IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: ·LETTERS PATENT to Henry Elliott, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 23rd October 1863, and dated the 16th July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Elliott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
July 1863.
I, HENRY ELLIOTT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech ends
of the barrels are opened and closed by the barrels turning upon a joint, the
said barrels moving in a vertical plane. In opening the breech ends for
charging, the said breech ends are raised from the face of the break off and
the muzzle ends depressed. In closing the breech ends for firing the muzzle
ends are raised, the breech ends being brought against the break off. The
barrels are fixed in this position during firing..
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in locking
or fixing the barrels so as to hold their breech ends firmly against the face of
the break off during discharge, and in unlocking the said barrels so as to
expose their open breech ends for charging. The barrels turn upon a joint on
the body of the gun in the usual manner. At the back of the break off is a
:
:

page_text: vertical lever turning on an axis in the lower part of the body. The upper
end of the said lever carries a pin or projection, which passes through a hole
in the break off, and engages in a hole under the top rib and between the
barrels. The lower end of the said lever projects below the body and in front
of the trigger guard, with which it is nearly in contact. The upper end of
the said lever is pressed forcibly towards the ends of the barrels by a strong
spring in the head of the gun. When the barrels are in the proper position
for firing the pin or projection on the upper end of the lever engages in the
hole under the top rib, and holds down the barrels firmly during firing. After
firing the lower end of the lever is pressed from the trigger guard by the
thumb, when the upper end of the lever withdraws the pin from the hole
under the top rib, and the breech ends of the barrels can be lifted from the
break off. In shutting down the barrels the pin on the upper end of the lever
is pressed back until the hole under the top rib is brought opposite the pin,
when the said pin is forced into the said hole by the spring at the back of the
lever, and the barrels are locked in their place. The lower end of the lever
may be provided with a spring catch fastening, which, engaging with the
trigger guard locks the lever, and prevents it being moved accidentally. The
pressure of the thumb on the lower end of the lever acts on the spring catch
fastening, liberating the lower end of the lever, and the lever itself next moves
so as to withdraw the pin on its upper end from the hale under the top rib, as
herein-before explained..
*SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Elliott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ELLIOTT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker, send
.greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Elliott, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Elliott,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Elliott, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times thereafter. during

page_text: the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Henry Elliott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Elliott, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech ends
of the barrels are opened and closed by the barrels turning upon a joint, the
said barrels moving in a vertical plane. In opening the breech ends for
charging, the said breech ends are raised from the face of the break off and
the muzzle ends depressed. In closing the breech ends for firing the muzzle
ends are raised, the breech ends being brought against the break off. The
barrels are fixed in this position during firing.
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in locking
or fixing the barrels so as to hold their breech ends firmly against the face of
the break off during discharge, and in unlocking the said barrels so as to
expose their open breech ends for charging. The barrels turn upon a joint on
the body of the gun in the usual manner. At the back of the break off is a
vertical lever turning on an axis in the lower part of the body. The upper
end of the said lever is hooked or curved, and passes through a hole in the
break off, and engages in a hole under the top rib and between the barrels.
The lower end of the said lever projects below the body and in, front of the
trigger guard, with which it is nearly in contact. The upper end of the said
lever is pressed forcibly towards the ends of the barrels by a strong spring in
the head of the gun. When the barrels are in the proper position for firing,
the hooked or curved upper end of the lever engages in the hole under the top
rib, and holds down the barrels firmly during firing. After firing the lower
end of the lever is pressed from the trigger guard by the thumb, when the
upper end of the lever withdraws the hooked or curved end from the hole
under the top rib, and the breech ends of the barrels can be lifted from the
break off. In shutting down the barrels the hooked or curved end of the

