter will, when a cartridge is being extracted, bear against the sides a
of the ribs A2; but if the said screws are dispensed with and the extractors are
connected with the breech-block as shewn in Figures 11, 12 and 13, they will,
when a cartridge is being extracted, bear against the bottom faces n of the grooves
in which they are fitted, but in each case the said extractors will move backward
from the barrel and will act like wedges driven or forced between the flange of tho.
cartridge-case and the breech-end of the barrel.
In Figures 7 and 8, I have shown a modified form of my improved cannon, in
which the breech-block B is arranged to be moved to and fro horizontally and
transversely to the axis of the barrel to open and close the breech. The construction
and arrangement of the parts are substantially similar to those above described,
but only one extractor can be employed.
In order that the gun may be easily dismounted without the use of special tools,
I connect the various parts of the breech-mechanism as follows, that is to say -
The crank C is fixed to the shaft D by screws N₁ having holes n' for the reception
of a steel or other rod or a nail or similar article for the purpose of slackening the
said screws and permitting the removal of the shaft D and crank C from the gun.
The hammer F is pivotted upon a pin or rod f³ which extends from side to side of
the breech-block B, and which is held in place by the ribs A2, but can be easily
removed when the breech-block is withdrawn from the breech-chamber or
aperture A. The spring I is passed through a slot in the hammer F so that it
is prevented from moving laterally; and the said spring is provided with a

page_text: .
projection which enters a recess or cavity in the breech-block and prevents
fongitudinal movement of the said spring.
In Figures 9 and 10 I have shewn my improved cannon combined with a
gun-carriage embodying the improvements described in my said former Specification.
My Invention may, if desired, be applied to a rifle or other small-arm and in
this case the sear is preferably arranged to be acted upon by an ordinary trigger.
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:-
First. In a breech-loading gun, the combination, with the sliding breech-block
and the lever and crank for operating the same, of the hammer having the two
arms or extensions, the firing pin and the sear, all constructed and arranged to
operate substantially as set forth for the purposes specified.
Second. In a breech-loading gun, the combination, with a sliding breech-block,
of an extractor or extractors arranged to exert a wedge-like action upon a
cartridge-case inserted in the barrel, during the movement of the breech-block in
opening the breech, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Third. In my improved gun, the construction and arrangement of the parts of
the breech-mechanism as above described in such a manner that they can be
readily dismounted without the employment of special tools.
Fourth. The improved breech-loading gun consisting of the parts constructed
and combined substantially as described with reference to either of the forms or
modifications shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 18th dow of Momb 1884
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.