US125829A - Improvement ih breech-loading fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

. l Y" l' s. M. MILBANK. e fsm Improvement in Brveech-Loadinfg MERK f M. MILBANK. Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms.

2 Sheets--Sheeir 2.

Patented April 16, 1872.

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ISAAC MILBANK, OF GREENFIELD HILL, CONNECTICUT.

llVlPRQ'l/EMENT lN BREECH=LOADING FIR-E-ARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 125,829, dated April 16, 1872 antedated April 13, 18721.

To all 'whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC M. MILBANK, of Greenfield Hill, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Breech-Loadin g Fire-Arms 5 and the following is hereby decla-red to be a correct description of. the same.

This invention relates to a breech loading lire-arm with a sliding breech operated by a direct movement of the hand, and. in which the hammer acts upon the rear end of a central-iire cartridge. The sliding breech-block is connected with a tube, in which is the hammer and a spring to actuate `the same. `The breech-block is held against the explosion by a lever that also serves as part of the handle in moving said breech. This lever acts upon the swin ging rctractor to cause it to hold the flange ot' the cartridge in withdrawing said cartridge. It also acts upon a safety-pin that prevents the hammer driving the tiring-pin forward except when the swinging lever is fully to its, place'.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the breech portion of the fire-arm tit-ted with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the parts in place for ring. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, showing the breechblock and lever-handle. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the breech, showing the front end of the breech-pin and lever. Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 is a plan, of the breech-black separately; and in the latter iigure the lever is shown in section' and the connecting device represented in a modified form; and Fig. 7 is a section of the handle to the breech-lever.

The barrel a., stock b, and housing c for the breech mechanism are of the usual character, except so far as being adapted to the improved parts hereafter described. A breechblock, d, is made to slide in the housing c, said housing being open at the side for inserting the cartridge and for the lever-handle c that sustains said breech-block against the explosion, and is also used to give motion to said breech-block endwise. At the rear end of the breech-block d is a cylindrical projection receiving the tubular hammer-casef, the two being preferably connected by a bayonet-lock, 2, so that the case f can be disconnected and drawn out from the rear of c, when the trigger-pin is withdrawn from "the longitudinal lslot of the said casef; and I remark that the ribs or grooves 24, serving to guide the breechblock d near the barrel, do not extend the entire length of its movement, so that the breechblock can be taken out sidewise after the hammer-case f has been disconnected. The grooves may be in the housing, with notches at the point-s where the breech-block is to be withdrawn, the ribs being on the breech-block. The lever-handleeis connected with the bre-echblock d by passing over a gudgeon, 4, projecting from its side, and a screw might be emblock and While the parts are out of the gun. A

When placed in the gun the lever c slides in the opening at the side of the housing c, and

it is turned down into the notch on the shield 6 to take the recoil of the explosion, and the ribs and grooves, being locked together, prevent the lever separating from the gud geon 4.

'The handle k, projecting from the lever c,

serves to actuate the breech-block and Iconnected parts; and, `in order to lessen concussion of the hand against this handle, I make use of a rubber cylinder, l, around said handle, such cylinder contracting into the space provided for it in the handle, and requiring no other attachment. The catch n that is in this handle 7c springs into a notch in the recoilshield 6, and this spring is pressed in by the hand as the lever is turned to open the breech. Within the breech-block d is the tiring-pin i, and within the case f is the hammer m surrounded by the spring a', said spring being connected at the rear end to the hammer and at the forward end to the interior of the casef so that the spring is distended when the hammer is held by the trigger-pin p, and the breech is closed; and when said pin or scar p is withdrawn thc contraction of the spring projects the hammer, and, by striking the liring-pin 1'., throws that against the center of the cartridge and explodes the same. The spring n might be iitted so as' to be compressed in opening the breech and expand in safety-pin, if, that is made as an incline on the end, and there is a cavity in the side of the lever'e in line with this safety-pin when the breech d and lever e are properly in place, so that the iringpin can be thrown forward by the hammer and the inclines will force the safety-pin partly into such cavity; but, if the lever e is not properly turned, then the cavity not coinciding with the pin, the inner surface ofthe lever will keep the safety-pin projected into the firing-pin, so that the hammer will not project said tiring-pin; hence, the cartridge will not be exploded if the parts are not in proper position for resisting` the concussion. The shape of this safety-pin may vary, as a neck turned uponthe tiring-pin and a safetypin with a concave notch may enter the neck, the -safety-pin being operated by the lever e, as before.

