IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREAK-DOWN GUNS AND IN SAFETY APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO GUNS GENERALLY
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Nobbs at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1883.
WILLIAM NOBBS of Old Kent Road in the County of Surrey Gunmaker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREAK-DOWN GUNS AND IN SAFETY
APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO GUNS GENERALLY."
This invention relates firstly to a novel arrangement of parts for effecting the
ejectment, from the barrels of break-down guns, of exploded cartridges, and if one
cartridge only be exploded, of retaining the unexploded cartridge in its barrel.
To the ejector I impart a sudden motion as the barrels are dropped, and I provide
stops for checking the movement of the cartridges (one or both), should the gun be
opened with one or both barrels undischarged.
In the fore end of the gun, in advance of the drilled hole made to receive the
lower guiding rod of the ejector, I form a socket, in which I insert a tube containing
a coiled spring, and in rear of the spring a plunger rod, which lies in line with the
guiding rod of the ejector.
Through the forward end of this tube the plunger rod projects, and pendent
from the tube is an extension piece or finger, which projects through a longitudinal
slot in the fore end of the gun for the purpose to be presently explained.
In the fore end of the joint is fitted a cam which this finger overlies, and as the
barrels are dropped, the cam serves, through the contact of the finger therewith, to
draw backwards the tube containing the spring and plunger, and thereby cause
that plunger to put the ejector into action.
The guiding rod of the ejector, when in its normal position, serves to retain the
plunger against the propelling force of the coiled spring.
This normal position of the ejector rod is preserved by means of a tipping spring
catch, which takes into a notch on the rod. As however the tube is drawn by the
action of the cam towards the catch, it will trip that catch, and release the ejector,
leaving it free to drive out the exploded cartridges from their barrels.
To prevent this result when the cartridges are not exploded, I employ the

page_text: following contrivance. Fitted in recesses in the upper part of the breech block,
opposite the barrels, are two rock levers, the the inner ends of which rests upon
vertical rods fitted in the breech block. Underlying these rods, are the wedge
shaped terminations of horizontal sliding bars working in grooves cut in the lock
plates to receive them. The rear ends of these rods are formed with a notched
lump to receive a pin projecting vertically from the underlying sear of the adjacent
gun lock. As, therefore, the sear is withdrawn from the bent of the hammer to fire
the gun, the pin of the displaced sear will push the sliding bar in connection there-
with, lift the vertical rod, and tip the rock lever, forcing its forward end down
against an upwardly pressing spring out of line with the cartridge opposite to which
it stands, so that when the gun is opened, this rock lever will offer no obstruction
to the ejection of the exploded cartridge from its barrel.
I have said that this rock lever is actuated by an underlying spring, the action
of which is to keep the forward end of the lever in a raised position.
So long as the hammer in connection with this rock lever remains cocked, the
rock lever will continue in its raised position, and thereby indicate that the barrel
is loaded. A further office which it performs is, that when the gun is opened and
the ejector is acting, it will present an obstruction to the unexploded cartridge,
and retain it in the barrel, without, however, interfering with the action of the
extractor on the exploded cartridge.
As a modification of the arrangement for propelling the ejector, the guiding rol
may be made tubular to receive a headed rod, upon which is strung à coiled spring
that lies between the head and the inner end of the guide rod of the ejector. A cam
titted in the fore part, in front of the hinge of the breech block, projects through a
slot in the metal between the barrels, and enters the recess in which the beaded rod
and spring lie, just in front of the head. As the barrels are dropped, the cam will
force the headed rod outwards, and thereby compress the spring to enable it to put
the ejector in action.
The ejector is held fast by a bolt, which is jointed to a lever recessed into the
lump below the barrels and pivotted at its forward end, its rear, end projecting
slightly beyond.
A hook standing out from the locking bolt of the gun, catches this lever on the
dropping of the barrels, and thereby causes the withdrawal of the ejector bolt,
leaving the ejector free to act under the impulse of the coiled spring.
The invention relates secondly to means for locking the tumbler or hammer, and
the sear of break-down and other guns, and thereby preventing their discharge
otherwise than by the pulling of the trigger.
Mounted on the trigger plate is a three armed rock lever, one arm of which
bears upon a pin carried by the trigger; the middle arm is hooked to overlie the
arm of the sear, and the third arm of the rock lever is hooked to overlie a shoulder
or projection on the tumbler of the hammer.
The rock lever is held in its locking position by means of an underlying spring.
