US88730A - Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. D. S. NEWELL.

Breech-Loadng Fire-Am.

No. 88,730. Patentd April 6, 1869.

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J. D. s. NnwnLL, or TIINsAs PARISH, Ass'IeNon rro Hnnsntn N. e. Baron, n. TOMATIS,

AND THoMAs rIoKLn, on NEW onLnANs, LOUISIANA.

Letters Patent No. 88,730, elated April 6, '1869.

INIPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING- FIRE-ARMS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it maf/y concern Be it known that I, J. D. S. N nwELL, ofthe parish mechanism required in breech-loading arms, by a reduction of the number of the parts thereof, and a consequent diminution of the cost of manufacturing such arms; but I also secure uniformity of diameter in the barrel and breech-piece, and therefore a more convenient and symmetrical form of gun.

To attain these desiderata, I provide a breech-piece which moves on slides on each side of it, instead of working through a fixed centre, and is drawn away from the rear end of the barrel, toadmit the cartridge,

by simply cooking the gun, and is then thrown back, through the agency ofthe main-spring, by the pulling of the trigger', and securely locked in the proper position to close the barrel, and eifectually resist the shock ofthe explosion of the powder on the firing of the gun, an instant before the explosion takes place, through theA agency of a needle-percussion against the fulminate-ring, or hollow anch at the base of the cartridgecase.

My invention may be said, therefore, to consist of a novel arrangement of simple mechanical parts, which, in their separate form, and combined relation and action, will be at once clearly understood by referring to the drawings.

At Figure l is exhibited an external view of a single-barrel gun, to which my invention has been aplied. p In this view the gun is cocked, and ready to be iired, so soon as a cartridge has been inserted in the barrel, which cartridge is designed, in all cases, to be contained in a metallic case, provided with a concentric.

hollow Hauch at the rear end, or base thereof, for the reception of the fulminate, to ignite the powder and discharge the gun. A

It will be observed that there is abundant space between the front end ofthe breech-piece A and therear end, B, of the barrel, to allow of the easy and rapid introduction of a cartridge within the latter.

Two cartridge-withdrawing spring-hooks, a, are secured in longitudinal grooves, o1' recesses, that are cut or sunk in the breech-piece, in order to preserve a smooth outside surface on the same, in such manner that they project a little beyond the front end of the breech-piece, as shown.

These hooks lenter shallow notches in the rear end of the barrel, and taking over the ianch of the cartridge-case, whenever the breech-piece impinges against the rear end of the barrel, withdraw the said-case,

with or without theball and powder, accordingly as the gun has or has not been fired, as the breech-piece is drawn back from the barrel by the op eration of cocking the gun. l l

In order to insure the expulsion of the empty cartridge-case, after itis drawn out 'of the barrel by the hooks a, from the open space between the breech-piece and the barrel, a small projecting4 pin, or knob, b, is fixed in the plate H, on which the breech-piece slides,

at a point sufficiently removed from the end ofthe barrel to bring the front end of the cartridge-.case out of the same, or about at the point shown on the drawing.

This knob b strikes against the anch of the car I tridge-case, as the latter is being drawn back bythe hooks @and tilting the same in an upward direction, in a sudden manner, throws it out of connection with 'the hooks, and out of the open space, with unvarying certainty. v

The knob b ts in a longitudinal groove, extending from one end to the other, of the breech-piece, and hence affords an additional means to the side-slides, which, I may here remark, may be of any ordinary construction, for keeping the said breech-piece in proper position, in its reciprocating movements to open and i close the rear end of the barrel.

The breech-piece A is provided with a rear proj ecting part, c, for a purpose hereafterdescribed.

At Figure 2 a longitudinal sectional view is shown, of a gun, to which` my invention has been applied, and it will be seen, from an inspection of this figure, that the hammer C has a tiiangnlar transverse vcleft, or notch, (l, across its upper front end, near the bottom thereof, that exactly corresponds, in size and form, with the back extremity ofthe projecting part c of the breech-piece, and that a peculiarly-termed bar, D, is

pivoted to the same end ofthe hammer, just above the cleft il.

This bar D works in a groove, or narrow recess in the breech-piece A, and its length is just sufcient to insure a slight projection of its sharp-pointed front extremity beyond the front feud of the breech-piece,

whenever force enough is applied to drive it under the spring l1, which always happens when the breech-piece' is thrown against the barrel, as in Athe act of firing the gun, by the action or tensile force of the main-spring E of the lock.

The violent projection of the needle-point ofthe bar D against the fulminate-ring, lanch, or other containing-part of the cartridge-case, for the igniting-fulmi- I twice as -deep as it is back of that point, the change of the depth being abrupt, so'as to provide a perpendicularface, f, within4 said recess, for a purpose pres-v ently disclosed.