In order to draw out the cartridge I make use of the retractor u; that is hookshaped at the end, and catches over the flange of. the cartridge-ease. The breech-block is mortised out so that this retractor and its axis, made in one piece, may be slipped edgewise into place, or removed in the same manner for cleaning or otherwise, thereby simplifying the parts and avoiding risk of loss of small screws or' pins in cleaning the gun.

Upon the inner face of the lever e, at they end contiguous to the said retractor, a small incline, u', (see Fig. 4,) serves to press down the hook of the retractor and make it hold the cartridge while being drawn out. This incline is operative upon the retractor just as the lever e is swung up to draw back the breech-block and cartridge-shell; and a springejector, s, made as a slight spiral spring, in

serted in a hole at the front of the breechblock, throws out the empty case just as its forward end clears the rear end of the barrel. The projection c on the lever e, taking against the shoulder t upon the housing c, ser-ves to start the cartridge-case and.parts in drawing back the breech at the same time that the hook of the retractor is held irmly to the han ge of the cartridge-case.

The trigger-pin p is placed in a cylinder, fw, that is screwed upon the inner portion of the trigger-guard w1, and a searor lever, w?, li11- terpos'ed between this pin p and the trigger w3, serves to communicate motion from the latter to draw down the trigger-pin p against the action of the spring-9, and liberate the hammer m so that it can be projected by its Spring fn.

The safety-trigger is Aformed of a slide, 14, around the cylinder fw, with a projecting end, 15, tobe operated by the finger, and a block,

\ 16, to intervene behind the trigger w3, and

prevent the trigger being pulled and thearm fired except when the safety-trigger block 16 is pressed up out of the way. The spring 17 around the cylinderw presses this safety-trigger down to place when not otherwise acted upon.

The rearend of the riiling in the barrel is made in such a manner as not to scrape the lead of the ball, but to compress the same,

and also to produce a firm hold of the riding on the ball at the commencement of the movement, and thereby insure the rotation of the ball.

Instead of tapering the forward end of the chamber of the barrel where the riiiing ends, vas usual, I simply taper the rib portion of the ritling, as shown at 18, and leave the edges ot' the riiiing in the form of projectingehiselshaped points or edges, in order that these may score the ball or its .ease as soon as it commences to move and before thel compression of the ball or its case takes place in entering the smaller part of the barrel. Thereby the ball will be eectual'ly rotated by the riding. This construction of rifling also allows the ball or its sabot to be pressed into place with ease.

The hammer and ring-pin might be made in one piece if the safety-pin acted against a sloping shoulder instead of passing through a mortise.

' It is to be understood that when the breechblock, spring-case, and parts are drawn back the trigger-pin p holds the hammer; and asthe breech-block is forced forward the hainmer-sprin g is strained. Thereby the hammer has the same extent of motion as the breech; and when the breech is closed, the rear end of the hammer, projecting slightly, shows that the parts are in place. The hole in which the retractor works may be slightly elongated to allow of an end movement to the retractor to accommodate the position ofthe flange-of the cartridge.

I claim as my invention- 1. The hammercase j', receiving the hammer m and contractile spring n', as shown, and

vremovably connected to the breech-block d, as

and for the purposes set forth.

2. The breech-lever e upon a gudgeon at the side ofthe breechblock, .and connected thereto substantiallyas set forth, in combination with the recoil shield 6, substantially as specillied.

3. The swinging retractor u and its axial pin slipped into a notch in the-edge of the breech-block, in combination with the lever e, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The safety-pin r operated by the lever e, in combination with the firing-pint' and breechyblock d, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The spring s inserted in the face'of the breech-block d and acting as an ejector, for the purposes and as set forth.

` 6. The rubber cylinder l combined with and musee .a

applied to the handle k of the breech-lever e, in the manner and for the purposes set forth. 7. The lever e made with the projection v for starting the breech and they are drawn back, as set forth.

8. The safety-trigger sliding upon the cylinder ze, in combination with. said cylinder w,

trigger w3, trigger-pin p, and sear @02, es set.

forth.

9. The rifling in the barrel made with the cartridge-case asl edges of the ruling-grooves projecting toward the balh'zmd the riingfribs beveled between' fied.

I. M. MILBANK.

Witnesses: j

CEAS. H. SMITH, HAROLD SERRELL,

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