US62077A - Improvement in breech-loading fiee-aems - Google Patents

Description

I -No. 62,077.

c: SHARPS.

' Breach-Loading Fire-Arm;

Ptqmea Feb. .12, 1867.

@uiten tutes @anni @mit IMPROVEMENT Ill BBEEGH-LOADING FIRE-RENS.

Uhr Srlgrmle mettre ta iu llgrse Enters @anni mit making purl nf ille sunt.

l TO AIJLWHOM IT MAY GONGERN:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN SIIARPS, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improve- 1 ments in Brooch-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declareA the following to he a full, clear, :ind exact description-of the same, refcrcncqbcing had tothe accompanying` drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon'. l 4

My invention relates to certain improvements fully describcd'hereaftcr'in the breech-loading {irc-arm well known as Sharps' rillc, for which' Letters Patent of the United States were/granted to me on the 12th day of September, A. l). 1848, and extended August 31'), 1862, and' reissued July 5, A D. 1864, my improvement, having been made with the view ol' rendering the said arm serviceable in the usc of metallic cartridges, parts of my' present invention being also improvements inthe lire-arm for which Letters Patcnt'wete granted to me on the 29thof October, 1861. i j

In order to eable othersskilledin the art to make and use my invention, I will n ow proceed to describe its construction and operation. On reference to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specilicationi Figure I is u. side viert' partly in section, of my improved breech-loading tire-arm.l

2, ther-same, with the operating'partsin E. positign difeing'from that lshown inliig. I.

,'ise'tion'of part oi cl'reuflre-arml in a position the reverse of that seen in iigs. 1 and 2,` showing Figi! the breech-piece lowered.

l Figure' 4,' another sc'ctional view. 1 Figure 5, a sectional'plan on the line 1-2, iig. 1. l Figure 6 an inverted plan view of part of.the firearm. Figure 7, a transverse section on the vline 3-4, fig. 1; and

l Figures B and 9, enlarged views illustrating one feature of my improvement.

' A represents thsbiirrel and B the frame `of lthe ronrm, which is provided with a breech-piece, C, arrangedis'a sernicircular` groove, a, which,' under the circumstances described hereafter", forms n. continuation of tho the opening'in the frame B, is a' spring catch, c, the .end of which is adapted to (a notch, d, in the frame, (son 3.) A lever, 1),-'which also serves as a triggerguard, is hung to a pin,` E, which passes through the frame` Iand onv this pin ishung loosely an arm, F, having a shoulder, e, for a purpose rendered apparent hereafter. To l 'the lever D, at the pcintf, is secured. spring plate, G,'which iB cut away so as r'o form a projection, g, arranged i to bear against lthe arm F,'(see iig. (i.)r It will be scemo!! reference to the dotted lines in iigs. 8 und 9, that the part of' the frame B through which the pin E passes is rounded und forms a segment of a circle described from f... the eentremf the pin, the scid segment meeting s. hollow curve, h, the purpose of which will bc explained hereafter.

l To a chamber formed in the frame is adapted a' sliding-bar, H, the front end of which, owing to the spiral spring i, is always in contact with the arm I, and which has a projection, j, adapted to a recess cut in thcrear ofthe barrel, the said'projection having a notch to receive n. portion of the lango of the metallic cartridge. .supposing a cart- ,ridge to have been discharged and its metal case to be still in the bagel, the lever D is depressed from the position shown-'in gxl, and moved forward towards that shown in {g. '2; thereby drnwingown the breechpiece C until the 'end of tho' spring catch centers the'notch d of tbc freine A(seo iig. 3) andprevents the further descent of the breech-I .piecc,tho semieir'cular groove or concavity a in the top of the breechpioeo now coinciding with and forming n. continuation of the groove b in the frame. It will be observed, on reference to figs. 3 and 4, that there is on the lever D an arm, 1:1, which projects into'xm opening inthe breech-piece, the arm having atits outer end and on euch side r o'. pin, fr'. l During the above-described movement of the leverD the two pins n bore on shoulders, p, formed in the hpening-of the ybreech-piece, hencet-he descent of .the latter until arrested by a. spring catch, c, at which point '(seegum-the pins nlpuss'the end-i gef the said shoulders p'. The breech-piece being now stationary, the lever is4 'Novel iewy-rm th projection y ol" the spring p lete G catches ngairrst the notch e of the arm'Fand movesV yth'elzitter,and with it the spring-bar H back, thereby withdrnwinglthe cartridge case from the rear of the barrel, "as seen in 2, along the channel formed bythe groove a inthe top of the breech-piece and that' in the frame.

Aetlie loyer D approaches the limit of its forward-movement, the portion g' (tig. 6) f the spring plate G comes to slide vertically in anvop'ening foi-med in the frame .for its reception. In the upper end of the `sliding breech' clmnncl'b` of the frame, (sco figs. 4 and 5..) Secured to the under side of the breech, and projecting upward into.

non 2 in contact with that portion of the frame where the hollow curve h previously alluded to occurs.. As the edge g of the plate traverses this curve, the latter is the means of moving the outer end of thevsaid spring plate away from the lever, and the projection g of the plate away vfrom the notch e of the arm F, which, owing to the action of the spring z' against the bar H, is moved forward into a recess, t, formed in the frame, (see'lig. 2,) while the notched projcctionj of the bar. H takes its place in the recess u at the rear`of thcbarrel. It will 'be seen, on reference to fig. 4, that when the lever has been moved forward to its utmost extent the hooked projection w overlaps the lip y en the breech-piece and prevents the lutter from being accidentally raised. A new cartridge having now been inserted into the rear of the barrel, the lever Disldrawn buck toward its'former position, the

breech-piece. when, on the further movement of the lever D,thc breech, released from the control ofthe hooked projection w ofA the said lever, will be elevated until it reaches the position illustrated in fig. V1, the outer end of the lever being now in Contact with the underside of the stock and serving as o. trigger-guard. After the cartridge has been discharged the lever is again-depressed-and moved forward, thevpiusn of the arm'm bearing Y on the shouldcrsp and consequently depressing the sliding breech as before.

It has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the mechanism of the lock or to describe the operation of the hammer and trigger, as these parts may be similar to those of" other fire-arms. A movable block, x, arranged in the sliding breech ador-ds a communication between the hammer and the metal cartridge for the purpose of discharging the latter, as described in aforesaid patent of October 29, 1861, in which nre also described and claimed the recessed rear ofthe barrel for the reception of the flange oi' the cartridge, in combination with the vertical sliding breech, and thc bar H, with its notched projection, for withdrawing the cartridge, the bar, as described in the. said patent, being operated by hand only, whereas, by the present improvement, it is operated by the lever D, but'may, when desired, bc manipulated by the aid of its projecting rod, figs. 1, 2, and 5. It willl be seen that the arrangement of thejsliding breech und frame is based upon that described in my said original patent of September 12, 1848, reissued July 5, 1864, and extended August 30, 1864.

Without confining myself to the specific arrangement and construction of the several ports herein described, I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the hooked projection w, or its equivalent, on'the lever D, with the lip y, or its equivalent, on the sliding breech, for the purpose specified.

2. vThe spring-bar H, arranged to slide in thc frame B, and having a notched projection j, in combination with the lever D and its arm F, the whole being arranged substantially as described, so that the cartridge may be extracted either by the manipulation lof the lever D or sliding-rod H.

3. The combination of the spring plate Gr on the lever D, the notch c on the arm F, and the portion z of the frame, by which the said spring plate is released from the notch on moving forward the said lever D.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. CHRISTIAN SHARPS. Witnesses:

H. HowsoN, Jenn WHITE.

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