As the trigger is pulled, the three armed lever will be rocked against the pressure
of its spring, and its hooked arms will be respectively freed from the sear and the
tumbler. This will take place simultaneously with the action of the trigger upon
the sear, which, under the further movement of the trigger, will be disengaged from
the bent of the tumbler as usual, leaving the main spring free to act upon the
hammer for the purpose of firing the gun.
う
The advantage of this arrangement, it will be obvious, is, that there can be no
displacement of the sear by the accidental falling of the gun, and if the sear should.
break, or the bents of the tumbler become broken or worn, the hammer will still
be held back and prevented from discharging the gun.
If thought desirable, the lever may be constructed to lock the tumbler or hammer
only, or the sear only, but the double locking I prefer.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Nobbs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st August
1883.
WILLIAM NOBBS of 'Old Kent Road in the County of Surrey, Gunmaker
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREAK-DOWN GUNS AND IN SAFETY
APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO GUNS GENERALLY"
This Invention relates firstly to a novel arrangement of parts for effecting the
-ejectment from single or double break-down guns of exploded cartridges, and if
one cartridge only of a double barrel gun be exploded for retaining the unexploded
cartridge in its barrel.
J
The invention relates secondly to means for locking the tumbler or hammer and
the sear of break-down or other guns, and thereby preventing their discharge
otherwise than by the pulling of the trigger.
+
In the accompanying drawing I have shewn in several views my improvements
as applied to a so-called break-down hammerless gun. Fig: 1 is a partial
longitudinal section of a double barrel gun fitted with a rebounding hidden hammer
which is cocked by the act of breaking down the gun.-Fig: 2 is a longitudinal
section of the gun shewing it in the break-down-position Fig: 3 is a partial
plan view of the breech block, and Fig: 4 is a detached view of the cartridge
ejector mechanism.-I may remark that in order to simplify the drawing, I have
omitted from Figures 1 and 2 the well-known mechanism for cramping the main
spring, which serves, when released, to cock the hammer, and which when cramped
is efficient for operating the haminer to fire the gun, and I have shown only so
much of the gun: as will serve to explain the first head of my Invention.
In these figures A is the barrel connected to the breech block B by a hinged
joint as usual. C is the bidden hammer, to the tumbler of which the main
spring D is connected. This main spring is fitted loosely to a supporting pin c
and its ends are both free, the one bearing upon a shoulder of the tumbler for
the purpose of cocking the hammer, the. other being connected by a link to the
tumbler for the purpose of throwing forward the hammer.-E is the ejector, which
acting upon the flange of the exploded cartridge, serves to drive the shell or case
out of the barrel.
To the ejector I impart a sudden motion as the barrels are dropped and I
provide stops as at F in the breech block B, for checking the movement of
the cartridges (one or both), should the gun be opened with one or both barrels.
undischarged.
९
}
In the fore-end of the gun, in advance of the drilled hole made to receive
the lower guiding rod e. of the ejector E, I form a socket in which I insert a
tube e. containing a coiled spring e2, and in rear of the spring, a plunger rod e³
which lies in line with the guiding rod e. of the ejector.
Through the rear end of this tube the plunger rod projects, and formed on the
underside of the tube, at its rear end, is an extension piece e or finger, which
projects through a longitudinal slot in the fore end of the gun for the purpose to be
presently explained.
In the joint of the fore end is pivotted a hooked lever e which the finger e
overlies. As the barrels are dropped to remove the discharged cartridges, the tail
of this lever, bearing on an incline on the breech piece B, is tipped upwards. This
tipping of the lever serves, through the contact of the finger therewith, to draw
backwards the tube e¹ and thereby to compress the spring contained therein and
lying between the closed end of the tube and the head of the plunger. While this
:

page_text: is taking place, the plunger will resist the pressure of the spring by reason of its
abutment on the rod e. which is, at the time of the compression of the spring,
locked by a spring catch e as shewn at Fig: 4, a further drop however of the
barrels A, will bring the finger e into contact with the spring catch e and trip
that catch.
Immediately on the release of the guide rod e. the spring e² will impart a sudden
impulse to the plunger e³ which driving forward the rod e. will cause the ejection
of the cartridge case, as shewn in Fig: 2. Thus, it will be seen that the guiding
rod e. of the ejector E, when in its normal position, serves to retain the plunger
against the propelling force of the coiled spring, its position being preserved by
As however the
the tipping spring catch e which takes into a notch on the rod.
tube is drawn by the action of the cam towards the catch, the catch will be tripped,
the ejector released, and forced into sudden action as above explained.
