US9943A - Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. SOHENKL; BREEGH' LOADING FIREARM.

Patented Aug. 16

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. P. SCHENKL. BREEGH LOADING FIREARM.

No. 9,943. Patented Aug. 16, 1853.

3 SheetsSheet 3.

J. P. SOHENKL. BREEOH' LOADING FIREARM.

No. 9,943. Patented Aug. 16, 1853.

" UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JOHN P. SCHENKL, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNoR ro J. P. I SOHENKL AND A. s. SARONJI.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRE ECH-LOADING FIRE -ARM S.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 9,943, dated August-16, 1853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jon): P. SCHENKL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Guns; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,

making part ofthe accompanying specification.

My invention is applicable to that class of firearms in which the breech is secured to the barrel of the gun by means of a screw upon .both breech and barrel, portions of each screw being cut away to allow the breech to enter the barrel, when a portion of a turn of the breech secures the two together; and my invention consists in a method of unscrewing the breech from .the barrel and withdrawing the same, of turning up the breech so as to bring its chamber into a vertical position for loading, and then (returning the breech into the barrel and locking the two together, which motions are performed through the interven tion of appropriate cams, catches, and springs, by the motion of a single lever, worked by the hand of the gunner.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is a side view of a gun with myimprovement attached; Fig. 2, a side view of the same, the breech being unscrewed preparatory to withdrawal; Fig. 3, a side view of the gun with the breech withdrawn and in position for loading. Fig. 4 is a plan. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are details, which will be referred to hereinafteiz In Fig. 10 is seen the manner in which the breech is secured to the barrel.

A screw is cutupon the end of the former, and a corresponding female upon the interipr of the barrel. These screws are then marked oli' into six sections, and the threads upon every alternate section in each are cut away. It is then evident that by turning the breech so that the sections 3 upon which the threads re- 7 main be opposite to the sections 3 of the female screw, from which the threads have been cut away, that the one may be slipped into the other. If, now, the breech be madeto perform a slxth of a revolution, the sections of the male screw upon which the threads remain will engage with the screw-sections of the-female, and the two will be drawn firmly together.

A is the gun-carriage; B, the barrel of the gun; C, the movable breech.

a a are straps secured to thebarrelof the gun. a is seen detached in Fig. 5, and a in,

Fig. 9. i

D is a ring, which surrounds the breech, and in which the latter is permittedto revolve. Upon each side of this ring is a pin, 1). These pins revolve and traverse in the slots 0 of the straps a a. The strap a has also an irregular slot, (2 d t, in which plays a pin, e, secured to the breech, and through which the latter is moved in a manner which will be hereinafter explained.

f is a lever of the form represented in Fig. 6. Pivoted to this lever, at the point i, is an operating-dog, b,seen detached inFig. 7. This dog turns freely upon its pivot, and has near to one end a recess or notch, m, into which at certain junctures the tooth n of the spring 0.

Fig. 8, is allowed to fall. The tooth n is raised out of the notch m at certain intervals by the pin a, which presses against the projection 12 of the spring 0, and thus the tooth a is borne outward sufficiently to clear the lever h, which is thus permitted to drop of its own weight. g is the cover of the powder-pan.

Operation: In Fig. 1 the gun is represented with the breech in place. lVhenit is desired" to withdraw the same for reloading, the hanalong the surface 9 of the lever, andis thereby raised through the vertical portion d of the.

strap a, carrying with it the breech, which is permitted to revolve within the ring D, and is thus unscrewed from the barrel of the gun. At the close of this first motion of the leverf the parts are in the position represented in Fig. 2, the pin 0 inits passage having raised the spring-tooth n out of the notch m in the dog 71, which is thus permitted to fall and grasp the pin 6 with its hook s, as seen in Fig. 2. The motion of the lever f is now reversed, when the dog h forces the pin e alongthe horizontal portion (1 of the strap as until the pin 1) has reached the end of the slot 0, when the continued operation of the dog h causes the pin 6 to revolve round the in b and in the curved portion t of the slot. This brings the parts into the position seen in Fig. 3, the breech being in avertieal position and ready for load- The breech is now to be returned to its former position preparatory to being fired. This is also effected by the motion of the lever f, assisted by the hook S of the dog h, the lever striking the pin 6 and carrying it first through the curved portion t of the slot, which brings the breech again into a horizontal position, and then, as the pin passes through the horizontal portion of the slot, the breech passes into the barrel. lever f remaining in the notch, m of the dog h, the latter is raised out of the way of pin a, as seen in dotted linesin Fig. 2. The breechis now to be screwed to the barrel, and for this purpose receives a portion of a turn, which is effected in the following manner: The lever f is again depressed, and as the dog his held up out of the way by the spring tooth or, the hooked portion '0 of the lever f passes over the pin e, which'is thusdepressed through the slot The spring-tooth n upon the for the purpose of operating the movablebreech, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 19th day of April, 1853.

J. P. SCHENKL.

Witnesses:

SAM. COOPER, H. B. SPINNEY.

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