108 
G U 
large fear. F, the fmall fear. G, tlie fear fpring. 
Fig. 3, (hews the lock when down. Fig. 4, thews the 
lock fixed in the gunftoek : H, the fhank or arm of the 
large fear. I, the thank or arm of the fmall fear. K, 
the thumb-piece. L, the trigger. M, the lever of the 
thumb-piece. N, the fpring which holds the thumb- 
piece up, when not prelied upon by the thumb. When 
the gun is held cocked in the ufual manner, ready to 
fire, and the trigger L is pulled by the finger, the 
thumb, being preffed at the fame time on the piece K, 
raifes, by means of the lever M, moveable on a pin in 
its centre,-the thank I of the fmall fear, and admits the 
cock to give fire as in the common way ; whereas; if 
only the trigger L be pulled, the lock' Hops at the half- 
cock I ; all further motion being prevented by a notch 
in. the fmall fear. A fpring, N, fcrewed to the flock, 
returns the thumb-piece to its place, when the thumb 
isilken oft. Fig. 5, fhows, of its real fize, the con- 
ftrudlion .of the tumbler, large and fmall fears, the 
fear-fpring, and the manner in which they rife out of 
the bents of the tumbler. 
Since the promulgation of the above invention of 
a fpring to prevent the accidental difcharge of guns, 
Mr. George Dodd, of Duke-flreet, Portland-place, 
London, has conftnuSted a gunlock upon fuch fecure 
mechanical principles, as to preclude the poflibility .of 
its firing at half cock, either by accident, violence, or 
"defign. It polfiefles all the advantages of flop, fpring, 
or bolt-locks, without their complicated conltrubtion. 
Nor has it one piece of machinery more than there is at 
prefent in the Jim pie It of common gunlocks. Though 
thefe improved locks are perfedtly fecure at half cock, 
they will fife front whole cock, with much more cer¬ 
tainty than a lock having a hair trigger, becatife lefs 
complex, and with equal fleetnefs. 
A molt valuable improvement in this gunlock is, that 
. pulling the trigger, when the piece is at half-cock, 
renders it more and more fecure, the reverie of this 
being the cafe with common gunlocks; for, the more 
powerfully the trigger is filled when they are at half 
cock, the more infecure -they become. Another eflen- 
tial improvement is, that this gunlock cannot pofiibly 
catch and flop, at the pofition of half cock, when pall¬ 
ing from the whole cock, and thus mifs fire; a ferious 
misfortune, to which gunlocks made on the common 
principle are fo liable, that to prevent it, all the befl of 
thefe ufe a peculiar piece of machinery called a fly, or 
ditachant. 
Thefe improved gunlocks are much lefs liable to be 
out of repair, as the bents are much deeper, and run 
through the -foil'd metal direct towards the centre ol 
the tumbler ; unlike the ufual bents, which are fmall, 
pointed, and the line of their depth near the circumfe¬ 
rence of the tumbler, hence they are apt to be fhap- 
ped off, or eafily worn away, and fire from half-cock, 
as too frequently and fatally occurs. When thefe im¬ 
proved locks require cleaning, they are of to plain and 
iimpie a conftrudion, as eafily to be taken to pieces 
and put together by any foldier or fportfman. To put 
one of theie gunlocks into an old flock, it is merely ne- 
ceflary to make fome trivial alterations in the excava¬ 
tion of the wood. 
The fportfman, with one of thefe improved gunlocks 
to his fowling-piece, if the trigger Ihould become en¬ 
tangled with, a twig, may forcibly pull his piece away, 
allured, that in fo doing, he increales his iatety ; but, 
if it be a common lock, he mull turn back, and cau- 
tioufly unloofe it, left the piece Ihould explode. 