To prevent the discharge of the cartridge when not exploded, I employ the stop
arrangement already referred to.-Fitted in recesses in the upper part of the breech
block B. opposite the barrels, are two rock levers F. F. the inner ends of which rest
upon vertical rods f. fitted in the breech block.-Underlying these rods are the
wedge-shaped terminations of horizontal sliding bars f¹ working in grooves cut in
the lock plates, to receive them.-The rear ends of these bars are each formed with
a notched lump to receive a pin f2 projecting vertically from the underlying sear G
of the adjacent gun lock. As therefore the sear is withdrawn from the bent of the
hammer to fire the gun, the pin f' of the displaced sear will push the sliding bar
in connection therewith, lift the vertical rod, and. tip the rock lever F forcing its
forward end down to the position shewn in Fig: 2, against an upwardly pressing
spring, and out of line with the cartridge opposite to which it stands.
When therefore the gun is opened, this rock lever will, as is shewn at Fig: 2,
offer no obstruction to the ejection of the exploded cartridge from its barrel.
I have said that this rock lever is actuated by an underlying spring, the action
of which is to keep the forward end of the lever in a raised position.
So long as the hammer in connection with this rock lever remains cocked, the
rock lever will continue in its raised position, as shewn at Fig: 1 and thereby
indicate that the barrel is loaded.
The chief duty which the rock lever F is designed to perform is, when the gun
is opened and the ejector is acting, to present an obstruction to the unexploded
cartridge, and retain it in the barrel, without however interfering with the action
of the extractor on an exploded cartridge.
At Figures 5 and 6 I have shewn a modification of the arrangement for
propelling the ejector; in this case the guide rod e. of the extractor is made tubular:
to receive a headed rod e³ upon which is strung a coiled spring e³ that lies between
e5 is a fixed cam
the head of the rod and the forward end of the guide tube e.
fitted in the fore part of the breech block. This cam projects through a slot in
the metal between the barrels, and enters the recess in which the head of the rod e³
and spring e² lie, just in front of the head. As the barrels are dropped, the cam.
will force the headed rod rearwards, and thereby compress the spring to enable it
to put the ejector in action.
The ejector is held fast by a bolt e which is jointed to a lever e recessed into
the lump below the barrels, and pivotted at its forward end, its rear end projecting
slightly beyond the lump.
e is a hook standing out from the ordinary locking bolt H of the gun. Its use
is to catch the lever e on the dropping of the barrels, and thereby to cause the
withdrawal of the ejector bolt, leaving the ejector free to act under the impulse of
the coiled spring.
Fig 7 shews the adaptation of the second head of the invention to a break-
down gun, one of the locks being removed to expose the other to view. The same
letters of reference are used to indicate corresponding parts in the figures already
referred to.
Mounted on the trigger plate is a rock lever I having three arms i. i. the

page_text: arm i. bears upon a pin k. carried by the trigger K; the middle arm i. is hooked to
overlie the arm of the sear G, and the third arm 22. is hooked to overlie a shoulder
or projection c¹. on the tumbler of the hammer.
The rock lever is held in its locking position by means of an underlying spring 2³.
As the trigger is pulled, the three-armed lever will be rocked against the pressure
of its spring, and its hooked arms will be respectively freed from the sear and the
tumbler. This will take place simultaneously with the action of the trigger upon
the sear, which, under the further movement of the trigger, will be disengaged from
the bent of the tumbler as usual, leaving the main spring free to act upon the
hammer for the purpose of firing the gun.
The advantage of this arrangement, it will be obvious, is, that there can be no
disengagement of the sear by the accidental falling of the gun and if the sear
should break or the bents of the tumblers become broken or worn, the hammer will
still be held back, and prevented from discharging the gun until released by the
trigger.
If thought desirable the lever I may be constructed to lock the tumbler or
hammer only, or the sear only, but the double lecking shewn at Fig: 7 I prefer.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
construction of break-down guns and in safety apparatus to be applied to guns
generally" and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim.
:-
First The means above described for imparting an impulse to the cartridge
ejector on the opening of the gun for the purpose of removing the exploded
cartridges from the barrels.
Secondly: In combination with a cartridge ejector which is operated by the
impelling force of a spring, the use of a stop for retaining the unexploded cartridge
in position such stop being withdrawn by the movement of the sear on the firing
of the gun.
Thirdly: The means above described for locking the sear and tumbler, or the
sear or tumbler of fire arms, and thereby necessitating the pulling of the trigger to
effect a discharge.
In witness whereof I the said William Nobbs have hereunto set my hand and
seal the thirtieth day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
זזזזזזע!
NODD