US360798A

US360798A - Signor of one half to seaton schroeder

Info

Publication number: US360798A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1887-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1904-04-05

Description

(No ModelL) 4Sheets-Sheet 1.

. BRIGGS.

ADING ORDNANOE.

(No Model.)

. 4 SheetsSheep 2. W. H. DRIGG-S. BREEOH LOADING ORDNANOE.

Patented Apr. 5, 1887.

mf/zl /z far- I 7 Qua ffhfil aj ad,

//7 edged" A 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

W. H. BRIGGS.

- BREEOH LOADING ORDNANOB.

' Ratented Apr. 5, 1887.

(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 4.

W. H. BRIGGS.

BREEOH LOADING ORDNANOE.

No. 360,798. Patented Apr. 5, 1887.

UN TED STATE ATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HALE names, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA, As-

SIGNOR on ONE-HALF TO SEA-TON sonnonnnn, or SAME PLACE.

BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION orming part of Letters Patent No. 360,798, dated April- 5, 1887.

Applicaiimifiled February 25, IFE'I, Serial No. 228,816. (No mode To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, Wi Lmir HALE Dumas, a citizen of the United States, residingat \Vash ington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and.

exact description of the invention, such as will Figure 1 represents alongitudinal section of the breech end of the gun, with the breechblock and the adjoining p-irts in side eleva' tion, the chamber being closed, as it would appear at the moment of firing. Fig. 2 shows the same parts in full and dotted lines, with the breecli-bloek movedintoposition for opening the chamber for the reception of the bartridge. Fig. 3 is a-rear elevation of the breech. end of the gun, the breech-block being in position for closing the chamber. Fig. 4 isa similar view representing the same parts, but with the breech-block in position for exposing the chamber. Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the breech-block and the adjoining parts, a portion of said block being broken away to show the firing-pin in its opening and the upper ends of the wings of the mainspring resting against the front and rear shoulders on saidpin. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section-on theline a: m, Fig. 1 Fig. 7 'is a detail plan view of the firing-pin. Fig. 8 is a rear view ofa portion of the breech-block the vertically-movable slide, and the casing fitted over the same and over a portion of the central recess in the rear'face of said breech-block, the firing-pin being shown in section. Fig. 9,showsa side elevation of said casing and screws for securing the same to the breech-block. Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the same, and Fig. 11 is a ward movement of the same during firing.

B is a stout steel shaft or axisiitted inopenings in the breech and extending out beyond the same on its left side, where it is provided with 'an operating-handle, C, for a purpose which will be hereinafter stated. This axis passes loosely through an elongated opening,

a", in the lower portion of the'breech-block,

as shown in Fig. 1, so as to allow of-a down andup movement of said block one; line inclined about two degrees from the vertical.-

A pin or stud, a, projects from the side of the breech-block at or near its center, and passesihto an irregularly-curved or cam -shaped groove, D, formed in the inner wall -or check of the breech. Thepeculiar' shape of this groove is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2', in

which its walls are nearly vertical for a short distance from .its upper end, as shown atd. From this point said walls incline slightly to the gear from the vertical walls, as shown at d and then continue onin curved lines d to the bottom of said groove.

D is the cam. It is rigidly fixed to the axis cooking the same.

E represents the cartridge-extractor,which consists of two vertically-extending limbs, ec, loosely pivoted upon bolts 6 e, fixed in the inner walls of the breech-chamber, at the sides of the front part of the breech-block and forward of the axis of the operating-lever, one of said limbs being arranged in front of the cam D and the other in front of the cam. D

- .on the rod or axis 13 at the opposite side of and at the horizontallyopposite sides oi said opening, and communicating therewith, are also formed the grooves f 5 f The firing-pin F passes through said opening, and is provided with the bottom projection, f, the-ring f and the head f, projecting over the extension d onthe arm d of the cam. Said firing-pin is also provided with front and rear shoulders,

f andffl oneach side, as shown in Figs. 5, 6', and 7, which fit and are adapted to' slide in the groo'resf f and thus secure positive or direct guidance of said pin. Against the front shoulders the front wing, g, of the mainspring "G presses when the firing-pin is retracted, the