Among the many complicated contrivances to pre¬ 
vent pieces from going oft'at half cock, bolts have prin¬ 
cipally been ufed ; but they are ill adapted to the pur- 
pole, exelufively of the additional expenfe ; for few 
people, when alarmed, have the prefence of mind ftrft 
to unbolt the piece to render it fit for fervice, but they 
N. 
inftantly attempt to cock. Difappointment adds t« 
their confufion ; and, ere they recoiled their mi flake', 
the game is gone. But this lock is ingenioufly devifed 
for fafety and fervice, as it merely need be cocked for 
ufe, and half-cocked for fecurity ; both which can be 
performed with expedition equal to that of any other 
lock that was ever before in ufe. Common gunlocks 
are alio more or lefs fubjed to the momentous failing 
of a falfe or delufive half-cock ; for the nofe of the 
fear refls on the point' of the half-cock bent, which, as 
it caufes no alteration in the external appearance, can¬ 
not be difcovered, and its dangerous effedts prevented. 
This very ferious accident frequently occurs among re¬ 
cruits and unfkilfu! gunners, from inattention to a very 
proper pundilio of military exercife ; but it is utterly 
impoflible that this Ihould ever occur, with this lock 
by accident, or even by defign. The improved gunlock. 
is conftruded on more mechanical principles, and is 
much Ampler, and more eafy to manufacture, than any 
other lock. Hence, there will be no increafe of ex¬ 
pence in execution, but a confiderable decreafe to "the 
locks of rifles, fowling-pieces, piftols, &c. 
Thefe gunlocks are equally applicable to-all deferip- 
tions of. fire-arms, civil as well as military ; and in 
proof of their fuperior utility, Mr. Dodd ftates as fol- . 
lows ; “ Immediately after I had perfeded thele 'im- 
provements, I communicated them to the proper mili¬ 
tary officers, that no time might be loft at this critical 
juncture of national affairs, in rendering them of fer¬ 
vice to the country. They were therefore infpeded 
and approved of by his royal highnefs the commander 
in chief, who has publicly declared his opinion of their 
fuperior utility. They have alfo been infpected by gene- 
rals.Drummond, Lloyd, Fead, Blomefield, and others, at 
Woolwich ; who, in their reports to the board of ord¬ 
nance, entirely approve of thefe gunlocks; in confe- 
quence of which a quantity were immediately ordered 
for the army. Improvements in fire-arms are truly ef- 
fential to the country, not only from its prefent mili¬ 
tary pofture, but from the great quantity of mufkets 
daily manufactured ; government alone having annually 
had one hundred and fifty thoufand fmall arms, on a 
mean of the laft ten years, as l am informed by his ma- 
jefty’s principal armoury officer at the Tower.”—Added 
to this encouragement, Mr. Dodd was honoured with 
the filver medal, and a gratuity of ten guineas, from 
the Society of Arts and Manufactures, in 1804, for this 
valuable improvement. 
In the engraving, the properties of this gunlock are 
correCtly fhewn. Fig. 6, reprefents the exterior of this 
improved gunlock. Fig. 7, the interior of the fame, 
with its works. Fig. 8, fliews, A, the tumbler; B, the 
fear; C, the fear-fpring; D, the trigger: all at the 
pofition of half-cock. Fig. 9, reprefents the fame 
parts at whole-cock. Fig. 10, fhews the pofition of A, 
B, C, and D, immediately after the piece-is fired, and 
the finger withdrawn from the trigger. Fig- 11, repre- 
lents the tumbler, fear, and fear-fpring, of the proper 
fize. The particulars moftly to be attended to in the 
conftruCtion of this gunlock are, that the centre of the 
fear B, fhould be placed in the circle, a, fig. 8, (the 
radius of this circle lies between the centre of the tum¬ 
bler, and the extreme point of whole-cock bent;) and 
that the under fide of the nofe of the fear and the un¬ 
der fide of half-cock bent, and the under fide of whole- 
cock bent, mil ft be fegments of the circle b , whole ra¬ 
dius extends from the under fide of the nofe of the fear 
to the centre of the fears ; by this means the fear will 
fit both the bents perfectly clofe, and hold very firmly 
together, without any tendency to alter their pofitibns ; 
'neither will they need any afliftance from tlve fear- 
fpring to keep them in their ftation. It is alfo necef- 
iury that the back of the fear be fomewhat hollowed, to 
prevent the fear-fpring preiling too hard at whole-cock. 
1 Of 
