IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Crowley, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gun Action Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Crowley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th May 1873.
I, EDWARD CROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
· Gun Action Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to breech-loading small-arms of the kind called
drop-down guns, and consists of the improvements herein-after descrbed
in fastening the barrels of the said guns to the body for firing and
releasing them from the said body for loading.

page_text: My Invention further consists of the improvements herein-after
described in drawing the breech ends of the barrels to and holding them
closely against the face of the break-off.
According to my Invention I fasten down the barrels to the body of
the gun by means of a diagonal or inclined bolt working horizontally in
the break-off, that is to say, instead of using a bolt working at right
angles to the vertical face of the break-off as usual, I use a bolt inclined
to the face of the break-off, the inner or acting end of the bolt being
situated at the middle of the break-off, and the outer end passing to near
the edge of the tang. I make the lump projecting from the face of the
breech ends of the barrels with a horizontal seat, and provide the said
seat with a vertical inclined cheek or shoulder, the said cheek or
shoulder having the same inclination as the bolt. When the diagonal.
bolt is advanced to fasten down the barrels its inner end seats itself
upon the horizontal seat of the lump, and holds down the barrels while
one side of the said diagonal bolt bears against the vertical inclined
cheek or shoulder on the said lump, and by a wedging action draws the
breech ends of the barrels to and holds them closely against the face of
the break-off.
•
I prefer to work the diagonal bolt in the following manner :—
-I place
a hand lever on the tang of the break-off, the said lever moving in a
horizontal plane. On the under side of the hand lever and excentric to
the axis on which it turns is a vertical pin or stud. This pin or stud
passes through and works in a curved slot in the tang of the break-off,
and takes into a recess in the rear end of the diagonal bolt under the
said tang. By turning aside the hand lever the said excentric pin or
stud withdraws the bolt. The diagonal bolt is pushed back on shutting
down the barrels by means of the curved nose of the lump between the
barrels bearing against the front end of the bolt, and the advance or
snapping action of the bolt is effected by a double spring on the under
side of the tang acting against a shoulder on the axis of the hand lever.
.
The arrangement of parts described for fastening down the barrels
may be used alone or in combination with that described for drawing
and holding the barrels to the face of the break-off.

page_text: Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Edward
Crowley in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 13th December
1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
CROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Action
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors give and grant unto me, the said Edward Crowley, Her special
license that I, the said Edward Crowley, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Crowley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during 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 SMALL-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edward Crowley, 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 on or before
the Sixteenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Crowley, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to breech-loading small-arms of the kind called
drop-down guns, and consists of the improvements herein-after described
in fastening the barrels of the said guns to the body for firing and
releasing them from the said body for loading.

page_text: My Invention further consists of the improvements hercin-after
described in wedging the breech ends of the barrels to and holding them
closely against the face of the break-off.
According to my Invention I fasten down the barrels to the body of
the gun by means of a diagonal or inclined bolt working horizontally in
the break-off, that is to say, instead of using a bolt working at right
angles to the vertical face of the break-off as usual, I use a bolt inclined
to the face of the break-off, the inner or acting end of the bolt being
situated at the middle of the break-off, and the outer end passing to near
the edge of the tang. I make the lump projecting from the face of the
breech ends of the barrels with a horizontal seat, and provide the said
seat with a vertical inclined cheek or shoulder, the said cheek or
shoulder having the same inclination as the bolt. When the diagonal
bolt is advanced to fasten down the barrels its inner end seats itself upon
the horizontal seat of the lump and holds down the barrels while one
side of the said diagonal bolt bears against the vertical inclined cheek or
shoulder on the lump, and by a wedging action holds the breech ends of
the barrels closely against the face of the break-off.
I prefer to work the diagonal bolt in the following manner:-I place
a hand lever on the tang of the break-off, the said lever moving in a
horizontal plane. On the under side of the hand lever and excentric to
the axis on which it turns is a vertical pin or stud. This pin or stud
passes through and works in a curved slot in the tang of the break-off,
and takes into a recess in the rear end of the diagonal bolt under the
said tang. By turning aside the hand lever the said excentric pin or
stud withdraws the bolt. The diagonal bolt is pushed back on shutting
down the barrels by means of the curved nose of the lump between the
barrels bearing against the front end of the bolt, and the advance or
snapping action of the bolt is effected by a double spring on the under
side of the tang acting against a shoulder on the axis of the hand
lever.
The arrangement of parts described for fastening down the barrels.
may be used alone or in combination with that described for wedging
and holding the barrels to the face of the break-off.
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.