- front one to operate against the front shoulders other wing, 9 of said spring resting freely against the rear shoulders, f on said firingpin, or inelongated slots or against stops in the central recessed part of the rear face of the breech-block. The mainspring is formed of broad steel plate, broader than the diameter of the firing-pin, and is bifurcated at the upper ends of its wings for permitting them to extend up on each side of the firing-pin, the

thereon and the rear" one to rest against its rear shoulders and against a forwardly-ex tending projection, z, (promincntly'shown in Figs. 5 and 9,) of the casing I, hereinafter described.

H is a short rock-shaft fitted in the rear part of the breech-block, and having one end projecting beyond the side thereof and the inner end extending to its center. Atits projecting end it is provided with a horizontal arm, h, and at its inner end with the vertical arm h, which is normally held from downward movement by a leaf-spring, h suitably secured to the casing I, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. Thisshortrock-shaft,attheinnerend,which projects to the center of the breech-block and in rear of the vertical arm h, is provided with hook-shaped catches h If, which embrace the lateral extensions 7 h at the lower end of a vertically-movable slide, 1, which is'incloscd by the casing l, which is open atits ends and secured to the rear of the breech-block. The upper end of this slide projects in front of the projection f on the firingpin when the latter is drawn back.

J is a rock-shaft passing transversely through the right wall of the gun-breech, and having 'its'inuer end terminating in a recess in said wall and in rear of the breech-block. At its inner end it is provided with a rigidly-attached trip orfinger, j, which projects slightiy over the arm h of the short roek-simftfl", andat its outer end it has a rigidly-secured fingerpiece or trigger, j, projecting downward in front of the hand-rest The operation of the parts thus described is 'as follows: Fig. 1 represents the breech as closed, or as it would appear after the discharge of the gun. To open the chamber and extract the cartridge-shell, the, handle 0 is turned, and by it the axis B and the attached cam D are also turned, the latterv being moved downwardly and rearwardl y. This movement is accomplished by the pin or stud a on the breech-block projecting through the opening dot the cam andinto the cam-groove D in the inner wall ofth'e breech, said cam-groove, owing to the described contour of its walls 12, (Z and d, first moving the stud and block vertically downward the extent of its vertical walls d, the bands a a on the upper-surface of said bloclrbeing thus forced from the grooves in the breech. NVith further movement of the handle 0 and cam D the pin or stud a is moved down the inclined walls d of the cam-groove,

and thence along the curved walls d, forming upper end of the opening d i.n the'cani D,'the

breech-block is then in its ilowcst position, which is about horizontal, a'nd-jthe chamber is open and ready for anew cartridge. During this rearward movement of the breech-block for opening the chamber, the lower convexed end, (1, of the cam D and also'the cam on the other side of the block come in contact with the concaved rear faces of the lower ends of the limbs e e of the cartridge-extractor E,

thus forcing the upper ends of the limbs and IXO The first part of the movement of tractor is slow and powerful, and afterward rapid, so that the cartridge case or'shell shall be thrown quickly out of the chamber. In the movement of the breechblock and cam to the rear, or into the positionshown in Fig. 2,

the arm d5 of the cam comes in contact with the head f of the firing-pin F and pushes the same to the rear until the projection f thereon comes beyond'the upper end of the verticallyn ovablc slide I, by which it is held until released by the trigger j and the intermediate devices. With the parts named in the positions just stated, the cartridge is placed in the chamber, and, by turning the handle back to its original position, the breech-block is also moved back and closes saidchamher. During this movement the pin'orstuda. remains in the then upper curved portion of the opening 01 of the cam 1) until the inclined walls'd of the cam-groove D in the breech are reached, when it is raised out of that position by izo said inclined walls and forced up into the then elevated curved portion of the opening d. In this position the breech-block-is raised bodily up until its hands fit into the grooves or recesses in the breech of the gun, and the cam, being drawn forward, brings the extension (P of its arm 11 close up to the rear surface of the breech-block. The horizontal arm h of the rock-shaft H is then under and against the trip or finger j, which projects from the inner end of the rock-shaft J, which is operated by the trigger j on its outer end and beneath the handrestj. The parts being in this position, the gun is ready for firing. The trigger j is then moved to .the rear and turns the rock-shait J and its finger .3 downward. The latter also forces downward the horizontal arm h of the rock-shaft H, lowers the slide 1, and releases the firing-pin, which is then thrown forward against the primer by the action of the V-shaped mainspring G, the front wing, g, of said mainspring pressing against the front shoulders, f, on the side of the firing-pin, and the rear wing, g", resting against the rear-shoulders, f, thereof. The