page_text: lever is pressed back until the hole under the top rib is brought opposite
the hooked or curved end, when the said hooked or curved end is forced into
the said hole by the spring at the back of the lever, and the barrels are locked
'in their place.
.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a portion of a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun containing my improvements, the barrels being locked or fixed
down ready for discharge; Figure 2 represents the same, partly in longitudinal
vertical section; Figure 3 represents a side elevation of the same with the
barrels unlocked and raised from the break off, ready for the introduction of
the cartridges or charges; Figure 4 is an elevation of the open breech ends
of the barrels; and Figures 5 and 6 represent side and front elevations
respectively of a portion of my Invention as herein-after described. The same
letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawings.
b
a, a, are the barrels, turning on a joint 6 on the body c of the gun in the
ordinary manner. At the back of the break off d is a vertical lever e turning
on a pin or axis f in the lower part of the body c of the gun. The said
lever e is shown separately detached from the gun in side elevation in Figure 5,
and front elevation in Figure 6. The upper part of the lever e is hooked
or curved at, as represented in the several Figures of the Drawings, and as
herein-after more particularly explained. The hooked or curved end of the
ever passes through a hole or opening in the upper part of the break off d
(see Figure 2), and engages in a hole or recess as under the top rib a³, and
between the barrels a. The hole or recess a² under the top rib in which the
hooked or curved end e enters is of a semi-elliptical figure, and the acting or
holding part of the said hooked or curved end e³ has in transverse section a
corresponding Figure. The shape of the hole or recess a³ under the top rib as,
and the corresponding shape of the hooked or curved end will be readily
understood by referring to Figures 4 and 6. The lower end of the lever e
projects below the body c and in front of the trigger guard g, with which it is
nearly in contact. To the said lower end of the lever e a thumb plate ³ is
fixed by the screw e', by which thumb plate the lever e is moved. The
upper end of the lever e is pressed forcibly towards the ends of the barrels a
by a strong springh in the head of the gun. The free end of the said
spring carries a roller i which bears against the back of the lever e (see
Figure 2). When the barrels a are in the position represented in Figures 1

page_text: and 2 the hooked or curved end of the lever e is engaged in the recess a³,
and holds or fastens down the said barrels firmly during discharge. The gun
having been discharged, in order to reload it, the thumb plate e³ of the lever e
is pressed from the trigger guard 9, the said lever is thereby turned on its
joint f, the upper end moving from the break off, and withdrawing the hooked
or curved end e from the recess a³ in which it was engaged. The position of
the lever e when the hooked or curved end e has been withdrawn from the
recess a³ is indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. The breech ends of the
barrels having been thus, unfastened, the said barrels turn upon the joint b,
the muzzle ends descending and lifting the open breech ends from the face of
the break off d, as represented in Figure 3. The barrels having assumed the
position represented in Figure 3, the pressure of the thumb is removed from.
the plate, and the hooked or curved end of the lever e pressed by the
spring / through the break off d into the open space in the body, as represented
in Figure 3. The cartridges or charges having been introduced into the open
breech ends of the barrels, the said barrels are shut down. In shutting down
the barrels the part a' between the barrels bears against the inclined nose or
front of the hooked or curved end e² of the lever e, and presses back the said
hooked or curved end into the break off d until the hole or recess a under
the top rib a³ is brought opposite the said hooked or curved end, when the
said hooked or curved end is forced by the action of the spring h into the hole
or recess a³, and the barrels are securely locked in their place, as represented
in Figures 1 and 2. It will be seen by referring to Figures 2, 3, and 5 that
the curve of the hooked or curved end e³ of the lever e is struck from the
centre fon which the said lever turns, and that the recess a³ into which it
enters is curved in a similar manner, so as to permit of the under side of the
said hooked or curved end bearing firmly against the bottom of the said recess.
By the hooked or curved figure of the upper end of the lever e and recess a³
no amount of pressure applied to the breech ends in the direction proper to
lift them from the break off can have the slightest tendency to force back the
said hooked or curved end e³ out of the recess a³.
Although I have only described and represented my improvements as
applied to a double-barrelled gun, yet my said improvements are equally
applicable to single-barrelled guns. In applying my Invention to single-
barrelled guns, the hooked or curved end of the lever engages on the top of
the single barrel, and the under side of the hooked or curved end is parallel
with the upper side, instead of having the semi-elliptical figure represented in
Figure 6.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention, the improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say, locking or fastening down the breech ends of the barrels of fire-arms
of the kind described against the face of the break off, and liberating the said
barrels from the break off by means of a lever, constructed and actuated
substantially in the manner described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Elliott, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY ELLIOTT. (L.S.)