page_text: Figure 1 represents partly in longitudinal vertical section and partly
in elevation the breech end of a drop-down gun without the stock and
locks, the said gun being provided with mechanism constructed
according to my Invention for fastening the barrels to the body, and for
wedging the breech ends of the barrels to and holding them closely
against the face of the break-off; Figure 2 is a plan of the same; and
Figure 3 is a cross section of the same taken through the break-off;
Figures 4 and 5 are horizontal sections of a portion of the same,
Figure 4 exhibiting the barrels unlocked and ready to be raised for
recharging; and Figure 5 the same locked to the body, and their breech
ends wedged to and held against the face of the break-off for discharge.
Figure 6 represents a plan of the body separately; and Figure 7
represents a plan; and Figure 8 a side elevation of the barrels
separately.
Figure 9 represents the bolt separately; Figure 10, the hand lever;
and Figure 11 the axis of the hand lever separately. The same letters
of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1 to 11.
a are the barrels turning on a joint pin as usual; 6 is the break-off;
and c the body; d is the diagonal or inclined bolt working horizontally
in the break-off b. The position of the diagonal bolt d in the break-off
is best seen in Figures 2, 4, and 5. e is the lump projecting from the '
face of the breech end of the barrels, the said lump when the barrels are
shut down taking into a recess in the middle of the break-off. The said
lumpe is provided with a nearly horizontal seat marked e², and a
vertical inclined cheek or shoulder e³, the said inclined cheek or
shoulder crossing the lump diagonally.
The construction of the said seat is best seen in Figures 4, 5, 7, and 8.
By an examination of the said Figures it will be seen that the said cheek
or shoulder of the lump has the same inclination as the bolt d.
When the diagonal bolt d is advanced by the action of the spring, as
herein-after described, to fasten down the barrels its inner end seats
itself on the nearly horizontal seat e² of the lump, and holds down the
barrels, while the part marked d³ of the side of the bolt & bears against
the vertical inclined cheek or shoulder e³ on the said lump, and by a
wedging action holds the breech ends of the barrels closely against the
face of the break-off, as seen in Figures 1, 2, and 5. Thus by the
combined action of the diagonal bolt a and the construction of seat

page_text: described and illustrated, the barrels a are both fastened to the body,
and their breech ends wedged to and held closely against the face of the
break-off, and the escape of gas on the discharge of the gun between
the barrels and break-off thereby effectually prevented.
In order to increase the holding power of the diagonal bolt d the
wedging side d³ of the said bolt is cut away so as to leave a horizontal
shoulder d³, which shoulder d³ when the bolt is shot forward bears upon
or overlaps a portion of the upper face of the vertical shoulder or
check of the lump, as seen in the Drawings. The said cutaway
part d³ in the bolt may however be omitted, and the bolt seat itself
upon and against the parts e³ and e³ of the lump.
The diagonal bolt d is worked or withdrawn by the hand lever f on
the tang of the break-off, the said hand lever moving in a horizontal
plano on the axis g. On the under side of the said hand lever fis an
excentric pin or stud h, which works in a curved slot i (see Figure 6) in
the break-off, and takes into a cross slot or recess d' in the head of the
diagonal bolt d. A double spring & bearing on a shoulder on the axis g
of the hand lever gives the advance or snapping action to the bolt. By
turning aside the hand leverf in the direction indicated by the arrow
in Figure 2, the diagonal bolt d is withdrawn into the position
represented in Figure 4, by the excentric pin h working in the cross.
slot d', and the barrels are unfastened and rise from the break-off for
charging. On shutting down the barrels after loading the nose or
curved face of the lump pushes back the diagonal bolt d, which bolt
on the complete shutting down of the barrels is advanced and made to
snap upon the seat on the lump and fasten the barrels to the body, and
also wedge and hold the face of the breech ends of the barrels to the
break-off, as herein-before described.
Figure 12 represents a plan of underside, and Figure 13, a longi-
tudinal section of the breech end of a drop-down gun, in which the
diagonal bolt is used in combination with an ordinary or plain seat or
lump.
Figure 14 represents a plan of the breech ends of the barrels separately.
In this arrangement of my Invention the diagonal bolt only effects the
holding or fastening down of the barrels.
In the said Figures 12, 13, and 14 the diagonal bolt is marked d, and
P
+
1

page_text: barrels is marked l. The diagonal bolt d in this arrangement is worked
differently from that in the arrangement first described, that is to say,
on the axis g of the hand lever fis a tumbler m, which is connected to
the diagonal bolt d by a link n. The snapping action of the bolt
is effected by a spring p, as usual, acting on a shoulder on the
tumbler m.
The diagonal bolt when used with the ordinary seat or lump, as
illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, possesses the following advantages over
the direct acting or longitudinal bolt, namely, it has a longer bearing in
the break-off (which especially fits it for use with cheap guns having
thin break-offs), and in the transmission of pressure from the hand lever
there is not the lateral pressure on the bolt which there is in the direct
bolt, and the wearing of the parts consequent thereon is avoided.
Although I have represented in the accompanying Drawings two
arrangements for working the diagonal bolt, which answer well in
practice, yet I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
any particular arrangements for working the diagonal bolt, neither do I
limit myself to working the said bolt from the tang of the break-off, as
the said bolt may be worked from the side or under side of the gun with
the same effect.
My improvements may also be applied to guns in which the lump
situated underneath the breech ends of the barrels does not project from
the face of the said breech ends.
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 do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention ; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in breech-
loading small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns,—
Firstly. The construction and combination or arrangement of parts
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 11, both inclusive,
of the accompanying Drawings for fastening the barrels of the said guns
to the body, and for wedging the breech ends of the barrels to and
holding them closely against the face of the break-off, that is to say,
effecting the double action described by means of a diagonal bolt marked
d, working horizontally in the break-off, the said bolt when advanced to
fasten down the barrels taking upon a horizontal or nearly horizontal

page_text: seat e, and bearing against a vertical inclined cheek or shoulder e³ on
the lump projecting from the face of or situated underneath the breech
end of the barrels, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction and combination of parts described and
illustrated in Figures 12, 13, and 14 of the accompanying Drawings for
fastening the barrels of the said guns to the body, that is to say, by
means of a diagonal bolt working horizontally in the break-off, taking
upon a plain seat or lump projecting from the face of or situated under-
neath the breech ends of the barrels, substantially as described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Crowley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
EDWARD CROWLEY. (L.S.)