The needle-bar 1D, if I may so call. it, is provided with a catch, or hook, g, near its pointed extremity, and on its under side,which, in the backward moyement of the hammer O, in the operation of cooking the gun, takes against the perpendicular face f, and

thus draws back the breech-piece-A, and opens the bar D, abutting against the rear edge of the spring h,

prevents the protrusion of the pointed extremity vof the said bar beyond' the end of the breech-piece, except when the tensile force ofthe spring E, combined with the momentum of the hammer' and breech-piece, is brought into play in the act of firingthe gun. In this case, the force is sufficient to drive the bar D un-v derneath the spring h, past the notch ,the inclination of the same making the operation' certain and'A easy, and the spring hold down the bar firmly in its place.

It will thus be seen that the needle-bar D, being pivoted to the hammer C, through the instrumentality of the hook g, on its lower edge, in connection with the vertical part f of the recess in which it works, constitutes the means of opening the rear end of the barrel, by the simple operation of drawing back the said hammer in cocking the g'un, and that, hence, the hammer is the on'ly external lever, or part that needs to be manipulatedin the actual practice o r use of my invention. v

The hammer C is actuated by a main-spring, E, which is connected to it by means of the'v link F.' l3nt there being no novelty in this spring, nor in its mode of operation, no particular description of it is necessary.

Nor is-there anything about the trigger that is new.

It may be adjusted to its place, and'with relation to notches in the tumbler-foot oi' the hammer,A to maintain the latter at cock and half-cock, in any usual manner that is applicable to similar gun and pistol-locks.

The hammer O articulates, in itsl vibration',on a pin, G, which, insomuch as it sustains, or must withstand the force oi' the shock that is incident to the discharge of the gun, vshould be made of steel finely tempered, in order to possess the requisite strength.

The pin G has its bearings in-aremovable plate, H, which may be attached either to a wooden or metallic stock, at the pleasure of vthe constructor.

The triangular rear extension, c, of the breechepiece, fits into the corresplondingly-formed notch d of the hammer, whenever the breech-piece occupies the position shown at iig. 2, which it must flo whenever the gun is tired, and thus effectnally prevents the recoil of the breech-piece, and the opening of the rear end of the barrel by the firing of the arm, for it will be seen that from the formation of that part of the rearward extension c, on which falls all the recoil-pressure, the whole force of such pressure is directed in a downward direction, and that consequently the hammer cannot vibrate backward, nor the breech-piece yield, unless the pin G be broken by the' shock. In fact 'the breechpiece is locked, or held up against the rear end ofthe barrel by this arrangement, by the very force 'of the recoil-tendency, and hence `the singular, if not anomalous fact follows, that precisely in proportion to the force exerted to produce .a recoil, or back movement of the breech-piece, is the tenacity of its hold upon its position against the rear end of the barrel. Noris this the only function that is fulfilled by the rear extension c of thebree Jh-piece, for, by bringing the ham; mer down upon it, as shown at Figure 3, plate 2, the breech-piece is locked between the position of halfcock and that of absolute contact with the rear end of the barrel, so securely and firmly, that no blowV nor concussion on the hammer or gun, in the direction of the muzzle of the g'nn, can unlock it, no matter how severe the same may be, whilst at the same time the gun may be cocked and fired with the same ease as when at lhalf-cock, or the breech is in direct contact with the rear end oi' the barrel.

This is an exceedingly meritorious characteristic of my invention, for it secures absolute safety against an accidental discharge of the gun to which it is attached, from any canse whatsoever.

My invention may be used in connection with double, as well as single-.barrel guns and pistols, and with shot equally as with b'allcartridges, but in all and everyease, metallic cartridges must be used.

Its 'points of merit are,.simplicity, cheapness of construction, and eiiectivene'ss in practice. It can be fired with nearly the same rapidity as the cumbrous maga,- zine-guns of Henry, Spencer, 'Winchesten and others, n hilst it is far lighter, and more symmetrically proportioned in all its parts. The mode of itsoperation has been made manifest in describing it.

,Vihat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ise l. The breech-piece A, in combination with the needle-bar D, when these parts are constructed as herein described, andare united and operate conjointly.,

by means of the vertical face, orA section f, iu the longitudinal recess in the former, and the spring 71, secured over the front end of said recess, substantially as herein specified.

2. The above combination, in combination with the projecting knob, or pin b, for throwing out the car tridge-case, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The breech-piece Aeand bar D, in combination'- with the hammer C, when these several parts are constructed, joinedtogether, and conj ointly operate, substantially as set forth.

' J. D. S. NEWELL. Witnesses:

H. N. JENKINS, WILL. Roenes.

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