USRE2581E - Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

W. R. LANDFEAR.

Breach-Loading FireiArm.

Reissued Apr 30, 1.867,

fnesses:

UNITED STATES To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that WILLIAM B. LANDEEAR, of the city of Hartford, inthe county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breeeh- Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

The invention relates to the employment of a sliding breech or breech hammer which opens and closes by a movement directly from and toward the rea-r of the barrel, and parallel or nearly parallel with the bore thereof; and the invention consists, primarily, in such combination and arrangement of the loading and firing mechanism that the cartridge is forced into the barrel, the breech is closed against the barrel and lock-ed in position, and the cartridge is exploded, all at one operation, or upon release of the hammer by the trigger.

In the drawings, Figure l shows a side view ofthe breech and parts of the barrel and stock of a re-arm with my improvements; Fig. 2, a central vertical section of the same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the same Fig. 4E, a i'ront View of the breech.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in the several gures.

A denotes the barrel; B, the metal frame by which the barrel is attached to thevstock, and in which is contained the lock mechanism.

C denotes the sliding breech and hammer, consisting of a solid cylinder or block fitted to slide in a bore or chamber, f, in the frame, and up to and away from the rear opening of the barrel, its forward movement being effected by a spring, g, bearing against its rear end, said spring being shown as surrounding a tailpiece, c, projecting centrally from the breech. On the lower half of its front end the breech has a semi-annular projection, b, in the interior of which is a groove, c, which is made to t the flange of the metallic cartridge with circular face, e, Fig. 4, o f the said projection fitting to the body of the cartridge-case. A. recess, o, is provided in the rear end of the barrel for the reception of the projection b when the breech is closed.

'be furnished on one side with which the piece is to be loaded, the inner semi- PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS GALLAGHAN, 0E EosToN, MAssAoHUsETTs, AssIeNEE 0E WM. E.. LANDEEAE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,099, dated September 6, 1564, antedated August 19, 15863. Reissue No. 2,581, dated April 30, 1867.

' In the top of the frame B, and directly behind the barrel, there is an opening, d d, of

sufcient length to permit the cartridge, when the breech is drawn back or open, as shown in Fig. 2, to be placed between the breech and the barrel, with its flange in the groove c of the projection b, as shown in Fig. 2 by the dotted lines.

E denotes the trigger-lever suitably hung on a fulcrum-pin, and playing in a slot in the frame B, a'trigger-sprino, j, forcing a scar or tooth, i, on the front end of the trigger up against the breech-block C, and so that at proper times, or to cock the piece, the said sear shall engage with a notch, w, in the under side of the breech-block. i

'Io prevent the breech from turning, it may a pin, 7c, projecting into a slot, l, in the side of the frame B; and the back of this slot, by acting as a stop to the said pin, serves to arrest or limit the backward movement of the breech. Io one side of the breech there is shown hung upon a fulerum-pin, m, a bent lever, n o, the arm a of which enters a recess or slot, r, in the side of the breeeh,while the arm o projects outfrom the opening d d between the barrel and the frame, like the iinger-piece of a trigger. The arm 11, is pressed out when the hammer vo r breech is thrown forward by a spring, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the rear of the barrel is closed the end of the said arm slides against the rear wall of the opening d d and locks the hammer or breech tightly and securely against the barrel, to sustain it against the recoil. A groove, s, at the rear of opening d d, serves to receive the arm o when the breech is drawn back; but this groove is not wide enough to prevent the end of the arm n, which is wider than o, from having a firm bearing against the frame.

lith this description of the mechanism the operation of loading and firing the arm will be readily understood.

To bring the parts into position for loading, the finger-piece o of the lever n is drawn back,

the pressure upon it first moving the arm n in against its spring, and releasing the breech C from its locked position and then allowing the breech to slide back, by continued back To effect the firing the trigger is pulled back,

releasing the hamlner-breech from the scar,`

when the hammer with the cartridge will be driven forward by the spring g, simultaneously forcing the cartridge into the barrel andk explodingit, and also (the blow of the iiange against the end of the barrel igniting the` per# cussion-priming contained within the iiange and exploding the charge in the cartridge) simultaneously causing the arni n to ily out and lock the breech-hammer against the barrel, as before set forth. After ring, and when the sliding hammer-breech is again drawn back, the projection b at the front ofthe breech draws back with it the cartridge-shell and allows it to drop from the openingdd. Atooth may be placed upon the front end of the hammer, to penetrate or indent the cartridge-cap to insure its explosion, if desirable.

The specific mechanism described may of course be varied according to the kind of arm to which the invention is to be applied, as will be readily understood by practical firearm manufacturers, retaining, however, the main feature of the invention, the object of which is to simultaneously drive the cartridge into the barrel, to securely lock the breech against the barrel-chamber and the recoil, and to lire the arm at the movement of the trigger.

I claiml. In combination with a breech-loading arm, a mechanism by which simultaneously the cartridge is driven into the barrel, the breechblock and hammer is securely locked against the barrel, and the piece is discharged, all by dra-Wing the trigger7 substantially as set fort-h.

2. The lever o n, applied to the breech, and in combination with the opening d d in the frame B, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

CGRNELIUS GALLAGHAN.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, S. B. KIDDER.

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