. firing-pin, after its release from the tension of the spring, continues forward by virtue of its weight and momentum, and, after striking the primer, is drawn back a short distance by the reactive force of the rear wing of the spring, which has been slightly compressed by the rear shoulders of the firing-pin in the forward movement of the latter, thus bringing the point of the firing-pin inside ofthe face of the breech-block and away from the primer, so that no obstacle remains to the downward movement of said breech-block-when opening the breech for a new charge.

Prominent among the advantages of my invention is the arrangement of the center of the pin or stud a slightly forward of a vertical plane passing through the center of the axis B when the brcech-block is in its up or closed position,whercby the breech-block is enabled to resist backward and downward pressure upon its face from the exploded charge. Also, back-pressure is further resisted by the bands on of the breech-block fitting in the grooves in the upper wall of the guu'breech, since to open the block at all it must first be lowered out ofthe grooves. Also, any downward press ure-is resisted by the pin or stud (1 as any pressure thereon only acts to push the block forward and lock it tighter than before. Also, as the right-angled extension d on the cam-' arm d? is not close against the back of the block until the latter is securely locked in position, should the firing-pin be accidentally released before said block is closed, the head 50 f on the firing-pin will come in contact with said extension d on the cam-arm d and prerent the point of the firing-pin from striking the primer, thus avoiding premature discharge of the gun.

My breech-loading gun, with the parts constructed. arranged, and operating as described,

is not only capable of being. rapidly operated or fired, but is simple, strong, and not liable .to get out of order.

It is obvious that minor changes can be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the nature on principle of my invention-as, for instance, the cam and its adjuncts, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, may be duplicated on the opposite side of the breech-block, if necessary or desired. Also, I may find it desirable to use a spring-catch on the handle oi the breechblock to prevent the breech from being accidentally opened, and also for the purpose of indicating by its clicking sound (at night or in the hurry of battle) that the closure of the chamber is complete.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new the following:

'1. In a gun in which the breech-block first moves downward in opening and then swings backward and downward, the combination, with the gun-breech provided with grooves in its upper wall, of the pivoted breech'block A, provided on its upper surface with bands or projections a a, adapted to titin said grooves and hold said breech-block firmly in place, and means for moving the breech-block into and out of said grooves, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the gun-breech, the breech-block A, having the stud or pin a", the cam D, having'the opening (I, with curved ends, in which said stud or pin is supported, and the axis B, which carries said cam, passing through said breech-block and havingits center to the rear of the vertical plane passing through the center of said stud or pin a when the breech-block is closed, whereby back -pressure upon the face of the block is resisted, substantially as described.

In a gun in which the breech-block first moves downward in opening and then swings backward and downward, the combination. with the gun-breech having the cam-groove I) in its inner wall, of the breech-block A, having-the stud or pin a and the elongated opening a aud mechanism for moving saidbreechblock out ofan'd into operative position, consisting of the shaft or axis B, passing through said elongated opening, the cainD, rigidly attaehed to the axis and having the opening d, with curved ends, to receive the stud or pin a", and the handle 0, attached to said axis, for op erating the same, the cam, and the breechblock, substantially as deseribed.

