380 



FIRE-ARMS 



that situation stops it from striking tho nipplo. A slider g f //, connected with tho 

 under part of the gun-stock, is attached to tho tail of tho bent lover at t ; and when 



the piece is brought to the shoulder for firing, the hand of tho sportsman pressing 

 against the bent part of tho slider at g, forces this back, and thereby moves tho 

 end of the lover c forwards from under the nose of the cock or hammer, as shown 

 by the dotted lines. The trigger being now drawn, tho piece will be discharged ; 

 and on removing the hand from the end g, of the slider /, tho spring at h, acting 

 against the guard, will force the slider forward, and the lever into the position first 

 described. 



Mr. Bedford, gun-maker, of Birmingham, introduced a modification of the lock for 

 small fire-arms, in which the application of pressure to the spar spring for discharging 

 the piece is made by means of a plug, depressed by the thumb, instead of tlio force of 

 tho finger exerted against the trigger. Fig. 876 represents a fowling-piece partly in 



876 



action. The sear spring is shown at a. It is not here connected with tho trigger, as 

 in other locks ; but is attached by a double-jointed piece to a lover b, which turns upon 

 a fulcrum pin in its centre. At the reverse end of this lever an arm extends forwards, 

 like that of an ordinary sear spring, upon which arm tho lower end of the plug c is 

 intended to bear ; and when this plug is depressed by the thumb bearing upon it, that 

 end of the lever b will be forced downwards, and the reverse end will bo raised, so as 

 to draw up tho end of the sear spring, and set off the piece. For the sake of protec- 

 tion, the head of the plug c is covered by a moveable cap d, forming part of a slider e, 

 which moves to and fro in a groove in the stock, behind the breech end of the barrel ; 

 this slider e is acted upon by the trigger through lovers, which might be attached to 

 the other side of the lock-plate ; but are not shown in this figure to avoid confusion. 

 When the piece is brought to the shoulder for firing, the fore-finger must be applied as 

 usual to tho trigger, but merely for tho purpose of drawing back tho slider e, and un- 

 covering tho head of the plug ; when this is done, the thumb is to bo pressed upon tho 

 head of the plug, and will thus discharge tho piece. A spring bearing against the lever 

 of the slider e, will, when the finger is withdrawn from the trigger, send tho slider 

 forward again, and cover tho head of the plug, as shown. 



The Rev. John Somervillc, of Curric, in April 1835, obtained a patent for a further 

 invention to prevent tho accidental discharge of fire-arms. It consists in hindering the 

 hammer from reaching tho nipple of a percussion lock, or tho flint reaching the steel 

 of an ordinary one, by the interposition of mpveablo safety studs or pins, which pro- 

 trude from under the false breech before the hammers of the locks, and prevent them 

 from descending to strike. These safety studs or pins are moved out of tho way by 

 the pressure of tho right hand of tho person using the gun only when in the act of 

 firing ; that is, when the force of the ri^lit hand and arm is exerted to press the butt- 

 end of the stock of tho gun against tho shoulder while tin- :iiiu is taken and tho trigger 

 pulled. In carrying tho gun at rest, the proper parts of tho thumb or hand do not 

 como over Mr. Somervillc' s move;il>lo buttons or gl 



Fig. 877 is a side view of part of a double percussion gun ; and fig. 878 is ft top or 

 plan view, which will servo to explain these improvements, and show one out of 

 many methods of carrying them into effect. A is tho stock of the gun; n tho bnrr.-N; 

 c the breech - T D the nippies ; E tho false broech, on tho under side of which tho levers 