4. The combination of the brc'ech having the interior cam-gr0ove, D, provided with nearly vertical walls d* at its upper end, slightly-inclined and rearwardly-extendiug walls d below said vertical walls, and curved walls (1 for the rest of its length, the breechblock A, having thestud or pin a. and the elongated openings, the shaft or axis B, passing through said opening, the cam D, having the opening d, with curved ends, to receive the pin a, and the handle 0, attached tosaid axis, for operating the same and the cam and breech-block, substantially as described. I

5. In a gun in which the breech-block in backward anddownward. the combination of the gun-breech, thebreech-block, thecartridgeextractor E,consisting of the vertical limbs e 6, having the right angled extensions d et their 'lxpper ends,'t-he.lower ends ofi said limbs eprojecting slightly rearward and being concaved,

the pivotal bolts e 6, listed in'the inner walls of the'breech chamber forward of the pivot'of the operating-lever, the axis'B, having a cam on each side of the breech-block for operating the extractor, said cams having curved ends, and means for operating said axis "and cams, substantially as described.- j

6. In a gun in which the breecn block in opening first moves downward and then swings backward and downward, the combination of the breech, the breech-block having the pin or stud, the shaft or axis having the-handle, the cam attached thereto, and-having the-opening with'curvedends to engage. the pin onthe breech-block. and the vrearw,ardly-extend-ing arm provided with the right-angled extension, and the firing-pin having a headagainst which said extension of the cam-arm abuts for retracting the firing-pin, substantially as de-. scribed. r

7. The combination of the breech-block A, the mainspring G, the firimg'pin F, having shoulders for the front andrear wings of said springand a projection on it's underside, and

mechanism for retracting said firing-pin, with the short rock-shaft H, the vertically-movable slide I,- secured to said, rock-shaft, and devices for moving said shaft, loweringthe slide, and

releasing the firing pin,-substantialiy as described. v

' 8. The combination of the breech-block, the firing-pin movable therein, devices for retracting the latter, and the vertical slide for holdmg the same when retracted,- with the springcontrolled short rock-shaft provided withthe horizontal and'vertical arms and a trip or finger for depressing the horizontal arm 'on said neck-shaft, and means for releasing the slide from the firingpin, substantially as described.

'9. Thecombinationof the breech-block, the firing-pin, devices for retracting the latter, and the vertical slide for holding the same when retracted, with the spring-controlled short rock-shaft,"to which said slide is secured, provided with horizontal and vertical arms, the rock-shaft arranged in aline to the rear of said short rock-shaft, and provided-with a horizonf tal finger'at its inner end and with a trigger at its outer end, and the as described. l

1o." Thefcom'bination urthe e-recon," me breech-block, the firing-pin, the cam provided v with the "rearwardly-extending arm having an extension for retracting saidpin, and means for operating the cam, with the vertical slidefor holdingsaid-pin' when retracted, the springcontrolled short rock-shaft, to which said slide is secured, provided with horizontal and vertical arms, and means for depressing-the horizontal arm of said rock-shaft, and thus releasing the slide from the firing-pin, substantially as described. i I

11. The combination of the breech, .tne

breech-block, the firing-pin, the cam providedhan'd rest, substantially with a rearwardly-extending arm having an extension for retracting said pin, and means for operating the cam, with the vertical slide for holding said pin when retracted, the springcontrolled short rock-shaft, to which said slide is secured, provided with the horizontal and vertical arms, the rock-shaft arranged in a line to therear of the short one, and provided with a horizontal finger at its inner end and with a trigger at its outer end, and the hand-rest, substantially as described. v

12. The combination of the breechblock,

grooves communicating therewi-t-h, the f ringpin having front and rear shoulders projecting into said grooves, a suitably-supported V- Lformed with-the firin'g-pin Opening and the shaped mainspring having its forward wing resting against said front shoulders and its rear wing against said rear shoulders, and also hav ing bearing against a fixed part of the breech block, and devices for retracting and releas ing said firing-pin, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with the breechblocli having a firing-pin opening and the IOO grooves communicating therewith, of the fir- L. W. HARRIS, E. L. WHITE.

IQS

IIO